The boy/ch 2 I froze. My heart was pounding so loud it drowned out the church choir echoing down the hallway. The boy’s red eyes flickered like tiny candles. “W-who are you?” I asked, backing up until I hit the cold bathroom tiles. He raised his hands slowly. “I’m not here to hurt you. My name’s Ryan.” “Why are your eyes—like that?” “The same reason yours are,” he said softly. “You’re one of us.” “One of who?” He looked around, making sure no one was listening, then stepped closer. I could feel the warmth radiating from him—like standing near a bonfire. “There are others like you,” Ryan whispered. “People who can control fire. Or… try to. Most of us don’t even know why. But if you don’t learn to control it, it’ll control you.” I swallowed hard. “Control it? I can’t even stop it when I’m mad. It just happens.” He smiled sadly. “I know. I used to burn everything I touched. But there’s a place outside the city—a safe house. We train there.” My mind spun. A safe house? Others like me? For the first time, I didn’t feel completely alone. But then a loud knock on the bathroom door made both of us jump. “Lily? Are you in there?” It was Mom’s voice. Ryan’s eyes widened. “You can’t tell anyone. Not yet.” “But—” He held out his hand. A small flame danced across his palm, glowing like a living thing. Then, just as quickly, he closed his fist and it disappeared. Meet me tomorrow night,” he said. “At the old train station, after dark.” Before I could say another word, he slipped out the window—gone like a spark in the wind.I stared at my reflection. My eyes were fading back to normal, but I could still feel the heat under my skin. I didn’t know if I was more scared… or excited. Mom called again, louder this time. “Lily! What’s taking so long?” “I—I’m coming!” I said, trying to sound normal. As I stepped out of the restroom, the air in the church suddenly felt colder. The candles flickered for a second, and I couldn’t help but wonder— if there were others like Ryan… What did that make me? I thought.
sparkles from @asmrbloom me for the story!
