Chapter Twenty One

Burning bridges

I'm sitting in the dim light of the living room, bouncing a ball of fire between hands mindlessly. Coral sits just across the room, starring at the TV. Once again, I find myself thinking of my mother. This seems to happen whenever the dark sets in, and silence is all I can hear. 

''If there's demons, and angels...does that mean there are like, werewolves and vampires?'' Coral asks randomly from where she sits, not bothering to take her eyes off the screen. 

''I'm not too sure. Could be, if I exist, they could too. But I've never met one'' I tell her. The sound of cupboards opening and closing echos from the kitchen

''Fabian, what are you doing?'' coral asks.

''Making something that we didn't get from a window'' he calls back.

''What's going on between you two?'' I ask her, earlier in the evening Rippir had brought up how he thought Coral and Fabian like each other

''What do you mean?'' she questions, a puzzled look on her face. 

''Rippir mentioned how he ships you guys.'' 

''Oh, definitely nothing like that. Just... I get this feeling, a feeling of home from him. I feel like I know him, from before I got mixed up into all this bullshit.''

''He feels like your dad or something?''

''Yea, like a family member." 

''I'm sorry you got mixed up in all this Coral... but I am glade to not be the only girl.'' Fabian comes marching out of the kitchen after, with two bowls of soup, he places them on the table, and runs back to get a plate of sandwiches and another bowl. In front of me a steaming bowl of broccoli soups makes my mouth water

''I'm gonna have the farts tonight'' I joke, making them both smile. 

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 I'm woken from the best sleep I've had in ages, by the sound of shouts coming from the downstairs. I burst out into the hall, wearing only an oversized t-shirt, and underwear. Rippir runs from the master bedroom, wearing a thong and bra, Mark stands in the door way, left in his dust. A little drop of blood shines on his forehead. 

''Ummmmm.... you okay...?'' I asked, not quite awake enough to understand what has happened.

''BLAZE!!! GET THAT SEXY A*S OF YOURS DOWN HERE!!!'' Rippir yells up the stairs. 

 I hit the bottom of the stairs, and see the dead body laying at Rippir's feet. Fabian rubs his forehead, and Coral tries to stop the flow of blood coming from her arm, probably from the broken glass on the floor.

''Oh, hell no. I ain't helping you with another dead body!''  I tell Rippir

''C'mon Blazey! We're a team. We did a killer job at the gun shop...'' he sings

''This has nothing to do with me. You clean the mess''. I run back upstairs, and put on a pair of pants. 

 When I come back down, Mark is sitting at the kitchen table, blood streaked behind him, counting what money we have left.

''We won't have enough...'' he mumbles. I sit down beside him after pouring myself a coffee that was already made in the pot.

''Okay, I'll find a place to get it...'' I already had someone in mind.

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''What are we doing here Blaze?'' asks Fabian. Hours earlier, after the mans body was buried, Rippir took off, we didn't care to find him. 

''Just wait here, okay?'' I step out the car, and walk into the shop. 

''Helloooo,'' a voice calls from the back of the shop after hearing the bell ringing. I scan the room, and spot the video camera. I reach up, and unplug it. A balding man comes out of the back, I look at the tattoos on his arm.

''Hello Jim. How are you?''

"Phoenix...'' he says, stopping dead in his tracks ''Never thought I'd see you again,'' he runs a dirty hand through his greasy blonde mop of hair. 

''You took something from me a long time ago Jim... I want my revenge,'' I say to him, locking the door. I march across the room, and pin him to the chair. ''When I was 10, you took my innocence! You raped and beat me!'' I yell. I pull the throwing knives out of its holder on my thigh, and stab it through his right hand. I smile at his screams of pain. ''I'm going to make you scream, and beg like you did to me...'' I pull out the knife, and stab it into his shoulder. Then again in his other hand. His arm. His leg. Anywhere that wouldn't kill him. ''You see Allen, I have a new trick.'' I ignite my hand, and place it onto his arm, I do the same that I did with the knife. I cut just below his neck, not deep enough to kill him though, just enough to make him bleed out slowly.

A heavy weight bangs against the stores door, over and over again. 

''Blaze!!'' Rippir's voice rings. F**k. Finally, the door is blown off by an electric current. ''What the hell are you doing?!'' he yells at me.

''Something that he earned! Rippir, he is a cruel man, who takes things from young women! He deserved this!''

''Blaze, this isn't human, this isn't you. I wouldn't even dream of making a man suffer like this. If you kill him Blaze, it will haunt you for years, it will eat away at you.''

''Is that what it feels like for you?'' I say quietly.

''No, but I know you. It'll slowly kill you...'' I take a few deep breathes

''You're right. But I don't care'' I spin around, and slice his neck, and watch as the blood splatters the table top. 

 I use the knife to pry the cash open, and take all the money. I storm into the back, and see my necklace, among all the other trinkets he took from his victim. I take the red ruby necklace, on a silver chain off the the hook, and clasp it around my neck. When I was younger... the necklace helped keep my powers in control. 

'' He raped you... didn't he?'' Rippir asked quietly from where he stood in the door jam

''Yea... I was 10. He wanted to kill me... I swore I would come back one day and get my revenge.''

''Are you okay?'' 

''Yea...'' I turn to face him

''But you're... you're crying.'' He crosses the room towards me, and wraps me up in a hug.