10. Fire

Athans POV

I have already began planning on Ieaving Alana woods whether or not Ailthia is coming with me, deep down I know I can't leave her here by herself I mean she's just a kid.

Without my protection should probably die - possibly out of hunger, I watched her as she sat on the front yard just staring at nothing I couldn't even begin to phantom what happened to her or how she got here and she's not interested in telling me yet whatever happened to her must have been really traumatic for her and she's not ready to open up yet.

I do have some books on how people deal with trauma and rapid changes in their lives why some people recover quickly oh that's not some kids spend months not talking to anyone the just keep relieving everything that happens to them over and over again until they burn out.

I can imagine that what happened to Ailthia w is just crazy and this is her way of dealing with it, she probably doesn't remember everything.

I know moving back to the city is going to be a very big change in my life it's been thirteen long years, I could consult some of my old friends there and get set up quickly... getting Ailthia into School won't be difficult either she'll probably be in 9 grade she just have to take a test and hopefully get in.

"Wait was that was that burnt I smelt just now is she cooking or.... shit.. the house is on fire and she's...

"Ailthia"

"She's not answering..

"Ailthia"..

I couldn't really see properly the smoke choking and blinding my eyes the sofa in the living room was already burnt and increasing the fire, stupid leather!!,

I make my way across living room without burning myself and to her bedroom she wasn't there...

"Ailthia... Ailthia..

Oh my god why is she not answering, this house is not big it only has two rooms... and... of course my room...

********

Most people think of dying as a painful thing others do not.

In diacom I was only allowed to read educational books and those that improved my cognitive ability- no fairy tales or love stories, the books I loved reding where those on Greek mythology ...about those immortals who got to decide the Fate of others in the likes of Neptune, Hermes and Zeus .

I would secretly envy them thinking about how lucky they were, even when I knew it was just stories I couldn't help thinking that they didn't die- immortals and to some of them it seems like a curse.

I wished it was real and that somehow one-day I I could attain immortality I knew that was never going to be possible and eventually I would have to die and leave this cruel world behind but now matter how much expectanct we are, no matter how much we think we prepare for it one never knows the exact moments he dies and you can't ever be prepared for it.

I had imagined a thousand ways I could die I know that it was going to take a lot to kill me for a fair fight -I don't think most people stood a chance against me, for a bomb I'd probably- be out for days and then get patched up again.

One parallel noticed in all those Greek stories is that they all had their Achilles heel- something that weakend them, their "kryptonite''- the men were dumb and it was mostly women, for the women- it was envy and jealousy, for me it's fire most people get normally burnt by fire and sustained serious injuries, my biostimulation reacts to the chemicals in fire aside from manipulating my system and getting burnts, I lose my mind I start recalling images of the worst moments in my life, the cutting of my skin, being left out in the rain because I didn't train properly running so many lapses I felt like my sides would give out ,train to the point where I break much more .

In diacom fire was used as a punishment for me if I broke a serious rule, at the time I thought that me not being able to stand fire or heat was a defect ...I concluded that perhaps something haf gone wrong when they had decided to turn a completely normal child into half robot and half human, and when I shamed there about it they told me ,that it wasn't a fault in their Project they knew how strong i was, how strong they are made me... and I would need to be tamed at some point.. I remember being on my knees and begging for them to kill me instead it would've been so much better.

The fire had reached the door where I was and that the door was cracked open I guess this is it...

"Ailthia"

Wait ...was that?...

"Athan I'm here"

I saw him burst the remains of the door as he came across me, he was about to reach me when the bed caught fire and the wood by the side got in between us... he was stretching his arm across from me to reach I could see that the fire was almost getting to his skin.

"Give me your hand''

"I'm scared".

For the first time my life I actually was scared to die..

"Nothing is going to happen to you just give me your hand"

I stretch out my hand and he grasped it in his own and pulled me up, as soon as I got up my blabbering started..

"Athan I'm so sorry, was trying to light the match when it fell in the book I swear to God it was an accident"

"it's fine, you're fine..let's get out of here before this place burns down"

We made it outside just before the fire burn the house and everything came crashing down, Athan looked so pained matter how much he assured me it was fine I knew it wasn't, this was his home and I had ruined it just like I always - do ruin people's life.