The Stolen Survivor

“Blaze!” Cas screamed, tugging her friend’s gown. Blaze shrugged her away, wincing. Blaze’s attention averted to the soot covered walls and scrolls, covered in dirt and grime. In less than twenty seconds, Blaze lost control -- in less than twenty seconds, people could have gotten seriously injured. In less than twenty seconds, things could’ve taken a worse than than they had; if Damon hadn’t stepped in, Blaze could’ve been caught in that fiery inferno. Blaze could’ve been burned.
“No, Cas,” Blaze said settling down her friend. “It’s for the best. I can’t keep on hurting people like this.”
“Hurting who?” Cas urged, pushing on the subject. People soon began to stare, everyone suddenly intrigued by Cas and Blaze’s heated conversation. Murmurs and mutters began to wave across the training area like black mould in a shower. “Hurting who?” Cas said again, her nails digging into Blaze’s skin. “Because Blaze, right now, the only person you’re hurting is yourself.” Blaze pushed past her friend and narrowed her eyes, her lips pursed into a thin line.
“You don’t know anything.”

Blaze walked into the campsite, ignoring the faint murmurs of the other residents. The campsite was desolate and abandoned -- all the younger elementals were still at the training ground, all the older ones in the human world, cheating and pick-pocketing from unsuspecting humans. Most humans assume that when a sock in a washing machine goes missing, it’s because they’ve misplaced it. They don’t even consider the fact that a water nymph from the Otherworld travels into their washing machine and steals it, then brings it back to the elementals. Blaze trailed her bare feet along the dirt floor, her mind crammed and imbued full of questions that will be left unanswered. She didn’t mean to explode; literally -- it wasn’t her intention to burn down the training area; but she didn’t mean to explode at Cas, either. Blaze trudged into her little wooden tent and slammed the door shut, neglecting the harsh comments outside. She closed the stained eggshell white curtains and collapsed onto her feather and hay bed which seemed to prod at her back and arms. She flipped over and pulled the caramel covers over her head, the texture comparable to a potato sack. She lay there for a moment; and then several moments; and then several hours. Blaze was known for her impulsive temper and many of the other elementals had already gotten used to Blaze locking herself in her room for days on end. Today wasn’t any exception. Most days, Blaze would lay on her mattress and released all the questions flooding in her mind. She would lay in her bed for minutes, hours, sometimes even days, on end just pondering; just wondering what made her tick.

Tingles swelled up and vibrated every inch of Blaze’s body, her fingertips quaking. Thoughts and more thoughts continued to rush through Blaze’s aching head. Clenching her fists, Blaze brought an abrupt halt to the knacking thoughts that seemed to pound her brain and stopped.
“It was not my fault,” she affirmed, her voice muffled by the sound of the hay mattress. “It wasn’t.” Twisting and turning in bed, Blaze allowed herself to cool down. Perhaps, abandoning the ability to manipulate fire would be good for me, she thought to herself blissfully. Her heavy lids began to droop and before Blaze could even realize it, she was fast asleep.

Blaze squinted at the light that penetrated through the slits of the eggshell white curtains. Radiant light began to bounce off the tangerine walls, the colors too luminous, too vivid for Blaze’s morning eyes. It was day two of Blaze’s lock-down; she hadn’t left the room to eat or apologize to Cascade. All Blaze did was lay in bed with her eyes shut, listening to the faint chirps of the birds and the occasional mumble of the people outside. Just as Blaze was slipping into another faded dream, a faint knock echoed through the small hut. It wasn’t a loud knock; soft, actually, like fingers barely fluttering on the mahogany door. Peering up from her blanket, Blaze scowled.
“What?” The tone of annoyance was evident in her voice.
“It’s me,” the high pitched voice answered. Blaze didn’t even need to register the voice; it was too familiar. Cascade.

Blaze quickly clambered up from her bed and patted down her dress; the same flow-white dress she’d been wearing two days in a row. She smoothed out her dress and her hair, an attempt to make herself look the slightest bit more decent. Her feet slid across the room and twisted the knob.
“Cas.” Blaze’s voice cracked.
“Yeah,” Cas finally said. “I’m here.” Blaze opened the door wide enough for Cascade could slip her willowy body in and closed it quickly. Dark rings and bags were forming underneath Cas’s eyes, her usual neat dark hair was disheveled and messy. Blaze sat on her bed and patted it down, gesturing for Cascade to sit down with her.
“No,” Cascade said, a false smile spreading itself across her pale face. “I will only be a minute-”
“About the other day, I am sorry-”
“There’s no need,” Cascade said, twirling strands of hair around her finger. She shifted her weight from foot to foot, biting her lower lip. “I know you didn’t mean it.” Blaze craned her neck, examining her friend.
“But, Cas-”
“Really, Blaze,” Cascade said, smiling wearily. “I understand -- you are under a lot of stress. But that’s not what I came here for,” Cascade admitted. “The thing is,” she twiddled her thumbs, “is that, well, I’m leaving.”

Leaving? Blaze’s already broken world began to crumble; to eradicate. Like her world was one massive stone wall and someone began hammering at it, for days and days, weeks and weeks, months and months. And one day, the wall couldn’t stand much more of the impact that it just collapsed and shattered. Cascade was the only thing good in her life, the only friend Blaze could rely on; the very foundation of the wall. And if Cascade was leaving...
“Leaving?” The word sounded foreign in Blaze’s mouth. Blaze’s throat began to dry and Cascade simply nodded.
“Mm. I’ve mastered it. Water, I mean,” she said quietly, “I’ve served my time. It’s been a good three years, has it not?”
Blaze bit her lower lip. Even though Blaze was impulsive and abrupt and irritable, she was still Blaze, and Blaze was a teenage girl. No one could fathom the feeling buried deep inside Blaze’s heart. She walked towards her friend and pulled her into an embrace, basking in the warmth of the hug. Cas pulled away and wiped the tears that began to stream from her eyes spontaneously, and smiled.
“What is going to happen now?” Blaze asked, patting her friend’s back.
“I’m going back into the Human World,” Cas admitted. “Perhaps, find a strapping young lad and settle down there. Perhaps, take him here to devour and then-”
“Oh, Cas,” Blaze laughed, despite the tears forming in her eyes. “I’ll certainly miss you.”
“The same will go with you,” Cas said. “I must leave soon.”
Cas patted the back of her friend once more and touched the edges of the knob, but before she could leave, Blaze stopped her momentarily. Cascade whipped her locks around and stared at Blaze blankly in the face. Smiling, Blaze parted her lips. “Do well out there, my friend.”
“I will,” Cascade said, slipping out of the door. She began walking out of the campsite, Damon hauling her small suitcase behind him. “And Blaze,” Cas added, “this isn’t the last you will see me. Your time will come, dear friend.”

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Blaze frowned. She didn’t know whether it was rude to be angry at her friend. As a pal, she was obliged to be happy for her. But how could Blaze be happy when after three years, Cascade was leaving? She swelling feeling of hate began churning in her stomach and Blaze quickly urged for them to stop, squeezing her eyes shut. Twelve years she had spent on the camp -- who is to say it will not be twelve more years until she leaves? Blaze tucked the feelings back inside herself and blocked out the thoughts. Instead, she gave her friend a smile and yelled, waving in the process. “My dear friend, I certainly hope so!” Because, Blaze thought, faking it is so much easier.

Without Cascade in the campsite, Blaze slipped into another one of her mood swings. Blaze padded across the chilly floor in nothing but a thin maroon shift and pulled the closet door open. Blaze’s closet didn’t only contain clothes; scrolls, books and canned food were stored at the back, stashed away so Damon couldn’t find them. Blaze only ever had four clothes: one maroon shift, one white shift, a pair of poorly-sewn cotton trousers and a long jacket. Shoes were anything but a necessity as Blaze often strolled around the campsite barefoot, which explained the many scars and scratches along her legs. All of the clothing Blaze, and any other elemental had for that matter, was either stolen from a human, or found in the forest, left behind by passing campers.

Blaze slid on her tainted umber trousers, tarnished with mud and grime. Little slip-on shoes were tucked under Blaze’s mattress and she slipped them on quickly, wincing. She didn’t like the feel of shoes, or clothes; Blaze didn’t like anything that restricted her. If it wasn’t uncanny and unprincipled, then Blaze would walk around the campsite naked. Grabbing a ribbon, Blaze quickly tied up her ruddy hair into a pony tail and strode outside, taking a large breath of the fresh air. Her little hut was beginning to become stuffy and hot, and Blaze longed to visit her special spot in the forest. Walking towards the well in the middle of the campsite, Blaze quickly splashed herself several times with the cool water, the chilly water nipping at her nose.
“I’m awake,” she told herself. Not long after, Damon walked past her, pushing a wheel-burrow full of dirt.
“Ah,” he sighed, resting the burrow onto the floor. He walked towards Blaze, patting her back. “The young girl has decided to grace us with her presence.”
“I’m going out,” Blaze told the old man quickly. Damon didn’t look to surprised. He simply tipped his baseball cap, buttoned up his jacket and continued to push his wheel-burrow around.
“Be back by seven,” he yelled.

The trail to Blaze’s favorite spot in the forest was a fairly long journey, that took an hour and a half’s journey. Looking up at the sky above, Blaze smiled. Today was a brilliant day; a cloudless, blue day. Barely past nine in the morning, Blaze began her journey. The footpath was barely a footpath; the gravel avenue only reached to the end of the campsite. It snaked through the camp and Blaze could feel all eyes on her.
“What?” she asked ignorantly. The answer was in silence. Blaze smirked. “Thought so.” She continued walking, and just after they assumed she was out of ear shot, they began talking once more. Blaze could hear snippets of their conversations, words such as “annoying” and “bitch” in the sentence. Blaze shrugged and zipped up her jacket and continued walking.

Slender lanky oaks surrounded the area of the forest and Blaze continued on walking. The sun was still beaming brightly above her, the clouds still hovering just out of sight. The oaks provided shade for Blaze to rest for just a moment, and she continued her journey. Her favorite spot was at the coast of the Dark Woods. No one ever dared to travel there; legends of wolves and golems seemed to keep both humans, and elementals away. But Blaze refused to believe them; and unfortunately for her, those legends reigned true. But fortunately for her, wolves only lurk at night and the golems seemed friendly enough -- they only truly seemed to show interest in the macadamia nut bar she was carrying in her pocket. At the edge of the Dark Woods is a lake; a private, desolate lake, only known to Blaze. She stumbled upon it by accident one day when looking for suitable logs. The lake, turqouise and shimmering, seemed to mesmerize Blaze more than fire. The peaceful serenity seemed to calm Blaze’s burning heart. And so, day after day, week after week, year after year, Blaze continued to furnish her own personal lake: decorating it with exotic plants and trees, even stealing a small little tent and placing it at the end of the lake. A small makeshift hammock made of weaved flax leaves and cotton was tied loosely to the trunk of two oak trees. It was Blaze’s paradise.

She came across the last familiar tree and pushed back the branches, surprised to be greeted with the sound of laughter and booming sounds that seemed to make Blaze’s heart thump. Music? Was this what they called music? Blaze pulled back the branch further and cautiously peered from the trunk. Gasping, Blaze released the branch causing a large thwacking sound.
“Did you hear that?!” someone said.
“Shit! Someone hold me!”
“Relax, guys! It’s just the wind.”

Blaze’s eyes widened and she swiftly ran towards the next oak, her back leaning against it. Her breathing was erratic and hard; Blaze had never been so scared in her entire life. No golem or wolf of alphyn could compare to this.

People.