Astoundingly Outcasted

Chapter #15; Iris Ignites

Ammara closed her eyes, dozing off into a light sleep, as the lush green trees faded and the sparkling sand took over the view from the bus window. Ryeon huddled in the seat next to her, fiddling with the zipper pull with the hand that peeked out from the crossed-arm position.

“How long is this going to be? This-beach trip?”

A carved disk of a mahogany plank glared at him. Why was he always on edge?

“Just for the weekend.”

Mrs. Sular chimed, her soothing voice slowing the pace of the metal tinkering.

She took a long, deep breath, before tugging Ryeon at the wrist and hopping around on the asphalt, squealing.

Ryeon looked at Ammara, whose face was lit with excitement, as a subtle smile spread on his own face.

“A whole weekend. All here.”

“How’s Ammara going to survive without her friends?”

“I don’t have friends. Try again.”

He looked her down, expecting her statement to be a lie.

“Not even Iris? You’re always with her...”

“She keeps following me, I can’t do anything about that. She’s just a creepy little stalker I guess.”

Ryeon let out a slight chuckle, not because of her lousy attempt at trying to sound ominous, but at the declaration itself.

He recalled how Iris once admitted to being jealous of her positive energy.

“Maybe you can practice that new magic of yours here.”

His deep green hat was shoved onto his head, blinding him with confusion.

“How-how’d you get it back?”

His father gave him a cheeky smile.

“That friend of yours dropped it off.”

Sakin.

Where’d he find it?

Probably on the road near school, where it was lost.

He watched as the rest headed towards the wooden structure up ahead, the coaster horn blaring in his ear from behind, barely smiling, before catching up with the rest.

The orange soles of their shoes dug into the damp glitter with the salty scent filling their lungs as they made their slow descent to the water. They paused momentarily, looking far into the sea as the final rays of sunlight bid farewell while bouncing across the saline water.

Looking back to where the sand trails led showed him a deep grey headstone shaded by an ancient mangrove tree. Settled by a side of the headstone itself were a few pearlescent feathers gray by the tips forced into a plush skull embroidered with plum diamonds.

What an oddity...

The humid air gathered around him, suffocating him, as Ryeon threw himself onto the thin bedding. His sight blurred out as he struggled to picture the week ahead.

“Hey uh... Ryeon?”

The thick liquid trickled down his cheeks, the view still a little hazy.

“Yeah... what’s wrong?”

He propped himself up as the bed frame tugged at him.

“You’re going to be alright, Right?”

Every word she uttered was filled with immense hesitation, meek and silent.

“Yeah... why?”

He never believed in that statement himself, but reassuring her helped him accept it.

“You just haven’t really been as upbeat as you were about this earlier. Thought you’d be excited.”

“NO NO NO! It’s not like that. I am excited!”

“I am! It’s just... I don’t really know how to show it.”

“What do you mean? It’s not like you have to force a reaction.”

“I have to though. ‘Cuz then everyone starts lecturing me on how I’m being ungrateful.”

“Well yeah, you are being ungrateful. You should be exhilarated.”

“I AM! I’m not just as vocal about it.”

“If you are then explain that.”

She pointed a stiff finger towards the dark tears.

“Khuda ka khauf karo, mujhe khud nahi pata!”

He held his palm open to pause Ammara moments before she spoke.

“I’m just tired, okay? Don’t ask me why, don’t ask me how, I just am.”

He turned his back to her as her focus shifted, subtly nodding.

Okay...

.

.

.

Strolling upon the sand, the sea foam tickled the shore as Ammara walked head first into an invisible waterfall.

“Oh. Wait... that’s a little too small to be a tsunami...”

The big bubble burst open, a burnt face from the inside looked for mercy within itself.

“Hi...”

She composed herself, inhaling deeply and pulling the water out of her hair.

“How’d you do that?”

“Wha—”

“How’d you turn invisible?”

“I studied physics long enough.”

“Ah. So like, why are you here?”

Leila gave her an incredulous look, before leaning in to whisper something.

“Oh... oh no. This ain’t ideal.”

Her chest heaved rapidly as Leila glared at her sympathetically.

“I’m not sure though. It’s just a wild guess.”

She snapped her fingers multiple times in a row in front of her face to attempt to bring her back.

“You still haven’t told me what you’re doing here.”

Ammara came back to the beach, facing Leila and nodding repeatedly while looking miles away.

AMMARA!

She clocked around to find Ryeon half-running towards her.

“The little ones are all back there, what are you doing here?”

Ammara glanced back, found no one, sauntering back to where he led.

She looked ahead, her brother examining the indents along the shore. She clocked back again, only this time to see a dark cloaked figure, manipulating a blaze in one gloveless hand and grasping tight onto a knobby knife in the other.

The whites of her eyes overwhelmed as a malicious smirk grew from under the hood and threw the flame as if it were a basketball being passed to him.

Ammara shoved him aside, causing him to stagger, with the inertia falling through to his baseball hat flying gracefully, only to be caught ablaze mid-air.

Ryeon watched, the flames illuminating the glitter underneath, a sickening wave welling up from the inside.

He stared intently at first the mess, then, at Ammara, expecting her to do something.

“Do something!”

The ice melted, who then replied with the same level of emotion.

“You can control water!”

He hesitantly looked down at his hands, tightening the position of his hands.

A moment passes. And another. And one more. Nothing happens.

A slight gasp escapes his lips as his sister scurries around him, finally setting out the fire.

The remains of the hat gently arose, revealing an ash-bathed turtle shell. They silently hoped it would move, sharing a moment of silence.

From the shell first came out the front claws, then the back claws, then the tiny little tail and, finally, the small head. The oncoming wave only splashed little droplets onto them.

He led the little pal to his destination, the crystalline water clearing away most of the ash, while she inspected the new sand trails of footprints leaping adjacent to the waterline.