Fan the Flames- Chapter 2

Static. Then nothing. Then blurry, out-of-focus gray objects. Eventually my mind settled down enough for my eyes to focus on my surroundings. I was lying on my back in some bushes, covered in cuts and bruises. A quick check revealed nothing was broken so I decided to get up. Groaning I got to my feet, my body sore.

The first thing I noticed was the car. Sitting a few feet away in the driveway, Aunt Nicole's car sat burning like a summer camp bonfire. A painful reminder that I had lost control again. On the bright side it wasn't large enough to gain the attention of Them. Although I still needed to be careful. Don't want to make my new family suspicious. Especially Cousin Anais, she'll love to take me apart and see what makes me tick. I sighed, leaning against a tree and calling the fire department. At least my Ducati was okay.

Right on cue, Nicole came rushing out of the house trailed by her family. She made a bee-line for the car like a moth to a flame, leaving me for later. Which was fine, I needed time to work on a story that would fool both her and Anais, the genius. After staring into the flames for a few minutes she walked over to where the rest of us were standing. Her face a mix of shock and anger that said: If you weren't related I'd kill you right now.

"Hey Nicole. How's it going?" I asked attempting to catch her off guard by being nice.

She said nothing, instead her eyes turning red. Not a good sign.

"I bet you're wondering what happened to your car."

Still no answer. Out the corner of my eye I could see Gumball and Darwin trying not to laugh. Thanks for the support guys.

"Well you see, I was getting ready to come inside and begin our wondrous new life together. When these three guys playing with fireworks came by and-"

Nicole held up a hand. "You're a worse liar than Gumball. Right now I could care less what the hell happened to my car. I'm just glad you're okay. Now let's all go inside and get you fixed up. We can go shopping later."

I nodded; glad I was off the hook. But behind Nicole, I saw Anais watching me closely. She didn't seem convinced of my story either.

I climbed the stairs carrying a heavy duffel bag of clothes Nicole had bought me. Due to the limited space in the house, and because Richard wouldn't give up the couch, I was going to be sleeping with Anais. Not that I mind. It's just that I've never been very good with the opposite sex. Being locked up and treated like you weren't human, doesn't exactly help one's social life. The only contact I got with any girls, were when my "Mom" and the other women scientists would come to take my vitals after nearly being killed by the men. Yeah.

I came to the door of Anais' room and knocked. There was no answer. I knocked again. Nothing. I tried the doorknob and found it unlocked. I walked inside and found Anais asleep on the only bed. The TV was still on. She had been watching that show, Daisy the Donkey takes on the world. Turning off the TV I proceeded to set my sleeping bag on the floor beside Anais' bed. Once satisfied that everything was packed away and done I went to take a shower.

Don't let the whole "cats hate water" thing fool you, I love taking a shower. It's one of the few times you get to yourself, where you can take the time to seriously think about your life. Although lately my life sucks, so there wasn't much thinking. After getting out of the shower I decided to test my powers again. I was sure everyone had gone to bed for the night. This was why I hadn't bothered to lock the door. So there shouldn't be any chance of getting caught. I closed my eyes and felt the familiar warm feeling come over me. I could feel the water start to evaporate. It was good. Then I opened my eyes and noticed I wasn't alone anymore. Shit. Anais. I turned and saw her standing in the doorway mouth agape, wearing purple Daisy the Donkey pajamas. The flames went out instantly. Then I remembered I was completely naked. Instinctively I jumped back into the shower and drew the curtain between us. When I peeked out again I saw Anais blushing deeply as she attempted to advert her eyes. I thought she was just as embarrassed as I was, and was trying to save me some dignity. But then I noticed she was watching me in the mirror. She looked at me a moment longer then quietly walked out the door, closing it behind her. I immediately banged my head hard against the wall. This was going to be an interesting experience.