Rouge (35 page)

“I ran away from home,
hating myself, scared and alone. I came across two men in an alleyway not far
from my apartment and they tried to rape me.” Eli drew a sharp breath. She
could feel his eyes on her. “I lost control of the fire and killed one of them
by throwing him into a wall. I warned them, but they didn’t listen. The fire
had exploded inside of me before I could get a grasp on it, and it took over.
After seeing the body, I couldn’t bear to live with myself. I found a cheap
hotel and locked myself away for a few days until I had come to grips with
taking that man’s life, and until I’d figured out what I could do with my
powers and how to control it.”

“So you didn’t have
laryngitis then?”

She wiped a runaway tear
from her cheek. “No. I came home and Joshua told me I couldn’t see anyone until
I had trained with him. I went behind his back and came to school to prove to
myself that I was stronger and better than the demon-fire inside me. And it
worked, until...”

“Until that night we made
out on my bed.”

Hunter released a shaky
sigh. “It came up so quickly, I didn’t have time to catch it. It wasn’t because
I was angry either. I think I was so distracted by the kiss that I didn’t
realize the fire was raging inside of me.”

She expected another quip
about his make-out skills, but Eli was completely serious. “You could have
killed me too.”

Hunter forced herself to
look him directly in the eye, even if it pained her. “I would never put you in
that position Eli. That’s why I avoided you at school. It’s why I was always
too careful. I trained so much with Joshua, learnt things about myself and my
powers that I often couldn’t handle. That’s why I was so tired all the time,
and why I’ll probably fail my SATs. But I knew I would be ready for last night,
because the fire is so much a part of me and knows how much I love you, that it
turned the flame of destruction into a flame of passion.”

“I felt it,” he nodded. When
Hunter looked at him with a frown on her face, Eli’s cheeks flooded with color.
“I mean, I wouldn’t know any different but... last night while we were... there
was this moment when I felt this flood of warmth just blast against me. It
wasn’t painful, but it was pretty damn shocking. I knew it was you, but I was
too consumed with bliss that I didn’t want it to end.”

She found herself smiling.
“I remember that. It was amazing.”

“More than amazing.” He
grinned and shoveled more breakfast into his mouth. “So... how exactly did you
get your powers anyway?”

Hunter exhaled – thankful
that the worst was over – and then began her story. The more she spoke about
it, the more she felt as if a tight knot inside of her was finally being
undone. She hadn’t realized how much her secrets had burdened her. Eli listened
intently, his eyes going wide and bright. He was enthralled.

 “Does it hurt, when
you do the fire thing with your hands?”

She shook her head. “I’m
immune to it.”

“No but does it hurt when it
comes out of your skin?” He made gestures with his fingers, a queasy look on
his face.

“Not really,” she chuckled.
“If I concentrate on one area and summon it from within me, then it appears. I
never used to be able to control it, it was just this constant boiling eruption
of fire within me that always wanted to come out.”

“Wow. And… what about
Joshua? Why is he so psychotic?”

“He’s under the delusional
impression that whatever he does, he does it to protect me. A part of me thinks
he’s harmless. He always has been, I mean he’s just a geologist. But after my
mother’s letter and the video and all the strange stuff he’s been doing… I just
can’t explain it. It’s not love, it’s madness.”

“Should we call Dr. Phil?”

Hunter hit him jokingly.
“Funny.”

“Okay, another question.”

“Shoot.”

“Why do you smoke, really?”

Hunter laughed, putting down
her mug and snuggling against him. “I started a while ago, way before I found
out about my abilities. It calmed me down, made me feel relaxed. I guess it’s
like your puffer in a way.”

“Yeah, besides the fact that
smoke sort of takes
away
the oxygen,” he pointed out.

“It doesn’t affect me,” she
smiled. “And I’m trying to figure out if I have immortal lungs, or if it has to
do with the whole smoke thing. Either way, I’m not complaining. It soothes me.”

Eli shook his head
unbelievingly. “Well… whatever cocas your cola.”

Hunter burst out laughing
and he looked at her perplexedly. “You have a weird sense of humor,” he pointed
out.       

“And you have some weird
phrases.”

He ruffled her hair so the
red curls were even more askew, and she pushed him away playfully.

“Okay, here’s another
question,” he continued, looking at the ceiling with a furrowed brow. “What are
people gonna call you?”

Hunter stopped chuckling
immediately. “What?”

“You know, what will be your
superhero name?”

She tried very hard not to
burst out laughing again, because Eli’s expression was dead serious.

“I’m not
actually
going
to go around the streets in a cape and a mask and rescue people.” She shoved a
piece of toast in her mouth. “That stuff is for the movies.”

“Come on Hunter! Haven’t you
realized that people are already talking about you? You were on the news as the
red-headed teenager who saved a girl from burning alive. You’re going to need
something to protect your identity, or people are going to know who you are. In
fact, they probably already do know who you are.”

Hunter looked at Eli
acutely, starting to regret laughing at his question. After all, Joshua had
told her to keep her secret to herself and never use her powers. Miss Smart’s
death was the result of her recklessness.

“You’re right,” she sighed.
“People can’t know what I can do. But seriously, Eli, what am I supposed to do?
Wear a suit under my clothes like I’m Peter Parker or something?”

“You don’t have to go to
that much trouble. Your hair is already a giveaway. Just make sure no one sees
you when you’re… doing your thing-” she looked at him with one eyebrow raised,
“-and they’ll just say it’s the… Red Ranger.”

“The Red Ranger?” She threw
her plate back on the tray. “Are you kidding me? No way, you have to think of
something better than that.”

“Okay
okay
…
Fire Girl.”

Hunter laughed so hard she
started choking on her breakfast.

“What? It’s classic!”

“Eli,” she moaned, her
throat burning. “I’m not a cave woman.”

He snickered and rubbed her back
as she caught her breath again. Suddenly he froze. “Wait! I’ve got it.”

“This better be good.”

“How about… Rouge.”

“
Rouge?
It sounds
like a lipstick.”

“Come on, it’s sexy, it’s
feminist… and it matches your hair and fiery personality.”  

He has a point,
the fire stated.

Hunter lifted the tray
carefully off the bed, placed it on the floor and swung one leg over Eli,
letting her hair fall down over his face as if it were a curtain closing around
them. Eli’s hands rested on her hips and as their lips met in a kiss that
sparked fresh memories of last night, Hunter ignored the storm she knew was
brewing outside. For that moment, all her troubles blew away. All she wanted
was to lay beside Eli, to watch his smile, to see the sparkle in his eyes.
Maybe
tomorrow,
she thought as she closed her eyes.
Tomorrow I’ll deal with it
all. Right now, could I forget who I am and be with him?

Eli was gazing at her
through his glasses. She liked the way he looked at her: it had always been
with the same admiration and kindness, even from the day they met.

She stroked his cheek with
her thumbs and said, “Rouge it is.”

“I love you Hunter,” he
said.

She snuggled in beside Eli
as he wrapped an arm around her. Though Hunter knew it would not last forever,
she was happy to be with him, and to be happy herself.

“So what will we tell your parents when
they get back?” Hunter asked, secretly praying they would never return so she
could remain alone with Eli for what's left of her time on earth.

Eli lifted the dishwasher
door and pushed it so it locked and hummed to life. “I’m thinking we don’t say
anything and hope they don’t notice you’re living here now. With me. In my
bedroom. Oh crap,” he said miserably.

Hunter soaked up the melted
cocktail ice they’d left on the table in their rush to get upstairs. Eli had
just finished putting dishes from breakfast away. She stood and wrapped her
arms around his stomach. He turned and tucked her head under his chin.

“It’ll be okay. Let’s just
see how it all plays out.”

“Easy for you to say,” he
grumbled. “You can stand up to my dad.”

“So can you. He’s not a
monster Eli, he’s your dad.”

“I’m too weak.” His whole
body slumped. “I’ve grown up feeling small. I couldn’t vouch for myself even if
I wanted to. My dad never really loved me, he never cared what I got up to at
school. Never taught me to fight for my own dignity.”

“Is that why you didn’t tell
me the truth about Benny’s girlfriend?”

Eli’s eyes flashed with
resentment and he let out a long breath of air.

“Benny said he would ruin my
life if I told anyone. Jack told you the truth, right?” When she nodded, Eli
breathed a bitter laugh. “He’s always been braver than me. I’m not strong or
courageous, not like him and not like you.”

She took his face between
her hands. “Hey, listen. I never had a mother to teach me life lessons or a
father to tell me to be strong. Joshua was always there for me, yes, but he’s
psychotic. Everything he ever told me was a lie. The reason I am who I am is
because of the battles I’ve faced in life. If you don’t have courage, then how
is it that you have the nerve to run campaigns to save whales and other animals
like Murphy with such dedication?”

Eli blinked in surprise.
“You’re right. I never thought of it that way.” He looked down at her and
frowned. “How’d you get to be so smart?”

She giggled against his
chest. “I have this genius boyfriend. He’s starting to rub off on me.”

“Well,
don’t get too cozy. This week’s gonna be hell. You know Dead Week started
today.”

“Yeah I know. Are you sure
it’s okay for me to stay here? I won’t bother your studies or anything.”

Eli picked up the cloth on
the floor and rinsed it in the sink. “Don’t worry about it Hunter. I don’t
expect you to go back to Joshua after what he almost did in the hospital.”

Unwilling to let go of him,
Hunter wrapped her arms around his stomach again. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” he said.
“And at least we’ve got Prom to look forward to Friday.”

“Oh shit,” she hissed,
pulling away from him. After everything that happened, she’d completely
forgotten. “I don’t have a dress.”

“We’ll find one. We’ve got
all week, and its New York. Really, ask Melissa and she’ll be happy to take you
shopping.”

Hunter raised an eyebrow.
“Wouldn’t that be like her worst nightmare, going shopping with me?”

Eli didn’t answer. “So what
did you want to do today, hmm?”

“Well… unfortunately, I have
to work tonight.”

“Won’t people recognize
you?”

Hunter hadn’t really
considered what work would be like now that her secret was seeping through the
cracks. She needed the money now that she refused to rely on Joshua any longer,
but was Eli right? Would she be stared at? Would Kin and Alex and the others
ask her questions?

Despite the risks, Hunter
felt she needed it. Her work had always been a form of escape from school and
life with Joshua. She didn’t want to lose that.

“I’ll be fine,” she replied.
“I’ll just pretend I don’t know what they’re talking about.”

“Or you could just ask for
bigger tips.”

Hunter laughed.

“Can I have the… noodles with spicy
chicken and… a side of prawn crackers please?”

The man with the double chin
passed Hunter his menu and she jotted down the order quickly.

“Will that be all for your
guys?”

The family of four nodded,
and when Hunter smiled at them, she realized they were all gazing at her.
Frowning, she picked up the last menu.

“Great, I’ll have your
drinks brought out to you.”

Hunter turned away, but knew
that they were still watching her closely. In fact, as Hunter stared around the
low-roofed restaurant, she noticed that almost all of the occupied tables were
staring. Hunter tucked a stray curl behind her ear and put her pen in her
apron, hurrying back to the kitchen.