Blair Firespark's Arc

Chapter 7 of 8

Blair stood on the cottage porch with her walkie talkie in both hands. She pointed it toward the playground where kids were running and shouting. The device stayed dark. She moved it left toward the swings. Still nothing. Then she aimed it at the path that led past the cherry tree. The walkie talkie lit up bright and warm. Blair's fire jumped in her chest. A kid was walking down the path wearing a necklace with a round stone that had flower patterns carved all over it. The medallion caught the light and sparkled. Blair took three steps forward and stopped. The kid wasn't coming toward her cottage. The path curved past the cherry tree and led straight to Warren's area where his pink tent stood with purple crystals hanging from the top and little wooden platform in front of it. Already a bunch of kids were sitting on benches around the platform waiting for Warren to do his floating tricks. Blair's fire got tiny and cold. She couldn't just watch the special kid walk right into Warren's trap. But if she ran over there and grabbed the kid, Warren would see her walkie talkie and know she had a detector too. He might even steal it. Blair looked back at her cottage with its signs and gold shield and Mr. Flamey waiting inside. The special kid needed to see what Blair had built, not Warren's stupid floating show. She squeezed the walkie talkie and made a choice. She ran down the porch steps and straight toward the kid on the path. "Wait!" Blair called out. The kid stopped and turned around. Blair held up the glowing walkie talkie so the kid could see it lighting up. "You're special. I can tell. But you're going the wrong way." She pointed back at her cottage with its protective signs. "That's where special kids go when they need a real team, not just tricks." The kid looked at Blair's cottage, then at Warren's tent where kids were clapping as Warren started to float above the platform. The kid's hand touched the medallion. "What kind of team?" Blair's fire warmed up again. She opened her special book and showed the kid the empty pages with purple glitter already waiting. "The kind that remembers you and keeps you safe. The kind that asks what you need instead of just showing off." The kid looked at the tent one more time, then back at Blair's cottage. "Can I see inside first?" Blair nodded and led the kid toward the pink walls and flowers, her walkie talkie still glowing steady in her hand. Warren had his crowd, but Blair had won her first real recruit by offering something better than a show.