Sparks

Dan gazed at the young man sitting in front of him in the classroom. A little older than Dan, Steve was a senior student and wore a lot of black. Black clothes, black boots, and his long dreadlocks were dyed black and white. He usually wore silver piercings in his ears and had a ring in his lip that Dan had to nibble sometime in the future. Sometimes when he spoke, glimpses of a tongue rod showed.

Dan had four small gold rings piercings himself, in the rim of his right ear. The tattooist had complimented his choice, saying that they went well with his tanned "surfer dude" looks, despite the fact he very rarely went to the beach. The gold had come from a larger earring that once belonged to his great-grandfather, a sailor, so that might explain it.

At the moment, Dan was supposed to be listening to the teacher and taking notes, but instead he was daydreaming about kissing his crush. He so wanted to taste that tongue rod.

The classroom was cold and dim, despite the summer warmth outside. The harsh fluorescent lights reflected off the teacher's unfortunately placed bald spot. Sometimes, if the teacher turned his head just right, the reflection would stab students in the eyes, temporarily blinding them. Apart from the teacher's voice it was very quiet, but noisy at the same time. The rustling of paper and the scratching of pens never ceased. It reminded Dan of being in a forest in the autumn.

Dan was seventeen and still single. He was just too shy to approach anyone that way. It seemed so easy when the others did it. All they had to do was walk up to a girl in a bar, make some conversation, and then they sneak away into a corner somewhere.

Would he like me? Would anyone? The thought wriggled into his mind like a maggot, settling into the uncomfortably conspicuous space in the forefront of his brain. It always did that every now and then, and it was extremely difficult to remove. You don't know anyone who's like you. What are the chances he would be? So he tried to blot out the voice with Blue Pearl's Naked in the Rain.

Come and wash away the pain, step into the blessed rain

Cool the fire in your soul, the rain will make you whole

The teacher tapped an area of the whiteboard with his ruler, snapping Dan from his thoughts. He hurried to write down notes before he missed anything else, but the tip of his pencil snapped. Dan mouthed a swear word. He needed those notes if he wanted to pass the exams this year, and he hadn't brought a spare.

'Here.' He looked up to find Steve leaning over, holding out a pen. 'I have plenty of spares.'

Dan stared at him for a moment, before noticing the pen. 'Oh. Thanks.'

Steve hadn't given him much attention before, but here he was, offering Dan a pen like they were best mates. Dan had never been this close to him before, and as he reached out to take the pen, he could not help but appraise Steve's features. Creamy skin beckoned to Dan, as though whispering, 'come and taste me, come and feel my warm smoothness on your lips, you know you want to.' Warmth flooded his body at the very thought, his heart beating faster, and a strange tingle flowed into his fingers.

When he touched the pen, he glimpsed a tiny flash of blue travel through it, before it burst into flames. Dan yelped and snatched his hand back. Steve also dropped the burning pen onto the floor, though he didn't yelp. Dan stared at the scorch mark on the carpet. A bit of smoke drifted up before it disappeared.

It took him a moment to realise everyone was looking at him, wondering why he had yelped like his grandmother's dog did once, when he'd accidentally stepped on her tail. He felt his face heat. He never liked being the centre of attention.

The teacher was looking at him, arms folded, eyebrow raised. Dan felt his face heat even more, and picked up his broken pencil, pretending to write something in his book. The teacher nodded and turned back to the board. The students did the same. In this French Literature class, the teacher seemed to be attached to the students by an invisible web. If there was trouble, they all looked directly at the person responsible. It was very creepy.

Dan sank in his seat, grateful that the stares were directed elsewhere. He looked at his fingers, wondering what had just happened and why. They remained mute, giving up no answers.

Steve, the only one free of the teacher's spell, sat in a chair next to him. 'This hasn't happened before, has it?'

Dan laughed, but it sounded thin and shaky to his ears. 'Of course it hasn't.' He bit the inside of his lip. 'What the hell just happened there? Why…?'

Steve shook his head warningly. 'Not where others can hear. Talk to your parents, they'll be able to help you.'

'How?'

'I can't tell you. You'll think I'm crazy.'

'Oh please. I'm the one going crazy here.'

Steve hesitated, then nodded. 'All right. Come with me after class, and I'll show you you're not crazy. Until then, try to hold onto your emotions or you'll spark again.'

Dan wanted to laugh again at the casual way Steve spoke of setting things on fire, as though it was something that happened every day. But he restrained himself. If it was strong emotions that caused… whatever it was that had just happened, then he needed to get a hold of himself.

Dan spent the rest of the class staring at the blank page of his book, trying not to think of anything. He didn't look up until he heard everyone packing up to leave.

Steve had put away his books and pens, but didn't get up, so Dan stayed in his seat too. When most of the class had left, Steve beckoned Dan to follow. They left the classroom and made their way to the science block, Dan occasionally skipping to keep up with Steve's longer stride. Behind the building, out of sight, Steve turned to Dan.

' All right.' Steve rubbed his chin. 'This is a secret, righ-'

'Steve!' For once, Dan was tempted to punch someone. 'What the hell is happening to me? Why did that pen burst into flames - no, how did that happen?

Steve held up his hands. ' Calm down! You're sparking again.'

Dan glanced down and was surprised to see a bright blue glimmer between his fingers, like static. He tried to calm himself, slowing his breathing, but the sparks weren't exactly helping.

Dan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He heard Steve saying 'think of calming things. You know, puppies. Rainbows. Normal stuff.'

Think normal things. Trees. Sports. My bedroom. The big stack of homework on my desk. Dan chuckled quietly. Homework was the least of his worries right now. He wondered if he could use his new ability to excuse himself from exams. Excuse me sir, could I be excused? Exams make me nervous and when I get nervous, sparks tend to fly.

He opened his eyes. The light was gone.

'That's better.' Steve looked a lot more relaxed too, now that he wasn't in danger of getting zapped.

'Okay. Now, look at my hands.' Steve held out his hands. A thin tendril of blue light appeared, stretching between his fingers.

Dan was fascinated. He reached out to touch it, but before he could, it leapt to him of its own volition. The young man froze, hardly daring to breathe. The light flickered between his fingers like webbed lightning.

Steve spoke quietly. 'Dan, think of-'

They didn't get to hear the end of the sentence. The lightning leapt away with a loud crack. It left behind a scorch mark and some crisped leaves.

'O...kay. You need to work on your control.'

'You think?' Dan was still standing with his arm outstretched. He let it fall to his side. New superpowers he couldn't yet control, and a crush that finally noticed him. Some days, it really does pay to get out of bed. 'You say my parents can help me? They know?'

'Yeah. At least they should, it's hereditary.'

'I don't think they do.' Dan felt himself twitch almost automatically. He always hated this part. 'I'm adopted.'

Steve winced. 'Ouch.'

Dan rushed forward, not wanting to hear what else Steve would say. 'Yeah. Uh, could you help me?' He looked down at his hands. 'I definitely need to learn how to control this.'

Steve shook his head. 'I'm not experienced enough. But I know someone who can.'