Ignited (28 page)

“Can you please zip me up?” she asked, voice tentative.

Henry stepped close and pressed his lips to the nape of her neck, then zipped the dress shut. He moved to his dresser, stepping into a clean pair of underwear and fishing out some trousers. She watched him tug them up his hips, mourning the loss of his flesh even as she resolved to control herself around him so she would never hurt him again.

She’d
hurt
him. He was the best thing that had ever happened to her. If there was one person in the world that she wanted to never hurt, it was him. The pain of it cut at her like a knife.

As Henry pulled a shirt over his head, he said, “You don’t need to feel so guilty.”

She stared at the ground, at her bare feet. “That doesn’t mean I don’t.”

Now clothed, he moved in close to her. She wanted to back away, to keep him safe, but she was weak. She leaned into his comfort, resting her head against his chest. 

“You talked to June about us,” he said, his voice rumbling pleasantly against her ear. “Do you think you could talk to her about your abilities?

Ruth nodded. “I already did. June said that she and the others—they call themselves the Independents—meet at the mine to practice. She and Ivan are going tonight, and she asked me to come.”

“Do you want me to come with you?” Henry asked gently.

She shook her head. “June said it’s only for people with powers. But …,” she gulped down the lump in her throat. “What if I hurt someone?”

“You won’t.” He sounded so sure. Ruth wished she had his confidence. 

“Listen to me, okay?” Henry said. “You’re not going to hurt anyone. I bet everyone had some growing pains with their powers—I heard that Clayton Briggs can make some sort of energy orb and blow things up! You think he never had any sort of mishap?”

The logic of it was more soothing than anything else Henry had done. She snuggled deeper into his arms, breathing in the fresh scent of his laundry soap and of
him
. “You’re right.”

“I always am.”

She pinched him lightly on the side. “Don’t push your luck.”

Henry pulled far enough back to see Ruth’s face. He looked so handsome, his dark hair still mussed from sleep and her hands. “You don’t need to worry so much, Ruth.”

“Okay,” she said, but it felt like a lie. There was a burn on Henry’s chest in the shape of her hand because she had not worried enough. That couldn’t happen again. She wouldn’t let it.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Ruth

True to her word, June was at the back door to pick her up as soon as it hit ten o’clock, with Ivan in tow.

Ivan Sokolov was not someone with whom Ruth had been allowed to interact when she lived with her father. Edward had always claimed he and his family were Soviet spies. And though Ruth had never paid much attention to his fanciful ideas about the Sokolovs, she had not gone out of her way to disagree, either. Silence had proved to be her most effective shield.

It was not, however, a flattering one. Ivan was here to help her, just as June was. Looking at the pair of them, hands clasped together on Henry’s back stoop, Ruth tasted the bitter tinge of regret in her mouth. Despite the fact that she had never done anything for him, Ivan was here for her. It was the kind of goodness she’d always aspired to and yet had somehow never reached. Looking back at the years, she wished she’d been kinder, braver, more loving—she wished she been the kind of things she suspected God wanted her to be.

Maybe that was why she had her powers.

Ruth shook her head. She was done thinking of these abilities of hers as a curse. They may not have been a blessing, but they were not insurmountable. The others were learning to take ownership of what they could do; it was high time that Ruth joined them.

Henry tugged at her wrist, light and playful, bringing her back into the world. She smiled at him, nervous and small, and he leaned down to kiss her. It was chaste and sweet, and Ruth could feel her cheeks burning, knowing that Ivan and June could see.

She wasn’t used to public displays of affection, but there was something about the kiss—a gentle reminder that he was hers and she was his—that warmed Ruth from the inside out. She thought she might be able to adapt to them.

The walk to the mine usually took about twenty minutes, but keeping Ruth’s need for secrecy in mind, the three of them took a roundabout path, away from the main road. They crossed the bridge to the other side of town and headed south, following the course of the river until the mine loomed up before them. Each step felt like it was through sand. Adrenaline coursed through Ruth’s veins, making her feel hotter than usual. Would she be able to control herself?

She thought of the handprint on Henry’s chest and shuddered. It had already faded, just like he’d said it would, but it still lingered in her mind, reminding her that she was capable of far worse.

“I’m not sure who will be here tonight,” June whispered, keeping her voice low even as she stumbled over a snarled weed.

Ivan broke in. “Frank, definitely,” the way he said it made Ruth think he’d meant
unfortunately
. “And Clayton and Cora. Maybe Matt.”

The wheels in Ruth’s head started turning. “Matt—Matt Harris?” She and Henry had been so caught up in each other they had sort of lost track of this particular part of their plan. Maybe she could speak to him tonight, if there was time.

“Matt’s new like you,” June said, squeezing Ruth’s shoulder. “It’s only his second meeting.”

The information comforted her slightly. She wasn’t the only one who was behind.

In the dim light, Ruth barely made out the scrunch of June’s nose. “Although if Matt
does
come, I hope Evie isn’t here. I don’t think I can stand a second night of the two of them sniping at one another. They’ve been at each other’s throats since they broke up, and that was
months
ago now.”

“I think you’ll probably survive.” Ivan pressed a fond kiss to June’s temple before he began to lead them to the far side of the mine.

Ruth had never been before. People liked to say it was haunted, although she knew that was a silly superstition perpetuated in order to keep the local kids from breaking in. Not that it had ever worked. Parties had been thrown there all the time when she and June were growing up.

The mine had been abandoned for years, and it was in a constant state of disrepair. It was the perfect place for a secret meeting, and as Ruth followed June and Ivan through the broken slats in the wall, she tried to calm the butterflies in her stomach. There was no need to be nervous. Everyone had to have been new at one point or another.

Although that didn’t change the fact that she was still
newer
.

The mine was surprisingly well lit, three fire barrels casting warm light from the center of the room and a series of oil lamps lining the walls. There was already a large group gathered inside, the faces familiar to her, even if Ruth had never actively spoken to them. Clayton and Cora Briggs were off in a corner, laughing quietly amongst themselves. Cora had always been beautiful, although no one had been particularly keen to see it when she lived down the street from Ruth. Now, newly married and in love, she was flourishing. She looked like she stood straighter, smiled more. It was good to see.

Frank’s hands were both emitting soft light as he helped Will Briggs light a few more lamps. Matt Harris, one of the town police officers, was leaned against the wall, talking to Will’s fiance, Meg Fields. Ruth had to squint in order to make out Evie Sharpe, pouting to Meg’s left. It must have been the dim light, Ruth reasoned. Evie was too pretty a girl to go unnoticed for long. Ruth watched as Evie sent a glare in Matt’s direction and hoped that June’s prediction about their constant fighting would not come true.

Aways from the group, Veronica Clark and Kent Michaels stood talking quietly. Ruth noticed more than a few glances cutting their way. 

June leaned in close and whispered. “Kent and Veronica fought with Butch.”

“But they’re trying to make up for it,” Ivan added, sharing a look with June. “We need to give them a chance.”

June pressed her lips together, but nodded. “Don and Ralph though …,” she shook away whatever she was about to say. “Come on, Clay looks like he wants to start.”

Clayton stepped forward, his hair shining in the flickering lights. Everyone around him stopped talking as he entered the middle of the room, and he smiled. “Thanks, everyone, for coming. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we have someone new here with us!”

Ruth felt her stomach drop to meet the ground. She shook her head and nearly stumbled over her own two feet as June nudged her forward.

“Don’t be shy, Ruth,” Clayton said. He took a step closer to her, the same kindly smile fixed on his face. “It’s all right. We’re all like you here, and we all need to practice. Can you tell us a little bit about your powers?”

Ruth opened her mouth to reply, but the words got stuck in her throat. Try as she might, she couldn’t spit them out. She felt herself heating up—from embarrassment or the fire in her veins or both—and then shook her head, unsure what to do. She wanted the ground to open and swallow her up to save her from the embarrassment of being here. Why had she let Henry and June convince her this was a good idea?

June cleared her throat when she realized Ruth wasn’t going to answer. “She showed me her powers yesterday. Ruth can make fire.”

Matt Harris let out a low whistle, and everyone chuckled.

“I don’t want to put you on the spot,” Clayton said, shooting Matt a look. “But this is important. We need to be able to work together,” he nodded at Kent and Veronica still hovering at the edges. “Work together again … and to be able to use our powers on demand. Think of this as your first test.”

Everything inside of Ruth protested. She didn’t want to do this—what if it turned out wrong, what if she lost control? Her eyes roamed around the mine, looking for an exit, when she noticed the crowd of people staring at her. They didn’t look upset or impatient or judgmental.

They were … smiling. Encouraging her.

Blowing out the breath she’d been holding, Ruth held up her arms. Thankfully, she’s worn a dress with cap sleeves. It was easier now, to feel the fire inside of her, to let it flow hot and to push it where she wanted it to go.

One second she looked normal, the next her hands were alight. All around her, people gasped.

Part of Ruth was tempted to let the flames grow bigger, show them just how much she was capable of—but she thought of the shape of her hand on Henry’s chest and let the fire die.

Clayton smiled at her when she was done, and Ruth fought the urge to flush. “What if you work with Cora tonight?”

Ruth racked her brain, trying to remember Cora’s power. Nothing came to mind. Still, the last thing Ruth wanted to do was hurt someone. She gnawed at her lip and turned to look at Cora; it was times like these she wished she hadn’t lopped off her hair. She would have appreciated something to hide behind. “Will you be safe? I don’t want to hurt you.”

Cora’s smile was gentle. She held out her hand toward a bucket pressed up against the wall of the mine, and suddenly its contents were forced into the air. The water hovered, still holding the shape of its previous container, and then Cora motioned it closer and closer until it was hanging directly in front of Ruth’s face. Through it, she could see Cora, looking confident and pleased. The water moved back to the bucket a moment later; not a drop spilled.

“I feel pretty good about my chances,” Cora said. The grin on her face was infectious. Ruth felt herself returning it.

An hour later, Ruth was misted in sweat and convinced she was going to need to sleep for one hundred years to recover from her exhaustion. Physically, she felt all right, but mentally, she was fatigued in a way she had never before experienced. An hour of practicing her powers was the equivalent to spending an hour doing calculus. While simultaneously running up hill. Blindfolded.

“Come on,” Cora encouraged, sitting cross-legged in front of Ruth. “One more try!”

It had been a productive evening, even if Ruth felt like she could collapse at any moment. She’d started off easy, showing Cora what she was already capable of: She’d generated the fire, letting her arms go up in flame before she didn’t feel like she had enough control, and then quickly doused her own flames. Cora had then asked if Ruth had tried to pull the fire from any other part of her body.

An hour later, and she could successfully set her legs aflame without hurting herself. The first time, she’d been so nervous that she hadn’t concentrated. There was a small burn on her ankle that Henry would have to deal with. When Ruth had gotten distracted by her fear, Cora had instantly doused her with the water from the bucket.

Knowing there was someone who could keep her in check, who knew how to help her, made Ruth feel more comfortable with her abilities than she had felt so far. She was woefully behind all the other Independents—everyone else had been attending these sessions for weeks, and they were all able to call up their powers without any of the fatigue Ruth was still experiencing. Though it seemed Meg was not eager to practice her ability. 

Officer Harris could lift hundreds of pounds without blinking, and Clayton could launch balls of energy with pinpoint accuracy. Even Frank could call up the lights in his fingertips at will. He’d been glaring at her for the past half-hour as she lit the room brighter and brighter. He didn’t seem to have much else to work on.

It was embarrassing, to have so much catching up to do, but no one seemed to mind. In fact, everyone who stopped by their little corner was very encouraging.

“I don’t know if I can do it again,” Ruth moaned. Her brain was protesting. She could feel the beginnings of a headache in her temples. Cora sent a small spray of water in Ruth’s direction, and with a laugh, Ruth relented. “Okay, okay. Fine. I’ll try one more time.”