As the nurse touches my arm with the syringe, I close my eyes and try to relax. A prick makes me flinch, then a soothing warmth pulls me into the darkness, it gets warmer but it's comfortable.

A feeling of being completed surges through me, it's as if I've been missing something my entire life and I just found it. I could never go back to the way it was, there is such comfort in this warmth. I float in a beautiful bed of fire, wait fire? 

Screams pull me back to consciousness, steam covers everything but my eyes are drawn to the scale. My breaths come short and fast as I process what I'm seeing, I look around frantically.

The glass is melted along with everything else to the bleachers where it only started to melt. Shrieks and wailing floats around and sirens sound, the nurse treats students with the worst burns. I start to drown in panic, the moon girl raises her hands and a wave extinguishes the small flames that litter the floor. Exhaustion fills my body and soothing darkness invades my mind and I succumb to the black and collapse.

I lose control of my flames and the three bullies scream but all too quickly they turn into my mother, flame licks up her legs and she screams. I try to control the fire but I make it worse, my mother's hair lights on fire and she screams as her scalp burns. Her skin melts off her face and body and I scream in terror. My mother's skeleton tries to talk but the muscles holding her jaw together start to burn as well.

I wake up with a jolt, I blink as I take in my surroundings. Small beds line the walls with thin curtains to separate them, blaring white lights burn into my eyes, and all signs point to me being in the nurse's office, the nurses rush around using their abilities as skins to heal the groaning patients on the beds around me. I jolt up into a sitting position and a head rush bringing back my memories of this morning awards me. That's when I notice the girl sitting next to me, not just any girl but the moon girl. I scramble back almost afraid that if she touches me that she'll melt away like my dream.

"Hey, it's ok," the girl says, she reaches out a hand as if to lay it on my shoulder but hesitates when she sees my fear. I stare into her eyes and she stares in mine, the longer we stare the more my panic rises up like boiling water but before I can drown she speaks and lifts me out of the ocean of fear.

"My name is Iris, I'm a river with a power level of 90. You don't have to worry, you won't hurt me" with that she lays a hand on my shoulder, and a sense of calm washes over me. With it comes a little bravery too, enough to surface the growing storm in my mind.

"Wha.." I say, my hoarse voice surprises me but I clear my throat and try again, "What happens now?" I look down afraid to meet her eyes and find an answer in them.

"Well, your mother was called and she's coming to pick you up," I nod but the tension doesn't leave my body and Iris finds that there were two meanings to the question, "Tomorrow you'll come to school and with your permission, I will stay with you all day classes and all. I will act as a safety guard in case you lose control and I will keep others from getting hurt," she explains, I release a breath and sigh, at least they're not sending me away. But she continues staring at me expecting another response. 

"I give my permission, I guess?"I say, the words seem a bit foreign and I cringe. The door bangs open and I hear the thunk of my mother's boots, I look up to see her with a frown.

"There you are honey!" she says as soon as she sees me, she runs to me in a green dress and her usual braid crown. She hugs me and sighs, " Let's get you home, where we can talk alone." she eyes Iris and causes her cheeks to flush a soft pink. I flush myself as she notices my staring and cocks her head like a cat and looks at me.

I scoot to the edge of the bed and stand up on wobbly legs grabbing my mother's arm for support. We walk out of the office, it takes all of my willpower to not look back at Iris and beg for a secret tunnel out of the school.          

  As the door opens thousand of eyes stare at me, and kids line the walls and get treated for their burns. My eyes stick to my feet like glue and my head fills with the wish to melt into the ground and disappear. My mother squeezes my hand and I look up, her face speaks of determination, and stares straight ahead with her head held up high. I copy her and stare straight ahead, murmurs follow us but all I can think of is Iris and what she thinks about it all.