[h1][color=purple]Kalama Guynn[/color] & [color=cadetblue]Rowan Childe[/color][/h1]
[i][h3]Overnight[/h3][/i]

Practicing her fire went well for Kal, although she did manage to burn her fingertips and returned home with a splitting headache and a bad case of the sweats. She was learning more and more how it all worked, though the whys of the entire situation were still beyond her. Though summoning a small flame, no bigger than a lighter, proved easy to do even when she felt completely calm, creating larger fires was impossible until she got frustrated or scared. Any strong negative emotion, she suspected, would have the same result - when her temper flared up, so did her flames. The problem then was controlling it. After one particularly painful burn, she lit a log on fire trying to just start one small piece of the bark going and had to awkwardly kick it into the pond. She could only be thankful for the lack of witnesses.

Except, of course, for Rowan's judging eyes when she came home late smelling like smoke. [color=cadetblue]"You're up late,"[/color] he commented when she came in after midnight.

[color=purple]"You're up late too," [/color]she pointed out, heading into the kitchen to find some ice for her hands. [color=purple]"And you haven't been talking in the group text."[/color] She hadn't been the most active participant, mostly deflecting Val's attention from the heart and then feeling stupid for it, but Rowan had been suspiciously silent.

[color=cadetblue]"I was trying to communicate with rats at the crash site from earlier,"[/color] he said plainly. 

Surprised by his honesty, Kal turned to him with curiosity tinged with a hint of suspicion. [color=purple]"And you weren't going to tell anyone what the rats said?"[/color]

[color=cadetblue]"There's nothing to tell,"[/color] he sighed, grabbing his kombucha from the counter and pouring a small glass. [color=cadetblue]"Either the rats didn't understand what I was after, or they didn't know what had happened. Total dead end."[/color]

[color=purple]"Bummer," [/color]she sympathized, holding a bag of frozen corn to her burns and wincing.

[color=cadetblue]"Burns?"[/color] He asked, frowning. [color=cadetblue]"Let me get some aloe and tiger balm for you..."[/color] He returned a few minutes later with the supplies. She felt awkward letting him tend her wounds, but it was nice being looked after. It had been a while since anyone had done that - even though she had only broken up with Daria a few weeks ago, things hadn't been good with them for a while. [color=cadetblue]"So, your power is burning yourself?"[/color]

Startled out of her guilt, Kalama briefly wondered if it had been wise to let him on. One wrong word to Caleb and her house of cards could come crashing down. [color=purple]"Burning myself is all natural talent. The supernatural part is starting the fires,"[/color] She admitted. [color=purple]"Ever be out in the middle of nowhere and realize you've got a joint but no lighter? Guess I'll never have that problem again. Sure would be handy if it made me fireproof too though."[/color]

[color=cadetblue]"Better question, when are you going to tell the others? I noticed you avoided the question earlier,"[/color] he observed, raising an eyebrow at her. [color=cadetblue]"You don't need to be afraid, you know. We're the last people in the world who would judge you for your Gift. Especially Caleb, since he has the same thing."[/color]

[color=purple][i]Yeah, it's not the gift I'm worried about you judging,[/i][/color] Kalama thought, but only frowned for a moment. [color=purple]"Look, it's not that. I just... all the rest of you have cool, productive powers. I'm the only person who can't do anything good or useful, just destructive,"[/color] She explained, shrugging as she walked towards her room.

[color=cadetblue]"Fire isn't a good or bad thing, Kalama. Just like guns, or money, or any kind of power. It's all in the person controlling it,"[/color] Rowan pointed out as she walked away.

That thought lingered in both of their minds as they tossed and turned, dreaming fragments of dreams that made no sense in the morning, fading away like fog so that neither of them remembered more than snippets by noon the following day.


[h1][color=purple]Kalama Guynn[/color] & [color=cadetblue]Rowan Childe[/color][/h1]
[h3][i]BCC Library Annex
Friday 23 September 2017
12:30pm[/i][/h3]

[color=cadetblue]"Hello Caleb,"[/color] Rowan greeted their classmate as they joined him outside the room at the annex. To his surprise, the door was still locked and the room inside was dark.

[color=purple]"Is the TA not here yet? Did you text her?"[/color] Kalama asked, frowning as she pulled out her phone as though it might have some answers on it. She winced, forgetting about her burned fingertips and holding her phone wrong for at least the twentieth time that day. [color=purple]"I've been thinking about Elysia's picture all morning and I just can't figure it out. I was hoping it's some kind of prediction and I'd figure it out when I saw her."[/color]

[color=cadetblue]"Maybe she's just running late? To be honest, I'm getting a bad feeling about this but I don't want to be paranoid,"[/color] Rowan said, glancing around. [color=cadetblue]"Are any of the others here yet?"[/color]