Blue Lightning

By the time I stepped outside, the leaves were on fire. The smoke lifted high into the darkness and the crackling of the blaze carried out into the silence of the night. I was in a trance; I couldn't look away if my life depended on it. Did I do this? No, I couldn't have.

The sirens knocked me out of my trance and I backed away, slowly at first, before finally turning and running inside.

I stared at my hands. This wasn't my fault. 'I told you it's not safe here. Your power is too much for you to control at the moment. Now, how are you going to explain this to the police? Yet alone your parents?'

I look up at my mentor, his orange eyes staring daggers at me. If looks could kill...

'I didn't think... I-' He shoots me a look and I shut up. 'Of course, you didn't think! What was it thinking, passing on red's power to a kid?' He shakes his head.

'I'm not a kid!' I protest. 'I didn't do that..' I whisper. 'I saw it! The lighting! It struck the tree again.' I exclaim.

He crosses his arms. 'The lighting doesn't cause fires. It only strikes and hits, then draws the chosen one to what it struck. Don't lie to me, Autumn.'

I clench my fists. 'You think I'm lying? I would never lie about something like this! Now tell me. What is blue's power?'

I see his jaw clench and he shakes his head. 'You don't need to know right now.'

I open my fist and face my palm toward him. A small flame dances in it. 'I think I do need to know. You can't keep it hidden forever! Red, the power of fire. There are five main colors, but I only know one! What color comes next?!'

His eyes dart behind me and he pushes past me and heads out of the house. I turn and follow him, still angry. The anger quickly fades and is soon replaced by shock.

A boy, around the same age as me, stands before the tree with his hands before him.

From his hands, he shoots water. The tree sizzles and the smoke builds. 'The next color... Is blue. Power to control water and it's temperature. Later he will find out how to make water into ice.'

My mentor faces a man in a blue suit. Another hero, just like him. 'Blue, it's nice to see you again. This is my apprentice.' My mentor smiles and proudly nods down at me.

I smile shyly and wave. 'Hi, I'm Red's apprentice. My name's-'

'No need to know. Our names are private; they aren't to be shared.' He then waves me off and turns to the boy, who had extinguished the flames.

'Now if you excuse me, I have a lot of explaining to do.'

My mentor leads me back inside and I watch from the window as blue escapes with his new apprentice. 'Will I ever see him again?'

My mentor rests his hands on my shoulder. 'Of course. You two are destined to lead the colors together. When you have the proper amount of training you will meet again but at that time I'm afraid I won't be by your side. My time as a hero is coming to an end, as it does when you receive an apprentice. But you don't need to worry about that. Your journey has only just begun..'

I shrug him off. 'It's not fair. I don't even get to know his name! How would I get ahold of him in times of need?'

He turns me around to face him. 'Autumn, there's nothing you need to worry about right now. I'm still the leader of the colors, I'm still a hero. I will deal with everything. You're just here to stand aside and learn.'

I look up at him, our eyes meeting. 'But I want more than that. I want to be out there with you! I want to be a hero. Please, sir, teach me all you know. Help me become the greatest hero they've ever known. I'm tired of sitting aside, of waiting for other people to fix my problems. Let me use my power for good!'

He watches me for a few seconds longer before finally shaking his head. 'I'm sorry, Autumn. I just can't allow that. You're the next leader, which means we can't risk anything. I'm not letting you get hurt just because you're tired of sitting on the sidelines. You'll get your chance when you prove to me you are capable of leading the colors. But even then, you can't become a leader until I step down. That's the rules. Nothing you do can change this.'

I growl and push past him, running up the stairs and into my room, slamming the door shut.

I'll show him. I'll show them all! I am ready to become a leader, and he knows it. There must be another way for me to become a leader, one where he doesn't get a choice.

'Oh, isn't this just perfect? Young lady, I think I can help you. I know the perfect way for you to get what you want.' I gasp and turn to see a tall blonde man in my window sill.

I take a step back, my back hitting the door. 'No need to worry, miss. I just want to help.'

'What's the catch?'

He smiles, a dark, brooding smile.

'Oh, nothing much. Just that you stand by my side. You want to be a leader, right? Well, I can help with that. Come with me. I can help you. I can make you stronger.'

His eyes glow and I feel a pull, something tugging me toward him. My body was moving against my will. I took slow steps toward him. 'Will you come with me, Autumn?'

'Yes, my lord.' I heard myself say. He grabbed my arms and pulled me to his chest. 'Perfect.'

And then we were off, into the darkness. From then on the only light that would ever reach me would be the ones I put forth from my hands.

Not a soul knew where I had gone. I just disappeared. Vanished into the night.

Little did they know that one day I would come back, stronger and much more powerful than they had ever imagined.

There was nothing they could do about it, either. Red's power was forever going to be passed down into the darkness. Well, that's what the plan was.

Too bad all good things must come to an end.

From the darkness arose a new power, one that could destroy mine. And from then on the only thing the world knew was war. A war between darkness and light.

Betrayal, regret, hatred, love, sadness, and fear. The story of Autumn.