Firedown Sun

"Of all the stupid things to happen, it had to freaking RAIN?" I plopped down on the couch next to my mother, drying my hair with a towel angrily. "Mellamarxin dhrama! Kamatr dressa! Ifgonran seeko dranladorix!"

"Watch your tongue," Mom mumbled, changing the channel on the Telo for the hundredth time.

I glared at her. "They're expressions of-"

"I don't care."

"Fine." I thew the damp towel on the floor, fuming. "Then YOU say something about the rain. Because I think it's a waste of clouds, not to mention a stupid, malgrinn, razisky-tol, yjirik piece of-"

"That's enough," she ordered, giving me a dark look. "I won't have that language in the house."

"At least I'm not speaking Ancient."

"None of that attitude, Kitten Zigbol, or I'll send you outside into that YJIRIK rain."

Oh, so I couldn't use that language, but she could? What sort of hypocritical mother did I HAVE?

"Nothing on the Telo," she murmured, tossing the remote at me. "Do you want to watch something?"

Instead of answering, I pushed the remote away and went to the kitchen. Dad was there, checking the newspaper for anything interesting.

"Not liking the rain, eh?" he mused, eyes still on the gray pages, flipping through them every twenty seconds or so.

"Oh, not in the slightest."

"May I ask whatever for?"

"Well, how can we have a Fire Pit Ceremony if it's RAINING?"

His eyes glanced up from the paper and locked on mine. "Kitten, you don't care enough about the Ceremony to mind if it's ruined by rain. What's REALLY going on?"

I stared at him, refusing him silently.

He seemed to catch the hint and turned back to the paper.

*

"Kitten! Kitten Zigbol!"

I sat up. I'd been laying on my bed, rereading one of the books on my shelf out of complete boredom and hatred for the weather- I needed something to distract me before I really snapped and did something stupid out of anger- but Jaz's voice out my window surprised me. I hurried to the window and slid it open.

"What's going on?"

"Get down here QUICK!"

If only the window could open enough for me to jump out of it. I ran down the stairs as fast as I could, and my mother called out, "Where do you think you're going?!"

"Sorry, Mom, friend's outside. He needs something."

"But the Ceremony's in-"

"I'll be back soon!" I yelled, opening the front door and flying down the steps. Jaz stood in the middle of the road, staring up at the sky, his face strangely white.

"Kitten..." he murmured.

I took in a deep breath. I needed to run more; my body hated me for moving so fast so unexpectedly. "What?" I huffed. "What's wrong?"

He only pointed toward the sky.

As I turned, the sight made me lose all feeling in my whole being. My skin pricked with static electricity, and I stared at the clouds in horror.

It was still pouring now, but that wasn't so shocking anymore. The surprise was the words that looked painted, carved into the sky in swirls of pink and orange, the sign of the sunset. But this clearly was no ordinary sunset.

"She's a prize to be stolen, a girl that has to go..." I swallowed as I finished the last two lines. "Tonight she'll be rise with us to the sky.... to answer yes or no."

Jaz's eyes were on my face. "You know what that means, don't you, Kitten?"

I couldn't answer him. This wasn't something anyone could really take in without a bit of time to think it through. I just stared, hearing doors slam down the street, hearing gasps of other kids as they read the words above the sun.

"They're taking you there. To be chosen... If you accept."

I nodded.

"So what will your answer be? Yes or no?"

My heart hammered.

There WAS no answer. My brain wouldn't give me one. The leaders would never consider ME as a choice! That was crazy, absolutely and completely INSANE. I was the worst possible example of a good citizen of Monten, a perfectly obedient puppet; I was the exact opposite. Why would they WANT me as leader? I couldn't follow rules let alone ENFORCE them!

Jaz gingerly took my left hand. "Kitten. You have to think of what your answer will be before them come."

But I couldn't. I had other things on my mind.

"Sorin," I squeaked in horror.

"Come again?"

Suddenly anger boiled under my skin. It was a wonder Jaz didnt' leap back, his hand charred. Who needed flames? I WAS one!

Before I could think anything through, I jerked my hand from his and flew through my front door. Jaz called my name out in surprise, but I had nothing to reply back with. He had NO IDEA what was going on.

"Where's your cell?" I demanded the moment I entered the house. "Mom, give it to me!" I stormed over to stand in front of the Telo, clicking it off and glaring at her.

"What do you want it for?"

"He lied to me!"

"Who, dear?" She looked puzzled and almost frightened.

I lowered my voice until I was hissing. "Sorin! He's a liar just like every other adult!"

Dad still heard me. I heard a chair scrape across the wooden floor in the dining room, and then he was standing right by me. "Excuse me?" he snapped. "Not every adult LIES, Kitten. That's rude and impertinent and-"

"I don't CARE!" I didn't even bother to look at him. I kept my narrowed eyes on Mom, still fuming and sparking with invisible flames. "Mom, I know you have Sorin's number! Where is your phone?"

She stared at me with those scared, black eyes. It crossed my mind she must not understand how my anger could be so intense when I, to, bore the dark gaze of a Light. But her left hand lifted nevertheless and she pointed at the cieling.

"It's on my dresser," she breathed.

My body lurched forward. I didn't even have control over it anymore. I whirled for the stairs fast enough for things to become a dizzying, confusing blur. I'd never actually been in my parent's bedroom before, but I didn't dwell on that. I climbed the staircase to the top and shot through the door at the end of the hallway, barely noticing my surroundings as I speed-walked to my mother's white dresser and picked up the strange, shiny device.

The newness of it struck me. This was a whole different technology than I was used to. It made no sense to me. The buttons and what they did were mysteries, and as I tried to figure out how to turn it on, I wondered why I hadn't thought to ask Mom.

I randomly jabbed my thumb into the big, silver circle on the bottom, underneath the blank screen. The device glowed light blue and throbbed with sudden life, making me jump. I almost dropped it, but I clutched it tightly and listened to the instructions the robot inside sang to me.

"State who you would like to call."

My mouth hung open, and my mind felt like it'd been erased. What was I doing? Calling Sorin? Okay, wonderful. What next? I hadn't even considered what I would SAY to him. Just that I was hurt and overwhelmed by this new part of the game.

The leaders wanted me as their next replacement.

With that on my mind, I blurted, "Sorin Imbouro," in a wave of fear. I fell against my mother's side of the bed- I could tell it was hers because of the hot pink, satin pillow and by the presence of the orange container resting on the nightstand. I shivered at the sight of the pills and listened as the phone buzzed against my ear.

"He is not currently available," the robot abruptly hummed. "Would you like to leave a message?"

Oh, would I! I sighed. "Where is he?"

"That data is not on-"

"Oh, darn it all, you useless mechanism!" I threw my mother's cell on the floor and groaned. No wonder my mother never told me about having it. It wasn't even that HELPFUL!

But suddenly it made this ringing noise. It glowed blue again, and a picture of someone's face appeared on the tiny square screen. I bent down and gasped.

"Call from Sorin, call from Sorin! Would you like to answer?" the singing robot asked me.

"Yes, yes, l would." I picked the device up and tilted it this way and that. I spotted the "Speaker setting" button and pressed it.

Sorin's voice echoed in the room in an eerie, creepy way. "Hello, Avalinss?"

The surprise in his voice was apparent. I could just figure what he thought my mother would be calling him for. Maybe he thought I'd said something to my mother about his plan, despite his order not to, and that I'd tried to run away or something.

I suppressed a laugh and answered, "No, this is Kitten."

"Kitten?" He breathed out, definitely a sign of relief. "What's the matter?"

"What's the MATTER? Oh, gee, I don't know. Have you seen the SKY lately?" I hinted, ready to throw the phone again, only this time out the window. Hopefully it would shatter and then I wouldn't have to use it ever again. Stupid cell phones. I hated them.

He sighed again. "Look, if I'd know they-"

"You knew! You knew all along that was they wanted! Don't you lie to me."

"Kitten, I'm not saying I didn't know THAT. Why don't you let me finish a sentence once in a while?" Now he was angry.

I bit my lip. "Alright, why didn't you know?"

"I had no idea they would express themselves so directly, not to mention in front of everyone. They never said they would announce it or paint it across the horizon." His voice grew softer, gentler. "I'm so sorry, Kitten. I wish I could have told you. I just need to protect you. I love you like a daughter, and if I'd told you, I know you never would have followed the plan. You're most likely angry, and I understand that. I deserve that anger. I deserve your hatred, actually."

I wanted to hate him. But somehow I couldn't. Not when he said things like that. I hesitated, then told him, "I don't hate you. I just wish you could have told me."

"Me, too," he mumbled.

Suddenly there was a high-pitched screaming sound. I pulled the cell back and stared at it, thinking maybe someone else was calling me or that I'd done something wrong and it was malfunctioning, getting ready to explode or something. But then I realized it wasn't just in this room. It was coming from outside.

A siren. It grew louder and louder, like a warning. I stepped toward the window. The message in the sky was gone, and there was no indication anywhere of a reason as to why someone had set off a siren, but I had a feeling it wasn't friendly.

"Sorin?" I knew, by his silence, that he heard it, too. "Sorin, why is there a siren? What's it mean?"

Sorin's answer didn't do much to help me. "It means something's wrong."

"No crap," I mumbled. "I mean what is it FOR? A warning, what?" I gazed out at the city, at the people peeping out their windows, opening their doors. What a night for alien events. Threatening messages in the clouds and now THIS.

"Kitten, they must have figured something out. Did you or Pharis misplace something? Did you leave a trace?"

I thought for a moment. "No, I don't think so..."

And yet I knew. Somehow they figured out the Shack was broken into and robbed. Found our fingerprints or noticed the unlocked door or SOMETHING. It was the only way we would have been caught. Everything else had been so carefully done, taken care of with precision and intense care.

But the Shack...

Sorin caught on when I started gasping in order to breathe properly. "Get out of there," he ordered. "Get out of there NOW! Grab your bag and GO! I'll warn Pharis. Just go to the Fire Pit and do your job as fast as you can. Pharis will be along as soon as I can kick his butt out of his house."

I was still frozen to the spot, but it was good.

Because Sorin told me one more thing.

"And Kitten?"

"Yes?" I choked.

"I'll let your friends know everything. I know it's hard for you. So I'll take care of them. I promise."

My eyes stung, and everything started to get blurry. I swallowed hard. "Thank you, Sorin. And I... I love you. You've done so much for me when I didn't even know you liked me at ALL."

"It's a strange world, isn't it?"

"Very."

"Well, then. Go do your job and it won't become a DEAD world. Goodbye, Kitten."

"Bye, Sorin." I clicked the big button again, and the robot told me my call to Sorin had ended. Quickly, I tossed the cell back onto my mother's dresser and ran to my room, emptying my school bag of anything I didn't need and stuffing in what I really needed. Matches, don't forget the matches. I put those in my pocket, just in case something happened to my bag on the way. Who knew what was set out for tonight? Someone might steal my bag or it might get dropped into a puddle or something. No, no I HAD to have them on my person at all times. I couldn't lose them.

I thought of taking Baine out to charge him. Was that why he'd shut off like that earlier? Because his battery had died? But when I touched his cool metal head, I couldn't bring myself to leave him behind. With all this chaos about to happen, I might not come back for a long time. They probably had so many questions about the break-in, the different rules I'd disregarded during my sixteen years of life.

They would ask me about being leader.

Flinching from that idea, I hurried out of my room and downstairs. My parents weren't there; most likely they were outside, trying to figure out why the siren was going off. I slipped my jacket and boots on and left.

The siren was twice as loud, and I winced at the pain it inflicted, not to mention the fear. I ran around to the cellar, apologizing internally to my parents again for breaking the door down before. Where was Dragonblade? He shone in the corner, but the pile of food storage tempted me first. I remembered the last time I'd gone a long time without food and decided I might need a few things. I didn't know how much hospitality those living on the sun had. They might think locking people up without food or water for a week was entertainment.

A week. Yes, I could give myself a week. I tried to remember how long others had been gone when they'd been asked about taking up the job as leader. I couldn't even recall the last one.

I thought of Seem and laughed. Poor guy. He'd tried so hard to catch the leaders' attention, but instead it was turned to me. As strange as that seemed. Ha, Seem, seemed... Eh, I thought it was funny.

I moved over to pick up Dragonblade as the memory of Jaz's question came to mind. What was my answer going to be? How many people had EVER refused leadership?

Um, only one. And he apparently had never existed in the first place.

I rolled my eyes, about ready to board my scooter, but then Sorin's suggestion echoed in my ears.

CHECK OUT THE BOTTOM OF YOUR SCOOTER SOMETIME...

"Excuse me for a minute," I mumbled to Dragonblade as I flipped him over. I thought he would groan miserably, but he made a happy clicking sound, like he was pleased I'd finally bothered to look at whatever lay underneath.

Another moment passed, and I realized why.

The name engraved on the bottom could not be mistaken for any other. As insane as it seemed, there it was, scratched permanently on the metal surface.

Nimeous Bloom.

"No!" I cried out in shock. "No, that can't be right..."

This was a FAMILY scooter! Nimeous was actually supposed to have been a myth. Yes, I'd never believed that for a second, but... this? Riding a scooter passed down generation by generation in my FAMILY that just HAPPENED to be his?

"This can't be right," I said again. "Dragonblade, tell me it's not true. Please. PLEASE, tell me it's some trick or that someone's playing a joke on me. Nimeous is not some great-great grandfather of mine, is he?"

Dragonblade hummed and vibrated in my hands, and when I dropped him and he clattered to the cellar floor, he didn't seem to mind. In a haze, I snapped twice for him to let me on. He lowered himself just an inch or so so I could step on.

"He was the only one to turn down leadership," I mumbled, holding the handles tightly, like they were the only thing keeping me from being swept away by some powerful wind, the only thing that would save me from being sucked into a evil, black vortex. "And he's... my... ancestor... And now I'm being chosen for leader... and..."

Dragonblade merely rolled forward by his own free will, as if directing me out the door, as if ordering me to shut my mouth and get OUT.

"Take me to the Fire Pit," I mumbled, numb. That was the only emotion I could name inside me now. "And fast. We might have followers."

Understanding the urgency, Dragonblade shot forward, and the raindrops streaking down from the sky pierced my face like knives. I lowered my face, letting even my own self confuse the tears slipping down my cheeks for rain. My old promise was nonexistent now. Because I was confused? Because I was scared?

No. Because tears were fine with me. They were the only things that seemed to make sense. Everything else was messed up and twisted.

Tears were my anchor for now. My life support.

It was funny how your brain could convince you crying was the best thing to do when what you really needed to concentrate on was getting the heck away from where you were before you were killed.