Fire is Blazing

I can't Stay Away

"Hello Bunny." I look over at her as I take the spot next to her, she glares at me with a hint of pain. The urge to see what she was thinking was strong, but I resisted the pull she was in no danger except from me.

"Don't call me Bunny you've lost those rights." She turns back to her book she was reading and ignored me, but I lean in a little and say,

"I won't stop calling you the best nickname I've ever heard your so cute that you are my bunny." She blushes and looks away from me I can't help but smile, then I cursed myself. I clear my throat; I planned to stay away when I got here, I was to act like she was just another student, but my heart won't listen, and I am finding it very hard to keep calm when other guys are around her to top it off that teacher has a strange aura around him. I don't feel like I can trust him, and he is so invested in Aphiena I understand that she is beautiful but the way he looks at her isn't one of admiration but of something sinister. The bond keeps screaming that I have to protect her from him.

"You think I didn't mean it, when I told you I am over being sad about this Angelo you and I we are either friends or we aren't, but I am not a tool. Also, you can't act in a way I will misunderstand. I have hope but that doesn't mean you can pull me along." She is clearly upset,

'You wanted this, Angelo.' I remind myself. If I can get her to hate me enough maybe this bond would weaken, and she can just forget about me.

"I know I'm sorry." I close my eyes why is it so hard to stick to the script, I just want her to be safe but now I can't decide if that means I should stay with her to protect her or to protect her from myself, I don't want this curse to affect her as well.

"That doesn't fix anything you know."

"Oh, sorry to interrupt this little date of your however I would like to get my class started, may I?" The teacher was looking at us with obvious annoyance. I shift in my seat and that was the end of our communication, when class got over, she rushes out the room in a huff she looks at me from the doorway daring me to follow her however I stay put letting everyone shuffle out before I pack up and head out. I wish I had waited longer because I walk out to see Apheina hugging her friend Clay and I start feeling a hot anger in me it is irrational. That didn't stop the flames from rising from the floor between them. They step back immediately she glances around and spots me standing behind them staring with hate in my eyes. She looks back at her friend as I get my senses back. 'What am I doing?' I turn to leave when a hand wraps around my forearm and warmth filled my body also burning my skin a little from her anger. I let her pull me out of the building and away from everyone.

"What the hell is wrong with you!?" She shouts when we get to a quiet place away from the school. Looking into her angry fire blazing eyes I almost cave tell her how sorry I am, that I was waiting to see her too that I am just jealous of all these other guys around her, I want to be the one in her arms, I want me to be the only one she looks at. If I do though she is going to put herself in unknown danger.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I lie looking way before she sees the guilt in my eyes. She grunts not buying it anyways,

"Stop lying you could have hurt Clay. You can't do stuff like that!"

"I can't recall doing anything, besides he's not really your type or does it not matter as long as he as he has genitalia?" Her eyes widen and mouth hung open she look as if she was about to smack me her hands are bawled into tight fist. I place my hands into my pockets to keep myself from reaching out to her.

"I can't believe you just said that! You've never been this vile, I can't believe I wasted a whole two year waiting for you, believing in that stupid promise!" She turns to leave; I can see the heat of anger wafting off of her. Her face flushes as she turns back to see my hand was holding hers, I instinctively reached out to stop her from leaving in such a state, but I had no right not after what I did and speak. She tries to pull away, but I tighten my grip against my better judgement slightly and pulls her close into my chest,

"I'm sorry, Bunny I'm really sorry." I whisper, my heart in every word. No matter how much I need her to hate me, my heart can't take it. I wraps my arms around her and rest my forehead on her shoulder the need to touch her, to be with her overpowers my thoughts, "I wasn't sure how to act around you and whenever you were near, I would just get reminded of how things were and how they're gone, and I was so alone. They are gone, I didn't think I could ever come back to you I was forced to hurt people, I missed you so much, but I changed Bunny, I changed a lot, and you'll hate me. I need you to hate me, Bunny." I heard my voice shaking in my ears all I wanted was her forgiveness, "Bunny I'm sorry." The words came soft and low, I was so sorry it hurt. That's when the bubble of doubt in the council rises, I will hurt her if they didn't really fix me. A gut retching ping of horror fills my body, she won't be safe around me if it comes back, I don't think I can see that sight again, I'll end up killing her if their spell doesn't hold, I can't risk it no more than what I've already risk, the one thing, the one person I love the most I will end up losing her. I push her away softly, "I can't do this I can't you, you'll..." I wasn't sure how to say it, so I let the words hang there. Without wanting to cause more damage I let her go and turn to walk away not sure what to say or do. I just can't let her get hurt. I've lost my parents, I'm not losing Apheina too, if she hates me that's okay as long as she's safe. As I walk away, I hear her shout in anger and confusion, I could feel it. I walk around to where I could see her, but she couldn't see me I just wanted to see how well she took that, and I see her talk to Mr. Gabriel. Something about him threw me off, he always hung around Apheina when he makes her feel warm with his magic the bond feels weak and the ability to sense her gets harder to access and it made me shiver just thinking about it then this unnatural feeling runs through me coming through our bond.

The bond between the protectors. I can feel what she feels and tell when she needs someone, but even if she needs someone if she wants me, I can't be there for her not without putting her in possible danger, yet this bond and my heart aren't listening to my brain, I have to stay away no matter what the council says. I know that they said they lifted the curse but what if it isn't completely gone. That didn't change the fact that I am supposed to be the one, I was supposed to be the one to protect her, to be there when she was lonely, to hold her when she cried but I can't take the chance, she would just end up in pain. Much more pain than she is now, and I don't want that I couldn't have it. I'm so conflicted I want to be with her always, but I don't want to truly lose her like I've lost my parents it was my fault they died. Fighting my instincts I walk away thinking back on when this all started.

I had got my powers when I was fourteen, but my parents wanted to keep it a secret, they didn't trust the council they didn't tell me why, however the next year Apheina also got her powers my mother had gotten worried that the problems in the capital was going to be too much for both of us but because she had shown her ability at the townhall in front of the high council so we couldn't warn them, I had asked why we didn't tell them I had my powers to Apheina's parents since they were best friends. My parents said it was because I felt this strong tug that pulled me to Aphiena even though we were miles apart that day meaning we were mostly protectors and bonded it would put us in danger at the moment if word got out so listening to them, I stayed quiet. For the next year I fought the feeling that linked me to her mind trying not to impose on her private thoughts, but I would connect with her whenever I thought about her too long or when we would be together, I would pick up her feelings as if they were being carried to me by the wind. For an unknown reason when I presented my powers to the council finally using my powers to almost full use, I heard her for the first time in my life clear as day as if she was talking to me directly she watched me thinking that I was amazing even though I was just using my fire to light the candle then perform the normal process to determine how powerful we are I used only half my strength per my mother request until my father could finish his mission. When I was walking to the car the questions start to come out,

"Was I hearing things?"

"No." My mother answered in a hush tone reminding me to be quiet until we were alone.

"Then what does that mean?" I was trying to keep it to myself because of the crowd but a few words must have slip out and my mother shoots me a look. Finally on the move in the privacy of our car I start asking my questions and they answered tell me the stories about the first protectors and how I have become the new shield however,

"That doesn't mean you will become the shield; you have to keep this a secret or else the council will take over your whole life."

"Shouldn't it be an honor to protect our land?" My mother looks at me with a sad look,

"Yes, honey it is but your father has found a spy, and I cannot let you get hurt once we find him, we will tell the council everything just be patient."

"Shouldn't we tell Apheina and her parents at least?" They shake their head. For two weeks I walked on eggshells around Aphiena worried I was going to tell her everything until my father gets home one day frantically looking for something,

"Has anyone seen the notes I brought home last night?" I had been in the kitchen and saw the paper as I yelled for him,

"They're in the kitchen." I go to grab it at the same time he came running in shouting that I shouldn't touch it, but it was too late I grab the corner of them and with one touch it was up in flames using my fire powers I was able to keep it from burning me, but my parents were badly burned. Once we were emitted to the hospital I was questioned by the guardians until my parents woke up my father being the worst out the three of us woke up last a week later, we were not sure if he was going to survive. Shortly after my powers were found out and I was forced to the move to the council main apartment to undergo studies and test, one of our elders had noticed a dark aura swirling around my head coming to see my testing of my limit of power,

"Child what is that?" She was clearly will into her nineties but held herself tall and a powerful aura around her, she points to the air around me I glance to the sides of me but only see the slight red edges of my aura is I focus long enough.

"I only see the red I'm sorry I'm not sure what you are referring to." She walks close trying to touch my arm, but I pull away before we made contact. "I wouldn't recommend touching me I am cursed at the moment and if I touch you will turn into ice and shatter apart." I take a step back for good measure. When we were being rescued a fire and water wielder came in to get us out however when one of them grab my arm, they turned into ice then shattered and melted there was no trace of him left. Seeing his face freeze into a horrified look will remain in my head until I die. The other person that was with him had backed away then shouted if I could stand and we got out and to the hospital without me touch anyone else. Apparently, my mother saw it too the night we had the explosion she was on the way to the kitchen using her water magic to keep her mostly untouched by the flames, but she hadn't seen it since and thought it was just the smoke. The elder did her own test and it turns out that those papers were cursed with very old magic, the one that touches gets the curse transferred onto them making it so who ever touches that person will dies a painful death it was like a cursed skin. The ice necrotic spell was what it was called when one of the new nurses had come to check my vitals, she lightly brushed my wrist before I could move, within seconds she turned into a deep blue ice and shattered into a thousand pieces like the man at our house this time though her ice was all over the floor. Later in the month after the fire it seemed that the curse was inserted through fibers of the paper meaning it was also in the fire so anyone that got touched with the fire ended up slowly turning into ice because it got into their burns activating the curse but instead of it becoming a second skin like me it was in their blood, many people including my parents had died within a few months, we were not able to save them no matter what we tried. Aphiena had gone to school without knowing anything that happened because the elders thought that it would be better to stress her out more than necessary, some of the high council was against it but those voices were over voted and so we started to figure out how to break it because without me the barrier would be only half its strength. Doesn't mean they didn't find a use for my unfortunate predicament I was to help the guardians deal with traitors and spy's, one of them being the man that cursed the papers.

Last month we were finally able to break the curse thanks to that spy but at the cost of too many people's lives, between the guardians we lost in capturing the guy and then the failed test I can't even count the amount of lives ended by this curse in the last two years. The elders were able to isolate the pinpoint of the curse to my fingers on my left hand then with a treatment found in an old scroll with instructions on how to break it, with some holy water, dust from the life tree and other mineral we would purify the spot until the mixture smokes white. When we first started the purify the smoke started off extremely dark blue the fact that it only took a month put me on edge however after touching several people and nothing happening the council was confident that we were able to break me from the curse and for me to start protecting Apheina but the fear was still in my heart, she was too precious to lose I didn't want to take the chance but I'm not sure what's going to happen to me when they find out I am to chicken s**t to get near her.

I groan and turn around to walk back to her, then this warm sensation washes over me starting in my arm and I try to see if I can reach Apheina but the connection was having trouble reaching her my breath gets caught in my throat I pick up my speed until I see her and someone else, that teacher, I know there is something wrong with that guy.