Chapter 4

"Enlighten me, how is sitting around in a dry field supposed to help again?"

After a day's rest, Garrett had taken her out into the grassy field behind the tiny house that she had once been held hostage in. There he had forced her to sit with her legs crossed across from him in the soft grasses.

"If you would let me get a word in, I would be able to tell you"

She gave him a pointed look and remained silent

Garrett grinned "Over the years you have been focusing on the wrong way to control your gifts" She narrowed her eyes "You have been trying to stifle your gift, the fire inside you, instead of letting it flow freely"

She looked at him with a confused expression "How exactly is letting the fire 'flow freely' supposed to control it?"

Garrett gave her a look and she sighed "Right silence"

Garrett cleared his throat "As with any gift, your fire is an extension of yourself. It is supposed to be at harmony with your being. Instead of allowing it to flow freely you blocked it off, causing an imbalance. By freeing it, you will be able to control it as easily as you control any other part of your body. Instead of controlling the tidal wave created by breaking the dam you will be blocking and directing the miniscule waves that flow through you."

Ruma nodded, trying to understand rather than offer her numerous amount of snide comments she was holding back.

"Now" Garrett took a deep breath "I want you to close your eyes, feel the fire inside of you, and focus on it. Allow it to flow, allow it to be free."

She looked up at him "Are you sure that's a great idea? We're surrounded by grasses and forest..."

Garrett rolled his eyes "All the more incentive for you to keep control"

She scoffed

"Free the fire within you but keep it from escaping. Don't stifle it but let it become part of you"

She breathed in, closing her eyes as she focused inwards, feeling the burning within her that she had always tried to keep contained.

"Now, while you do that I'll give you a brief history lesson"

She opened her mouth

"Ah, Eyes closed! No talking."

She sighed and refocused herself. As she breathed she could feel the tension in her body leave her. The fire grew in waves, comfortably warming her, as if welcoming her home.

"As you know, centuries ago the planet was taken by what was considered to be a fatal wave of radiation. Most say it was from a great war of sorts. This left one survivable continent that we all are forced to live on together today. Most of the Continent was considered an Eden of sorts while the other became known as the wastelands. An example of what was left of the other continents around the world. Anyways, some had managed to survive and even made a life for themselves and others after the fallout."

She listened as Garrett let out a sigh, "Everything was fine until nearly a hundred years later, the generations born began showing signs of mutation. Some were physical; disfiguring the child's features, while others were more... internal... resulting in gifts of sorts."

Ruma knew this story, but she allowed him to continue, instead focusing on the peace that filled her as a comfortable heat reached her fingertips.

"The physical mutations were considered as unwanted mutations, something no mother would ever wish on her child. While the gifted were considered... well gifts to the people. A way to help them survive in the harsh new world around them. For the time being the gifted were utilized as tools of survival while the bias grew against the unwanted. Already setting a precedent for hatred between normals and the mutated."

Garrett shifted in the grass, taking a tenser position "They describe what happened next as an unprovoked uprising of sorts. But we know the truth..."

Ruma opened her eyes, momentarily distracted by the disdain in his tone "What are you talking about? There was an uprising..."

Garrett cut her off, launching himself forward, catching her hands before they settled back on the ground. She looked at him confused as he winced in pain "Control it" He bit out. She looked down to see that small flames were now dancing over the skin of her palms, causing welts to appear on Garrett's skin as he held her.

She quickly closed her eyes and shut down, trying to stifle the flames altogether. As she fought against the new found fire coursing through her body she growled out "I thought you said this was supposed to be easier!"

She squeaked as Garret grabbed her and settled her onto his lap, hugging her burning body close to his "I said control it not try and put it out"

She felt a foreign calming sensation rush over her. Panicking, she immediately fought it.

"OW! Calm down! Don't fight it, it's just me! I'm trying to help dammit."

She tried to calm herself "Deep breaths" Garrett grit out as her skin burned against hers. Together they breathed, slowing her heart rate down causing the calm to take over and calm her fire. As she settled, she became more and more aware of their intimate position.

She rested directly in his lap, with her back pressed tightly against his chest as her head rested on his shoulder. His arms still clung to her, fingers digging into her warm legs despite the burns she had just given him.

"That's better" He murmured, unconsciously resting his chin on her shoulder, nuzzling deeper into the crook of her neck. "Don't try to stifle it little Phoenix, just keep the waves in check as they come." She took in a breath, desperately trying to focus on the fire, rather than the sensation Garrett's rough hands created as they rested on her skin.

"Good" Garrett mumbled against her skin "Now let's continue"

"Yes there was an uprising, but from our prospective, it was more of a rebellion. The gifted were used as tools and were treated as such, less than human. Slaves. So yes, the mutated banned together one day and rose against the normals who oppressed them. Unfortunately for them at the time most were too weak to fight and were vastly outnumbered."

Ruma shuddered, both out of the horror of what she knew happened and the odd feeling filling her as his breath brushed over her warm skin.

"Although the uprising had been a failure, the Normals took it personally, only seeing the threat in keeping the mutated around rather than accepting them as equals. Instead, they banished the weaker ones and killed the rest. Setting the tone for centuries to come. The Mutated would be exiled to live in the wastelands while the Normals formed a society."

She squeaked as his body rumbled beneath her in laughter "Ow" He grunted as flames shot at his skin "Not sorry" She murmured. He chuckled "Anyways, what the Normals didn't know, was that by exiling every Mutated being to the wastelands, they had made our survival possible. Our numbers grew, along with the types of gifted we began to see."

Sparks shot through her causing the fire inside her to dance as Garrett unconsciously began to trace circles over her thighs. "Together, the Mutated had learned to survive. We learned more about ourselves and developed our skills. We learned that along with the distinction between the Unwanted and Gifted, we tend to specify the Gifted from the Mutated, there were also distinctions within.

For example, the elementals; there are only ever four in a generation and when one dies they are eventually born again. The more spiritual say that it is a way of keeping balance in our new world... To keep humans from destroying it any worse."

He laughed "Then of course there are other classifications. There are mentalists, those with more abilities associated with the mind and emotion. There are the physicalists, with more obvious and tangible abilities. Finally, there are the spiritualists, obviously more to do with the voodoey spirity side of things."

Ruma laughed "As long as those are the technical terms" Garrett nudged her with his stubbled chin "Hush, you need to be focusing on not burning the shit out of me" She giggled and nodded "We formed our own little kingdom, Araidia. We have everything that we could hope for in a place reffered to as the wastelands. As long as the elementals are alive and within reach, we are able to survive."

"That's why your here? Searching for the elementals?" She turned toward him, his nose nearly touching hers as she looked into his darkened hazel eyes. He cleared his throat "Part of it... Some of us also formed a sort of resistance..."

He looked slightly uncomfortable, as if he weren't sure if he could trust her. A few weeks ago, he might not have been able to. But after she had been betrayed, tossed aside and contained by 'Normals' her whole life, she chose a new path... One that meant he could trust her for the rest of their time on this irradiated planet.

"Tell me" She murmured, her lips seconds away from his. His voice came out husky "Araidia won't be safe forever. Eventually, they will come to eliminate the rest of us. The Mutated trapped here are already in this danger, and we have done little to help them. We formed the Knights, as a resistance, to help bring equality to our people... To take out the idea of elimination and save our people"

There was a moment of silence "We wouldn't have to hide anymore" She murmured. He nodded, his heart beating wildly in his chest as her soft body pressed against his hard one, her lips only moments away from his "No hiding" He croaked "No more fear, ideally we would be able to live together, as equals... As it should be..." He felt her skin grow warmer against his as she shifted to straddle him. His arms wrapped around her form, tightly holding her against him.

"Control it" He murmured, entranced by the light glowing in her usually gray eyes.

Her eyes were trapped by his, his lips brushing against hers as her body fit perfectly against his. Growing warmer as she contained the flames, it wasn't a burning heat that was painful like before, or even a careless burning that overtook her as she was learning. This was a fire that filled her belly, and heated her core. A fire that caused sparks to trail from her fingers to her toes. One that only contributed to the passion that was consuming her "I am" She mumbled.

Before their lips could meet, a door creaked open, causing the two to split abruptly.

Garrett stood, dusting himself off as a small blush covered his cheeks "Keep practicing" He said gruffly "I'll be back later"

And with that Garrett marched away towards the uncomfortable looking Ike, and walked through the door. All the while, Ruma lay sprawled on the ground, attempting to catch her breath as she enjoyed the feeling of her fire flowing through her freely.

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