Fireproof - Warren Peace

one ¥ back off, slinky

   Rhiannon was up and ready for orientation by six in the morning. Lucille, her older sister, had left about an hour ago for a mission, but she wanted to wish her baby sister good luck for her first day. The young brunette twisted a water knife in her fingers, remembering briefly to when her father taught her to do it all those years ago. Shaking her head quickly, she shoved the memories aside.
   She was not going to be a blubbering mess on her first day.
   Grabbing the lunch that Lucy had kindly packed, Rhia walked calmly outside, still twisting the knife in her hand. When the bus pulled up, the doors opened, revealing a chubbier man with an orange cap.
   Smiling, she climbed onto the bus. "Hey there, Ron, good to see you're still driving," the man smiled at her words.
   "Thank you, Rhia, good to see that you're attending this year. You're my first pick up, so choose any seat you'd like, you know the drill," he threw his thumb back towards the rest of the bus. Rhia smiled again and carefully chose a seat in the middle. Placing her earbuds in, she didn't pay attention as they picked up other Sky High students, only taking one out when a tall kid with white hair and neon yellow clothing sat next to her.
   "I'm Zach," he extended his hand, which she shook with a nod.
   "Rhia," keeping it short and sweet with a smile, she put her earbud back in and closed her eyes, not even opening them when straps came around her body or when the bus tumbled in the air. Her blue eyes popped open when the bus hit ground again, rather shaky, actually. Ron called out a sorry.
   As students exited the bus, Ron spoke again. "Remember, don't miss the bus, because the bus waits for no one," he paused, ruffling Rhia's already messy hair. "Except for you, kiddo. And you, Will Stronghold," he pointed at another freshman with a bowl cut. "If you're ever running late, running early, or just wanna talk, call me," the bus driver handed Will a business card. "Seriously."
   Rhia chose to walk beside the Stronghold boy and his redhead friend, remaining quiet as they approached the school. She saw Penny and her multiples doing cheers and some idiot who thought it was a good idea to zap a girl in the butt with his laser eyes. Him and his friend regretted it immediately when she froze both of them.
   Rhia's felt like she could see her own brain with how hard she rolled her eyes when a speedster decided to corral the group of freshmen. Scared, they all clumped together, just like the two idiots wanted. Speed and Lash, as they called themselves, demanded that the freshmen give a fifteen dollar fee. Lash's hand stretched out to Rhia first, and before he could process it, she grabbed it and yanked him toward her.
   "Back off, slinky," she growled before pushing him away. His eyes filled with quick annoyance. Good.
   "And who do you think you are, freshman?" He sneered, earning a laugh from Speed.
   The joy in his eyes quickly faded as her words left her mouth. "Rhiannon Bloodstorm, and I don't tolerate bullies," it slipped through her teeth like a hiss, producing gasps and multiple stares from other students. Before the two doofuses could say anything else, a girl in a pink sweater approached.
   "That's enough you two, I'll take it from here," she went on to introduce herself and explain why the school was so amazing, yadda-yadda. Rhia's eyes wandered halfheartedly around the school's courtyard. They skimmed over students stopping on a lone boy leaning against the wall, also watching the other students. His hair was dark brown, almost black, with a single red streak. His full lips were in what seemed to be an unwavering frown, and even from this distance, Rhia could tell he was a head taller than her.There was almost an invisible barrier around him, a beware sign hanging over his head, that kept the other kids away. His dark eyes swerved and met her light ones, as if he felt her watching him. His scowl did nothing to deter her gaze. Instead, the youngest Bloodstorm nodded in acknowledgement. A dark eyebrow lifted on his face, and he looked away.
   Gwen lead the group into the gym, at the very end, a podium. "Have fun, and good luck!" she called before disappearing. Rhia ran a manicured hand through her curls, already knowing what was happening next. The crowd of freshmen gasped at the sparkle of light that passed over their heads and landed by the podium, flickering into Principal Powers.
   The woman smiled at everyone. "Good morning everyone. I am Principal Powers, and on behalf of all the faculty and staff: welcome to Sky High."
   Zach fist pumped the air and shouted. "Yeah!" but with a look from their principal, he seemed to cower back.
   "In a few moments," she continued. "You will go through Power Placement and your own heroic journey will begin."
   Rhia heard Will and his friends conversing, confused by this subject. "For now, good deeds, good luck, and let the adventure begin. Comets, away!" Principal Powers exclaimed, erupting into a shower of sparks.
   Rising from the floor and onto a platform was a person that made Rhia smile. Her Uncle Boomer introduced himself, of course using his booming voice. He made each kid come up and show their powers. Zach claimed to glow, but didn't; Magenta turned into an adorable guinea pig, Ethan melted into an orange puddle, and Larry turned into a rock man. There were others that Rhia didn't know the name of, and Will's redhead friend refused to show her powers, making her a sidekick. Uncle Boomer checked the list.
   "Rhia, up here kiddo," he called out. Rolling her eyes playfully, she chose to fly up to the platform, earning a few gasps. Boomer grabbed the girl in a tight hug before ruffling her hair. "You know what, I already know your powers, hero!" Rhia broke into a smile. That was too easy. The lunch bell rang and Boomer said that the next person to go up after lunch would be Will Stronghold.
   She walked to the cafeteria alone, not really appreciating the stupidity and naivety of her fellow freshmen. Scanning the cafeteria, she found that the emptiest table was across the room, and occupied by the dark boy from before. Taking a deep breath, she passed the table with Stronghold and the others, taking a seat in front of the boy. He looked away from the table in front of him, shifting his glare to her.
   "What are you doing?" he snapped. Rhia rolled her eyes and unpacked her food.
   "Eating lunch, obviously," she quipped in response, taking a grape and popping it in her mouth. One of his eyebrows raised and his hands shook slightly. Mirroring him, Rhia raised an eyebrow of her own. Before he could respond, she spoke again. "Look, pal, I'll move to the end of the table, far away from you. I don't like people, and your table just happened to be the emptiest. I'm not leaving, so suck it up."
   His mouth popped open slightly before quickly closing. When he didn't respond, Rhia picked up her things, prepared to move. His voice, calmer now, stopped her. "Name's Warren Peace," the girl looked back to him, eyebrow still perfectly arched.  Slowly, she sat back down, placing her things on the table and taking a sip of her juice box.
   "How poetic," Rhia murmured. "Rhiannon Bloodstorm," they only nodded at each other, not making a move to shake hands or anything of the sort. Most of his hair was pulled away from his face, giving her a full view.
   "Moonbeam and Crossbow's kid, huh?" he questioned, biting into a carrot. A lump fell into her throat, gulping to swallow it down.
   "One of them, yeah," her voice cracked quietly, and she prayed he didn't notice. What she noticed though, was that his eyes always seemed to move into a glare and into someone behind her. Craning her neck, she followed his line of sight to the back of Will Stronghold's skull. Clearing her throat again, she asked the question this time. "Got a grudge with Stronghold?"
   His eyes seemed to flash and he turned his glare onto her again. "None of your business," he growled. Rhia tucked a curl behind her pierced ear, an unimpressed look on her face.
   "Yeah, sure, see you tomorrow, Warren," picking up her things, she dumped her trash in the bin and her recycling in the other. She had a feeling that the redhead would come after her if she didn't. After lunch, Stronghold made a fool of himself in front of the entire freshmen class at Boomer's orders. He was named sidekick.
   The final bell rang and Rhia watched as students hustled out the doors. She leaned against her locker, and when she was sure everyone was gone, she slumped to the floor. Many people had brought up her parents today. Knowing that she shouldn't fly distracted, she stood up and made her way to the weight room.
   Hanging preciously in the corner was the punching bag that Boomer had kindly set up at Lucy's request, tired of having to fill in holes in the walls of their home. Rhia dropped her backpack to the floor and stood there for a moment, staring at the bag. A shuddering breath escaped her body, followed by a silent sob and a roundhouse kick to the bag. Her fists flew strategically and wildly, the strength and desperation tearing at its fabric. Punch after punch, her cries grew louder, but not loud enough to be heard from outside the room. Despite her hysteria, she heard the door to the weight room open and froze after delivering the kick that completely broke the bag and sent sand everywhere. She didn't turn around, knowing that her face was red and blotchy and that her hair must look like a raccoon's nest.
   "That was a good kick," Rhia's heavy breathing paused at the sound of Warren's voice.
   "Thank you," she muttered, wiping her nose with her sleeve. She heard his footsteps come a little closer, but they stopped.
   "What are you still doing here? Don't you ride the bus?" he inquired. Bringing her hand up, she conjured some cold water to splash in her face. She wiped her eyes and turned to face him. If he was surprised or disgusted by her appearance, he didn't show it.
   "I could ask you those same questions."
   "I asked you first," he countered. Rolling her eyes, Rhia fiddled with her raw knuckles.
   "Needed to blow off some steam. And I can fly."
   "Of course you can," he groaned. Rhia frowned.
   "You didn't answer," she pointed out, leaning against a weight machine.
   He lifted a bag off the ground. "I forgot this, and I have a ride home." She said nothing, only nodding and gently rubbing her hands. Warren paused, looking from her face, her hands, to the broken bag, and then back to her face. "I'll find the janitor," those were his last words before he left, not even allowing her to say thank you again. When he was gone, she used some water to run over her bloodied knuckles. It was soothing and she was ready to go home.
   Lucille wasn't home when Rhia dropped lightly onto the patio on their roof, and she still wasn't home when Rhia was out of her shower, and climbing into bed. The youngest Bloodstorm sister curled up under the covers, shivering at the coldness of her bedroom. The heat must've been turned off again. Staring into the night sky, Rhia drifted into a fitful sleep.