Flames of Solitude - Volume 1
6|| Friendly Fire

An uneventful day followed the horrific experience. Jessica slept through the morning, hugging her pillow tight, her small body enveloped by a blanket. She stared at the ceiling of her room, seeking answers.

However, like the ceiling above her, her mind remained blank. How had she ended up in the cellar? Her mother’s strange behavior and even Melody, who seemed to keep her distance, were all riddles she wanted to solve.

She tried to remember. Yesterday, the priest came to visit, and when he left, she had wanted to thank him. And then… What happened after that? At the entrance, did she say, “Thank you”? She had a nagging feeling that something different had occurred, but what was it?

“Ugh,” she pondered, her pillow the unwitting victim of her strenuous thought process, getting strangled in her embrace.

She retraced her steps, attempting to relive the moment. Every detail, from Melody asking her to play, to her rushing toward the door. She remembered the relief she felt when she spotted the priest’s robe, and then…

“Uuuugh.”

No matter how hard she tried, her mind refused to provide an answer. Finally, she released the pillow from its ordeal when she heard the door opening. Melody entered the room.

“Jes?”

“Yes.”

Jessica gazed at her sister, who seemed to avoid eye contact, focusing instead on the stuffed animal in her arms.

“Are you okay?”

Was she? Of course, she wasn’t okay. Everything felt amiss. But what good would it do to burden her younger sister? So, she lied.

“Yes. And you?”

Instead of responding, Melody walked toward the edge of the bed and presented her stuffed toy to Jessica as though it were a gift.

“Here. He will help you.”

Curious, Jessica accepted the stuffed animal, recognizing it. It was an Aquabill, a small, chubby bird with colorful plumage. Its oversized, artificial eyes gazed at Jessica. The Aquabill had a short, pointed beak with a flexible trunk below it. It was known for its remarkable ability to store water, which could be used for various purposes.

When they spotted a larger insect, they extended their trunk-like appendage and released a precise, pressurized stream of water. This stream formed into tiny water droplets that surrounded the insect, creating a temporary “water cage.” The trapped insect was then easy prey for the Aquabill to catch and eat.

But why had Melody given her that bird?

“Billy can stop your fire.”

Billy was the Aquabill, and that part was not a surprise, but the rest of the sentence made her uneasy.

“What fire?”

“Your fire.”

Melody wasn’t exactly the ideal source of information, but it was enough for Jessica. Her fire. She couldn’t help but think about the fiery serpents dancing on her fingers. Had another fire broken out?

Have you calmed down?

Her mother’s words echoed in her mind. This must have been the reason she said that. Another fire... and again, it was her fault.

“Thank you,” Jessica forced out a smile, and Melody mirrored her with a happy expression on her face.

“Yay. Play with Billy,” Melody said, and then left her alone in the room.

Billy sat on her lap, watching her as she lifted her hands up to her face. Her eyes scanned all ten fingers, looking for something, anything that showed where the fire came from. But they looked like they always did. Rotating her hands also didn’t help her.

Jessica gave up, she took Billy and raised him to eye level.

“Can you really help me?”

As if unsure, Billy seemed to hesitate with his answer, staying silent.

“You can’t, right?”

He silently agreed.

“I knew it…”

Jessica put him back down, still in her hands but at least released from the interrogation. She began to think again. The first time she caught fire, she was sitting on her mother’s lap, reading a story. She felt comfortable, warm, and full of joy. The second time seemed to be when she went to thank the priest. Although she had no recollection, that didn’t account for her feelings. Because fear, horror, and a nauseating sensation filled her when she tried to remember.

These emotions couldn’t be more different. But what they had in common was their strength. The young girl sat on her bed and went through these two moments. Joy, terror, happiness, anxiety. All kinds of emotions mixed, like hot and cold air creating a whirlwind, wreaking havoc in her body.

That’s when she felt warmth at the tips of her fingers, a subtle sensation, like tingling just beneath her nails. Opening her eyes, she let go of Billy and watched her fingers again. The feeling was there, but from the outside, her fingers appeared normal. She tried once more, closing her eyes and reliving the pictures in her head.

Delight. Worry. Bliss. Anguish.

The emotional tornado grew once again, stirring up various thoughts and sensations. This time, the tingling sensation crept down her whole fingers, like insects crawling on her palms. The warmth intensified, heat radiating from her hands. Opening her eyes, her emerald-colored irises mirrored a flickering red.

Jessica took in a sharp breath as her eyes shot open, witnessing the flickering fire on each palm. With wonder in her eyes, she watched the dance. The ever-changing source of light moved around her hands, winding on her fingers, tossing sparks around. It seemed to be alive, having fun on her body. She felt like she was watching mischievous kids running around playing on the streets; the flames were just as cheeky.

Slowly, she put her hands together, and the flames, not shy at all, met their counterparts with a blazing kiss that ignited the air. A tower of fire shot up towards the ceiling, frightening Jessica, her head jerking back out of its trajectory, and a short scream escaped her lips. Exhilaration mixed with fear was the starting signal for Jessica’s heart to start pounding against her chest.

In her excitement, she just noticed that the fire did not burn her at all. It radiated heat, but nothing more than a bit of warmth seeped past her skin. A daring idea crossed her mind — an idea she tried to implement as her face neared the flame.

A strand of red hair fell directly into the blaze, and to her surprise, nothing happened. The fire did not hurt her at all; it seemed to be... friendly. Jessica smiled as though she had just found a new friend.

A whole lot of ideas formed; there were many things she wanted to try out. How she was able to create fire did not even cross her mind. Instead, its usefulness to help her family was all she could think about. They could cook with it, keep themselves warm in winter, and light up the room in the dark. She had to tell her mother; she would surely be happy.

Engrossed with the fiery dance in the palm of her hands and the ideas in her mind, Jessica failed to notice the opened door to her room or her mother standing at the doorstep, watching her with shock in her eyes and her mouth wide open, as if she were about to scream.

Only a sharp noise broke Jessica’s concentration. A plate, with food on it, fell and splintered on the floor. Meren, in fright at what she witnessed, had lost her grip on it. In front of her was not her daughter, but the incarnation of the devil — a young red-haired girl, with flames blazing in her hands, wearing a creepy smile on her face as she watched the fire with eyes that shimmered so vividly. They were full of joy brought by the fire, as if they planned to let everyone share this happiness by burning them.

“JESSICA!!!”

Like the splintered plate, Meren’s last strand of sanity broke.

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