The rest of the car ride was pretty quiet. Mum and Pops made small talk about their days and such. I sat in numb silence. Had I made the right decision to save the school, or was it too much of a risk to throw away my secret—and my life—on the line?

My pondering was interrupted by us pulling into the driveway. I opened the car door and hopped out, walking up the steps to our front porch. I took my key out of my shoulder purse and unlocked the door.

I love Fridays. It means the weekend is coming, and I get to see Josh.  We've been friends for a long time, and what's even better is that he already knows about my powers and actually seems to like watching me use them—when my parents aren't looking anyway.

He actually found out about them when we went on a two night camping trip in one of our small parks nearby. And I say small in comparison to parks like Algonquin and Yellowstone and the Adirondacks, but it's a big enough size to get lost in.

Josh and I had ran out of food. He had brought his fishing rod and we had a couple of trout, but they were raw and we were out of matches. It was getting cold, and Josh was—unsuccesfully—trying to light a fire with a stick and a rock. I was considering using my powers when he had spoken up.

"Sorry Pyra, no can do," Josh said sadly. "Looks like we're going to starve and freeze together. Without a fire, we can't boil water or cook the fish."

I'd rather take the risk of him not liking me than die in this pitiful way, so I pushed him aside.

"Here, let me try," I had said. I squatted with my body covering the stone. I concentrated, and a small spark flew from my fingertip  and set fire to the kindling. I carried it to the firepit without touching the fire and wedged it into the bottom of our log cabin design and built a teepee fire around it in the middle of the "cabin". A few quick breaths and a couple more burst of flame from me got the fire roaring in no time. I placed the pot of water on top and began deboning the fish, skewering them in preparation as I finished each one. Josh watched me in mild amusement.

"All right, hot shot, any way I can help?" he teased, grinning.

"Actually, yes," I replied. "You can help me with these fish."

"Sorry I asked," he mumbled, then winked at me.

So we sat tere together cleaning the fish. I removed the pot of boiling water—giving it an extra flare of heat for good measure—and hung the fish over the fire by the tips of the skewers, turning them slowly.

"That was no ordinary trick with getting that fire going, was it?" Josh ahd asked me suddenly.

I was startled into agreement. "No," I shook mu head. "It wasn't—" My voice broke off, but it was too late. I had given him a lead. 

"What is it, Pyra?" he had coaxed gently. "Come on, you can tell me. We've known each other for almost a year." I turned my head away, a silent tear tracing a winding path down my cheek.

"You're not like the other girls I know. There's something different about you, something special, isn't there? But you're always hiding."

I didn't know how to answer. Lie to my best friend or risk revealing my secret.

"Alright, no more lies," I had whispered softly to myself. I cleared my throat. "Let me show you."

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Getting exciting yet? The next chapter will be mostly about Pyra's experience with Josh on that special night, so if u wanna c wut's going to happen, plz come back to find out! Remember the new system: first person to comment will get a dedication (at least five words, and it musn't be rude). Comments, corrections, and advice are welcomed and encouraged! Remember to show that little star some love by clicking on it. For more frequent notifications on my updates, follow me. I keep my profile page updated. Peace yo... 

-Misty out