The Fated Fire Princess

What You See is What You Get

Harper’s POV

Jack has been coming to this creek for as long as I’ve known him. He’s brought me here a few times, but I always got the sense that it was his place—his private, special plate, where he goes to think and be alone.

I don’t know what brought me here today, exactly. I was with Effie in the art studio—neither of us are really any good at art, but we both paint there after school some days to blow off steam—when we heard Logan and Rex walking down the hallway, arguing about Jack.

“You’ve gotta cut that s**t out,” Logan was saying. “He’s a nice guy, Rex. It’s not his fault his parents have shitty jobs.”

“He’s a loser, and he’s constantly moving in on your girl. I’m just looking out for you.”

That was about all I was able to catch before they were out of hearing range.

I turned to Effie, dreading the inevitable conversation that was looming. Effie has never hidden her feelings toward Logan from me, nor her envy at his feelings for me.

She didn’t say anything, though. She just got up and walked away.

I probably should have gone after her, but frankly, I didn’t want to. It’s not my fault that Logan has a thing for me. I would love for him to have a thing for Effie. I’m sick of trying to convince her that she’s wrong, and equally sick of trying to convince her that I don’t have feelings for him. Is she really too blind to notice how I feel about Jack? 

It would probably fix things if I just told her. But she’s too close to Jack for me to feel comfortable doing so. Knowing Effie, she’d say something under the guise of “helping” me.

Anyway, I didn’t go after Effie. I considered my options and decided that, if Jack had just been picked on by Rex and Logan, he’d probably be at the creek.

I was right.

“What are doing here?” he asks me. He doesn’t sound pissed, exactly, but he doesn’t sound pleased, either. He’s probably still upset about Rex.

I could tell him about what I overheard, but I don’t want to embarrass him. “Just had a feeling you’d be here. Thought we could hang out.”

His grumpy expression softens, and he offers me a small smile as he gestures for me to come sit next to him. 

I kick off my shoes and take my seat beside him, scrunching my toes into the sandy riverbank. (Okay, creekbank.)

“Can I ask you something?” he asks me after a moment of silence.

I bump him easily with my shoulder. “Anything.”

“When you came to the HQ… People were obsessed with you. Everyone wanted to be your best friend; everyone wanted to know more about the Fire Princess. But you just… wanted nothing to do with it. Found it all…”

“Boring,” I finish for him. The same word I used to describe Logan Townsend—who, by the way, acted exactly as he’s describing, long before I ever came to the HQ.

He nods.

I shrug, glancing back out at the horizon. “Well, it is. They all think I’m so interesting because I’m this ‘fated fire princess,’ but what did I really do? I wasn’t even born yet when my parents’ lovemaking bridged a gap between worlds. It’s not like I made any sort of conscious decision. And the fire powers? Without control over them, what’s the point?”

He frowns. “I found you interesting, too, though. For the same reasons. And you blew them off, but not me. What makes me any different?”

Everything, I could tell him. Everything from your laugh to your smile to your genetics.

But he’s probably looking for something a bit more concrete than that.

“At the Academy, everyone’s filled with stories. My dad did this. My mom did this. My dad’s a dragon. My mom’s an elf. None of them ever even lived there, though. None of them know the first thing about what Farnethia is really like, or about magic, or… any of it.”

He’s full-on staring at me at this point. I bring my eyes to meet his, though it’s no easier than it ever is.

“So you befriended me because I didn’t have ridiculous stories about a world I’d never been to?” he asks.

“No.” I smile softly at him. “I befriended you because you’re honest, Jack. Because you’re genuine. Because what you see is what you get.”

He doesn’t like my choice of words, I can tell. He wants to be more than what you see is what you get—not to me specifically, but to everyone. Despite how many times I’ve told him that I consider Logan and his friends boring and Jack anything but, he still considers himself boring—a regular in a sea of Farnethians.

“Do you think it’s all in the past?” he asks me. “Farnethia? That it really just ceased to exist, and you’ll all be here forever?”

It’s a question we discuss often at the Academy, and with each other. People like Logan and Rex are determined to return to Farnethia one day, one way or the other. Even Effie, who loves exploring Earth and interacting with regulars, would rather be there than here. 

I’m not so sure, though. From what my parents have said, it was a place of war, death, and destruction—a place that used labels and lies to motivate entire races of humanity to hurt each other.

“I don’t know,” I finally admit. “I’m not even sure I’d want to go back, if it was an option.”

He nods, swallowing. “I think you would.”

I loop my arm through his and rest my head on his shoulder. 

I shouldn’t, but I can’t help it.

“If I did, I’d take you with me.”