Playing with Fire (Book 1 of the FIRE Trilogy)

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  Felicia was sitting at her usual spot on the stone, thinking and thinking and thinking.

  Around her, it was night, the moon shining down on the rushing water and the still trees.

  She didn’t feel comfortable beside the river. Too much water. What if she could change that and bring some of her inner fire out to accompany her? But how?

  Where to start? What had happened the day she had set the doll on fire? What triggered her special ability? How much heat could she actually handle? How much heat could she cause?

  Hesitantly, she leaned forward, one hand stretched out toward the water, the other bracing her body on the rock. She thought of the heat travelling inside her body, and of how sometimes it would increase and radiate, making her skin glow or letting others think the room temperature had risen.

  Taking a deep breath and exerting pressure, as though she wanted to push something from the inside out, she imagined her heat emanating from her body.

  Did she trick her eyes or was a soft, golden-russet glow lighting up her skin, contrasting with the cool, silvery moonlight from above?

  She bit her lip in concentration, leaned toward the river, and dipped her faintly glowing hand into the water.

  First there was a shock of wet cold. It made her want to pull her hand out. She could feel the current and insistency of the night water against her fingers that had lost their heat. How to fight back? Where was the fire to draw on?

  She remembered the moment when he had kissed her and she had shone as if with an inner light bulb. Holding on to the moment, longingly drawing it out, she closed her eyes and exerted pressure again. And suddenly, the water didn’t feel cold to her anymore. When she opened her eyes, she could see her fingers glowing under water.

  With a soft whoop of delight, she pressed harder, her teeth buried so deep in her lower lip that she drew blood. The sharp prick of pain fuelled her fire. In another moment, she had heated up much more. Wisps of steam coiled up from the place where her hand lay submerged in the water. Trembling with the pressure, she closed her eyes again and tried to draw on one of the dreams she had recently had about her and Joshua, their limbs entangled, moving as one. There was definitely warmth rising from the water around her now.

  A bubbling sound made her open her eyes and stare. Was the water close to her fingers actually boiling now? Sure enough, tiny bubbles were forming on the surface, and the water was in turmoil at the spot closest to her. The part of her arm over the surface was surrounded with a ruddy shine.

  A small laugh escaped her. Here she was, her fire dominating the cool river, a witch stirring up her cauldron, a mutant freeing her special talent.

  The water was all but churning in an area roughly the size of a bath tub, steam rising into her face and making her hair curlier.

  A voice broke the magic.

  “Impressive.”

  Chapter 9