Three

Adara groaned audibly. She didn't care if the person on the other side of the door heard. She definitely didn't feel like dealing with anyone right now.

She stood up slowly, adjusting her tank top so that her bra didn't show through. Ugh, why now?

Upon opening the door, she saw a stranger. This particular stranger had the most peculiar blonde hair, almost like sea foam in color. His eyes, crinkled at the edges, were a shocking turquoise blue.

His hand was raised to knock again, but he lowered it soon after she opened the door. He began to speak. "I, uh..." he paused, looking embarrassed. "You're not the right person, are you?"

Adara rolled her eyes. Just another stupid person to deal with. "What room are you looking for?" she asked, voice still hoarse from crying. On top of that, her shoulder was burning like an inferno had taken up residence there.

As if sensing her thoughts, the boy across from her looked from her eyes down to her right shoulder. Right at the birthmark.

His eyes widened just a fraction, but he quickly schooled his features into a mask of impassiveness. "I'm looking for room 301."

The burning didn't stop when he looked her over. It spread throughout her body and the worst of it took up residence in her hands, making them feel like they'd set on fire at any moment. Just like they did at school. Could it have been her?

No. No, all the people with an Ability were taken out of the system. They couldn't have kids.

"Yeah, you might want to try the next building over. This is room 201. Have a nice life," she said, slamming the door in his face and ignoring his open mouth. She didn't care about what he had to say. She felt so angry all of a sudden.

He knocked again, only inciting her anger further. Adara let out a half-scream and opened the door once more. "What? What could you possibly want now?" she yelled, not caring that her neighbors might hear.

He raised his hands in mock surrender, as if to say "back off". He waited a second to speak, then said, "I just wanted to ask if you were alright. You look pale, or maybe sick. Are you feeling okay?"

Adara softened at his concern, but she quickly fired up again, his worry only making her temper flare even more. Because she remembered that, no. She was most certainly not okay. She was almost caught in the middle of a fire, for God's sake!

Her anger was so palpable that she could feel it rising in her throat, an anger so deadly that it could easily kill a million men. She tried her best to swallow it back, keep anything bad from happening.

She looked out past him, trying to focus on anything but the man in front of her. She caught a glimpse of black hair around the corner, but it quickly disappeared. She wondered if she had imagined it.

Ignoring that, she rolled her eyes as far back as physically possible and growled a very unconvincing "I'm fine. Now, if you'll excuse me."

Then, just like that, he was shut out again. Of all rooms, it had to be hers that he came to? And now, of all times?

The stranger sighed and she heard his footsteps retreat. Finally. It was weird to listen to, though. His steps were so light for a man.

She nearly cried with relief when she laid back down on her bed. Finally, she could just think. She could be alone-

As soon as she found her blessed solace in the crook of her pillows, Maia came through the door. She wanted to scream, but Maia wouldn't take well to that. Plus, she didn't want to scare her away, no matter how tempting the idea might be.

"Hey, hon. I heard about what happened in school today," she said sympathetically.

She heard? Oh, god. Does she know that it was me? Wait, what?

But there was no denying it. What else could it have been? There was nothing around her. It was her that set that fire.

"I'm sorry that you were there," she continued. "That must've been horrible." Maia took Adara's hands in her own. It would've been comforting if Maia weren't so tense.

Adara exhaled in relief, but, clearly, that made Maia think that she was about to cry. She sighed and took Adara into her arms, cradling her.

"You got out in time. It wasn't your fault, babe-"

"How much burned?" Adara asked, suddenly curious. How much damage did she cause?

"Dar, you really don't need to think about-"

"How much burned?" She repeated.

"The entire science wing. Some of the English rooms. It almost caught the dorms, but they got it out in time..." Maia's voice faded out and was replaced by the roaring in her ears. The only sound that broke through was the beating of her own, traitorous heart.

Again, there was no other possible explanation. What else could it have been? There were no open chemicals, and there wasn't an open flame. Only her. And Gabe.

But Gabe wasn't the one who had been burning from the inside out during their little "moment". Her fingers itched and burned. She saw Gabe, her own boyfriend, flinch away from her when the fire came. Now that she thought about it, before the fire even started, Gabe was sweating.

Adara's thoughts swam and her stomach turned. She pushed herself out of Maia's embrace and sprinted to the bathroom. She threw up all of her lunch.

"Oh, hon," Maia groaned, sympathetic but disgusted at the same time. "I'll get you cleaned up and make you soup, but then I'm going to have to go. I'm sorry. You know how bad I am with vomit," she continued, one hand pinching her nose.

She rushed out of the bathroom, presumably toward the kitchen. Adara heard cupboards slam and the microwave open, then the sound of it starting up.

Squeezing her eyes against the sudden onslaught of nausea, she began to stand up. It quickly became clear that her legs wouldn't support her, so she leaned against the sink for assistance. After a few seconds, she gathered her bearings and walked to her bed.

She just felt so sick all of a sudden.

Maia came over with the soup and leaned down for a hug.

"You know I love you," she said, "but I really have to go. I hope you feel better. Do you need anything else?"

She shook her head slowly, trying not to aggravate the impending migraine that she was bound to get. "No, I'll be okay here."

Maia smiled softly at her and kissed her forehead. "I'll see you later, yeah?"

"Later," Adara agreed.

With those final words between them, Maia walked out of her dorm, only sparing a small glance back.