SPARKS: The Smoke & Fire Series (Prequel Book 1) (5 page)

Running back to the building was
scary, but the idea that Ivan might still be inside was more frightening. 
Mycale entered the building as smoke flowed past his face like lingering
harpies with desperate and deadly intent. He reminded himself, “Be a hard man.”

Coughing into the back of his
hand, Mycale walked further into the now dark building. Creaking and groaning
sounds kept him on edge as every brush of the wall made him jump or spin fast. 
He shouted Ivan’s name repeatedly, hoping and praying the boy would answer.

When he entered the soundless
room, it was so filled with fire he immediately stumbled back. A crashing sound
sent him running back down the dark hall. Swallowing his fear, a horrific sight
seized his body. Something had fallen into the second hall, blocking the exit
as fiery debris continued to fall from the ceiling. Trapped, the only place
left for him to go was to the area that held the glass rooms. He hid beneath
one of the desk and prayed the firemen would come in and get him.

The periodic spray of water as it
shot cold from the fire trucks kept Mycale from falling completely apart. The
sprays of water help him avoid being engulfed and consumed by flames. The
extreme heat had pinned him down. All he could do was close his eyes and pray.
Each time the smoke took his breath, he became more and more lightheaded. Like
fiery arms reaching out to touch him, the flames licked at him from every
angle. He fought the flames, striking at them as if it would help. Seeing parts
of his clothes being burned away sent his heart knocking against his chest.

Although extremely hot, it amazed
Mycale that the fire hadn’t harmed his skin when it had so easily taken his
clothes and hair. The strong stench of his hair being burned away increased his
horror tenfold.  Praying aloud, he asked that he and Ivan be kept safe. He
prayed for the children who had not returned to their beds, wondering if they
had been spared or killed.

****

Mycale awoke to the smiling faces
of his parents. He lay, unstrapped, in of all things, a hospital bed.

The news reported that a young
boy had been found alive inside what was left of an old burned-out infirmary.
Found hidden under piles of debris, the sturdy frame of a desk had been enough
to keep the boy from being crushed. How the boy survived the smoke and extreme
heat inside the building was a mystery.  They called it a miracle.

All of the abducted children
present had been accounted for. No one had shown up to claim Ivan and his body
wasn’t among the rubble of the building. Only Mycale and the other eight
children vouched for him. Mycale was convinced that Ivan had the ability to
disappear.

The children who professed they
had magical abilities were immediately diagnosed as having mental problems from
being captured and
possibly tortured
. Having all been checked out
medically, Doctors never found evidence of the children’s beatings or abuse.
How had their abuse been erased? Mycale was left with an endless number of
questions.

Some of the children never
recovered from their traumatic experience and a few were locked away in mental
facilities. Mycale kept his mouth shut about his ability. Although his scars
were invisible to others, he would forever carry the pain he endured and the
torture he witnessed. There were moments when he wasn’t sure if he remembered
the events exactly as they had happened. He theorized his captors had found
ways to manipulate his mind. Afraid to tell his parents how badly he had been
messed with, he feared they would think he was crazy.

Despite being back home, Mycale
feared his life would never be the same. His parents explained that he had been
missing for a week, but time had not been a factor during his capture.

Later, Mycale found himself
getting into fights and all sorts of trouble at school. Normally known for
being an even tempered kid, his parents didn’t know what to make of the change.
Since the people who had taken him and the other children were never found, his
parents followed through with their plans to move to America.

Moving to one the friendliest
cities in the United States, his family left Liverpool, England for San
Antonio, Texas. Moving didn’t change Mycale’s attitude. At one point, his
parents put him in a young boy’s military academy, but he still continued to
get into trouble. Talking to a Psychologist and attending anger management
classes didn’t help him either. The rage he picked up while being held captive
seemed determined to remain a part of his life.

Over the years, Mycale found it a
struggle to be normal when the invisible traveler inside his body constantly
reminded him that he had possibly never been. Rage remained a vigilant reminder
of what he had gone through. It also reminded him that he was capable of extraordinary
things when pushed hard enough.

****

Growing into adulthood, Mycale’s
hot temper had gotten him into so much trouble he saw no other alternative but
to find a way to control it. He started getting tattoos. Inflicting pain on
himself took the edge off the rage he couldn’t shake.

At sixteen, Mycale helped a woman
being held at gunpoint. Cutting school, he entered a liquor store he had no
business being in and ended up walking in on a robbery in progress.

He didn’t have a problem standing
up to the man or pushing him over as a gun was being waved in his face. The
store owner had a hard time explaining to the cops how a sixteen year old, who
wasn’t supposed to be in her store, had probably saved her life.

The incident drove Mycale toward
pursuing a career as a soldier or police officer. Having a gun pointed at his
face had given him a rush that pushed the snooze button on his rage. Danger had
now become his medicine, and saving others in the process was his salve.

The older Mycale became, the more
he became convinced that his kidnapping had sparked a part of him that he may
never understand.  Afraid he might accidently hurt someone, he never allow
himself to get angry enough to start a fire again. However, he was left with
many lingering thoughts about his capture. If they weren’t supposed to remember
they were ever captured, what will happen now that some from his group did
remember? The kids who’d disappeared from the beds before the fire never came
forth, nor had they ever been found. Mycale believed his captors made them
forget, just as they said they would do. Just as they had turned off the sound
and erased their abuse. He wondered exactly how many groups of children had
gone through the same traumatic events only to have it wiped from their minds.

Mycale vowed that he would
someday find his captors and Ivan. He needed answers, but above answers, he
wanted revenge.

Mycale later joined the Navy and
excelled. His willingness to run towards danger caught the attention of Top, a
secret spy organization. Mycale didn’t know it yet, but Top would essentially
provide him enough danger and intrigue to keep a lid on his rage and ignite a
whole new level of sparks.

***End of Prequel
One***

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