Reborn Into Flames Read online

  Unlike his brother’s indigo eyes, bright blue eyes like two crystals looked back at me. They were framed by thick dark lashes and matched the diamond piercing in his dark brow. The white polo he wore stretched across his shoulders, but didn’t cover the shadow of extensive dark tattoos that trailed from shoulder to shoulder. I let my eyes wander on how they wrapped around his arms. I didn’t understand the words within the tattoo, but found the swirled pattern to be comforting, almost reminiscent of something familiar. I noticed that they possibly extended over his shoulders and down his back. I found I wanted to trace each one of them until I met their end. It was like a shirt under a shirt.

  “Anani.” He offered a hand and flashed me a brilliant smile which reminded me of the lightning that use to bounce off the church grounds. I met his hand and was surrounded by the scent of electricity. It made me breathless.

  “Maya,” I mumbled. I was completely enamored.

  “Ledger,” the orange-tipped man offered. I noticed small differences between his brother and him. I couldn’t tell if tattoos adorned his body because of the comfortable hoodie he wore. While Anani seemed to spark like something dangerous in the air, Ledger reminded me of strength and warmth. It was in his comfortable demeanor and oversized clothing. It encouraged me to trust him. Plus his orange-tipped hair reminded me of fire.

  I bit my lip while looking between Anani and Ledger. How could they be twins? One was clearly a lip-biting experience and the other a lazy Sunday afternoon. I had read about both in Cosmo!

  I really couldn’t tell you what either of those really meant, but it just seemed like a good description and it matched the type of men shown pictured in the magazine. Cosmo magazine was one of the first things my mother had purchased on the road.

  “Beautiful name for a heartbreaking woman,” Anani winked, making me blush.

  “So sorry about Lorn,” Ledger explained softly after his brother finished, “he’s a bit of an ass.”

  I smiled, “I gathered that, thanks for helping out.”

  “Your voice, are you sick?” Anani asked with a frown that didn’t match his normal velvety voice.

  I shook my head. I didn’t offer more than that but smiled as the bell rang. I turned on my heel and glided away from the handsome men. I was thankful for them helping out, but had no idea what to say next. I felt like the normal thing to do was just to leave. That made sense, right?

  “Maya,” Ledger chuckled and spoke louder, “where are you going, firefly?”

  “Firefly?” I scrunched my nose up. Anani laughed as Ledger’s easy smile grew bigger. There was a light pink to his cheekbones.

  “Yeah, little one, where are you going?” Anani tried instead. I frowned at that as well. I wasn’t that little. I mean, I wasn’t a giant like them, but ‘little one.’ Come on!

  “Class,” I responded quietly with a head tilt. “Don’t you have class as well?”

  “With you, yes,” Anani offered me a smile that made my chest bubble with excitement.

  “How do you know my schedule?” I rose a brow.

  Ledger chuckled but threw him a look. “Everyone knows what classes the new kid gets tossed into. We’ve been in school a week, so the teachers announced it.”

  I nodded. Maybe that was how that worked?

  “Henry!” Ledger grinned knowingly. My head snapped from the relaxed yet playful twins to the person I assumed was Henry.

  “Hey, guys,” the more relaxed voice said from the closed door of the classroom, “and girl.” His pale face flushed pink as the twins both chuckled. Henry was leaner than the twins, and shorter. Yet his chest and shoulder were built like the swimmer I had seen in the school’s brochure. I wondered if he was a swimmer.

  His hair was a soft blonde that waved over his light grey eyes. He had a pair of dark-framed glasses that seemed to glint slightly in the gloomy school lighting. I noticed the slight spatter of freckles that covered his pale nose. He was a total cutie.

  “This is Maya,” Anani winked at Henry. “Isn’t she just the cutest?”

  I heard a growl escape my lips that made all three of them freeze.

  I flushed because I knew that sound often made an appearance when I was frustrated. It didn’t help when they all broke into a fit of laughter. Loud laughter that echoed through the hall.

  “She just growled.” Anani could barely breathe with how hard he laughed.

  “I’m in love,” Ledger gasped while leaning into the lockers.

  Henry’s face was flushed from trying to stop his laughter as he shook his head almost embarrassed, “I’m sorry Maya, ignore us. We aren’t used to being around women, especially those two.”

  I was still embarrassed so I nodded and walked toward the classroom. Henry followed after and I preened a little at the idea of them not being around women a lot. What made me special? Why did I get to be their friend? The three of them weren’t nearly as intimidating as Marco. I could see myself spending a lot of time with my new friends.

  If they wanted to be friends with the girl who growled, that was their choice.

  The minute I entered the classroom late, my face returned to bright red once again. Henry placed a hand to my back as the four of us avoided the scowling look the teacher sent us. It was a gentle touch, but it still hurt my bruises. I didn’t want him to ask questions though, so I didn’t say anything.

  “Mr. Asfour,” the middle-aged man scowled, “if you and your brother would be so kind as to stop interrupting my class, I would be thankful.”

  Anani saluted him and followed in last. I sat down on a small desk chair as both twins sat to either side of me and Henry moved to sit behind me. His hand squeezed my shoulder in a reassuring way. I shot him a soft smile, trying to hide the pain his actions caused.

  When I turned around, I noticed a woman with crimson hair staring at the four of us. Her eyebrows were bent in confusion. Not wanting enemies, I offered her a soft smile that she returned.

  I wish I could have told you what class consisted of. I had been placed in average level classes, so the work seemed fairly simple. Instead, I was overwhelmed by the number of fresh scents around me. I recognized the electric and warm scents the twins put off, but the new scent of mint came from Henry. It was a fresh clean scent that reminded me of spring rain.

  “Mr. O’Connor,” the teacher, Mr. Fields, called on Henry. The class covered United States History from the time of World War I and on. Pastor Malcolm had been obsessed with World War II, so I felt fairly comfortable in the class.

  When the bell finally rang, I moved from my seat and went toward the door. I noticed the three of them followed me as they talked casually about class. I turned and walked backward for a moment.

  “If you’re wondering,” Ledger offered a lazy grin, “we are in all of your classes.”

  I frowned. I wasn’t positive that was how school worked, but I did my best to keep my questions to myself. If they wanted to hang out with me that much, I wasn’t going to complain.

  Someone banged into me by accident and I hissed, but turned around to a hand steadying me. A pair of warm brown eyes stared down at me, his scent a soft forest one and his face handsome with soft black curly hair. He tilted his head in a way that reminded me of a dog.

  “Sorry there.” He didn’t let go of me. Then he continued, “you must be new,” the man said with an authentic smile, but I still felt nervous. It was clear he’d meant to run into me.

  “I am. My name is Maya,” I said softly, feeling uncomfortable.

  A soft low sound came from behind me as the man offered a hand. “Well, Maya, I’m Seth. Sorry for bumping into you, you okay?”

  I nodded as another growl ripped behind me. Seth looked up as his lip twitched. “I’ll see you around?”

  “Sure?” I whispered, feeling very confused, as he left. Now, I didn’t know a ton about interactions, but that felt odd.

  Instantly an arm was around my waist as I jumped and looked up. Anani shook his head muttering something before l
eading me towards our class. I was confused on why the boys looked upset.

  They hadn’t been lying. From US History through Chemistry, Calculus (which I found myself bamboozled by), to Policy class, they were in each one. Only Henry had disappeared at lunch time. The twins however, had led me to a back table where they dropped backpacks before grabbing their lunches from their bag. I sat there with a pleased expression on my face. The table offered a fantastic view of the garden that was in an open-air pavilion at the center of the school.

  “Where’s your lunch?” Ledger asked with a slight frown. My chest constricted because I really didn’t like that upset look on his face.

  I hummed and looked away, “don’t have one, we only eat dinner usually.”

  Both twins stilled in confusion.

  “You can go buy one up there,” Anani offered, throwing a thumb back at the long lunch line.

  I flushed, licking my lips nervously. “I’ll have to bring money tomorrow.”

  Why did this feel like a big deal?

  Both twins frowned, Ledger pushing half of his sandwich toward me. It was made of a light bread and peanut butter. I totally knew this type of food. See? I was cool! I knew things!

  “So what’s your plan after school, peanut?” Anani asked. I smiled at that nickname. Much better than ‘little one’, although I was positive it meant the same thing to him. The ‘firefly’ name was growing on me as well. I liked those little bugs, they use to fly in through the basement window and light up the room. My chest warmed at the positive memory buried within the others.

  “Well, I’ll probably walk around town for a bit before heading home,” I offered casually. I was proud of that statement. It sounded like something a normal teenager would do. See? I’m just exploring the town. Not avoiding my trailer and abusive mother.

  “You walk to school?” Anani sputtered. “It’s freezing out.”

  Or not.

  I tugged on my hoodie. “All warm and cozy, I promise.”

  Ledger frowned and pulled out a sleek black object before asking, “What's your number? We can pick you up each morning if you text us the address.” Number? Oh! That was a phone, I’d read about those.

  I blushed, a bit embarrassed I needed clarification. “Texting? You would need a phone to do that, right?”

  Both eyes darkened slightly at my admission as I flushed a bright red. Before they could respond, a solid arm crashed over my shoulder and caused me to hiss in pain. I flinched and it didn’t go unnoticed by either of the twins sitting across from me.

  “Malloy,” Anani snapped, “get your fucking arm off her.”

  The arm was instantly gone and a worried pair of of soft brown eyes appeared next to me. I frowned and scooted back just slightly. This guy didn’t give me a bad feeling, but my back hurt like hell and I was worried my new friends would notice. Plus, he didn’t make me feel like how Henry and the twins made me feel. This was more like the porridge that my mother used to give me on cold mornings.

  “Now, what’s a pretty girl like you doing, sitting with these jokers?” He chuckled with caution. I was concerned about his well-being. He was my size and taunting the large giants across the table. The pipsqueak would end up getting killed.

  “Stop hitting on her,” Ledger muttered.

  I was naïve about the world. I knew that. However, in the past six days I had completely devoted myself to reading everything and anything. I had some general knowledge from homeschooling, but my cultural knowledge was absent. After reading a few magazines like Cosmo and a hefty stack of newspapers, I knew a little more than I used to.

  For example, hitting on someone was what you did when you like them. I supposed I had never been hit on in my life before. Although the darkness, on those lonely nights in the basement, used to hold me. It used to comfort me.

  God, I was a freak.

  What would these boys think if they knew I had never been kissed? They wouldn’t want to be my friend, I’ll tell you that. Plus, I couldn’t ignore the small excitement that fluttered through my stomach at the appearance of their smiles. I would probably never be normal enough for someone to like me, but at least I could have friends. The butterflies would have to go. Now, if only I could find something or someone to tell me how to get rid of them.

  “Right, cuz that’s what I was doing,” Malloy rolled his eyes not looking bothered in the least, “where is Henry at?”

  “Busy,” Anani responded. His jaw was tense and those bright eyes trained at the place between Malloy and me. Ledger though was focused on my shoulders and face. Could he tell I had bruises? Crap. I hoped not.

  The bell rang after a quiet lunch. The three of us walked toward gym as Ledger made a proposal, “come hang out with us after school, Maya.”

  I nodded and agreed, “sounds fun.” Anani looked relieved and Ledger tossed me a small smile.

  I walked into the female locker room and made my way to the coach’s office. At least, that was what the schedule labeled her as. Coach Julie. The locker room was made out of this God awful yellow and green tile pattern and the showers leaked, causing my ears to ring slightly. I swallowed and knocked on the door as a woman with messy brown hair looked up at me. Her eyes were wide and her skin like tanned leather over a muscular athletic build. I was totally jealous of how strong she was.

  “You must be Maya,” the coach offered.

  “Yes,” I whispered, “I’m here to pick up my uniform.”

  “So you are,” she sighed, checking something on her clipboard, “here you go.”

  I grabbed my uniform and went toward the changing area. Luckily, there were stalls. I stepped into one and opened my backpack. I peeled off my hoodie and hung it across the stall door. I stepped out of my skirt and pulled on the loose shorts and baggy shirt trying to avoid the gross water on the floor. I didn’t want to ruin what nice clothes I had. Unfortunately, you could see a small amount of bruising on my bicep and neck. It wasn’t terrible, but I knew it was enough that people would notice. I tugged back on my hoodie.

  “There she is,” Anani said with relieved expression. The three of them had waited outside my locker room. I tried to ignore some of the dirty looks the other girls offered me. I wasn’t positive if it was something I’d done or if they didn’t like my friends. Maybe both?

  I smiled and then my mouth dipped. It was hot as heck in the gym. So hot the glass was fogging. Everyone stood in the center as I joined. I knew the teacher would notice my hoodie as soon as she caught my eye.

  “Maya, I don’t need anyone passing out. Hoodie off.”

  Oh crap.

  I bit my lip but stepped back from the group to pull off the hoodie. No one except the boys paid me any mind as we received instructions for the day. I hoped my hair would cover the bruising on the back of my neck. I tried to pull off the hoodie carefully so my clothes wouldn’t shift and reveal the bruising.

  Ledger looked me over and his mouth tightened just enough to look distressed. Did he see them? My eyes shot to Henry and Anani. Yeah. They saw them.

  Anani’s eyes were blazing as Henry offered me a heartbreaking look. I ignored them and kept my eyes forward. I needed a lie. I knew they would ask the minute she was done talking. I didn’t need anyone noticing the way my mother treated me. I only had 5 days left. 5 days until I never had to worry about it again.

  “Alright today, I need you to jog 10 laps,” the coach yelled. I waited until we began jogging in the back to open my mouth.

  “What the hell are those?” Anani hissed before I could speak. His hand grasped my arm and pushed up my sleeve, I cringed at the sound that came out of his mouth. I wasn’t scared of him, but the energy vibrating around him wasn’t sweet and those eyes were enraged.

  “Accident, I had a bad accident about,” my entire life, “5 days ago. It’s still healing.”

  Anani shook his head at my lie but kept quiet. Except for that rumble in his chest that had my heart racing and breathing quickening. Ledger spoke quietly, “what type of acc
ident?”

  The kind that gave birth to me.

  “Fell down some stairs while moving,” I muttered. I hated lying. I was terrible at it.

  I felt a cool hand on my neck and knew it was Henry. His chest made a low rumble, but all hesitancy from earlier was wiped away as he peered at the skin. I could practically feel him thinking and the gaze he offered me was both clinical yet concerned.

  “How bad is it?” Henry asked so softly I barely heard him.

  “Bad enough,” I responded, but then picked up from walking to jogging.

  The rest of gym, they were quiet. I knew they didn’t believe my lie. I didn’t even believe me.

  No one would want to be my friend if they knew how not normal I was. How awful my mom treated me. How I was possessed by the devil and that was why she had to hurt me. No one would even want to be around me.

  I was glad these boys made me feel so comfortable because I wasn’t sure how I would feel around other people. My experience with Seth and Lorn hadn’t been good so far, and I hadn’t talked to anyone else really. Well, Malloy I suppose, but he didn’t leave me with a bad feeling, just sort of nothing. I was thankful for that in comparison to the intense pull and push of feeling strongly about the guys and the uncomfortable one I got around the other two. With my friends, I felt like an attention-starved kitten.

  I’d always wanted a kitten. There used to be strays that would come to the window of the basement. One time, I’d even created a little corner for them to stay in during the winter. I’d been terrified my mother or Pastor Malcolm would realize they were down there, but they stayed quiet as their mother left to hunt each day and came back with rats and mice. She fed her children like a real mom was supposed to. I think that was when I realized how bad my situation was. When the six of them left one afternoon and never came back, I’d cried for three days straight, but it taught me that getting attached to things was something I couldn’t afford.

  Now that I was going to be free I wanted something I could be attached to. Something I could love. I really should get a kitten. That was the first order of business on my birthday.