Playing with Fire

     Burnegan Amalfe, a creditable man known for his insights and patients, was pacing the waiting room in a panicked state. His wife had just given birth to a beautiful baby boy but there was something that had bothered him and the doctors all during her pregnancy that led to the tests that were now being performed on him. Despite the request by his parents and in-laws to sit and try to remain calm, he was still walking back and forth with nothing on his mind but his fears.
     A boy the age of three suddenly leapt from his grandmother’s grasp and ran up to his father. Burnegan stopped before his son and smiled down at him.
     “Are you worried about your mother, Flare?” he asked.
     The little boy nodded. “And my brother.”
     Burnegan smiled again and let out a little chuckle. He bent down and scooped him up. “You weren’t overly fond of him before.”
     “Uncle Blazenien told me I could beat him up.” The little boy pointed to his great uncle. “And pick on him whenever I wanted”
     He turned around to look upon his wife’s uncle who sat there trying to whistle around a smile. Burnegan wasn’t too fond of him. It did seem to be partially his fault that they were in this predicament.
Just then, the head doctor that he had talked to about his fears on more than one occasion came into the waiting area. Burnegan put Flare down and scooted him off to his grandmother before joining the doctor off to the side.
     “Please tell me you have good news doctor.”
     “It’s just as we feared I’m afraid,” the doctor told him.
     Burnegan put his hands to his face and pulled them apart, drawing his face taunt. “How sure are you on this?”
     “We’ve run every procedure that we’ve concluded works best in this situation and they’ve all come back positive. He is to inherit the role as soon as the previous one passes away.”
     Burnegan slumped against the wall and slid into a sitting position with his face buried in his propped up knee. They had dodged a bullet when their first son had not been born with the fate but when they had found out Fiernia was pregnant with another boy, his fears for their unborn child were great while she stood unwavering by the news. Their family had coped with it for generations while he was still new on it. He heard and read about the legend in his younger days but he never once thought that he would someday live it.
     “I know of some other families that are going through this,” the doctor told him. “I’ve referenced them to Clarie, who your wife has talked to me about. She has had to deal with this her whole life but never the conflict. Seeing that the younger ones are being born now, I’m sure that it’ll come soon. This has the three known inheritors thus far and the two remaining hypothesized families.”
     Burnegan nodded and took the slip of paper the doctor presented him on which were the names of the other families and their addresses. There was a pause where neither one of them spoke but the doctor broke that silence when he felt the matter must be persisted.
     “We must discuss a name for the child. It has been common practice to name them after the individual they’ve inherited their fate from.”
     “I’ll leave that to my wife and her family. They should have the say-so in the matter.”
     The doctor bowed his head and departed the man. Burnegan could do nothing but sit there and think with his head replaced upon his knee. A single tear ran down his cheek and landed on his pant leg when he thought about how Fate played him a very cruel hand.
----
     BZZT! BZZT! BZZT! BZZT! BZZT! BZZT! BZZT! BZ-
     Blaze rolled over in his bed and slapped the snooze on his alarm. He hated the sound of that thing but could never bring himself to get up after the first time. Before the ten minute snooze was finished and the alarm sounded again, his mother came into the room and chastised him.
     “Blazenien Amalfe! You know full well what time it is! Now get up. I will not have you use your father again to get to school in the last second. I want you downstairs for breakfast in twenty minutes.”
     With that last statement, she left the room and shut the door behind her. Blaze gave her the “shut up I can take care of myself” look. He rolled out of bed reluctantly and set about getting dressed. After pulling on a T-shirt over a long sleeve and putting his glasses on, he stopped off at the bathroom to brush his hair into place and went downstairs.
     “Look who finally decided to get up.”
     “Shut up,” Blaze mumbled at the guy residing in his usual chair. He reached down and scooped Drafeirno from his pets' regular seat and placed him on his shoulder. Despite the protests at first, Drafeirno found it comfortable there and curled up to rest some more. “What are you doing here Flare? You moved out two years ago. Can’t fully leave home, can you?”
     “What?” asked the older brother nonchalantly. “I can’t visit from time to time?”
     “Not unless there’s an ulterior motive, no.”
     “Funny…” Flare ate a few bites from his plate and indicated Drafeirno with his fork. “What are you going to do with him? Sooner or later he’ll be too big to care for and not everyone around here is like us when it comes to pets.”
     “By then I’ll have graduated college and moved somewhere I can keep him. And I won’t have trouble leaving like you seem to have.”
     “Leave your brother alone Blaze,” Burnegan said without even looking away from his newspaper. “Besides,” he peered over his paper for a brief moment. “I enjoy having him back on occasion. Even if it is for a short time.”
     Blaze stared at his father. Even after all these years, he still played favorites. He couldn’t accept him for what he was and the only ones that understood him were his mother and her family.
     “I just came to see how my brother was. Nothing more. So how has school been this year? Iveld giving you hell?”
     “That’s a given. He gave me a C on my last paper although it was full well an A. Mom looked over it and agreed. And you know she’s an English major.”
     “It can’t be helped. I barely squeaked by myself when I had him. It’s because you come from this family. And for the other reason.”
     “Hmph. He could at least look beyond that. It’s not like I’ll be doing anything to him for a while. Our uncle didn’t start until he was in his thirties.”
     “You never know. Each time is different. I mean, look at Clarie, she--”
     “How many times have I told you two? I don’t want you discussing that at the table.”
     “Sorry Dad,” apologized Flare. He looked over at Blaze who seemed to have been struck.
     “Whatever.” Blaze swiped one last piece of toast before he went back upstairs. He returned briefly with his school things and hollered out, “I’m going! I’ll be home late tonight!”
     Fiernia had very little time to get out a quick goodbye before the door slammed shut. She turned furiously on her husband.
     “I don’t care what your problem was with my uncle but you will not treat our son like that. I’ve told you time and again that it’s not his fault. You have to look beyond that fact and love him for what he is himself.”
     “I didn’t mean it like that. I only meant that I didn’t want that topic discussed during family time. Nothing depressing should be talked about when we’re together.”
     “You better take a different approach then. For all Blaze can tell, as I’ve seen, is that you detest the idea and since he’s involved, you dislike him as well.”
     She walked out of the room and left the two alone. Flare turned to his father and expressed his views on the matter.
     “I know you don’t mean to seem that way Dad, but you do tend to come off like that. You’ve helped him in the past. Why can’t you accept him now like you did then?”
     Before he could answer, Flare left the room to gather his things before leaving. Burnegan sat there alone in the dining room. He placed a hand on his face and began to rub his palm on his eye. It’s too hard, he thought. I love him and I don’t mean to act that way but I can’t help it. This has been taxing on us all. And it’s been the parents who have had to worry about them the most. He’s my son and I don’t want to lose him. That’s why I try to stop it from being brought up.
----
     Blaze was walking down the street some ways from his house. He still felt rather angry about the whole thing and his face showed it. Despite the fact that he normally walked to school with Ampere, he felt more like being alone at the time and didn’t meet up with him at their usual spot. His efforts were soon thwarted when a car pulled up beside him.
     “Get in,” said the driver as he slowed to Blaze’s pace.
     “I don’t feel like talking right now Flare. Leave me alone and go bug Lavin or something.”
     “I’m not leaving until you hear me out. I want to talk about Dad.”
     “Of course you do.” He turned to look upon his older brother. “You can’t ever let anything go.”
     “I’m trying to tell you something about him.” He hit the brake to stop with Blaze. “You know he loves you. He just acts…differently about the situation. You know how hard it must be on him.”
     “On HIM?!” Blaze demanded, now giving Flare his full attention--and a piece of his mind. “You don’t know what it’s like, do you? You’ve only heard the legends. You’ve only read about it. You’ve only been related to one. There are only a few more that understand the depth of the situation.”
     “You know what I meant. He’s been trying to help you for years now. He’s even gone so far as to demand an end to this but you know how that went. He loves you and doesn’t want anything to befall you. That’s why he doesn’t want to discuss that.”
     “He’s going to have to wise up then. It’s part of me and no one can change it. He’ll have to accept it sooner or later and come to realize that talking about it helps more than covering the issue up.”
     With that, Blaze began the trek to school once again. Flare sat back in the driver’s seat and pondered over what his younger brother had said. He knew the truth behind his every word and the magnitude they would hold if ever Blaze’s real thoughts were spoken to their father. If the severity was positive, negative, or none at all, no one would know since he dare not betray the trust his brother showed him. Even is it was a small amount.
----
     Blaze, Serica, and Ampere sat at a lunch table in the cafeteria. Since the run-in they had with Isabel on Monday, the guys had started to hang around the girls and they found that they had a good deal in common. Serica felt a little better about not having to hide a part of herself from Isabel--well almost.
     “Why can’t we tell her?” she demanded of the other two. “I’ve known her for several years now and I don’t want to hide it any longer.”
     “You know the rules,” Blaze replied to her with a look of finality about the conversation. “They are not to know.”
     “I just don’t think I can hold it back any more. I’ve come close to revealing it on several occasions but I’ve been able to recover from my blunder.”
     She looked at Ampere to see if he had any say-so in the matter but he was too engrossed in his handheld. She decided to go back to her so-called lunch. This had almost become the norm, even though they had just started hanging out this year at school, since Tuesday. The three would sit and wait for their fourth to arrive who was always late now even though Isabel was always on time when it was just her and Serica.
     Serica was about to bring the issue back with a more compelling argument when Isabel showed up at the table--but she wasn’t alone. In tow was a girl that none of them had ever seen before.
     “Sorry I’m late guys,” Isabel apologized. “I was just talking to Faelina here about our English assignment.”
     The three almost ignored her statement to stare at the girl with long, white hair behind her. She just stood there adverting her gaze from the three strangers she didn’t seem to want to meet. Isabel sat down next to Serica and beckoned Faelina to sit with them in spite of the awkward silence.
     “Fae, this is Serica, Blaze, and Ampere. Guys, this is Faelina. She just joined the school on Monday,” Isabel tried to relieve the tension. “We met in English the following day where I was asked to help her out by Mr. Iveld.” She paused for a brief moment but when no one seemed to want to say anything, she added, “isn’t he a royal ass, Fae?”
     Faelina looked a little nervous about being asked something directly amongst these new people. She faltered a little bit but was able to reply in a soft voice, “he’s not that bad.”
     Blaze looked at her skeptically. Iveld was the toughest teacher in the school and no one had ever given him that good of a review. He leaned into her and was about to say something on the matter when the girl shot up from her seat and spoke rather quickly, “I’m sorry Isabel. I have to go. I’ll see you in class on Monday.”
     With that, she was gone. Everyone looked confused about the situation. Ampere, who had gave Faelina very little mind, let out a groan as a jingle on his handheld sounded and he moaned that he had died.
     “What was that all about?” Serica asked when the bewilderment left her.
     “I was in a room full of bats that kept hitting me from all sides. My health was low too so it was only a matter of time before-”
     “Not that you twit. The girl. What was her deal?”
     “She was just shy,” replied Isabel. “It took a little warming up before she would talk to me. Don’t judge her too quickly. She’ll let up eventually.”
     “So Iveld asked you to help her?” inquired Blaze.
     “That’s right. She sits in front of me in class and he felt that I should help her along with the assignment we already had.”
     “That’s still a bit odd of him,” commented Serica. “It’s unorthodox for him to do such a thing. He usually wants his students to suffer.”
     “You both have a preconceived notion about him,” Isabel said as she stood up. “You didn’t give him a chance before you jumped to conclusions.”
     “You just said yourself he was an ass,” Serica defended herself.
     She paused when she realized she contradicted herself. “That’s beside the point. Now if you’ll excuse me, I must get lunch.” She walked off before the others could say anything else on the matter.
     Blaze waited until Isabel was out of earshot and waiting in line before he spoke to Serica. Seeing how Ampere was fully engrossed in his game again, he knew he wouldn’t partake in the conversation.
     “I know you felt that. There’s more to that girl than what Isabel knows.”
     “I know what you mean. But we’ll have to wait for her to “let up” before we learn anything about her.”
     “I’m not sure if we can trust her though. Time might prove more than friendly loyalties.”
     Serica looked at him skeptically. It was true that he, more than anyone, hated Iveld but that didn’t mean that this girl was bad from just saying that he wasn’t a royal ass.
     “C’mon!” gripped Ampere. “How can he be that impossible to defeat?
----
     Blaze walked through the deserted halls of the high school. He hated being there later than he had to on any occasion. He had just left his Digital Arts class, stopped off at his locker to retrieve a few books he’d need over the weekend, and was now walking through the halls toward the front doors. He came upon a corner and slowed to a stop when he heard voices from around the wall. He closed in on it and pressed his back to the wall when he realized one of the voices was the girl from lunch.
     “I don’t want to do this anymore,” she protested. “I don’t feel right duping her like this.”
     “It doesn’t matter what you want dear cousin. When you live under our roof, you live by our rules.”
     Blaze leaned around the corner to see who else was with her. Even though he could only see the guy from behind, he knew it was Bane Lupinus.
     “But that’s just it! I no longer live there! Ever since I came here, I’ve been living at her house! I wasn’t even at your house for a day before your mother gave me up for this!”
     “We don’t care what you feel like doing!” Bane was in her face and jabbing his finger roughly in her shoulder. The only part of her body she let move was that which he hit. The rest was rigged as she stared directly into his eyes. “You’re carrying out this mission whether you like it or not. Daemon has too much riding on this for you to screw up now because she’s being nice.”
     Bane brought himself to his full height which was a  head taller than his little cousin. He looked down at her with a smug smile on his face. “Just wait until she finds what you’re doing. Will she still want you around any longer? It’s not like you have anyone left as it is.”
     He then left her with his final words ringing very true in her head. Blaze looked upon the new girl as she stared at her departing cousin and couldn’t decide whether to feel sorry for her or distrust her more. Well, I definitely know now that she works for him. Only time will tell where her loyalties lie. There was a noise behind the young man that made him jump and turn away before he saw the girl burst into uncontrollable tears.
     “Mr. Amalfe?” A very kind looking woman stood next to him. She wore the typical white coat the district’s school nurses were suppose to wear, a light blue, long sleeve cotton shirt, and a pair of black slacks. “What are doing here? School was let out almost an hour ago.”
     “Hello Nurse White.” Blaze’s heart was still pounding like a drum solo but his nerves were easing since it was just her. “My father held me back to help him fix a few computers some of his students screwed up with. In other words, I had fix them.”
     “You don’t have to be so formal with me, Blaze. We’ve known each other for quite some time now.”
     “You know how I am with proper titles and common courtesy. You just did the same thing to me.”
     She pretended like it hadn’t happened since she too was the same way. “Why didn’t your father take you home with him then? It's much faster than walking.”
     “I’m not headed home right now. And I ‘can’t abuse that privilege until I can do it on my own’”, he tried to sound like his father as best he could.  “Besides, I’m meeting some friends at a restaurant tonight.”
     “Really?” she sounded a little surprised. “You’ve branched out further than Mr. Veltago I see.”
      “Yeah. I’ve starting hanging around Serica now. And her friend Isabel as well.”
     “Oh… I see…” She looked a little uneasy about the news but quickly covered it up with a smile. “Well I’m happy for you. Being around other people is better for a person anyway. I’ll let you go now so that you won’t be late.”
     “Alright then.” He started to leave her. “I’ll see you around school then.” He waved to her and quickly left since he was already running a little behind.
     Nurse White leaned against a locker with her head down. She wrapped her arms around her upper body and sighed. This isn’t good, she thought to herself. This will undo all that we sought to protect. They’re not ready for this yet.