Sparks and Flames (2 page)

“That’s right!” The entire group echoed in agreement and he felt a smile curl up on his lips. It was always nice to hear them agree with him. He knew they had all suffered while living in The Velt. He was one of the few lucky people who lived down here. He at least had a home that he could go back to. Many of these hunters suffered from day to day, searching everywhere for some food. Sometimes, these meetings were the only times that some of them would eat or get some free time.

“Here’s the plan,” he went on. “We know that our main target is Oda. He’s been transporting weapons from Calensa through the mountains in the Kols. Now Kols and Calensa are far from each other but they have secret underground passages to get their goods through. What we need to do is snuff out Oda first and then we destroy the underground passageways. We have plenty of dynamite and explosives to take them down.”

Then he divided the room down in the middle into two groups. “All of you on my left will be Group Alpha and the ones on my right will be Group Beta. Alpha, you will be in charge of taking down the underground passageways. You are to take down anyone that gets in your way. Destroy all the weapons while you are at it. Group Beta, you will be with me. We will head up to Calensa where Oda’s party will be held. I want you all to dress your finest but keep close contact with each other. If you notice anything strange, report it to me immediately. Your job will be to distract the guests in any means that you can. Distract his bodyguards as well. I will get to him and I will finish him off. Make sure you have my back.”

“Yes, sir!” Everyone exclaimed.

“Before we head out, let me remind you of your jobs one more time. Group Alpha will head over to Kols and stop the passageway between them and Calensa. Group Beta will distract guests at Oda’s party. This is the last time I will say this. I will be with Group Beta but I will keep in touch with Alpha at all times. Those of you in Group Alpha, I suggest you leave for Kols right now,” he said. “Your job might take longer because you will have to travel. Group Beta, we start our mission tomorrow evening,” he looked at the clock on the wall and saw that it was almost time for the meeting to end. “All right, that’s all I have. Are there any questions regarding your various situations?”

There were a few hands going up in the air so he answered those questions and then dismissed Group Alpha. There was already a vehicle waiting to take them to Kols where they would spend the night. Group Beta thanked Kian for a good meeting and then they headed back home. Kian sighed and sat down in his chair. He had a good idea of how he wanted everything to go down. He had every plan put out but something told him it wasn’t going to be easy. He had a feeling that somehow, this plan was going to be screwed over. He was going to lose something in this.

He touched his chest and could feel his heart beating fast. He didn’t know why because he wasn’t scared. He had done several missions like this in the past and he never showed any fear during them. This beating in his chest was something else. He had a feeling that something was going to happen to him during this mission. He wasn’t going to die but something else would get in his way. Something was going to keep him from fulfilling his duty.

That wasn’t the odd part about this feeling. At times like this, he wished he had some more friends that he could talk to. He wanted to tell them what was going on in his mind. He wanted someone who could understand him. The hunters were great and he liked them in general. Although he never showed it, he did respect everything that they were. They were the men and women who protected this world. They were not up to his level yet but they could be there soon. They just needed a little more practice.

What he truly needed was someone who wasn’t a hunter. He was desperate for a friend that he could talk to about something other than Elementals. He had a few friends but none of them were close enough for him. He felt like the perfect person for him was out there. He just needed to look a little closer.

I wish I had time to look for them,
he thought. Hunting took up most of his free time. When he wasn’t out looking for something, he was back at home and trying to help with things over there. There was so much to deal with and he just didn’t want to leave his parents alone to handle them. He had to be a good son now and then and take care of the house while they were away. Of course, he was doing his part to earn money and give them what they wanted. It was his dream to give them a better life. One of these days, he would make enough to pull them out of the Velt and give them one of those bigger houses in a town like Calensa.

It was the very least that his family deserved. They told him that a place didn’t make a person. There were many good people that lived in the hills as well as good people who lived in the Velt. He just had to look for them but they were there. For every awful person, there was still someone who was good at heart. Kian was going to start believing that the moment he saw it. He wanted to see these so-called good people who lived in the hills. He just knew them as the greedy jerks who just took everything but never gave anything in return.

Chapter 2

Far from the Velt, close to the hills, were the cities where the rich lived. One of those so-called cities was known as Calensa. Calensa was a beautiful place with many rolling green hills and white houses all in a row. Everyone that lived in Calensa could afford to stay there because the cost of living was high. The rumor was that anyone born here was born with a golden spoon in their mouths. This was the town that most people wished they lived in. The beauty of Calensa also lied in the people that lived there. Some were stuck up but there were plenty that were kind and helped out the people in need. There were some who would go down to the Velt to help the poor. Those were the people who made Calensa the city that it was.

Among the people living in the city of Calensa was the Benton family. Mr. and Mrs. Benton were never able to have children of their own so they decided to adopt three young girls. The girls had lost their parents during an earthquake and they didn’t have anyone else to take them in. The Benton’s saw this as a great opportunity to raise the family that they desperately wanted. The girls would have someone to look after them and they would finally have their own children.

The one most desperate to see something outside of Calensa was Rukia Benton. Rukia was the youngest of the three girls. They had all come from various parts of the world but Rukia was the only one with fire powers. She was careful not to use them often. She knew how people acted towards anyone who showed an ability to control the elements. The worst part were the hunters. Those who had no powers seemed to be envious of anyone who had them. Not only that, they were also scared. It meant that they had to fight back against the ‘evils of the world’.

While there were many ‘elementals’ who used their powers against people, most tended to keep to themselves. She knew it was dangerous to show off her abilities. Most people who looked friendly didn’t take kindly to ‘elementals’.

She went outside to see her older sister, Midori, practicing cricket. “Do you need someone to play with?”

“No, I think I can manage. Thanks, anyway.”

Midori was a cricket player who could go up against anyone in any match. While she had no powers, she was useful with using a cricket bat. She had once chased off several boys who had been harassing a girl at school with her bat. It got her in trouble but she assured everyone that it was worth it. She couldn’t stand to see anyone being harassed that way. If it meant beating someone senseless with her bat, so be it.

“I heard that things are going to happen at the party,” Rukia tried to make conversation. “Rumor has it that ‘elementals’ will be performing there.”

“Let me guess; you are one of them?”

“I wish I was,” she sighed. “People are especially scared of anyone with the ability to start fires. I could perform great light shows and that would be spectacular. They just don’t want it.”

“Well, fire is dangerous. You may be able to control it but not everyone can,” Midori explained, taking a break from practice. “This is just a precaution.”

“Water can be dangerous too. So can air and the earth. Everything needs to be controlled.”

“True but they don’t panic over that like they do with fire. Fire can destroy something very quickly. They can snuff out a life in a few seconds flat. It can cause destruction and devastation if it spreads without control. Imagine if you were to perform a trick and it went wrong. How do you think people are going to feel? Do you think they would invite you to come back?”

“I…I guess not,” she murmured. “Maybe it might be better if they have the other elementals there. Oh well, maybe next time I’ll be able to show my skills off.”

“Be careful when you do. Those hunters could be out there and I don’t want to see you get hurt,” Midori warned. “I heard that they once burned down a house filled with Elementals and locked the doors so they couldn’t escape. It was horrible. No one came out of that incident alive.”

“Wow!” Rukia breathed out. “Remind me never to cross their paths.”

There were days when she wished that she had been like Mayuri or Midori. They were fortunate that they had never been born with powers. They didn’t have to worry about anyone hunting them down or accidentally hurting someone. Rukia learned of her dangerous abilities the hard way. She had accidentally set fire to the roof of her school when she was younger. She hadn’t tried to do it but it happened. No one else was ever able to figure out who set the school on fire. They assumed that it must have been a faulty wire. Fortunately, no one was hurt, but Rukia was terrified.

“I wish I had someone,” Rukia said. “I wish there was a way for humans and the Elementals to get along. If I could just show one human that I mean no harm, everything would be all right.”

“You’re living in a dream world, Rukia,” Midori said. “This isn’t like Romeo and Juliet’s story. You’re not going to have some star-crossed love. The humans that hunt your kind down do not want to be loved by you.”

“I’m not looking for love. I just want a friend that’s on the other side,” Rukia pointed out. “I like the ones I have, but I need someone else. I want someone else that’s a human that I can talk to. Maybe I can get them to see my side of things.”

“That’s a nice thought, but they won’t fall for it. These hunters are pretty rigid with their beliefs. They don’t change their minds so easily.”

“Well, they need to. They need to see that there’s more to Elementals than just people with a destructive power. In fact, our powers can be used for good if they allow a chance to show them. No one ever wants to see just how much we could benefit them.”

“They fear the worst. That’s why,” Midori told her. “They think you’re going to hurt them, which is why they turn away from you. That’s why Mother and Father told you never to show your ability to the world. We know you mean no harm, but the rest of the world doesn’t.”

It was true. Their parents had spent hours telling Rukia to keep her abilities to herself. There was no need for anyone to see what she could do. Out of all the elements, she was able to manipulate fire and that was dangerous. She had accidentally set fires before but they were small. No one would be able to tell that an Elemental made those flames. She didn’t cause any damage that couldn’t be repaired. As years passed by, she learned how to get better at controlling her skills.

“I still wish I had a friend,” Rukia murmured. “I want someone that’s not going to be scared of me. I want to be able to show my abilities without them running away.”

“You are asking for too much,” Midori said. “No person out there is ever going to do that. You have the ability to burn anyone alive if you wanted. That’s enough to scare them.”

Rukia gulped, looking down at her hands. These were hands of destruction. If she ever got angry, she could easily set the whole world ablaze. Somehow, she had to control her temper and her abilities. No matter how angry she was, she could never let it go out of control. Fire was like uncontrollable rage once it got out of hand. It could be beautiful, but deadly at the same time. She folded her hands into fists and put them by her sides. No one was going to see the dangerous flames that she could produce. No one could.

Midori turned to her when she saw Rukia’s face. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. I just feel lonely. These powers make me lonely,” she admitted. “I can’t recall ever having a friend in my life. I guess people were scared of me from the start. They knew what I could do so they never tried to get to know me.”

“You’ve never tried to hurt people when you meet them though.” Midori pointed out. “Most people don’t run away when you speak to them. Me, on the other hand, they are scared of this cricket bat.” She gave it a few swings in the air. “Everyone is so scared of a woman with a bat.”

“Would you be able to fend off any Elemental hunters?” She asked.

“Are you kidding me? If any of those hunters comes near you, I am breaking their knee caps.” Midori swung the bat twice to prove her point. “Then I might bash their heads in.”

“Be gentle with them. Hit them once and leave them alone,” Rukia suggested. “They’re just people who are terrified of Elementals and for good reason. Not everyone is like me. Not all of them care to control their powers.”

“Yeah, those that don’t, are giving Elementals like you a bad name,” Midori pointed out. “I could take my bat to them as well.”

“You just want to hit something, don’t you?”