43Hellfire? Hellfire, really? They couldn't have come up with a better name than that?
After watching the news yesterday and finding out the old woman had told the cops everything I'd been reading articles about myself. It came as a shock in the start that I had finally been recognised for something. I bite my lip as I continue to read on the Internet. Several websites have popped up requesting the identity of the special citizen with fire-hands who had saved the elderly woman. I've always loved attention, but I'm not sure how to handle this kind.
I did one thing and I already have #TeamHellfire trending on The Slap. I don't understand, not really.
(And I know I've told you this 100 times already, but I don't understand what's going on with myself either. And I know I'm annoying you because I keep repeating myself but it's important to the story so suck it up and keep reading.)
…So I do what any teenager would do to figure themselves out: I go to Google and search my strange symptoms. Within seconds, I have various results.
According to Yohoo, I have brain cancer.
According to Questions And Answers, I have a skin disease that's hard to spell so I'll spare myself the pain.
And according to WakaWaka, I'm a super hero, which is a more realistic answer (believe it or not) than the other two. Hm.
I look at the mirror across my room and examine myself. I don't look like a super hero; I'm a little pudgy on the sides. My chest is too big for those tiny little spandex suits. And for Pete's sake I sure don't act like one—I made Sinjin fall in a mud puddle just two weeks ago, and let's remember who walked right on past a grade niner being shoved up against the wall and having his lunch be taken away, shall we?
I turn back to my computer and frown. Maybe if I just lay low Hellfire will go away. God, I hope I don't burst into flames in the middle of a crowded mall. With just my luck I probably will. Danggit, I'm jinxing myself right now, aren't I? Jade stop thinking!
I groan, leaning back in my chair.
Two days pass and it's now Friday. Hellfire has not died down, in fact, she's gotten bigger and I don't think there's anything I can do to stop it. The news is offering a cash reward to people who claim to know anything of me. They're curious as to why such a hero would flee immediately instead of soaking up the fifteen minutes of fame the media was sure to give them. Geez, people are desperate.
I'm shopping for a gift for Andre right now, just in case anyone wants to know. His birthday is coming up soon and as much as I love scaring the guy I want to get him something nice. We are friends after all. And yes, I am in the middle of a crowded mall.
I did, however, come prepared. I'm wearing some gloves and the type of heavy jacket that makes the cashiers eye you suspiciously. I don't blame them though. It's about early October and there's no need for the heavy coats yet. But my situation is a little bit different from others. Oh well.
My fingers float over rows of vintage albums. Andre has devoted himself to a new obsession and he doesn't stop rambling on about it ever. It's annoying, yes, but it's better than him talking about how hot the next girl is. So I hope whatever I get him makes his passion stay forever. In the end I choose between two albums and, as much as I love Andre, I'm only willing to spend money on one. I do eeny-meanie-miny mo and end up picking a blue album with a sad looking girl playing a saxophone on it. I pay up front using my dad's credit card. He won't notice.
A cashier with multiple tattoos gives my coat another suspicious glance before bagging the album and giving me a half-hearted goodbye. I can't help but wonder if he'd heard the news lately, about this recent Hellfire. I wonder if he'd treat me with kindness and wouldn't think I was trying to rob his store just because I'd saved an old woman whose name I hadn't bothered with. I told you I don't look like a super hero.
I leave the store and sit on a bench in the middle of the walkway, my feet tired from at least an hour of wandering around. I take in the sounds the world makes when it thinks no one is listening; the sound of a baby screaming, the laughter of a teenage girl, someone telling their significant other they love them, and someone loudly saying the lyrics to a very dirty song. I watch the world around me—from a girlfriend kissing her girlfriend to a man kicking some people out of his store. I see a toddler tugging on his father's sleeve, his father leaning down to pick him up. I smile. The world is hideously beautiful.
Without really meaning to I stroll into a Halloween store. I suppose it is the fake screams that always pull me in subconsciously. The cheesy decorations make me gag a little. I could do a much better job.
I've covered most of the store when I finally reach the masks. None of them interest me much until I reach the last one—a mask with half of it twisted into a cruel, painful smile while the other side is pulled far too back to be considered a nice smile. It intrigues me somehow. Life passes silently as the mask stares up at me.
"—May I help you, Miss?" A nasally voice interrupts. I turn to see a short blonde smiling at me. She has a gap in-between her teeth, where a chunk of food currently resides. Her name is Shelly.
"Uh, no, no," I stutter for some strange reason, "I'm just looking. Actually, can you tell me how much this mask costs?" The question leaves my lips before I'm prepared for it to go. I miss it already.
Shelly nods eagerly and tentatively takes the mask from my hands, "Follow me to the register, our apologies for not having a tag on it. May I tell you the story behind it, too?" There's a story?
"…?"
"You probably don't care, but I'm going to tell you anyway. Okay, so there was this demon that was taken away from home at a very young age, right? Their mother tried to smuggle them up to the human world, the world of life, justice, and beauty. Well, the gods watching over earth didn't like that, but the demon baby couldn't just go back to the demon underworld because of their special rules or whatever. Are you still following?" I nod and she scans the mask, holding back the price so she can finish the story.
"So, they take out the punishment on the demon's mother by killing her. Then, they mutaliatated the demon's face by making it seem forever happy and sad, which made it look unlovable. The baby grew up into a teenage demon and was furious and confronted the gods. The gods challenged the demon by saying that if it could make a human fall in love with it within one month, then they'd make him beautiful and bring his mother back from the dead. Long story short, the demon died, but it's still a nice story, eh? Oh, by the way do you want to buy this?"
I want her to continue the story and tell me every little detail but she seems completely unfazed by the looks I'm giving her. I shake my head, shrug, and then say sure and hand over the credit card. Shelly rings it up, bags it, and hands it over to me with a smile.
"Have a super duper bubbly day!" Shelly tells me as I start my departure. I wince.
When I arrive home it's nearly dark and there's a note on the counter telling me that Dad's working late and that he can not feed me tonight, which I've never relied on him to do. I open the fridge and weigh my options. I settle on a gourmet meal of fish sticks.
I'm about to head up to bed when there's a knock on the door. I know what you're thinking—what the perfect movie cliché? Girl home alone without anyone to help her fend off the murderer. All I need to do now is slowly approach the door with a knife in my hand and some slow paced horror music in the background.
But I'm not any cliché, so I just walk up to the front door without checking whom it is and open it. I'm greeted by…air? My face turns into a snarl. Ugh, I hate ding-dong ditchers. I hope they're getting a good laugh from whatever bushes they're hiding in. I flip off the invisible low-lifes. I'm about to head back inside when I hear a whimper. I look around again and for the first time I finally look down.
There, next to my homework, which Robbie must have dropped off a few moments ago, is a small dog. It's shivering in this 80-degree weather. It looks up to me with big brown eyes that remind me of Vega's and then proceeds to sneeze on my leg. Gross.
"What do you want?" I ask, not expecting a reply. We have a staring contest. Surprisingly, it wins. But as soon as I blink it whimpers again. It stands on its hind legs as it tries to lick at my fingers. I pull away sharply, not liking the cold feeling.
"I'm not food!" I cry. It explodes with a small army of whimpers and I feel bad. I kneel down, trying a new tactic.
"Are…are you hungry?" I ask hesitantly. I read somewhere that if you give a cat food, it'll never leave you. I hope it isn't the same with this puppy.
I swear this dog can understand English though because it seems that it pipes up when I say hungry. It gives me a small yelp, which I guess is its sorry excuse for a bark. It follows me inside. I don't know what to give it because I've never had a dog before, and the one near the pond I burned. I don't have a good experience with animals.
I give it some cold bacon and it seems okay with that, because it's been munching happily for the past two minutes while I watch it. Can dogs give floors rabies? Can floors give me rabies?
When it's done eating I'm all for kicking it out but it insists on me being its new best friend. The dog follows me around, nipping at my heels and slowly getting under my skin by its happy yelping. I try various ways of getting it out of the house, including throwing food items out the door for it to go get, but it hasn't fallen for any of my tricks. Tough puppy.
By eleven PM I'm exhausted and I don't care if the pup stays for one night. I'm ready to go to bed when my phone buzzes. It's a text from Tori. Between the dog, her, and my "powers", I just can't get a break, can I?
this whole hellfire search is kinda crazy don't you think? do you think it's a hoax? :P –Tori
it's stupid, but I don't think it's a hoax. there are some pretty freaky/cool people in LA- I respond, suddenly defensive of Hellfire. But I still need to play it safe, I need to sound innocent but opinionated.
ok. sorry if im bugging you it's just that they're everywhere! the media loves them and so does the public and it's like lol why? goodnight ;)- Tori
I have no idea why she put a winky face and I'm in no condition to tease her. I write back a quick goodbye. I'm starting to drift to sleep when my door opens and the dog trots in. It hops up onto my bed and drops the mask in my hands. Through clouded eyes, I look at it back to the mask and back at it.
It looks at me with hopeful eyes and nudges my side, and we both know what it's asking.
And…I guess, I guess I could give the media what they wanted. It isn't exactly the route for fame I want to take, but…
I'm out before I can finish.
Tori's getting a little flirty over there.
Sorry for the late update! I'm back on my computer, which I use more often but unfortunately doesn't have Word on it. Also, I've been testing nonstop so you'll have to forgive me. And on that note, I've been studying nonstop and I'm super tired and did not read this chapter for any errors, please excuse that, too.
Thank you for reading and if you could drop a review in that little box, that would mean the world to me!