The Art of Fire

Phase one of my plan complete, now for phase two.

"Mum Mum!", I screamed," I'm going to bed now please don't come into my room!".

"Ok goodnight dear", she replied.

Now that's done time to escape.

"It's 6:43pm, I have 17 minutes to jump out of the window get to the core station and finish this bet, but first to stuff my blanket with a pile of pillows like in the movies", I thought to myself.

I hoped that work. I got a rope and threw it out the window ( Don't worry it wasn't a long way down, I think). I had already thrown my expand-on-its-own rubber bed outside. I tied the rope to the handle on my window hoping I won't fall. I got out the window and started to climb down. I jumped on my rubber bed and threw it in the backyard.

I got to the park and saw her waiting, although it just struck 7.

"You are... very early, nice",She said smiling. "Yeah I take punctuality very seriously", I replied, checking my phone.

"Yeah like this morning", she said.

"Wait how did you know I was late this morning, as much as I can remember you weren't in the class when I came in", I asked as I raised my eyebrows.

"Well I saw you on the road", she said as she turned away clearly hiding something.

" So you were spying on me", I said as I folded my arms.

"No I wasn't eww, I was just walking to school as well and I saw you ahead of me", she said sounding a bit more confident.

"Hmm ok", I said still a bit confused, "So we should go in now Right".

" Hold on you're still going ahead with this, I mean I thought you'd make up some silly excuse that'd stop us from going in", she said.

"Hey you called me a liar and I want to win the bet remember", I told her as I walked up to the biometric pad.

"Wow you sound a lot more confident than about 8 hours ago", she said as she folded her arms.

"Well when I want to put people to shame I am very confident y'know",I said, "Plus I don't lose bets".

I placed my hand on the pad for my hand print and then my face scan.

"New biometrics detected, welcome Luis Vertran", it said.

"I can't believe that actually worked, wait did it call you Luis Vertran ?", she said sounding a bit surprised.

"I told you I am the son of 'The Donald Vertran' ", I said placing my hands on my waist like a superhero.

"Woah, you weren't lying", she said with eyes wide open.

"So can we go in", I said. She nodded then we stepped in.

I tried to convince myself that there was something I was forgetting.

"Uhh I think we are forgetting something", I said holding my chin before I remembered exactly what it was.

" Hey Samantha switch off your phone or phones just switch off your phone", I told her in a hurry as I tried to bring out mine.

"Why?" she asked looking a bit scared.

"The power core is highly radioactive, it was made from very unstable radioactive wastes if it gets close to the smallest of gadgets especially ones created by Centra-Con, it could become very unstable and could kill us all", I told her as I switched off my phone.

"Oh , why did you have to he so dramatic about it", she said as laughed at me.

"Your death would be dramatic if you don't switch off your phone", I told her sounding very serious.

"Ok ok fine", she said as she switched off her phone,"But how are we gonna see?".

"That's why I brought this candle", I said as I brought out a candle from my pocket.

"Seems like you came prepared", she said.

"Yup more than ever", I said as I lit the candle with a match.

"I actually thought it was a rumour".

"Rumour that what?" , I asked her as we continued to walk in.

"Y'know, that it was made of very unstable radioactive waste", she said.

"Oh it's no rumour it's real", I replied confidently.

" Just like the rumour about Centra-Con being owned by the vertrans",she said, " I thought it was some sort of plan for the government to make the people pay their taxes at a higher rate when they move to tech city".

"Nope it definitely ain't a rumour completely true, Y'know Centra-Con built almost everything technological in this city, even the very school you are attending", I said as I felt proud of my Dad.

" Woah so you're a rich spoilt kid", she said almost immediately.

"Wow from gangster kid to rich spoilt kid in less than 8 hours you're pretty confident when you speak y'know", I said as I walked in front of her and turned towards her.

"I don't really speak like this to someone I just met I'd probably snub you for days before I give you a chance", she said with a terrifying smirk on her face, " you are different because you are showing me the power core station and you have just won the bet".

"I know I'm a star aren't I", I said as we reached the door to the power core, " Now ladies and gentlemen, drum roll please as I introduce you to the one and only power core, the smallest and most powerful thing on the planet".

I watched as Samantha gazed at the beauty of the power core.

"It's so small",she said as she tried to approach it.

"Hey we can't get too close, it's energy is strong ,we don't know what would happen if we get that close. Let's just look at it from here", I said quickly.

"Ok", she said calmly.

"My dad says one day that I'd take over at Centra-Con", I said.

"That's nice", she said looking at the core.

"No it's not nice, I don't want to take over, i can't take that responsibility",I said with a loud voice.

"Why not?", she asked looking a bit confused.

" Well the responsibility would be too much and I'm not sure if I'd be cut out for that, it's just like knowing that the fate of the world lies in your hands, that's exactly how it feels and I'm not sure if I'm even close to being ready for that", I said.

"Y'know responsibilities are things we can't avoid, sometimes we get the biggest share other times it's the smallest, but we just have to accept them anyway because people are counting on us, I'm not sure if you'd understand this now, maybe later, but you need to know that responsibilities are what makes us strong", she said as she helt my shoulder.

We looked at the core for about two minutes or so before I heard a buzzing sound. I ignored it but it kept on ringing.

"Hey did you hear that?", I asked Samantha.

"What?", she replied looking for what I was hearing.

"Can't you hear that ringing sound",I said looking for it as well.

"Uhh Luis I think the sound is coming from your pocket", she said pointing to my joggers.

"My pock... my phone!", I exclaimed as I dragged my phone from my pocket, "My dad's calling me ,I guess I forgot to switch of that mode on my phone that makes it turn on when someone's calling,he must've seen my missed call earlier".

"Luis what's going on with the core", she said worryingly.

"It's becoming unstable, it wants the source of radiation from my phone", I replied.

"Well then stop talking and throw the phone away",She screamed.

"I can't that could be even worse it may follow it and cause some other very big problem", I said sounding very scared.

Just then the core began to emit a surge of radioactive waves. It was beautiful at the moment but when the waves started heading for me it wasn't at all.

Then just before I was hit ,I blocked myself with the candle in my left hand and then the only thing I could see then was fire. It was like the fire became a protection like a shield. Then the fire and the radioactive waves began to fuse sort of and it surrounded me twirling, spinning covering me any word I could use to describe it.

Samantha was still standing watching in awe then she jacked my phone out of my hand the moment she saw an opening and smashed it on the floor and threw it away but it was too late I suppose. The next thing I knew It was like I was burning.

All I could feel then was pain. I began to scream so loud that anyone outside could have heard. Samantha was already very scared at this moment. It felt like I was drowning in a pool of fire and at that moment I remembered my dream this morning who could've guessed. I thought that I was burning but I wasn't burning at all.

It looked and felt like I was burning cause ashes were flying all around the place but I knew I wasn't feeling the pain outside ,instead I was feeling it inside. Samantha got a fire extinguisher and tried to extinguish the flames.

"Don't worry Luis I'd save you", she said as watched me burn supposedly. She tried to extinguish the flames but it was to no avail. To her it was looking increasingly likely that I would die , even to me too. Then just when I thought it was over , I felt myself being lifted from the floor slowly. Then the pain increased. I screamed even louder than before.

Then the now radioactive flames began to enter into my body like it was being sucked in. By now almost all my clothes were in ashes. I felt like my heart was on fire. Finally, it was over and I dropped to the floor like a sack of rice. Samantha who looked like she was going to faint rushed towards me.

"Luis are you okay",she said as she touched my head.

Right now I was shaking, shivering to be precise.

"Luis are you okay you're burning up", she said,

"Luis ,are you there, Luis! Luis!".

Before I knew it everything was blurry.

"Was this the end , am I dead?", I thought to myself.

Then everything was dark.