Sparks and Flames (3 page)

“It’s that obvious, huh?” Midori chuckled. “I just want to play a game with someone. You’re not the only one anxious to have a friend. I want some people that will play with me.”

“You’re very aggressive on the field though.”

“You have to be aggressive if you’re playing cricket,” Midori explained. “It’s all in how you play the game. If you want to win, you have to show your opponents that you’re there to win. The same goes for life itself. You have to show that you’re here to live. Otherwise, you’ll be like those flames you make; beautiful for a while, deadly if out of control, and then snuffed out forever. You don’t want to end up like that.”

Rukia saw what she meant as she played around with the dancing flames. She had been able to do this for a while now and was careful when she used her power. The flame was beautiful and hot but it didn’t last very long. After a few seconds, it slowly started to shrink and then it disappeared. Fire might have been destructive, but it didn’t last forever. Eventually, everything that caught fire would turn to smoke and ashes.

“You have a gift,” Midori told her. “It’s a powerful gift and you’ve gotten better at using it. Just don’t show it off cause you never know who might be a hunter.”

“I won’t show it off,
” Rukia promised. “I’m not stupid, Midori. I know all about the hunters. I know how horrible they can be. I heard about one
that fried over twenty Elementals once. Set them ablaze and let them burn. It’s just disgusting to me.”

“Don’t remind me of that,” Midori muttered. She had also heard the story about the hunter who burned down many Elementals without thinking twice. The more she thought about it, the more protective she became of Rukia. “I would hate for you to fight that guy.”

“Trust me, he’ll be toast before I am.” Rukia promised. “Isn’t he known as the Dragon of the Velt?”

“Yup. Of course the people of the Velt would have some ridiculous nickname for their most lethal killers.” Midori rolled her eyes. “I know you would fry him before he got a chance to hurt you. I still want you to be careful though.”

“I already told you. I will be careful.” She promised.

The Dragon of the Velt was not going to scare her off. She made sure that if she ran into him, she would kill him. She was going to make him pay for killing Elementals like that. She wouldn’t hear any of his excuses. She didn’t care if it made her a cold-blooded monster. She was going to end him if she ever saw him.

That was what she owed her fellow Elementals.

Chapter 3

For the next few days, Kian couldn’t do anything but think about his plan. He had a hard time eating or sleeping because he was scared. This was the side that no one ever got to see of Kian Ortiz-Shah. They always saw the strong, cool leader. They never saw the scared kid who thought about whether or not he’d survive another night. He would pace around in his room while his parents would try to talk to him. They knew that he was still young and that it was okay for him to be scared. Kian himself was trying to be brave. He was trying to stay calm and not think about what could go wrong.

It’ll be okay, Kian. You are the Dragon of the Velt. You work best under pressure. Don’t think about what could go wrong. Think about how you will succeed.

It was so hard. He was sweating bullets whenever he went to bed. It didn’t make him feel any better when he thought about it. There were parts of him that felt guilty about being the Dragon of the Velt. He could still hear the screams and picture himself standing there. It was a horrible sight but one he loved. Those Elementals were dangerous crooks who had spent their days murdering, raping, or destroying lives. Not only did they hurt people, they got away with it. The courts were so weak that they caved in and declared these killers to be innocent. It was only fitting that they died in such a gruesome manner.

Oda was one of the worst of the worst out there. On the outside, he threw lavish parties and pretended to give a damn about the people. He pretended that everything he did was to help them. A lot of people had benefited from his generosity. Deep down, he was a scumbag. He was the one who helped keep that weapons trade moving back and forth in Kols. He was the one who hurt those that were living down in the Velt. If a poor person even bothered to look in his direction, he would spit at them and laugh as he kicked them down. In short, he only helped those who were willing to help. It was never out of the goodness of his heart.

The main thing that had made Oda a target was the death of a young school girl. She just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and his men just shot her down. The weapon was never recovered and there wasn’t enough evidence to convict him of anything. No one knew who had done it but the hunters were fully aware. This Elemental had used his ability to manipulate earth, hold the poor girl down, and shoot her in the head. Most people couldn’t tell that it had been done by an Elemental, but the hunters knew. They saw the clues everywhere but a weak judge and a terrible jury couldn’t convict this man. That’s why he had to die tonight.

The day of the party had finally arrived. Group Alpha was already on their way to Kols while Group Beta was getting ready. Kian looked down at the fancy clothes that he was supposed to wear. They weren’t him at all but he needed to get in them. Oda always had a dress code for these affairs and no man was ever seen wearing anything but a suit.

Kian looked over at the crowd that was forming outside of Oda’s house. As usual, there was a big line of people waiting to get in. Oda always threw such lavish parties and he invited just about everyone in the world to them. All of Calensa would be here tonight whether they wanted to be there or not. He certainly wasn’t expecting anyone from the Velt but he would be getting a little surprise.

“All right, everything is happening just as I expected it to,” Kian said.

“How do you plan to get in, boss?”

“Very simple. I have an invitation,” Kian held up the card. “All I have to do is show it to them and they will let me in. Once I get access into the room, I just have to find the target. Then I will take care of him on my own. It will be a clean kill. I’m not going to cause much commotion and most people won’t even know what my plan is.”

“What if they ask for more identification?”
 

“Oh, I have my ways around that,” he assured them. “The rest of you will follow my lead. I don’t want you to make eye contact with anyone when you’re getting in. Mingle if you have to. Don’t give away too much of anything. You will keep the guests distracted while I try to hunt down Oda. We are on time so we can’t waste any of it. We go in, we kill, and we come out.”

Kian straightened out the tie he was wearing. He had been given a suit for this mission. Simple black slacks, maroon vest with matching tie, crisp white shirt, and an expensive watch. He looked like he was made out of money with his clothes, his slicked back hair, and the cologne and aftershave wafting off his body. This was normally not what he wore on a regular basis and he felt so strange.

Getting into the party was no problem. They were able to mix in with the crowd and hang out in various parts. The party guests were all willing to talk to them. Kian took a glass of champagne, sipped it, and walked around in hopes of finding his target. Oda would be the hardest one to find despite this being his party. He would be in hiding while the other guests had fun. This was exactly what Kian had been expecting. Drinking his champagne, he looked at the fancy decorations in this house.

For someone so evil, Oda did keep a nice place. The décor was open and bright and it made anyone feel like they were at home. Kian wished that he could live in a house like this. It had so much room yet was cozy at the same time. He smiled at a couple of people as they passed by and made small talk when needed. He wasn’t going to get close to any of these people. Right now, they were just obstacles on the way to his goal.

“Well, well, well,” Kian greeted him. “For someone throwing such big parties, you’ve been a no-show at your own house. What gives?”

“Why does this matter to you? I can stay for as long as I need to at my own parties,” Oda replied. “Sometimes, I have to get away from the crowd. It gets too noisy for me.”

“Ah, yes. I can’t say I blame you there. If I had to throw such lavish parties on a regular basis, I think they would drive me crazy too,” he walked over to where the man was sitting, thinking about how he was going to kill him. “Do you know why I’m here?”

“Should I know you?”

“Think long and hard,” Kian suggested, looking over at where the unlit candles were. “Think about the last time you were around fire. Think about how high the flames were and how unbearable the heat felt. Did you know how quickly a human being can burn and be reduced to ashes? It happens so quickly.”

“No,” Oda turned pale when he saw Kian walk over to the unlit candles and pick one of them up. “Careful with those! Those are very expensive!”

“Relax. I’m not going to drop them,” Kian rolled his eyes. “I’m not here to take your candles anyway. I just asked you a question. Think about what it’s like to be caught in fire. Do you ever think you could get out?”

“No!” He shook his head. “Look, what is it that you want? Is it money? I can give you a lot of money! I will give you all the expenses I have in this house.”

Kian clicked his tongue. “Money means nothing to me. It won’t help fix the issues that I’ve had in the past and it won’t bring me out of the Velt either.”

“You’re from the Velt?” Oda laughed at that. “Oh, no wonder you want to take this from me. You come from the most pathetic hole in the world. There’s nothing in the Velt besides disease, dirt, and poverty. I would never allow something like you to come into my house.”

“I know that,” Kian could feel his temper rising at that. As much as he hated living in the Velt, he hated it when people insulted his home. It was the only place that he could afford to live. “I didn’t come because I got an invitation. I came here to dispose of you.”

“It’s you.” He realized. “You have so much blood on your hands.”

“I always wipe my hands clean after each kill,” Kian admitted. “I get rid of every last bit of my victims. Of course, I do like to keep some blood stains on me. It’s just a reminder of what you’ve done to me and everyone that’s living in poverty now.”

Kian walked over to his victim, cracking his knuckles in the process. This wasn’t how he wanted to face Oda but it was going to do. He needed this trash to be off the streets as soon as possible. He was also glad that he was the one who was going to get rid of him.

“All right, I’ll make this quick for both of us,” he began. “I want to know what you have been doing. Give me every detail.”

“I swear I don’t know anything!”

“I don’t believe you!” He pressed his foot down on the man’s chest. “You Elementals and your lies are done with. I’m going to make sure I wipe you all out.”

“You’re a monster.”

“I’ve been called many things,” Kian agreed. “A lot of people have said I’m a monster. They say that I have no soul. They think I’m heartless. The truth is that I’m all those things and then some. I wasn’t born that way. Elementals like you turned me into a monster.” He played around with his knife. “Try to hit me all you want. It won’t work. My body is like steel.”

He laughed. “Is that so? Well, I don’t think you counted on this.”

Without warning, he kissed Kian on the lips. Kian, taken back by the assault, pushed him away and wiped his mouth. “What the hell are you doing?!”

“I’m making you a little more vulnerable,” he slowly ripped Kian’s shirt open and admired his chest. “Mmm, you look tasty. Those little nipples of yours should be illegal. Your Adam’s apple looks sweet as well.” He grabbed Kian’s crotch and squeezed. “And you are packed! Oh my, you will be good!”

“Get off me, pervert!” He punched Oda but it wasn’t strong enough to push him away. “I know what you want, you sick freak! I’m not giving it to you!”

“Oh, I think you will. I may not be able to beat you but I can still break your spirit. Let’s cut up that pretty face of yours after I finish with your body,” he suggested. “Humans like you are so cocky that you don’t know how to behave after you’re caught.”

“Let me go.” Kian warned him once more. “I won’t tell you twice.”

“Listen to you. You think you can intimidate me. It’s very cute to be honest.”

“I’m not trying to intimidate you. I want to kill you,” he snarled, pushing Oda off his body. “You are going to regret ever doing that to me.”

“Oh, you make me shake in fear.” Oda laughed. “How old are you, boy? You can’t be more than sixteen years old.”

“That’s none of your business.”

“Come on. I need to know if what I’m doing happens to be underage. I’m not a pedophile, you know. I can’t afford to smear my good name.”

“No, I’m not underage and you’ve already smeared your so-called good name,” Kian said through his gritted teeth. “I’ve seen what you are capable of. I know about your underground business on selling weapons. I know that you use your powers to get anything that you want. You are a sick person.”

“I’m sick? You’re the one who’s trying to kill me, child. Who is sick in the mind now, you or me?” He asked.

“I’m killing you because of what you’ve done. You’re trying to kill me for no reason.”

“I’m not trying to kill you, child. I have no use in killing you, but you sure look tasty.” Oda licked his lips. “Tell me, have you been deflowered?”