Pyro Hero

"Help me set this fucking thing on fire!" Phyre shouts at the top of her lungs as she lunges another jerrycan onto the petit flame, which has no effect for an unknown reason.

"Typical aries," Shawna giggles as we continue to watch Phyre and Xipil struggle with our only way to get rid of the evidence. "Of course both of you go straight to burning things down."

"Such up with your stupid astro shit!" Xipil yells, glaring sidelong at Shawna.

"Somebody get the fucking gunpowder!" Phyre shouts, her huge biceps tighten as she tries to guard the baby flame from the sudden rainfall.

"We ran out!" I scream, watching our friendship go up in flames, unlike the paper. Pointing a hateful finger to Xipil's bomb sniffing dog, I relay to them, "Dumbo ate it all!"

"What!" Everyone else shouts in unison as Dumbo licks his paws, patches of gunpowder still linger on his fur.

Xipil lunges towards me, leaving Phyre on her own with the barely lit paper. His muscles glisten as he tightens a fist and snarls. "You fucking idiot, Isabella!" His fist collides with my face and my skin immediately starts to sting due to our wet skin. Shawna screeches, her high-pitched voice has definitely carried through the woods. But nobody else seems to care, Xipil is focused on me, and Phyre is focused on the flames.

Between breaths and a now bloody face, I exclaim, "But it's paper, shouldn't it set on fire?"

Xipil rolls his eyes and hits me once more before finally pushing up to his feet and examining his dog. "You idiot, it's wet, so of course it won't set on fire."

"But fire is hot-" I'm immediately silenced by Xipil throwing a ball of mud at my face.

"Classic Pisces," Shawna giggles while I wipe the disgusting mud off from my face. Phyre looks terrified, most likely from the combination of my bleeding face, Xipil's angered tension, Shawna's annoyingness and the flame getting weaker by the second.

"You're such a fucking idiot," Xipil mumbles, sounding upset and defeated.

"I'm not the dumb dog that ate the gunpowder!" I shout, gesturing a hand to Dumbo who's still licking some gunpowder off from his paws.

"How do I know," Xipil screams in my face, a vein bulging out from his neck. "If anything you might've eaten the gunpowder and blamed it on the dog!"

My mouth gapes open and I point to Dumbo's paws, "He's literally still eating the gunpowder! Look at his paws!"

"Maybe you just put some there so you can blame it on him!" Xipil rebuts me, I notice Phyre roll her eyes as she continues to try and protect the paper. "After all, it's not the first time you've blamed something on my dog!"

I gasp and there's a sudden sound of footsteps making their way towards us. Phyre appears over our shoulders and smacks us both upside the head, "Shut the fuck up and help me light the damn paper on fire already!"

"We literally put six whole jerry cans on it and it didn't do shit," Xipil reasoned, giving up almost immediately.

"Fuck, what do they make report cards out of these days?" I mumble, eyeing the now completely extinguished and soaked paper in Phyre's hands.

"Let's just go home," Shawna speaks in defeat as she lifts herself up. A patch of water leaves her butt soaking and impossible to miss. "I'm sure our punishment won't be that bad."

"What about our punishment for starting a fire in the woods?" Phyre asks, placing a hand on her hip and raising an eyebrow at her.

"Arson," Xipil shrugs like it's no big deal. I finally get up to my feet after remembering that nobody here is going to rush to help me. I wish Jonathan, or even better, if Tim was here. They wouldn't let anything bad happen to me. Gosh, Xipil is such an asshole, he's the worst brother ever.

"Let's just get going, best to get home before someone calls the police," Phyre throws her hands up in the air, the soaked paper folds and bends from the movement.

"But what about the report card?" I ask, pointing to the failing grade burning in Phyre's hand. The grade that will be getting us all sent away. It's going to be even worse if our parents find out about how we tried to get rid of the evidence.

"I'm sure that the water can easily destroy it," Shawna points towards the teary night sky.

"No way, the school knew how important this report card was to us," Phyre shakes her head, leaping over a patch of mud that can definitely steal a shoe. "I have no doubt that they went all out and made it waterproof."

"How about we just rip it?" I ask, gesturing to the flimsy sheet.

Phyre holds the sheet up in both her hands, gripping both corners tightly. Then, with a quick movement of her arms, she attempts to rip the paper. Xipil drops his head, cursing from frustration. I give him a look of confusion then look back to the paper, going wide eyed at the sight of the sheet still in one piece. The combined anger and tension of both Phyre and Xipil combined makes Dumbo whine and me shiver. Shawna holds back her laughter, she clearly wants to make another joke about them being Aries'.

"This is insane!" Phyre shouts, falling to her knees and making mud splash all over us. Shawna squeaks like a chihuahua from the impact and Xipil acts like he didn't even notice.

"Are we really that bad?" My voice adds emphasis to how defeated I feel as I flick bits of mud off of me.

"Well considering that one of our first ideas when it came to getting rid of evidence was to start a fire," Shawna starts, giving the two Aries' a shallow glare. "I'd guess so."

"Shut the fuck up," Xipil snarled and grabbed Dumbo's collar. He staggers through the soft, wet ground as the rest of us collect ourselves and follow him through the trees.

Other than grunting and Shawna weeping every few seconds, we're pretty much silent that entire walk. Phyre stomps her feet as she passes by me, which makes sense, her and Xipil are the most physically active here. So I bet that being behind me as a slow walker is probably pissing her off even further.

A soaked branch smacks me square in the face, making me wail from the stinging feeling and nobody even bothers to turn around and ask if I'm alright. I know for a fact that if I looked in a mirror then I'd definitely see a red slash, maybe even a little bit of blood.

We all get closer to the exit of the forest and Xipil stops, turning around to see the sad sight of his sister and two friends that he's about to lose. At this rate, none of us will be friends by the end of the night. Shawna's face is puffy from tears and Phyre is bright red from anger, she gets red a lot. Which is one of the things that I liked about her, especially since she was still pretty nice even when she was pissed.

"I'm going to miss you all," I mumble, though it was too quiet for anyone to hear me. I could barely even hear myself. Nobody acknowledges me, all eyes are on Xipil with his irritated expression and tight fists.

He clenches his teeth, "Stupid." My and Shawna's mouths gape wide open, but it seems that Phyre already knows what's on his mind. "You both are so fucking stupid, you're no help at all!" Phyre chooses to stay quiet, making sure to stay off of his bad side.

Then, something out of the ordinary for me happens. I get a burst of irritation and rage, I want to shout at him, lecture him, treat him how he's been treating me for years. I can easily hold myself back, but I like the feeling. It makes me feel powerful, like my anger could lead an entire army if I were to be pushed to my actual limits. My eyes burn, but not from tears, more of anger.

"Xipil," I clench my teeth just like him, ball my fist just like him, and match his fierce glare just like him. Except I won't lose control like he always does, I will destroy him and smile right after like the little angel I always get called.

He stares me down, making my blood boiling hotter than any pot. "What dumbass?" He speaks like his words are shooting a spear through my chest, but in reality, he's just equipping me with a weapon.

"W-" I start but immediately get cut off.

"Stop," Shawna stares at the muddy ground, clenching her fists and holding her eyes shut. Phyre and I shoot her a look, but Xipil keeps his deathly focus on me.

I can tell that he's trying to burn a hole into me, I can feel it. But I know it's not real, I'm safe. I always have to remind myself of that. I'm safe, I'm safe, I'm safe. He won't hurt me anymore than he always does, I am safe. He is my brother, I am used to it, I am strong, I can take it.

"Please just stop and calm down," I notice a tear fall out of her eyes, mixing in with the mud that's eating our shoes the longer we stand still.

Phyre marches over to her, trying not to fall in the mud and ruin the mood that she's about to bring to us. She wraps her arms around Shawna, prompting her to openly cry and speak words that none of us can understand. "It's alright," I can hear Phyre mutter, just loud enough past the pouring rain.

I take advantage of their moment and slog over to Xipil, who's still glaring at me with intense vexation. "You're a little bitch," I tell him, stopping just in front of me. I'm at the perfect spot to get punched in the face, so it would definitely be a better idea to not provoke him further. But what the hell? Fuck him.

"And you're not as innocent as you lead everyone to believe," His face lightens up a bit, it seems that we're on a mutual agreement.

I smile brightly and place my dirtied hands under my chin, giving that false smile of innocence. "I don't know whatever you're blabbering about."

"Blabbering?" He hollers in laughter. He may be making fun of me, but at least he's not beating me into the mud. The two girls look over to us, Shawna looks broken and terrified, but Phyre looks happy with a wet smile from the rain, I guess that I made the right choice.

He smacks my shoulders and continues to roar, his voice echoes through the trees, even louder than the rain. "So what's the plan then?" I ask, once the two girls join us closer to the border of trees. The wind whistles as we all take a moment to think. A truck drives by, just missing us with the splash of the puddle. Shawna jumps and both Phyre and Xipil chuckle, I stay quiet, like I always do.

"What about Shawna's older brother?" Phyre suggests and we all nod. Shawna's older brother, Matt, is the most destructive out of anyone we've ever met combined. Even more than Xipil and Phyre combined. He has been arrested more times than we can count, yet he still manages to be pretty nice. He even used his charisma to get out of being arrested several times before. He truly is a master of manipulation and deceit.

"Yeah that's an amazing idea," Xipil agrees with a tired tone. They both tend to compete a lot, mainly about who can do the most damage. Sometimes Phyre would even join in. It would always be a good show growing up, Shawna and I would always prepare drinks and snacks once we find out that they're about to challenge each other. She was always terrified at first when we were way younger, but she eventually gave in and decided to just enjoy it. We would even help them if there were to be a risk of getting in trouble. Xipil won a few times, but Matt definitely holds the majority.

"Yeah that is true," Shawna agrees and we follow each other out of the forest. "He is also a Scorpio, so that will help us even more."

Xipil looks sidelong at her with an annoyed look, "Shut up." Phyre giggles quietly.

After a few minutes of walking in silence, we get to an area where Matt normally hides out around this time, whether he's making little bombs or he's hooking up with a girl, he always comes here. It's a combination of a bridge, a few abandoned buildings and tall bushes and trees. Perfect for hiding and watching your surroundings. I wouldn't be surprised if he's an assassin and we never knew.

We all split up and search the area, making sure to keep a close eye on each other. We all turn our data on and start a video chat, that way it will be easiest for us to report anything. I enter one of the smallest buildings, it's rare to ever mind him in here since it's the least comfortable one and also the most revealing, but might as well check.

"Guys, I think I found him," Phyre, whispers into the call and I immediately see Xipil turn and run in her direction. Shawna and I do the same just a little less dramatic.

We all catch up with each other, I assume that Xipil went into the wrong building because he somehow got here after us. "Where is he?" He pants.

Phyre gestures to a shut door, there's a faint light shining bellow it and some music with way too many curse words playing at full blast. "It doesn't sound like he has a girl with him or anything."

"He might just be getting high," Shawna moves past us, keeping her hands clasped in front of her to hide her shaking. She knows that Matt won't do anything to hurt her, he's nothing like Xipil and me. But still, his reputation and actions are enough to make her a little anxious. She places her hand on the loose handle and shoves the door open.

I can't see much past all three of them, but I think he's sharpening one of his knives. Back when we were younger, Xipil and I were fascinated by his knife collection, now I just find it intimidating. However, Xipil is still fascinated from time-to-time.

A fresh cut is on the side of Matt's cheek and his hair is a mess. He's probably in a dangerous mood, yet he still smiles at us. A part of a song in his playlist takes over my thoughts for a second, 'Killers are nice, muggers are rough.'

"What happened?" I ask without thinking. Everyone else looks at me with confusion for a second but then I point to his cut and I notice Shawna shiver slightly. Though, I'm not positive if it's from fear or the mixture of cold and rain.

He gives me an assuring grin and says, "Don't worry about it." He gestures us inside with his knife then puts it down, we all pile in. "So what's up? What do you guys need?" Phyre holds up the soaken report card and Matt bursts into laughter. "I remember when I got one of those."

"Wait," Xipil's expression turns to astonishment. "You got one of these before?"

Matt raises an eyebrow and gestures around us, "No shit."

"So can you help us?" I ask with a hopeful tone, keeping my hands clasped in front of me like I'm begging him for assistance.

He snorts and pushes himself up to his feet, walking over to a closet with a loose door and sliding it open with great difficulty. Revealing several things that can cause terrible destruction in the wrong hands, which they are. A gas canister, chainsaw, guns, homemade bombs, and much more. He certainly has been busy.

We can all hear Shawna gulp, "Where did you get-"

"Don't worry about it," Matt grins again, this time it's a little more threatening. He then lifts up the chainsaw and places it in the middle of the room, doing the same with the jerry can immediately after.

"What are you going to do?" Phyre asks after handing Matt the paper.

He glances around the room a few times then shakes his head, "Best to do it outside." He peers over to Xipil and points to the jerry can, "Take it downstairs for me."

We all follow him back outside, Phyre notices Shawna shaking and gives her her coat. Xipil sets down the jerry can next to the chainsaw and turns to Matt, "What now?"

"Step back several feet," He warned us over his shoulder. Shawna sprinted towards one of the buildings and Phyre soon followed. Except Xipil just stood and stared at him, like he wanted an answer, or he was pissed because he thought he was being treated like a child.

"Xipil," I mutter, reaching for his sleeve.

He shakes me off and heads for the building that everyone is hiding in, a sour look upon his face. I shoot Matt a glance, trying to see if he's just as confused as I am. But I don't even see a hint of uncertainty, he looks like he knows exactly what's on Xipil's mind. But what is it? I don't understand these boys at all.

Matt raises an eyebrow at me and I realize that I've been staring. I take a gulp and tread towards the house, the spikes of rainfall nearly making me go blind.

I join the others crouching behind a cracked window as we watch Matt do whatever he's planning. The pouring rain makes it look like we're watching TV with static like when we were children. I miss being kids, the fights weren't as painful and we all were still innocent and happy.

Matt grabs the jerry can and starts pouring fuel onto the chainsaw, I immediately figure out what he's planning to do and I assume by the noises coming from the others that they've figured it out as well. He throws the now empty jerry can off to the side and takes a lighter out of his pocket. Covering the flame with his hand to protect it from the downpour. Then, with a quick flick of his wrist, he tosses the lighter onto the chainsaw and sprints in the other direction. Just managing to get out of the range of the explosion. After a few seconds of waiting for it to calm down a bit, Matt inches closer to the chainsaw and lifts it up, making sure to keep the flames away from his soaked clothes and fragile skin. He turns it on with only one swipe of the cord, it starts with a dangerous rattling as the blades pick up speed. We most likely don't have long before the fire gets into the gas tank of the chainsaw. Matt knows this, so he immediately faces the report card resting on the drenched ground and lowers the flaming chainsaw onto it. Immediately setting it on fire and ripping it to shreds in unison.

I'm sure that if we were closer to him then we'd be able to see some sort of psychotic smile or hear some maniac laughter, but for now we just assume that he's silent and helping us.

After a few minutes of Matt trying to extinguish the flame and us watching from afar, he finally signals us to come over. We get out from our spot and exit the building, treading over mud and potholes. I can feel Shawna trying to hide her fear of her brother, she's radiating an energy that makes him seem like he's even a danger to us. Which I know isn't true. We're Matt's most trusted allies, he'd never harm us. In fact, even when he was still in high school, he'd still protect us and beat up anybody who even whispered negatively about us.

We all stop in front of what's left of the ravaged report card, even if you tried you wouldn't be able to figure out a single letter on the paper. "I think it's dead," I suddenly mention. Matt snickers a bit and soon the others follow.

"Anything else?" He asks, eyeing our faces. Xipil is staring at him with amazement, like a child meeting an astronaut.

"Well-" Phyre almost starts but then the sound of a truck driving up sends us running to the houses.

We think that we've gotten inside before anyone saw us, but we still hide in a dark corner. Matt looks like he's analyzing the situation, thinking about the best way for all of us to escape.

"Xipil! Isabella! Dumbo!" The sound of our mother's voice is shouting into the wind.

"Shawna! Matt!" The voice of their father joins in.

Nobody is calling out for Phyre, I can see her face show heartbreak, but only for a moment.

Xipil holds Dumbo still and I try to keep him quiet and calm. "The fuck are we going to do?"

Then, something that made all of our attempts at freedom useless happened. Matt dropped his head to the ground like he just remembered something terrible. I gaze at him, hoping it's not as bad as it seems.

Matt finally speaks, he sounds absolutely defeated, "Report cards are also emailed to the parents."