Boiling and Cooling

Chapter 1 - Fire Within

Fire was the only thing she could see.

Hell was a horrible place, I have to admit.

Burning fire everywhere and maroon surroundings, with ghosts floating around creepily. Maya hated the place she was told to rule someday.

Maya Sins was the daughter of King and Queen Sins. They were the all powerful rulers of the darkest place you could ever visit: Hell. Yes, Maya lived in Hell. Where you can't tell day from night, or dark from light any longer. In Maya's eyes, the place was filled with a bunch of sick people who deserved to sit in a hole and stay there. Forever.

The types of ghosts that lived there were usually colored either red, orange, or brown. Red were the ones that did something that they did on accident, but was framed for it and thus sent here. Orange were the ones which actually did something bad, but not completely horrible. Brown were the ones who were the demons; Bomb dropping, murdering, all that.

Maya had bright orange hair that went to the middle of her back and red eyes. Her skin was pale and her lips were a thin dark red. Freckles dotted her face and large red-brown wings stood on her back. She wore a dull orange dress with a blood-red tank-top underneath. Her shoes were light brown with thin, dark brown bows.

She was a girl, but a pre-ruler, so she could do whatever she wanted instead of welcoming ghosts, sewing, or setting handmade dolls on fire. She had tried that once; she had made twin ghosts cry. She had felt bad and promised to make them new ones, but Mother told her, "peasants like them do not deserve that attention. Do something worthwhile." And that was the end of that.

Maya had a little brother named Bayou, which was 7. Bayou Sins was exactly like Maya; sweet, caring, strong, brave and sick of living here. Bayou had short, shaggy brown hair and cocoa eyes. He wore a orange and yellow striped tank top and dark brown shorts. He was usually barefoot. Maya loved Bayou much, as most siblings claim to hate. Bayou played soccer and talked with his older sister about their feelings and dreams. He was Maya's best friend.

Elle was Maya's friend as well.

Elle Maio was Eve's daughter. Madam Eve ran a bakery in the large place the called home. Eve was kindhearted and sweet to Elle, and Maya sometimes became jealous. Elle was unnatural; instead of being dressed in reds, browns, yellows and oranges, she had bright pink hair and and dark pink eyes. She wore a soft pink tank top and a lavender skirt and had pastel pink ballet flats. She was extremely happy and excited, and almost never sad. No one dares to kill her spirits.

Maya sat on a brick bench, staring down a flame. Her red eyes glowed with sadness and hurt towards her parents. They had said for her 15th birthday she could spend a week in the water world. She was hoping to go to Earth instead, and had asked her parents about it, but they instead shook with rage and anger, and she thought she had seen fear. They had said that if she spoke about Earth one more time, she would never be let out of the castle again.

And Maya swore not to.









Chapter 2 - Pack your things

Maya rushed around her bedroom, packing her clothes. She had already packed some of her outfits and toothbrush, but she felt like she was missing something. She brushed to the side, and continued on, but the feeling in her gut never vanished.

Maya had finished packing as was now meeting Elle at Eve's bakery. She was only a few blocks away and was strolling down lanes filled with shops and cars bustling by, children jumping rope and adults rushing to get to work. Maya reached Eve's Bakery and opened the door.

The smells of freshly-baked muffins and bitter coffee hit Maya. She inhaled with delight as she walked up to the counter and saw Madam Eve cleaning the other side. She noticed Maya quickly and walked over. "Hello, Maya." Eve said happily, tucking strands of her blonde hair behind her ear. Her green eyes sparkled. "Hi, Madam Eve." Maya said shyly. "No need to be shy, Maya. You're fine here." Maya grinned. "Thanks. Anyway, where Elle?" She asked. Eve smiled and called Elle's name. Elle ran to the front and enveloped Maya into a big hug. "Hi!" Maya laughed and said, "hello." Elle grinned and sat down at a table. Maya followed and sat down as well. "Mom, the usual!"

Maya and Elle talked and laughed as they ate Eve's famous blueberry muffins. "So," Elle said, putting half of her muffin down, "when are you leaving?" Maya checked the time. "In 15 minutes." She said with a smile, but then it faded quickly. "Oh my gosh! I have to go." She got up, placed the rest of her muffin in a napkin, stuffed it in her pocket and dashed away. Eve and Elle stared after her, and then burst out laughing.

Maya raced down the streets as fast as her legs could carry her. She panted heavily but she dare not stop. Soon enough she reached her house, and she was glad her parents weren't there. She raced up the stairs, washed her face, cleaned up her hair and slid it into a ponytail and changed her clothes. She was now wearing an orange t-shirt and a yellow skirt. She grabbed her suitcase and ran down the stairs and stood by the door to see her father open it. "Hello, sweetie." He said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. She smiled and walked outside into the flaming heat and got into the car. They drove in silence and her father gave her a hug when she got out. "Have fun." He said. "I will." She said, and walked towards the airplane, heading to the water world, her life forever changing.






Chapter 3 - Water Within

All he could see was water.

He was sick and tired of the water world.

Green grass, rocks and plain old blue water. Luke was bored of this place, and he had to rule it someday.

Luke Waters was the son of Mermaidia Waters, the goddess of water and all things inside it. Mermaidia had long dark blue hair and crystal green eyes. Her tail was a light blue and her seashells were tinted green. Luke was usually around or inside water, and he had gotten tired of it, quickly.

Mermaidia told Luke stories of Earth and Hell, where people are greedy and unkind. She told Luke this was the only real place peace was given. But, even through all the mad stories she told, Luke dreamt about other people, other things that acted the way he did. Craving for adventure.

Luke had short, bright blue hair and turquoise eyes. He had freckles, but only a few, and his skin was fair. He wore a light blue tank top and dark blue shorts. He was barefoot, and had no mermaid tail or dragon wings. He felt average.

In the water world, boys to what the please, but Luke was different from the rest. His mother ran a clothing store down in the ocean town, and Luke enjoyed helping make clothes and sometimes giving flowers to customers. The other children teased him said he wasn't average at all or his mother should have just given birth to a girl.

He had one friend: Zo Calumm. Zo had white hair and white skin. His eyes were a dark, dark blue and he wore a dark blue hoodie. He had black shorts and went barefoot. Zo's mum owned a restaurant, so Zo liking cooking and cleaning. The boys barely ever participated in sports, but they were kind and had golden hearts, so that payed off.

Luke had a baby seal named Dolphin. Dolphin had the cutest eyes and the brownest fur you could see, so he was a rare find. Zo called him "Sea-dog" or "Sea-pup," and Dolphin liked them.

Luke sat on some grass, feet dangling in the water. He was reading a book when Zo scared him and it plopped in the water. Luke glared at him and sighed. "Well, thats done." Zo laughed nervously and then jumped into the water, landing with a satisfied splash. Luke slipped in after him, and walked along the bottom. "So, ya busy?" Zo asked, picking up his book and handing it to him. "Yeah. My mom needs me in 15 minutes." Luke answered, taking the book gratefully. "Oh." Zo said, looking down. "Why, did you need me?" Luke asked, putting his hand on his friends' shoulder. "No, I just wanted to hang out before you-know-who comes." Luke looked at him, confused. "Word on the street is a gal from Hell is visiting. Stay away." Luke laughed and said, "listen, I'm going to meet her. We don't know what she's like." And he walked off.




Chapter 4 - Meet and Greet

The next morning Luke woke to the sound of his alarm clock. He hopped out of bed and dressed quickly; he was an early bird. He slipped out the door quietly and swam to the surface. He hopped out and looked around; the usually bustling town was looked like ghosts cleared it out. He walked along silently, heading to the gates. He visited there every morning to wonder what was out there.

Today, though, in front of the gates he saw a girl with bright orange hair and a yellow skirt. He widened his eyes; this must be the girl from Hell! "Hi." She said quietly, peering at him shyly. "H-hello." Luke said, at loss for words. He pulled open the gates and she walked in. "I'm Maya." The girl said. "Luke." Luke answered. Maya smiled and looked at him, this time he noticed gorgeous ruby red eyes. "Mind showing me around?" She asked. "Sure." Luke said, and picked up one of her bags. "Thanks."

She stared bleakly at the water. "Your serious." She said, motioning to the water. "Yes." Luke retorted, and Maya jumped in. Immediately, her hair turned purple and she had a tail. It was dark blue, and her seashells were lavender. "How..?" Luke said, after jumping in. "I'm not sure, but, come on!"

The first day Luke gave her a tour of the town. "Their so pretty!" Maya exclaimed, smelling some flowers on the way.

The second day they went whale-riding. "Woohoo!" The two teenagers exclaimed. Luke couldn't help but gaze at Maya's flaming orange hair when out of water.

The third day Luke took Maya to a Tiki Bar. "Wow, this is delicious." Maya said, slurping down a mango-pineapple smoothie. "Homemade." Nini, the tiki bar owner, said. "Glad you like it." Luke said, getting off his chair. "Where are you going?" Maya asked, following him. "You'll see."

Maya gazed at all the flowers. Reds, yellows, oranges, blues, purples, pinks, whites, everything. "Oh my gosh." Luke smiled at her and lay down. Maya came with, and lay down next to him. "Thank you so much." She said, and held his hand tightly. Luke blushed and said, "anything." Maya got up and hovered over top of him. Before he could do anything, she kissed him passionately on the lips. Luke smiled and pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. They broke apart, gazing into each others' eyes. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but, I love you." Maya whispered, and kissed him again. "I do too." Luke answered, and hugged her. "I'm glad you came."




Chapter 5 - Torn Apart in days

The next day Maya and Luke spent happy and dazed. Luke took her to a cafe and the amusement park, where they went on every ride. They loved each other, but Maya took it hard to trust a guy she only knew for four days. Who knows? He could break her heart.

But little did she know Luke was madly in love with her, and loved her forever. Nothing could change his mind.