Burning Cities

The car ride was significantly silent, besides the heater running, the sound of the engine, and the sound of passing air outside. I caught Devin sneaking glances towards me from the corner of my eye, his still that color blue that amazed me. They were such a pale blue, and I could never compare the way they sparkled to the snow. Besides being able to feel his emotions, I could see them in his eyes as well. I could also feel his mother ease her way into my emotions, unraveling me from the surface and digging deep.

Everyone was a Seeker in this car, and it frightened me. If that was true, my mother is only here for business, not to see her lonely daughter. I bit my lip and lowered my gaze to my lap, finding my jeans more interesting to think about then the previous horrible thought.

Soon, though, we came to a stop before a small, one level yellow house in a quiet neighborhood that looked run down and beat up, erasing my thoughts with curiousity. We were basically in the poor neighborhood, nearly treeless and every house has sagging stairs, chipping paint, and a broken window. When I was little and before my parents were fighting and biting at each others neck we lived here, while my father's income was still low and my mother wouldn't get another job.

That all changed when he was promoted, and demanded more from my mother. She obviously couldn't give it to him.

Thankfully I wasn't in a catatonic state to unbuckle myself from the seat and follow Devin up the walkway and towards a brown door. The screen that use to cover it leaned against the wall covered half with tan painted wooden siding, next to paper trash and lost little boy toys. Devin had his house keys, and opened the door to let us in. Inside, it smelled like wet dog and I could hear one whimpering and whining in the kitchen, nails digging into and scrapping against a kennel floor.

"Sorry about the mess." His mother apologized, "Everything was so short notice."

Her voice was snappy and mean, and the look she gave me was begrudging and I felt guilty. Ignoring that, I looked around the house, noticing how low the ceiling was, how dim the living room felt, and how lived in it looked like. A memoir of Devin's life was put behind glass in picture frames, baby pictures starting at the door and probably ending somewhere down the hallway. If I thought about it, this place seemed to fit Devin, despite the fact that he looked as cold as ice and didn't belong anywhere.

But he said he had just moved here. Confusion spread across my face, and I reached out to him, and only him, piercing his mind for an answer. He came back from the kitchen, his face solemn, like he did something bad.

I forgot to mention the evil twist, I heard in my head while narrowing my eyes. There is so much I want to explain to you, but I can't. Not right now.

I watched my mother slide a finger across the surface of the coffee table, and she grimaced at it. "This place is unbelievably dusty. You hadn't bothered to clean it up after the month you've been here."

"Don't start with me, it's been a very busy month. Almost too busy." His mother said with that snappy tone. Now that I could see the lines that made the bony shapes of her face, she looked exactly like Devin, blue eyes, black hair, and all. Except she looked sick; anorexic or bulimic. I couldn't tell, but she was so small, skinny, and fragile looking. I noticed my mother showed the same body image, as if they were deteriorating right in front of me.

"You know, I really think I deserve an explanation." I spoke up, startling his mother and my own. They looked at me like they didn't know I could speak.

"Right, you do. I'm Cassy, if you didn't know. But I'm certain you do know that we all, your mother included, are Seekers."

"I gathered that."

She let a sigh through her thinning lips, motioned for me to take a seat next to my mother, and I did so obediently. "What I tell you next will have you thinking, 'Why me?' Embrace that, because it will make this a lot easier to get through the next few months, or even years of your life training."

My mother and her shared quick glances between each other quickly, then my mother spoke evenly, "The only reason why I'm here now is because your coming to your abilities. If it's alright, we're thinking that maybe we should take you away from here, up towards the mountain where you can secretly learn the proper ways of a Seeker."

"What about school?" I asked her, leaning back into the couch where I can feel Devin standing behind me, his hands on the back of the couch.

"You'll go to school as normal, Devin will be going with you. Afterwords, however, one of us will be picking the two of you up and taking you to a family inherited cottage that's pretty isolated up in the mountain."

"What makes being a Seeker dangerous?"

My mother sighed and looked down at her bony hands, "Seekers are empaths, basically, with the ability to make a physical representation of their emotions and thoughts. The fire spark that Devin so careless struck your ex with? That was his representation of the emotions anger, and probably possessiveness. Seekers, when lost in strong emotions can be dangerous. Especially Seekers that don't know how to control themselves."

"Scientists don't know if we're supernatural, or a freak genetic accident. There's underground tests and genocide. Children grow up never knowing what's outside, terrible lack of speech and muscle movements. In vitro is used in affected woman to breed us, but there's always something wrong with those fetuses. The woman end up giving birth to still born children planted in their uterus. If they just let us be, we'll be fine." Cassy explained, her arms folded and a grim look on her face.

Genocide? Underground tests? Abuse? This made my heart ache and stomach churn in feelings swarmed by the desire to just shove this information far to the back of my mind as possible. It's good to know, but terrible to stomach, imagining that I could have ended up like those children.

I felt a hand grasp my shoulder, Devin's thumb rubbing my shoulder blade for comfort. I leaned into it as a calm feeling washed over me, but I tried not to show it so much on my face. Already a near stranger was captivating me and reigning me in like a helpless fish on a hook. That's not something I'm going to easily admit to right now, especially after all Alan's done.

"It will be tough, Ella. Doubt that the serenity the mountain gives you will be enough, because there's already four of us, and Devin's already exposed himself." My mother paused, her lip twitched and I waited in anticipation. "I left because I was being followed by a man named Dennis. I'd met him at that part time job I barely put effort into. Turns out he'd been stalking my families history for years, and he finally caught up to me. He threatened my family's safety and security. I had to run, and as much as it tore me up inside I couldn't put you of all people in that situation."

Silence fell over us as I let this all sink in. It would make all sense, but I still held onto that thin thread of inhibition that was keeping me running in place. She left because of what we are, what we can do and what we are capable of. She left to save me from the life I could have been living, like a science experiment. I didn't hate her for that, I thanked her.

"I understand." I barely whispered.

"But your father won't. It's important that he doesn't know any of this." She told me, her hands waving before her.

I nodded, "He wouldn't hear me anyway."

My mother's face twisted in question, but I ignored it. She'd never understand the way the house feels so empty now, how desolate like a vast land of desert sand and clear skies the house appears. Nothing but the wind against your face to remind you your still alive. Being in this house, even with the dust I can see floating in about in the natural light provided through the kitchen entrance, small, cozy, with warm browns and fluttering pictures of a family life made me feel welcome and alive. There's was history that Cassy and Devin didn't seem ashamed to admit surrounding us everywhere, on the walls, the blankets draped over the back of the couches, the nick-knacks on shelves and other junk on surfaces. My father was, however, ashamed to admit he'd ever been divorced, ever been left, ever had a child that isolated herself and ashamed to surround himself in familiarity.

"How 'bout we go out for brunch? There's nothing in the house to eat, unfortunately. What do you guys say for Olive Garden, since it's new in town?" Cassy asked, leaning against the couch with her hands like Devin was. Her elbows popped out exactly like mine did, bony and disgusting. I wanted to bring it up, but the sheer redundancy of our double jointed elbows didn't seem appropriate at the moment.

"That sounds lovely, I've been living off of cheap, tasteless foods for three years." My mother agreed, standing and stretching her arms. I stood with her, looking back at Devin entering from the kitchen where a faceless dog whined about being trapped again in the kennel. He stared at me intently as I felt him enter my mind like a needle through an egg's membrane.

If this is to much for you to handle, tell me. He spoke in my head.

I smiled softly, I promise.

He obviously didn't know me very well, aside from the freak out I had in the car yesterday, I can keep myself cool. After coming to terms with my mother leaving, nothing else really seems to shake me.

Hugging my coat tighter to my body, I let Devin hold his hand at the small of my back and lead me after Cassie and my mother through the front door and out into the frozen tundra. Wind stilled blew, ambitious to knock over anything in it's path, blowing snow not yet frozen and pack together spiraling through the air. It made walking down the little, barren concrete path to the car a little bit of a pain. Eventually though, we'd gotten ourselves buckled up in the SUV and silently journeyed to the outskirts of town, to my favorite restaurant in the world.