Ria leads me to her house and when we arrive at the door her mother greets us with a smile. She's wearing bell bottom jeans and a white shirt that has loads of dirt stains. She gladly opens the door and when I step in Ria beckons me towards her room.

She sits on the bed with an awkward stance, I chuckle at her nervous expression.

"So, I thought we should talk about what happened on both ends and what will happen moving forward." I state, she just nods once more and I laugh again.

"I'll go first, I have been bullied by those girls since the first day of school. When they found out my power level of 90 they tried to recruit me and when I found out what they wanted to use my powers for I refused to use my abilities with them and on them." I squeeze my eyes shut so I don't see the pity in her eyes when I said the next part,

"They started hurting me to get me to use them and when I refused they claimed that it was just the release they needed after school." I finish and unclench my eyes, a burning anger seemed to rage in her eyes but all she said was,

"What. Did. They. Ask. You. To . Do." She said each word with clenched teeth as if she was trying to hold back her own anger, in my surprise I just blurted out my response,

"Drown other kids if they did not do as the twins asked." I blink at the suddenness of my answer and I look to Ria.

She seems as if she's about to blow up in flames so I pull water from the air to coat my hands. As per usual a feeling of comfort flows through me and I put my water coated hands on her face. The water steams away put I replace it with the steam from the air .

" It's ok, I'm ok. No point in getting mad now, let's just go back to my starry hill." She breathes deeper and slower and eventually the steam stops and her face returns to a calm demeanor.

" Weren't you saying something about ice scream"

I ask, she laughs a bright chorus of
bells and I can't help but join in with her.
Before I know it I'm on her bed with a bowl of ice cream and we're giggling like little girl in a candy shop. All too soon we have both finished our ice cream and Ria sits uncomfortably on the bed.

" Guess it's my turn then" she mutters, "Well I guess the story starts when much like you I was being picked on for being a late bloomer and when I manifested the skin on their hands were not so lucky."

She takes a deep breath and continues. "I keep having these nightmares where my mother is burning alive in a fire of my own making as she begs me to stop..." she hunches over and I hear sniffles, "I'm sorry, I-I just can't" she whisperers,

"It's ok, you don't have to go any further" I rub her back and she calms herself down,

" how about this, tomorrow let's stay together and we won't let those girls bully us ok." She nods, "I'll leave you to be by yourself, see you tomorrow" I get up from the bed but her hand grabs my wrist and I turn back to see Ria looking at me.

"Please don't go" she turns her head away and I smile,

"Of course" we get on the bed and lay down next to each other slowly drifting away into sleep.
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Sorry about the no post last week, things got very hectic very fast. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!