Chapter 7 CHAPTER: 007
The next morning does not start well for Asher.
He barely slept after coming back from the rooftop. Even when he finally returned to the room and crawled into bed, his mind refused to quiet down. He wakes up tired, and he drags his feet to class along with Rase beside him. The classroom already has students inside when they arrive. He silently drags himself to the bench and sits down.
Professor Dalen stands at the front of the room with a wooden box beside him. The same smile from yesterday sits on his face. Asher wonders if all the professors and instructors smile like that or if it's just this one.
“Good morning, Fire Elementals. Today’s lesson is simple.” He says as the students settle, and a second later, he opens the box and starts handing out small rubber balls to each student, and when Asher receives his, he turns it in his hands slowly; it is soft and light.
“Control. Just as I said last time, fire responds to emotion. If your emotions run wild, your fire runs wild, and today, we’re going to test how wild your emotions are.”
Once he’s done giving out the balls, he stops in front of them with a ball of his own. “So the goal today is simple. Hold the ball, breathe slowly, and stay calm. If you do it right, nothing will happen, but if you do it wrong, we’ll have a burning ball in our hands. Whatever you do, don’t set the ball on fire, and even if it does, stay calm, and you will pass this lesson. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Professor Dalen!” The class roars in a chorus reply.
“I told you this class is boring,” Rase complains beside him.
Asher stares at the ball in his palm. The lesson seems like the simplest thing in the world, but for Asher, who has no control over his emotions or his fire, it’s the hardest.
“Let’s go. Everyone, close your eyes and capture your emotions.”
Asher hears grumbles of other students, complaining of how boring the lesson is, but he shuts his eyes, holding the ball with both hands. He draws in a deep breath, but the moment Asher focuses on his emotions, panic surges through his body, and his thoughts wander without warning.
One moment, he’s sitting among his peers in class, and the next moment, he’s standing in front of a burning house with horrified screams coming from inside. Suddenly, the door bursts open, and his mother comes running out, horrified, but it was her words that struck Asher to the core.
“You killed them! You’re a monster!”
The word echoes in his mind, and suddenly, the ball in his hand grows warm, and something escapes from his body before he can stop it; he only comes back to reality with a scream.
“HIS BALL IS ON FIRE!”
Asher immediately opens his eyes and sees a burning ball in his palm. Fear and panic flood his body in an instant, and the fire reacts to his emotions and burns brighter, almost to the rooftop.
Asher gasps and immediately drops it. The flaming ball hits the floor, rolling away while students jump back fearfully.
Asher’s heart slams against his ribs. No, no, no. He thinks in his head as he immediately reaches down quickly to grab the ball, but the moment his fingers touch the floor, the stone catches fire too.
The Flames leap up and spread across the floor like lightning. Students scream, immediately standing over the benches or running out of the class at how quickly the fire spreads and how large it erupts on the floor. It's like someone poured gasoline on the floor.
Asher jerks back in shock and grabs a nearby chair to steady himself, and the chair bursts into flame. WHAT THE FUCK!!
Panic floods his chest as he stands away. Everything he touches ignites. His breathing comes out fast as panic settles deep into his bones. He looks at Rase to see the horrified look on his roommate’s face. It's like seeing his siblings being scared of him again.
Asher’s entire body shook. “I—I didn’t mean—”
“Everyone back!” Professor Dalen shouts, and he moves quickly, slamming his palm against the burning floor, and a wave of controlled fire bursts from his hand, swallowing Asher’s flames and smothering them out in seconds.
Once the fire dies, the room falls silent with smoke curling up from the blackened floor, while Asher stands frozen in the center of it, not knowing what to do, while his hands won’t stop shaking.
Professor Dalen turns toward him, and for the first time, the teacher does not smile, nor does he look calm. “What was that?” he snaps.
Asher’s throat tightens as he looks at the man. “I—I’m sorry—I didn’t mean—” words miserably failed him.
“This is a control class! You don’t set the room on fire! Do you realize how much damage you caused and how badly students could have gotten hurt?" The Professor continues to yell.
Slowly, Asher turns his eyes, staring at the faces of his classmates, and every face in the room looks at him, and every face holds the same expression.
Fear and hate.
‘He’s weird.'
‘He shouldn’t be here.’
Asher hears the whispers, and his stomach twists painfully. “I’m sorry,” he says again, but the words feel useless, so he does the first thing that comes to his mind: he turns and runs out of the class, and he doesn’t stop when Rase shouts after him.
He runs out of the classroom, down the hallway, past confused students, past doors and staircases, until the noise fades behind him. He only stops when he finds an empty classroom. He slips inside quickly and shuts it.
His chest hurts, and his eyes burn with tears.
Asher walks to the back corner and slides down the wall until he is sitting on the floor. He presses his palms against his eyes, and finally, the tears come crashing down.
He doesn’t want to cry, but the tears won’t stop coming. He presses his palms harder against his eyes as thought crashes in his mind.
Why can’t he control it like everyone else?
Why is his fire different from everyone else's?
Why is he different from everyone else?
Monster. The word runs in his head over and over again until it’s embedded in his mind. A broken sob leaves his lips as he realizes the only place he should feel at home might not even want him around because he’s a walking time bomb, waiting to erupt and destroy.
“You’re going to drown yourself like that.”
Asher snaps his head quickly towards the curtains of the window where the voice comes from. The fabric moves, and a familiar blue-haired boy steps out, dressed in his uniform but his jacket unbuttoned, and a cigarette is trapped between his lips.
Asher immediately wipes his tears. Why is the blue-haired boy in every corner Asher finds himself in?
Xavi walks over slowly and sits down a few feet away from him, like this is the most normal place in the world to hang out.
Even Asher doesn't know how he found this class and knew it to be empty.
“How long have you been there?” Asher swallows the lump in his throat, wiping every trace of tears from his eyes.
Xavi shrugs, taking out the cigarette from his lips. “Long enough,”
“What are you doing here?” Asher asks again hoarsely.
And again, Xavi shrugs. “Skipping class.” He replies, taking another drag from the cigarette, then he holds the pack out. “Want one?”
Asher immediately shakes his head. “No.”
Xavi nods like he expected that. “Suit yourself.” He tilts his head. “So, what happened? You don’t look like the type to skip classes.”
Asher looks away, swallowing deeply before he forces the words out. “I set my class on fire and got scolded. I think everyone hates me now. I can’t go back there."
He can't bear to look anyone in the eyes ever again.
Xavi hums and nods his head in understanding. “People tend to panic when something unexpected catches fire; that doesn’t mean they hate you.”
Asher refuses to believe that. The look on their faces taunts him. “You weren't there.”
Xavi takes another drag. “If it makes you feel better, I froze an entire training field once.”
Asher frowns. “You’re lying.”
“Maybe.” Xavi smirks, then he offers the cigarette again. “Still don’t want it?”
“No,” Asher says immediately. “Should you be smoking that, you’re only eighteen.”
How does the academy allow tattoos on an eighteen-year-old boy?
Xavi stares at him for a moment before he drops the burning cigarette on the floor and crushes it under his boot. “What are you, my mom?”
Asher immediately looks away, a blush staining his cheeks. How ridiculous.
Xavi chuckles at the sight. “You look cuter when you blush. Trust me, you don’t look very good when you cry.”
Asher’s face burns brighter, and the heat has nothing to do with his fire; he is burning with something else entirely different. “I wasn’t crying.”
“Right,” Xavi agrees with a teasing tone. “You will get it eventually. The beginning is hard for everyone; that doesn’t mean you’ve failed. See you some other time, pretty boy."
With a little wave, Xavi turns and walks out of the class, leaving Asher sitting there in the dark and alone with his thoughts.
Pretty boy. The word rings in Asher’s head like broken records, and for the rest of the time he’s there, that’s the only thing that rings in his head.
The moment Asher steps out of the class, he comes face to face with Rase, who looks like he has run around the entire academy at how hard he pants.
“Asher. I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” he says as he steps towards the red-haired boy, but Asher steps back. Rase pauses. “What happened was an accident, and Professor Dalen was a bastard for yelling at you, and I’m sorry I panicked, too. I was simply shocked and had never seen something so horrifying yet enticing,” he says, then stares at Asher’s face closely. “Did you cry?” he asks, reaching out, but Asher moves away.
.
“I'm fine. I didn’t cry,” Asher lies even though it's obvious from how red his eyes are. “You’re the first person to say my fire is cool and enticing.”
Rase breaks into a smile and, without hesitation, he marches forward and throws an arm over Asher’s shoulder. “That’s because they don’t see it the way I do. That class hasn’t been boring since you arrived, and that’s the best thing ever.”
Asher doesn't know if that's a compliment or not as he mutters. “Thanks,”
He will get it eventually. Asher echoes the words in his head until he starts to believe them.