She's been sitting on the porch since the sun started to rise, and still, she can't wrap her mind around her newly founded ability. She snaps her fingers over and over, shining light on her face before taking it away just as quickly. She hates the curiosity that fills her, wanting to know how far she can go.

Soon, after a long period of concentration, she was able to make her palm blaze with fire. She closes her hand into a fist just as quickly, smothering the fire away. She looks behind her, afraid the light from the fire may have awakened the boys. She doesn't hear or see any movement. Regardless, as a precaution, she decides to walk down the small hill to sit on the dock. The loud sounds of the river water help her clear her mind. She pulls off her hoodie, tossing it behind her, afraid she may destroy it.

After another long period of concentration, she's able to will the fire to her palms again. The flames almost tickle. Cherry isn't sure if she's laughing because of that or the insanity of all that has happened. Slowly, her forearms become swallowed in flames. She forces her breathing to slow, feeling her heart beat so fast she's afraid it'll explode from her chest.

"It's not hurting you," she whispers to herself. "It's just... a little warm."

"Do you have insomnia or something?" The flames dissipate immediately, leaving only light from the barely risen sun.

"I-um-"

"You're never asleep, Cher." He sits down beside her, watching her rub her hands together. They still glow softly, as do parts of her forearms. "What's on your mind, chiqui?" She glances at him before looking down at her hands. She rubs her fingers together, almost craving the feeling of the fire on them.

"I feel kind of like an idiot. And also scared."

"Why?" He throws an arm around her. He can feel her warmth through his hoodie.

"The signs of me being a freak seem pretty obvious now, you know? Never cold, never getting burnt, fucking playing with fire." She leans into him, laying her head on his shoulder. She lets out a sigh. "And now I wonder how this will even help me, let alone change me."

"You'll be fine. Besides, you're not a freak."

"'With great power comes great responsibility.'"

"Why are you quoting Spiderman?"

"Just think about it." She moves to sit across from him, wanting to talk to him face-to-face. "I could come out like Peter Parker as a hero, or I could be him in Spiderman 3 and become an evil Peter Parker who has terrible dance moves." He tries to hold in a laugh, biting his lip.

"You're worried about the dance moves?" She pauses before shrugging.

"A little bit. The point is I'm scared I'm going to become a fucking terrible person. On top of that, I'm literally a walking flare. But..." she looks at her hands again, "I don't know. It just feels different."

"Do I need to repeat what I said last night?" Her eyes widen slightly at the memory before she shakes her head. Her face warms up quickly. It's just due to her new ability. Yeah, that's it for sure. "Then relax, chiqui. You have me and Daniel by your side. We'll help you just as much as you've helped us. Okay?"

"Okay."

"We'll tell Daniel about all this before we leave. Is that cool?" She nods her head. Still, she feels like it's hard to breathe.

"Hey, Sean?" He hums in response. She feels the warmth travel down her neck, embarrassed she's asking. "Can I get another hug?" His brows raise instantly, a soft chuckle leaving his lips.

"You know you don't have to ask me, right?"

"I probably will, though." He rolls his eyes before opening his arms to her.

"Come here." The words barely leave his mouth before she's in his arms, almost knocking him over. Her eyes shut as soon as her arms are wrapped around him. A happy sigh leaves her lips. Sean laughs lightly at her, finding her adorable. He wraps his arms around her, pulling her closer. He feels her warmth through his clothes, heating him up like fire would. "You're a literal heating pad. No wonder Daniel cuddles up to you at night." He can feel her smile wide.

"You jealous, mi cariño?" He rolls his eyes once more. She feels his heat beat fasten.

"No."

"Your heart says you're lying."

"Well, tell my heart to shut up." She moves her head so her lips are pressed against his clothed chest. They're so warm. He tenses instantly, his breathing coming to an immediate halt.

"Mi corazón, please stop lying to me." When she pulls away, Sean finally can breathe again, taking in a wavering breath. His body feels like it's on fire. "I'll get Daniel up, cool?" He can only hum a response. She gets up, grabbing her hoodie along the way. "Thank you for the hug, Sean-y boy!" she yells over her shoulder.

"Y-Yeah!" He watches her until she's in the cabin, the patio door closing behind her, before laying down on the dock with a loud groan. He covers his eyes, embarrassment and shame flowing through him like blood. "Oh my god," he cries out. He rubs his face roughly, but it does nothing to help the feelings in his chest. He drops his hands from his face, staring at the morning sun peeking from the trees with a single thought in mind. "Oh, fuck me."

"How you doing, Daniel?"

"It sucks!" he exclaims, the teens laughing at his expense.

"I'll help him." She walks over to his area and sees Daniel sitting on the ground in front of the bag. "What's up?" Mushroom barks at the door, Sean opening it to let her out.

"It doesn't fit in! There's too much stuff... It's fucking bullshit!" She kneels in front of him, placing her hands on his shoulders.

"Chill, mi amor. It's going to be fine."

"I know, just...shit." She rolls her eyes at him.

"Spoken like a true sailor. Now, what are you trying to pack?" He glances down at his magnetic sketch pad. "Really?" she deadpans. "You know we can just fit it in mine, right?" His face brightens immediately.

"Really? Thank you!"

"Mi cariño, can you get—" she looks over her shoulder, seeing him already leaning on the door frame, bag out in hand. A soft smile forms on her lips, and she takes her bag from him. "Thanks."

"So what were you trying to do?"

"His sketchpad thing is all." Sean looks over her shoulder, spotting the device as she stuffs it in her bag.

"You know I used to have one like that as a kid?" he says, pointing at it. "I used to draw on it all the time until the pencil thing broke."

"Guess artistry just runs in your family." She zips up her bag. "Even my stick figures look sad."

"I could teach you if you want," Sean offers.

"You never taught me!" his brother exclaims.

"That's because when I tried to, you got mad, chucked the marker, and ran to your room." Daniel simply looks at him for a few moments before blowing a raspberry at him. He folds his arms across his chest, a pout on his lips.

"How about your brother teaches me so I can you, Dani boy?" He grins, nodding his head before a look of confusion crosses his face. "What?"

"Where's Mushroom?"

"Still peeing, I guess," Sean shrugs. Despite his words, Daniel gets up and starts moving towards the door.

"I'm going to check what she's up to."

"We'll catch up with you guys, then." Daniel barely acknowledges his brother before the sliding door shuts behind him. The teens just stare at each other for a moment before looking back at the door. "Do you feel off too?"

"I always feel off. But... yeah." The two look at each other once more. "I got the canteens filled already."

"Good, let's go. I got a bad feeling." The two leave the house; Cherry shuts the door behind her as Sean starts to call for his brother, not getting a response. "DUDE, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" he yells out.

The two follow the newest set of footprints in the snow, the canoes gaining Cherry's attention.

"What?" He watches as she touches and pulls her hand away from the rotten wood, blood covering her fingertips. Their breathing stops immediately. "Daniel?"

"DANIEL!" she screams. She follows the footprints as quickly as possible, almost tripping while doing so. Sean has a hard time keeping up as well. "AMOR! Please come out!" She crawls under a tree trunk before stopping in her tracks, Sean almost running into her. He looks over her shoulder, spotting a bandana. It's partially soaked with blood.

"Mushroom...?" Sean can hear his voice crack. The two continue to follow the trail of blood at a slower pace, fearing what they may see next. "Daniel?" They finally spot the boy, only to see in standing only a few feet away from a cougar. "Oh shit."

"Oh fuck." They move slowly behind them, afraid any sudden movement will lead to their deaths.

"Daniel. Don't move." The cougar growls at them, mouth bloody and snarling. Cherry looks lower, spotting Mushroom dead and soaked in her own blood. She wipes away the tears before they fall. Her hands glow softly.

"It killed her! She was my friend!" Daniel exclaims.

"Calm down, okay? Listen-"

Time slows. The cougar floats in the air, Daniel gradually placing pressure on the creature's neck. Sean slowly opens his mouth, wanting to yell at Daniel, and Cherry can feel the acidic bile from her stomach slowly crawl up her throat. It hurts. It makes it hard to breathe. It makes her want to scream. She feels like a bottle of soda shaken too many times. It's all too much. Discovering Daniel's powers, discovering her own powers, this whole trip, these months on the road hiding. It's all too much. She wants to swallow down the acid and the scream, but it all becomes too much to bear. It hurts her chest.

She doesn't know what to do.

𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐚𝐫

𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐚𝐫