CHAPTER 1: Burn

Smoke funnels out of every window of the burning, five-story building. Fire Trucks with glowing, blue rims attempt to put out the blaze, but the flames persist through the cold night. "Captain, fire's burned through most of the floor beside the windows, and civilians are still stuck on the top floor! What's our next move?" The captain battles the flames with a hose as she replies, "What about the stairs?" "Reduced to ash!" With no options, the fire fighters look at each other with concern, however, their hope is soon restored.

Gren swings into action with his scarf wrapped around a flagpole, sporting longer hair. A trail of visible breath follows him through the winter air. Over his black and blue ninja outfit, a thick, blue coat ripples in the wind. Launching himself towards the burning building, the ninja crosses his arms and braces for the entry through the window. CRASH! Upon breaking through the glass, Gren grabs hold of a broken floorboard and pulls himself up with ease. Though still a small teen, his upper body appears noticeably bulkier. He pulls his scarf over his nose and mouth, then carefully navigates the fiery apartment.

Outside, the flying Ellia arrives, wearing white thermal pants and a purple coat with holes in the back for her insect-like wings. The pixie struggles to go higher, carrying the heavy Komo by the arms. "Ugh, how much do you weigh, girl?" "200 pounds, but it's all muscle!" The shieldmaiden's crimson vest blew in the wind, revealing her slightly slimmer figure underneath. After much strain, Ellia lifts her friend to the 4th floor window.

Landing inside the burning building, Komo takes careful steps on the unstable floor. A crack underneath her foot puts a nervous look on her face, but the look soon fades at the sound of a crying child. "Don't worry! I'll get you out!" The trapped girl can't open the door due to crumbled pieces of the ceiling in the way, so Komo makes her own entrance. With a mighty tackle, the wall breaks apart in roughly the shape of her body. "Hop on my back and hold on tight," she says in a comforting tone, and the scared child listens.

Meanwhile Delle assists the fire fighters by absorbing flames into her magic stick, dressed in a giant coat of pink with a hood surrounding her face. But just as soon as one fire is put out, another starts next to it. "Dang it! Come on!" The witch girl stops and looks at her gloved, left hand. Each finger comes to a point, nearly tearing through the fabric. She almost pulls it off before Ellia swoops in and says, "It's ok, Delle! I've got this!" The pixie confidently flies up high with a firehose, but launches herself back with high pressure water.

Still inside, Gren searches for the last civilian. "HEY!!" *cough* "IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, MAKE A NOISE!!" Another cough catches his right ear, and the ninja turns to see a man buried under a large bookshelf. "Stay awake! I'm gonna get you out!" With great effort, Gren lifts the heavy shelf off the victim, and drags him towards the window. Flames rise even higher now, and the scarf over his face can only hold back smoke for so long. *cough* "Delle was supposed to put out this fire by now!" *cough! cough!*

Not much of the floor remains, and Gren struggles with an impossible situation. However, Ellia peeks through the open window and spots her friend. "Gren, get out of here! The building's gonna collapse!" Rather than abandon the unconscious man, Gren ties his scarf around his waist and holds the other end towards Ellia. "Get him out!" *cough* The pixie flies inside, grabs the tied scarf, and carries the limp man out through the window. Oxygen flees Gren's lungs as he steps back for a running start. A wide pit of flames stands between him and the window, but there was no other option now. Full speed ahead, the boy sprints and dives through the fire and out of the window.

On ground level, Komo spots her friend falling with a trail of smoke and catches him just in time. However, she quickly releases him due to the flames on his clothes. Panicking, Delle rushes in to absorb it, but firefighters hose him down before she gets the chance. The sound of cracking wood grows louder, and the captain calls for everyone to, "Get back! Get back!" With everyone out of harm's way, the building collapses in a whoosh of smoke and embers.

The teens rally around Gren, who recovers from his coughing fit and removes his ruined coat. Cold water against his body causes him to shiver in the snowy night. "Gren! Are you alright!?" asks Delle in fear. The freezing boy aggressively stands, slightly taller but still shorter than her. "What were you doing!? You were supposed to get the fire under control!" His fierce scolding causes Delle's face to retreat into her pink coat's hood until only her sad eyes are visible. "I was trying, but I couldn't absorb it. The fire was growing too fast." "I almost couldn't save that man in time because the flames were too high! I nearly died!"

Moisture begin to form in Delle's sad eyes. "I said I was trying!" "Well that wasn't good enough!" Gren shouts back. The harsh words send Delle running off in tears. Ellia yells at Gren, "What's wrong with you!?" then flies after her crying friend. Komo also seems upset and shoves him away, but he doesn't fall over. "Don't talk to her like that! You know she's doing her best." Gren simply doesn't reply and readies his shuriken to battle lingering flames.

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Kurt's double-wide trailer appeared slightly more cared for than when Delle had first moved in. Recently pressure-washed vinyl siding looked nearly spotless, and the yard was covered in snow. However, the old, blue Reign parked underneath the shelter had seen better days. Kurt had repaired it after Jang's jail break, but some things couldn't be saved. Roof was dented inwards, paint scratched, windshield cracked, and the hood was nowhere to be found. Lights in the trailer shone through the windows, one of which was Delle's room.

Inside the dim, pink bedroom, the girl cried alone on her bed. The thought of being useless tormented her, like a storm cloud over her heart. Rain continued to pour, flowing out her eyes and soaking her pillow. Once more Delle observed her left hand and slowly removed the glove. Hidden from the world were long, sharp nails, boney fingers, and black veins traveling down her sickly hand. The sight of it only saddened the girl further, as it hadn't gotten any better over the last six months.

A knock at the door startled Delle, who quickly hid her hand inside her blankets. "Come in." Ellia floated inside with a sad smile. "Just checking on you. Wanna talk?" "Not really," she hesitantly replied. The pixie sat on the bed next to her taller friend and gently placed her arm around her. "Gren didn't mean what he said. You're not useless, and we're all grateful to have you on the team..." The compliment seemed ineffective, as Delle's sad expression remained. "...But you know what I'm even more thankful for?" asked Ellia. "What?" Delle found herself in her friend's arms. "Having you as a friend."

The act of care forced Delle's face to turn, and she joined the friendly embrace. "Thanks, Ellia. You always know how to make me happy." "Yeah, I'm just good like that..." *yawn* "...It's 3AM, and I'm beat." Ellia floated from the bed, down to her purple sleeping bag on the floor. "Goodnight, Delle." "Sweet dreams." The smile that Delle wore quickly faded away as she laid back in bed. Like fire, her joy could be stoked, but storm clouds always arrived to fizzle it out. It began to rain again.