When I came into the living room, the team was waiting there. They stared at me like they were afraid I’d spontaneously combust. I guess I couldn’t blame them. I wouldn’t want to be set on fire, either.

Spaz ran up to me. He bounced up and down. “Is it true you can shoot fire from your eyes?!” he asked. “Hot Stuff said you could, and that you set your room on fire! Can you do it again?! Will you let me see?!”

I had to push him out of my way. “Um, not right now,” I said and went to my room.

The fire was more severe than I thought. It looked like someone had had a little too much fun with a flame thrower. If anyone else had been in there, they would’ve been cooked alive. The walls were black, and piles of ashes lay scattered everywhere, and the smoky smell was powerful enough to give me a headache. The room was uninhabitable.

I kicked away some of the debris and found my mask. It was the one thing that was completely unharmed. I let my shirt fall away from my face to put it on.

“Wow, I heard what happened, but I didn’t think it was this bad,” Lily said as she came in. My shoulders dropped.

“Yeah, I didn’t really have a lot of control.” I rubbed the back of my neck.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, just…as long as I keep my distance from Katherine,” I whispered.

She laughed nervously. “You know that’s like impossible, right? And what’re you going to do when she starts to notice you’re avoiding her?”

“I don’t know.”

“Well, you need to have some sort of plan; or are you just going to set everything on fire?”

I growled. “I’m trying my best, okay?!”

Hot Stuff poked her head into the room. “Why aren’t you two outside?”

We both looked at the floor and shuffled out into the hallway. “Sorry, captain.”

We joined the rest of the team outside on the training field.

Katherine looked like she’d been waiting for us to start the lesson. I avoided her gaze as best as I could.

“I’m going to show you some advanced takedown maneuvers, and then you’ll practice with your sparring partner,” Katherine said. She waved me over to her. “I need my trusty test dummy.”

Fear struck me like an arrow. I was going to have physical contact with her?! Was she trying to get me to explode?

“Uh.” I glanced at Lily for help. “Do I have to?”

Katherine laughed. “I won’t break you, just come here.”

She grabbed my wrist and tugged me out of the line. I kept my eyes on her shoes because I knew if I looked directly at her, my eyes would catch fire. I took my stance and held my hands up.

“You have to look up,” she said.

I grumbled. The moment I looked up, I could feel the heat pool into my eyes. I took a slow step forward and threw a weak punch. She snatched my wrist and jerked me towards her. Somehow I got turned around. One of her arms locked around my throat, while the other gripped the top of my head. My back was pressed into her. She held me tight enough that I couldn’t wiggle an inch.

She’d never been this close before. I struggled to focus on my imaginary sandwich but it was useless. And, honestly, who in their right mind could think about something trivial when the girl of their dreams literally held them captive? My body drank in the feel of her every curve nestled against me. The sensation turned my heart into a seven hundred horse power turbo engine. Fire gushed through my veins. I screwed my eyes shut. I felt the fire building up to an uncontainable amount.

“From here, you can either snap the neck or squeeze tightly enough to make your enemy pass out,” she said, and the sound of her voice tickled my ear. “Now, if you happen to be the one in a headlock, how do you get out?”

My temperature soared upwards by the second. My eyelids felt like they were trying to hold back a flood. My eyelids buckled, I couldn’t squeeze them shut anymore. They flew open. I made sure to look at the ground to avoid burning the others. Giant jets of fire shot away from my eyes and the grass caught fire in an instant.

Everyone screamed and moved away. Katherine let go of me to put the fire out with a mound of dirt. I bent over and held my knees. I took in deep breaths, trying to calm down.

“Well, there’s one way to escape a headlock,” Katherine said. I rubbed my eyes. They felt like I’d dropped them into a deep fryer. I managed to stifle my excitement and when I opened my eyes again, I noticed the rest of the team huddled up on the other side of the field. They seemed uneasy about coming any closer. “Uh, maybe you and Wolf should spar by the pool today.”

I nodded. “Good idea.”

Wolf glared at me the entire time it took us to walk over to the pool. Once we were close enough, he turned to face me. “You know, it figures the idiot gets the dangerous power,” he said.

I was too relieved to be upset by his words. I waited for him to make the first move. His foot came towards my face. I pushed it aside effortlessly. After sparring with Katherine for so long, he seemed to be moving at a turtle’s pace.

“Don’t worry, though. I can keep you nice and cool,” he said. Before I could duck, cold water splashed my face. My whole body was soaked.

“We’re supposed to be sparring! That means no powers!”

“Or, what? You gonna complain to the commander? Oh, he splashed me, make him stop,” Wolf said, mimicking a whining child.

I wanted to give him a taste of his own medicine. I glared at him, hoping some fire would escape, but nothing happened. I probably just looked like I was trying to fart. He didn’t hesitate to punch my face.

I stumbled back and stared at the ground in confusion. A moment ago, fire was spilling out of my eyes with no trouble. Now, I couldn’t even feel any built up heat inside of them. It was the problem I’d been having this entire time.

Wolf moved his arms in wide arcs, commanding a significant amount of water to float out of the pool and into the air above his head. I was about to be mega-splashed if I didn’t do something.

I think if you want to find out what you’re capable of, you need to summon the strongest emotion you’ve ever felt. It will be the one thing you can’t possibly stop feeling no matter what, Katherine’s words rang through my mind. Was it that simple?

I dared to reach into the box I’d stuffed my emotions inside. I brought them to the surface and let them run free through my mind; the happiness I felt when I made Katherine smile and the rush I felt when she was near. Like a gas stove turning on, my eyes ignited. I focused on the massive wave coming at me as golden light blinded me. The water hissed as it turned to steam.

It wasn’t easy to turn off the fire streaming from my eyes. Wolf had to keep throwing water at me, so he didn’t get burned. Once the fire stopped shooting from my eyes, I could see again. Wolf stared at me, a bit taken by surprise. The ground between us was blackened and smoking.

I grinned. “You’re not scared, are you?”

His eyebrows came together. “Bring it.”

Wolf threw another wave in my direction, and I turned it to steam once more. For the next hour, we continued like this. I was able to see how far I could shoot the fire, for how long, and how powerful the flames could become. My only weakness was the moment of temporary blindness. Wolf was able to land a few hits on me.

In a real fight, I knew it was dumb to keep giving my opponent chances to hurt me. So, I tried to see if I could make fire with a different body part. I remembered the other times my skin would get too hot for people to touch. I remembered being able to burn Wolf with my hands. I tried to concentrate the heat into my palms. My gloves began to glow from the inside, but no fire came.

I tried to stop an incoming wave with my hands. I was able to evaporate some of the water when it touched my skin, but not all of it. The water knocked me back. The moment my hands touched the ground, the grass burst into flames.

Wolf hit me with another wave. I rolled a few feet back. Again, the moment my hands touched the ground—it caught fire. I patted the ground in five different spots. Mini fires appeared immediately. I guess they can’t shoot fire, but anything I touch goes up in flames.

I returned to my feet and watched the mini fires join together. Somehow the fire looked different. It wasn’t just a pretty orange light anymore. The flames were alive. They danced and flickered as if they were trying to coax me to join in on their dance, to command them.

Without realizing it my hand rose into the air. The flames stopped flickering. I moved my hand side to side, and the fire mimicked. I laughed because it was coolest yet craziest thing I’d ever seen. I did all kinds of crazy moves with my arms, and the fire matched me. It zigzagged, it waved, it grew, and it shrank, it flew into the air, spun in a vortex, and took whatever shape I wanted it to have.

“You look like an idiot!” Wolf laughed, and a wall of water snuffed out my fire.

“Hey!”

I touched the ground. With a bright flash, fire engulfed the grass in front of me. I spread my fingers, and the fire fanned out into a wall. I punched at the air, and the fire shot towards Wolf.

His eyes grew wide with shock. At the last second, he jolted and threw up some water to try to protect himself. A cloud of steam filled the air. When it cleared, Wolf was lying on his back. His uniform was singed, and part of his face was charred. He hissed in pain then flipped onto his feet.

He turned to the pool; his hands were shaking from the concentration. The remaining water in the pool gathered together and took the shape of a sea serpent. It rose at least a hundred feet into the air.

I gulped and took a ready stance. I willed the flames around me to grow hotter and more violent. The heat in the air caused me to break out into a sweat.

Wolf sent his water serpent at me. I kicked at the air, and the fire around me morphed into a colossal dragon. The elements smashed together, spraying us with mist.

Suddenly, a blast of air struck us. I fell over from the force of it. My fires went out instantly. “I told you, dinner’s ready,” Hot Stuff said.

I looked up and, sure enough, the sky was practically black. The rest of the team had gone inside. I got up and glanced over in Wolf’s direction. He looked pretty exhausted but was doing his best to hide it. I noticed I felt just as drained like I’d been sprinting for a long time. I felt the urge to slap his back as we walked towards the house.

“You put up a good fight,” I said.

He nodded wearily. “You too, man.”

Once inside, I filled my plate with the spaghetti waiting in a giant pot in the kitchen. Since I couldn’t eat in my room, I took my plate to the dining room where I could eat in private. The table was big enough to seat the entire team even though none of us would ever be able to eat together. My solitude didn’t last long. The sliding door opened. I stopped moving—spaghetti noodles hanging from my lips and all.

Katherine sat down in the chair beside me. She crossed her legs, leaned back, and took a bite of the garlic bread in her hand casually. Like clockwork, I felt the fire swirling in my eyes despite my exhaustion.

“You okay?”

I closed my eyes and heard the sound of my fork bending as I squeezed it too tightly. “Mmmhmm…” I swallowed the dangling noodles in my mouth and chewed methodically.

“It’s not easy to control, is it?” she said. I nodded. “I can help you.” She tried to put her hand on mine. I jerked away.

“No…uh…I think I’ll have to figure this one out on my own. No offense. I just really don’t want to accidentally roast you,” I said.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Just because you learned to shoot fire doesn’t mean I’ve suddenly lost the ability to dodge. You’re not going to burn me, I promise.” I grumbled. She wasn’t going to let this go. “Walk me through what’s going on when you feel like you’re about to explode. What are you thinking? Feeling?”

My face flushed. “I’d rather not…”

“Oh…” Katherine fell quiet. Then something clicked in her mind. “Oh.”

“What? Why’re you saying ‘oh’ like that?”

She fought to hold back a giggle. She coughed awkwardly and tried to keep a professional tone. “There is nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone has sexual urges—”

I clapped my hands over my ears. “Oh gawd, stop talking!”

“If you meditate and focus on your breathing—”

“Not listening! Blah, blah, blahhhh!”

She held her hands up. “Okay, okay, lecture over.”

I lowered my hands. “Besides, it’s not even like that. It’s not…”

“Sexual?” She arched her eyebrow.

“Stop saying that!” I stabbed my fork into my spaghetti and twisted it around and around.

“So you’re not thinking about a girl when it happens?”

“I mean yes, but not…in that way.” I sighed and scooted my food into a big hill on the plate. Katherine was smirking again. “You don’t believe me.”

“I’m not here to judge. Whatever you’re feeling, I’m telling you just try to meditate. Take control of your thoughts.” She got to her feet and headed for the door. “The couch is all yours tonight. I’ll see what I can do about your room tomorrow.” She was about to leave but hesitated. She glanced back at me. “I’ve also heard that taking a cold shower can help—”

“SHUT UP!!!” I threw my fork at her. She ducked and disappeared, laughing down the hallway.

The next day, we had to put up with the constant sound of hammering as Katherine repaired my room. The only time we could escape it was when we were out on the obstacle course. So we spent much of the day baking out in the sun to avoid getting a headache. In the afternoon, Katherine went into town, and the team sweated out all of our energy. Thankfully, Hot Stuff let us lay around the house for the rest of the day.

I sat on the balcony, setting little pieces of paper on fire and manipulating the flames. I had a bucket of water beside me in case something went wrong. I thought it would be harder for me to control the fire, but it wasn’t. Connecting with the flames— controlling them—was like flexing a muscle.

I did notice that after using my ability, I was tired. Even though it didn’t seem like much, it was still exercising some part of me. I ended up falling asleep on the balcony because I’d worn myself out.

Someone shook me awake. “Hmph?” I cracked my eyes open.

“I finished your room,” Katherine said.

“Thanks.”

Yawning, I went down the hall and checked out my room. It was like the fire hadn’t happened. Everything was back to the way it was before.

I crawled onto the bed and hugged my pillow. I shut my eyes then listened for Katherine. She was pacing back and forth, the heels of her feet thudding hard against the floor. It sounded like she was throwing a tennis ball against the wall at the same time. The noise made it hard for me to pick up on what she was muttering. Then I wondered if she was doing that on purpose. Did she know I practically spied on her every night?

My face grew hot. I stopped listening. She deserved to mutter in private.

As the days rolled by, Katherine decided to respect the fact that I wanted to figure out my abilities on my own. She let Wolf spar with me and kept her distance. Only every now and then she’d throw me a knowing smile, as if she relished seeing me turn bright red with embarrassment.

Now that I had a way to channel some of my feelings, I didn’t have so much pent up. I no longer had to worry that I would suddenly combust. And it was easier to turn my thoughts away from things that excited me too much.

I made improvements in other areas too. I got further and further on the obstacle course. I’d gotten better with the practice sword. Wolf was no longer able to land a hit on me or nick my fingers, but trying to remember the hours of information Katherine poured on us every night proved to be my downfall. I failed most of the quizzes she gave us. Hot Stuff was forced to make me flash cards and drill me in any spare time we had.

Then one day the team came outside to find spears, axes, and swords—their metal gleaming in the sunlight—waiting for us. None of them were sharpened, but Katherine was fierce in warning us that even a dull weapon could still cause serious damage. The purpose was to see which weapon we were most comfortable with.

Spaz picked up a chain and sickle. He tried to spin it around and got tangled in the chain. The sickle narrowly missed embedding itself in his leg.

I had no interest in a spear, or the death trap Spaz was playing with. I knew my weapon of choice was going to be a sword, but I was curious about the throwing stars. There were stacks of them set out on a table with practice dummies a few yards away.

The four-sided star was heavier than I expected. I wasn’t sure how to grip it. On my first attempt, it landed wrong and bounced off the dummy. When I tried to throw it again, the star went flying over the dummy’s shoulder. No matter how hard I tried, the star didn’t end up anywhere near where I was aiming.

My attention diverted to the dummy next to mine. It was ripped through by a dozen stars in a single throw. I grumbled as I saw Wolf was the only other person at the table. However, his stack of throwing stars sat untouched.

Wolf drew back like he was going to throw a star, but there was nothing in his hand. By the time he released, water gathered together in midair and froze into the shape of a star. The ice star went whizzing into the dummy, lopping off its arm.

Wolf was like me in the fact that he couldn’t generate water from his hands. Granted, it didn’t shoot out of his eyes the way my fire did, but he could use the water in the air and the area around him. I had to admit it; ice throwing stars were impressive. I tried to think of how I could do something similar.

I grabbed a twig from the ground. My hand filled with heat and the twig caught fire. Using the twig like a wand, I waved it towards the dummy. Three small fireballs flew through the air. I concentrated on them, willing them to change shape. The fireballs turned into throwing stars made out of a lava-like substance.

When they hit the dummy, they looked like glowing, orange potato cake splatters. The heat swelling off of them made the dummy catch fire. Hot Stuff immediately threw a bucket of water onto it before the whole field caught fire.

I tried to do it again only to find the fire died because the twig turned to ashes. Frowning, I brushed my hands off. I would need something more durable.

I went to the rack of swords. Some were straight blades, and others were curved. I liked the curving ones most. None of them were fancy like Katherine’s. I wondered if you had to be a commander to get a cool one like hers.

I unsheathed a sword and felt the heat swirling in my palm. My glove glowed like a light was turned on inside of it. Blue flames burst from the handle and danced up the blade. There was nothing on the sword to burn and sustain the fire; it was by my will alone that kept the flames from dying. The fabric on the hilt burned away, and the blade glowed white from the heat.

I gave the sword a test swing before moving away from the rack and the rest of my teammates. When I swiped at the air again, the fire on the blade looked like a bubble wand giving birth to a massive bubble; only it was made of blue fire instead of soap. The fireball went soaring through the air, harmlessly dying in the sky. I jabbed the blade forward like I was stabbing someone and the fire extended outward in a pillar.

I filled up with satisfaction. It was easier to use the sword as a source of fire instead of my eyes. Plus, I didn’t go blind so I wouldn’t be vulnerable in a fight.

I heard a dripping noise and looked at the sword. It was so superheated it was melting, it pooled into a glowing puddle at my feet. I killed the flames, and my shoulders fell in defeat.

“You’re going to need a tougher sword,” Katherine said, coming up behind me.

“Where am I supposed to find one?”

“I’ll look into it,” she said. “Until then…keep the flaming swords to a minimum.”