Lyla
A couple of weeks went by in a blur. From spending time with Ethan every night, to homework and school, I really didn’t have time for anything else.
I loved school. I liked learning all these new things that I never knew before. It was an awesome experience, and I would keep going until I graduated, and then I was going to college.
I haven’t seen much of Rylan since our kiss. He knew I had a boyfriend, so I think he’s backing off. Every time I do see him he makes a habit of not reaching my eyes with his. I don’t know if it’s from embarrassment, or if he really regrets kissing me. At first he seemed okay with it, but now it was just really awkward.
That’s a lie.
I saw Rylan all day on a holiday called
“Thanksgiving.” We just mostly ate food and watched TV, but all was good. We ate buttery potatoes, well-seasoned turkey, moist stuffing, sweet pumpkin pie, and a yummy dish Rylan called green-bean-casserole. It was creamy and rich, and I about damned ate the whole pan.
I also got my cast off yesterday. My arm felt really weird to be free again. I still didn’t have all the feeling back into it. It was like a limp rag just hanging there. Kind of like a big bowl of gelato. I didn’t know how I felt about it, but it didn’t matter. There was nothing I could do about it.
Ethan was still getting the calls from that weird person. He phoned the police again, and they told him they didn’t think it was Miranda doing it. They’ve been watching her phone, and she hasn’t called Ethan at all since two weeks ago when I yelled at her.
It just makes you wonder… Who the hell would bother doing something like this? Who wants to harass two teenagers? It just doesn’t make any sense. It’s freaking childish, especially if it’s an adult doing it. Some people just never grow up. They will find anything that amuses them, and it’s pretty sad that it’s something like this.
After school one evening, I was walking down the stairs when Rylan’s voice stopped me in my tracks.
“Yes, I’m positive, she’s the one.” Pause. “She has the necklace, I’ve seen it.”
My heart started to beat quickly at his words. I knew who he was talking about, and that someone was me.
I was suddenly petrified. I shook.
I stood there, listening, when I knew I really shouldn’t be. I had no business knowing what he was talking about. No business at all. But the nosy part of me had to finish listening.
“I don’t think she’s dangerous.” Another pause. “No, I don’t think she needs to be locked up.”
Locked up? What the fuck!
“Okay, I’ll see what she wants to do…” Pause. “Maybe taking her in is the only option… okay, thanks, bye.”
I started walking down the rest of the stairs and plastered a fake smile on my face. There was no way I wanted Rylan to know I was eavesdropping on his conversation. That might make him do something erratic.
“Hello, Lyla.” Rylan said. “How’s your arm?”
I looked at his face, and it betrayed no hint of him trying to capture me. Maybe he wasn’t going to do it tonight. Even if I misheard him, he knows about a necklace and someone being dangerous… holy shit, maybe he caught on to that book I had him read…
I’d been covering up my necklace every day with high-top shirts, but he still could have remembered that I was wearing it. I didn’t know why at first I was hiding it, but something in the back of my mind must have known something like this was going to happen.
“Hi, Rylan, it’s doing well. Just sore.” I said, and walked into the kitchen. I went into the cupboard and pulled out a protein bar, opened it, and took a bite. I looked over my shoulder, and Rylan was gone. I didn’t know where he went, and I didn’t want to.
I needed to leave, and I needed to leave as fast as I could without being noticed. I didn’t want him to get suspicious.
I finished my food, knowing that I really shouldn’t… but, if I started running around like a maniac, Rylan would hear me.
Okay, I really needed to get out of here. I had to hide. I didn’t know where I was going to hide, but I would figure something out.
I walked as fast as I could up the stairs, looking over my shoulder every now and then. I didn’t want to give away what I heard him saying on the phone, so I couldn’t act all weird. I had to act like everything was just fine and dandy.
When I got to my room, I glanced down the hallway just to make sure he wasn’t watching, before I pulled the door shut and locked it.
I started pulling my coat on quickly, and lacing up my shoes as fast as I could without messing up.
I grabbed my backpack from the chair, and emptied everything from school. I piled shirts and pants into it, and anything else I thought I might need. To save on space in the bag, I didn’t pack any pajamas. I would have to do without them wherever I was going.
Without hesitation, I went back to my door, and opened it. I listened intently, but didn’t hear anything.
I turned back, and chills went up my spine. I was getting so upset that I was going to set my clothes on fire.
I opened the window, and slid out. I hated doing this, but I wasn’t a freaking experiment that they were going to lock up. Maybe they wanted to use my fire powers for their own creative ideas. Yeah, that wasn’t happening.
Screw that shit!
I crawled over the side of the roof until I saw a trellis. I put my heel on it, and tested my weight before I started the decent to the bottom. I didn’t look down, since I knew I was afraid of heights. I really didn’t want to get stuck up here and not be able to climb down, because… yeah.
Everything was going well until I got to the remaining few feet. My foot slipped, and I fell to the ground with a splash.
A rather cold splash.
I landed in an ice cold puddle, totally soaking my coat, pants, and shirt. I started shivering immediately. The temperature was dropping steadily, and I knew I wasn’t going to get far in wet clothes, but I didn’t have time to go back. It was either be caught, or get frostbite.
I picked the frostbite.
I couldn’t call fire to myself without setting my clothes ablaze… I could touch fire without it burning me, but my clothes were another story… sometimes if I really concentrated, I could, but right now I was so scared that I couldn’t focus even if I tried.
I walked around neighborhood after neighborhood for hours it seemed. I didn’t know where I was going. I was lost. I looked back every few feet, making sure no one was sneaking up on me from behind. I thought I’d be able to hear them, but not with my frantically beating heart in my ears. The loud thumping drowned everything else out.
The water on my clothes was starting to freeze, and I was losing sensation in my hands and legs. I shivered wildly, but kept walking. I would rather die of being too cold than in a cage.
There was no freaking way in hell I was going to die in a cage.
I wasn’t a damn zoo animal.
After a couple hours, I felt like I was going to faint.
I was so cold that I couldn’t feel anything anymore. I tried to heat up my body, but I was past the point of no return. I couldn’t control my powers anymore because I was so cold. I think I forgot how to use them.
I swung a left into a neighborhood that had smaller houses than Rylan’s. They also looked older, but were still nice.
When I seen what I thought was an alley, I took it.
I really was turning into an ice cube. This was horrible. Fire Bringers weren’t meant to have a low body temperature. This was really pushing it to dangerous levels. Usually my core body temperature is over one-hundred-fifteen. I can lower it at will, but most of the time I don’t think about it. I’ve never had to hide how hot I am before I came here, and I wasn’t going to start now.
When I couldn’t walk anymore, I heard my name. I glanced up as soon as I fell to my knees in the snow.
“E…than,” I said brokenly.
Ethan was the last thing I seen or heard before I was pulled under into darkness.
***
Ethan
I walked out the back door with a bag of garbage, tossing it into a can.
When a sudden noise made me turn, I saw a black figure walking toward me. How the heck did someone get into my backyard? Maybe it was a drug dealer or something. Or, it was someone who was going to try and break into my house.
Or, it was those gooneys that have been prank calling me.
On closer inspection, I saw it was Lyla, and she didn’t look good. She looked half dead. How did she find my house? I’ve never brought her over here before. I’d never had a reason to—I always took her somewhere when we hung out.
“Lyla?” I breathed disbelievingly.
She said my name, and it was almost unintelligible. Suddenly, she fell to her knees and then face down into the snow.
She didn’t move.
I rushed over to her as fast as I could, and scooped her up into my arms.
She was knocked out cold.
She was blue… Oh, my precious girl was blue. Her soft lips were a blueberry hue. Her cheeks were purple like a plum; her fingers were turning gray like a goose feather…
I inhaled sharply, and stood there for a second before I could move again.
My mind snapped into panic mode, and I acted.
I all but ran into the house, running into my mom. Oh God, not now… please!
“Ethan?” she gasped, looking at poor Lyla passed out in my arms.
“Not now, Mom, I have to help her. I’ll explain in a little bit.” I said in a hurry as I walked down the stairs and into my room. I kicked the door closed, and sat Lyla on my couch.
And that’s when I saw it. She was covered in ice.
And when I say covered, I mean her pants were almost frozen solid, and her shirt was already there. Oh God, I really started panicking. How long had she been out like this? What if she died? A whimper of noise came from my mouth, and I immediately began taking her clothes off.
There was nothing else for me to do. If I left her like this… Holy shit, her skin was more dark blue than I’d ever seen on a living person. I thought it looked bad outside, but in the light…
Her skins freaking blue. Blue!
Oh, Lyla, what happened to you? Tears sprang to my eyes and I let them fall down my face.
I rubbed my hands up and down her legs, and her skin was colder than mine ever had been. I tore off her shirt and bra and averted my eyes upward so I wouldn’t see anything. I gently laid my hand on her chest. I had to make sure she was breathing.
She was. Barely.
Her heartbeat was weak. Too weak.
It didn’t even really register in my mind that she was almost naked in my bedroom. I was more worried about her dying than anything else. If she died, I didn’t know what I would do. She was the other half of my heart.
Even if I hadn’t known her long, I loved her. There was no denying it anymore.
I rushed over to my closet and pulled out my heated blanket. I plugged it in, and started wrapping it around her small body. I tucked it in under her bottom, and around her waist. I pulled it up to her chin.
“Oh, baby, what happened to you?” I asked her, even though I knew she couldn’t answer me.
I turned the knob on full heat, and bent down to press a kiss to her cold cheek. Her eyelids fluttered, but she didn’t wake up.
I looked down to her backpack, and without knowing why, I started looking through it. She had clothes packed, tampons, and other stuff. If I didn’t know any better, it looked like she was running away.
But the most important question was, away from what?
Whatever happened to this poor girl was just horrible. She was running away from something, but fuck, what? Where did she think she was going, and how far did she think she could walk in these frigid temperatures? God, even I couldn’t handle being outside very long in this weather, and my body is more made for it than Lyla’s is. I cast another glance at my girl, and my heart hurt so badly I could barely even stand it.
I couldn’t stand it.
I went back up the stairs, and told my mom what had happened, and who was down in the basement.
“Oh dear! Is she alright?” she asked, looking sincere. My mom was known for over reacting… but she wasn’t this time.
“She will be.” I hope. I couldn’t bring myself to say those last two words.
“Make sure you take care of her, she needs you, son.”
“Noted,” I sputtered quickly.
I almost went outside and kissed the garbage can. If I wouldn’t have gone out to throw the trash away, I wouldn’t have found Lyla, and she would have died in my backyard, cold and afraid.
I quickly turned from my mom and ran back down the stairs. I went over to Lyla and gently laid her down onto her back. I readjusted the blanket, and went to lie on my bed while I waited for her to wake up.
I was going to lie next to her, but my low body temperature would just makes things much worse on her. I was at a loss. What the hell was she doing outside when the weather was supposed to drop below zero tonight?
It rained earlier, but that quickly turned into fresh ice. She walked a long ways to my house, though, since I lived a good five miles from her… well, maybe not that far, but close enough. It was probably about three miles, or two. But who knows which way she went, considering that she never knew where I lived.
When a thought hit me, I wanted to smack my head into the wall. Why the hell did I not call 911? What the heck was wrong with me? I think it was a bit too late for that now. I would have to treat her myself… but if she got worse… God, I was at a loss. I felt like an idiot. I think I was so worried about her getting warm that the idea of emergency help never crossed my mind.
The time passed, at first only a few minutes, but then hours went by. I was starting to get worried. I was ready to get up and go to her when suddenly I heard my name.
I quickly got off the bed, and went to her side.
***
Lyla
I was warm. Oh, I was so blessedly warm. How did I get so hot? I might be dead. Maybe this is what Hell felt like. Fire Bringers are supposed to go to Hell, right? Maybe this is just the warm up stage. Maybe after this I’ll be thrown to the pits for all the demons to torture. I’ll get my eyes plucked out just for them to grow back and I’ll endure it over and over, forever.
I knew I haven’t lived the best life, so Hell was a possibility. I was never religious. I knew other Fire Bringers believed in God and stuff, but I never got into it. Yeah, sure, I went to church with Lacy a few times, but nothing ever stuck in my head. I was always so bored; I would end up zoning out for the whole hour. Oh, and eating mints from Lacy’s purse… and drawing on the little notepad that was on the back of the pews.
I pried my eyes open, and found myself lying on a couch, in what I was guessing a basement. I looked around and noticed that I had a blue blanket covering me. I touched the fabric, and it felt like it had wires running through the inside. There was also some sort of dial with a red light on it.
It was some type of electrical blanket I was guessing. It was pretty cool. I’d never seen, nor used anything like this before. I didn’t even know something like this existed. How did they get the wires inside? Wouldn’t something like this catch on fire?
I snuggled into the blanket, when I heard someone humming a familiar song. I glanced over, and saw Ethan lying in a big bed, playing on his phone. Okay, maybe I wasn’t dead. Good-natured Ethan would never end up in Hell.
“Ethan?” I croaked.
He glanced up in shock, and came rushing over. “Are you okay? Oh my God, Lyla, I thought you were going to die.” he said frenetically, grabbing my hands. His eyes were wild, and it looked like it took everything in him to keep from springing on me to give me a hug, or to start crying.
“What happened?” I asked, yawning. I didn’t even know where I was at, but that was okay. As long as I had Ethan, everything would be fine and dandy.
“Well for starters, you were covered in ice when you walked into my backyard. You passed out, and I brought you to my bedroom.”
I looked around, and noticed a TV on the wall, and some sports stuff. The bedroom was pretty nice, and way cleaner than anything I would expect from a guy.
I was in a basement. I noticed the windows on top of the walls. The carpet was a cream color, and everything was really inviting. My gaze landed on a fish tank, and I almost jumped up in excitement. I loved marine life.
This was truly amazing.
I went to stand up, but I caught myself just in time. I was naked, or partially, I should say. The only thing I had on was my panties—pink panties with little bears on them at that. I almost groaned. He had to of saw them. How freaking embarrassing was that?
I turned my head slowly to look at Ethan. “Um, why am I undressed?” I asked.
Ethan’s face turned bright red. “Well, I knew your clothes were soaked… and… I didn’t see anything. I-I didn’t look.” he stammered.
I clutched the blanket hard to my chest, and looked at him wide-eyed. My breathing picked up a notch at the thought of him undressing me. Of course he would undress me when I was unconscious. I love how the world works…
Not!
“Lyla, your skin was turning blue—I had to get you out of those clothes. I didn’t have any other choice. It would have hurt you more staying in them, you know that, right?”
I nodded in agreement. I would have done the same thing for him if this situation was turned around.
In that moment my stomach thought it was time to growl. I placed my hand on it, a bit embarrassed. Why does this always have to happen to me when people can hear it?
“Are you hungry?” he asked. “Yes.” I replied with a small nod.
I must have fallen asleep again, because when I opened my eyes, Ethan was setting a red bowl of steaming white soup and a sandwich onto the table in front of me. It smelled delicious.
I leaned forward, still clutching the blanket to my chest, and grabbed the bowl. I sat back on the couch, dipped my spoon in, and took a small slurp. Mmm, it was amazing.
“Did you make this?” I asked, taking another larger bite. I smiled. “What kind of soup is it? It’s delicious!”
“Yes, I made it, and its potato soup.”
“Is it normal for guys to cook?” I asked. Where I’m from, the women do all that kind of stuff. “It’s really good.” “I guess. And I started at an early age. I want to go to culinary school, or something music related.”
“That’s pretty cool, Ethan. I know you would succeed at anything you put your mind to. You’re really smart and know how to do amazing things.”
Ethan chuckled softly. “Thank you, Lyla.”
I nodded, and took another bite of my soup.
He came over, and sat next to me on the couch. He rested his hand on my knee while I ate. He traced little circles on my skin, and I started feeling all mushy again. We spoke about all of the normal things that we usually do, until his last question threw me off course.
“Why were you walking around when it’s freezing out? The temperatures are supposed to fall into the single digits tonight, or even lower. Lyla, you really could have died out there…”
“I… I don’t know.” I replied too quickly, looking away.
“Lyla…” he growled slightly in displeasure, standing up.
He knew I was lying.
He ran his hands through his brown hair, looking frustrated, and maybe a little bit disappointed.
I think he was trying to figure out why I was lying to him. As far as he knew, I’d never lied to him before, and,
I hadn’t. The only thing I’ve ever lied about… well not lied, but kept from him was the fact that I’m not completely human.
I didn’t like lying to him, it didn’t feel right.
“Okay… okay. I need to tell you the truth, Ethan.
Try to keep an open mind… The person who I’m staying with isn’t my uncle…” I started. I got into the whole Fire Bringer thing, and watched his eyes go wide. I even called fire to my palm to show him.
His mouth dropped open, and I almost had to reach forward to shut it. It took him awhile to speak. It took him so long that I thought he was going to kick me out of his house. I wouldn’t blame him; I should have told him from the start what I was.
“You guys are real?” he asked, sitting back onto the couch. I thought he was going to pass out. “I thought we were the only supernatural being out there.”
Wait, what?! What the hell was Ethan then? Is he trying to tell me that he wasn’t human, either?
Just my luck.
I put my face into my hands and groaned. I wondered if he could turn into a horse like Rylan. If he could turn into a horse, I’ve just decided that my kind was the dumbest out there.
“What are you?” I asked slowly, not really wanting to know. But I had to know.
He sent me an impish grin. “Are you sure you wanna know? Because once you know you can never un-know it.”
I nodded. I wasn’t sure what I wanted, but I definitely was curious. What kind of secrets was he hiding?
Suddenly, I started coughing, and Ethan patted my back. I really didn’t feel the best. I felt my cheeks go red after about ten seconds of hacking my lungs up. I think my blood pressure was rising. I took a few deep breaths, and all coughing seized.
“I’ll tell you later, you’re still recovering from being an ice cube.”
“What? No, I’m fine. See?” I asked, standing up, forgetting that I was almost naked. My face went crimson.
“I can see, Lyla. Why don’t we hit the sack? I’m exhausted. I know you probably have to be too. Your body needs to recover from what happened to it earlier.”
I nodded and lay back down on the couch, pulling the blanket back up.
“Lyla, you’re not sleeping on the couch. I have a bed.”
I glanced at him. “You want me to sleep in your bed, with you?” I almost squeaked.
He furrowed his brows. “I can sleep on the—”
I cut him off. “No, no. I’ll be okay. We both can share the bed.”
“Are… are you sure?” “Uh-huh.”
Ethan went over to his dresser and started pulling out some shirts. “I know these will be a bit big on you… I noticed you didn’t pack anything to sleep in…”
I took one of the shirts that he was holding up, and was about to say something about him going through my things, but I found that I didn’t really mind that much. I didn’t care that was he was touching my belongings. If it was anyone else I would have probably yelled at them.
“This will be okay.”
I walked over to the small bathroom, and pulled it on. It was a bit big, but it smelled like Ethan, so I wasn’t complaining. I looked into the mirror and noticed I had dark circles under my eyes. God, I looked horrible. I smiled at my reflection, and I grimaced at how ugly I was. What the hell did Ethan really see in me?
I looked really bad.
Hey, at least the shirt is big enough to cover my butt up. That’s a plus I guess. But, if I bent over, he would get a full show of my panties and ass. At least I wasn’t wearing any of those thongs that I had bought with Rylan.
I walked out of the door, and heard a low whistle. “Damn, you look freaking hot in my clothes. I never would have imagined.”
I blushed, and looked over at him. He was wearing only a pair of sweatpants that hung low on his hips. I could make out those muscles on either side that made a V. His chest was bare, and I had a damned urge to go forward and run my hands over the planes of his muscles. I wanted to touch him so bad that I had to lace my fingers together to stop from doing so.
I followed him up into the big bed, and lay down. Ethan crawled over me, and slid under the blankets. He pulled the covers up over my shoulders, and pressed a soft kiss to my cheek.
Then he went still. Maybe he was thinking about something.
I wanted him to tell me what he was, but I wouldn’t push him. When he was ready, he was ready. I couldn’t force him to talk. I had to be patient with him. I wanted to get lost in his kisses though… I wanted him to love me and take care of me and make me feel better.
“Can you roll onto your belly for a few moments? I want to do something. I want to take care of you, Lyla,” he said softly in a sweet voice.
I parted my lips, not knowing what he was going to do, but I did as he asked. He pulled the blanket down slowly. “Make sure my butt is covered up.” I demanded, glaring at him over my shoulder. If he just wanted me to do this so he could check me out… nah, I would like it. I would let him look at me if he wanted to. I was so comfortable around him that I could probably take a shower with him watching. Was that weird that I was thinking about this stuff?
He chuckled. “Sure thing, babe.”
Then I felt it.
Ethan’s fingers slid over the smooth skin of my back in soft strokes. I moaned in pleasure. I never would have thought in a million years that this is what he wanted to do.
His hands slid to my shoulder blades, stretching the shirt up. His hands were firmer, working out every knot that I had. Some places hurt, but I sucked it up and kept my mind focused on all the areas that did feel good. I melted into the pillows. My mind was focused on nothing other than this.
I smiled slightly, and sighed.
Ethan’s hands were so soft, and so sure, and oh, so gentle. I never thought a guy's touches could be so sweet, so simple, so loving… So, so tender. I felt myself start to sink in to sleep…
Then I felt the blanket come down off of my butt.
I lifted my head up abruptly, wide awake. “Whoa, what’s up?” I said, looking at him over my shoulder.
He was biting his lower lip, and it looked really boyish, but hot at the same time. His hands came down my hips, and onto the backs of my legs. He worked his way all the way down to the bottom of my feet, and I sighed in contentment.
When he was done, I rolled onto my back, and told him thank you.
“Lyla…” he said hoarsely. “You’re beautiful, in every way possible.” His fingers trailed lightly over my stomach, and I shivered
“What are you doing?” I breathed, trying to calm the electrical waves that entered my lower stomach, causing me to sigh deeply.
“Molesting you,” He smiled an adorable, good-natured smile.
I knew he wasn’t going to do anything to hurt me, and I clearly needed a distraction from everything that was going on.
“Okay then…” I settled back into the pillows and shut my eyes, but when I heard his breathing quicken and turn into deeper breaths, I looked at him again.
He had longing written all over his face. Without warning, he pressed his lips to mine.
I moaned, and he rolled me over so I was facing him. He clutched the back of my leg, and tightened his hold on it. His lips moved quickly on mine and his hands roamed wickedly over me.
He deepened the kiss after a minute, and was now running his hand over the smooth skin on my belly. His fingers trailed up and onto my belly button.
Desire shot low in my belly, and I cried out. I encircled him with my arms, and pulled him closer.
I yearned for him in every way possible.
“All those sweet noises… God, Lyla, I can’t wait to hear what you sound like when I make you come.”
I blushed heavily, even though I didn’t know what that last word really meant.
Ethan wrapped one of my legs over his waist, and started rocking his hips into mine slowly. I started to ache, and I suddenly wanted him to touch me. I’ve never been touched by a guy before, but I wasn’t afraid. I was very comfortable around him. The need was almost too much. The ache started shooting across my lower stomach worse than before, and I was desperate to soothe it.
Soothe it the only way I knew how. The only way Ethan could.
I looked at him, and his eyes were filled with desire.
“Let me make you feel good, baby.”
“