Free Born In Flames by Candace Knoebel

and pat my clothes down before handing the towel to him.
The air outside had dropped a few degrees as the already setting sun was covered by blackish clouds. I was too tired to change into the extra clothes he had packed.
We both remained silent as he pulled out and onto the road. I think we were still trying to absorb what had just happened. My eyes weighed heavy and a yawn escaped my lips.
The vibration of the engine tested my sleepiness along with the pitter-patter of the rain and the swishing of the windshield wipers. The strain of the day along with the riding and the accident wore on my body.
Leaning back, I closed my eyes and felt myself drift off into a comfortable rest. My head throbbed a little where the horse’s hoof had connected with it, but I was suddenly too tired to care.
Don’t fall asleep , I kept telling myself, but time seemed to weave in and out. The last thing I heard was, “We’re almost there, Rory.”
“Okay,” I answered groggily.
Chapter 7
Say What?
I WOKE UP IN MY bed. My legs felt like they had been put through hell, and my first attempt at sitting up didn’t go so well. I laughed at myself for being so out of shape and tried again. Success. I sat up and looked over to the clock, rubbing the ache from my muscles.
What had happened with the fire played itself over and over again in my mind. I was secretly glad it had happened because it proved to my sanity that I hadn’t made up my abilities. I really could control fire. I just wished I had control over when I could do it.
I huffed and stood, swallowing the first bit of soreness in my legs. Today is going to be fun , I thought with a snort. I started stretching my hamstrings then reached up to the cut on my head when a small wave of dizziness came over me. No wonder my head was throbbing, I’d been horse-punched. I felt a band-aid covering the wound.
I walked over to our dresser and looked in the mirror. My fingertip ran over a Strawberry Shortcake band-aid. Fenn , I thought with an eye roll, always the prankster.
My head was slightly purple and tender to the touch. I grabbed two aspirin and swallowed them quickly, downing the glass of water Fenn must have left out for me. He was passed out on the couch.
I remembered bits and pieces of him carrying me into our room, but that was about it. I didn’t even think I had dreamed. At least there was no ache to my skin. I wondered if it had anything to do with the fact that I was able to actually connect with the fire. Mr. Creepy would know , I thought with a jolt of excitement. Hopefully he would give us the time of day.
I crept over to the couch and kneeled on the floor in front of Fenn. One arm and one leg were hanging off the side. He must have been as exhausted as I was.
A part of me felt bad. He had worked so hard to plan a “normal” day out for us and then reality cruelly crushed his dreams.
He rolled towards the wall.
Quietly, I got up and went to grab some O.J. from out of the refrigerator. My throat felt like my own personal desert. I threw on a pot of coffee for Fenn and even went as far as putting cinnamon rolls in the oven. It was the least I could do.
The delicious smells played their part well, waking Fenn and coaxing him into the kitchen.
“Mornin’,” he rasped groggily with a halfhearted smile. He stretched his arms above his head, and then let out a huff as he sat at the table. My brain was scrambling, trying to think of the right way to remind him about last night.
“So…we’re going to stick to the game plan and find Mr. Creepy today, right?” It was the best I could come up with.
He paused as if I had just cursed at him, and then his shoulders slumped over. “Yeah, Rory. Like he said, we have no choice.”
My face softened. “I don’t want to ruin your mood, Fenn. I just…I think it’s for the best,” I tried to convince, hoping that he wasn’t too upset with me for bringing it up first thing in the morning.
He sighed. “It is for the best, and you could