Fire is one of the strongest elements." His voice was strong, compelling. "It is also very finicky and one of the only elements which can hurt it's master.

Fire can't burn you. Of course, you must be thinking about those countless times you may have touched a hot iron or stove or dropped some scalding water on yourself. That was when your element wasn't ascertained." He paused, eyes roaming over to make sure we were all listening. "You, as elementals, are not born with the ability to control one certain element. You are born with the ability to control several elements. It is that one element which gets stronger, it depends on your lineage mostly, but sometimes how a person is raised, their personality, their surroundings. Everything plays a factor in it."

This was new. So, either my parents were Fire elementals or someone in my lineage was. It could also be how I've had to move from place to place and continuously change but wouldn't that mean becoming Water? Constantly fluid, never in one place, always adapting to change?

But I'm Fire. This is slightly confusing. I'll get over it.

"How many of you know about the triangle?" Silence. "The triangle firefighters use?"

Realisation passed through me as murmurs built in the crowd. I hesitantly raised my hand to shoulder level and glanced around to see others slowly doing the same.

His sharp gaze ran over the four of us who'd build up courage to face him. His eyes locked onto mine. "You." He barked. "What's your name?"

I dropped my hand. "Fiera." I answered clearly, my voice was steady.

He cocked an eyebrow as a surname didn't make it's appearance and then let it pass. "Answer."

"The triangle." I began. "Heat, Fuel and Oxygen."

He nodded approval. "Good. That's it." I hid a smug smile. I liked being a teacher's pet. "The heat and the fuel, these both are provided by our body. We don't burn, our energy burns. We have a reserve." He pressed a hand to his toned stomach. "But that reserve has a limit, one you absolutely cannot go beyond. This is your first lesson: Know your limits. Going beyond your limits will kill you."

He looked over all of us to make sure the lesson had sunk in. I'd already been told this. I did play with what I could do at home but no longer than five or ten minutes. Even that exhausted me. Maybe with practice I could push or increase my limits. Mr. Leaf said there would be self-defense. Self-defense mixed with elemental training would be interesting.

"Know this now," his daughter spoke this time. Her voice was equally commanding but in a soft, lilting way. If I hadn't seen her here, I would have assumed she was Air. She had a soothing quality around her. "If you reach your limits during training, you can stop. There is no compulsion for you to continue and we won't force you to. If you're worrying about grades, don't. This class doesn't have any. You're evaluated in your practical performance at the end of each term. You can practice whatever you want, whenever you want. This gym is open 24/7. Once we teach you everything you need to know, you have free reign. Got it?"

Her eyes narrowed and the calming air around her turned cold. "Till then you will not try anything by yourself. Even if it's been passed down thought your family for generations or you've made it yourself. Do it in your own damn time. When you're here, you'll listen to us."

Her father rolled his eyes at her tough guy stance. "You could have at least introduced us." He joked to her before turning to us. "I am Ryan Ash. This is my daughter, Rhaeya Ash. Now that everything is out of the way including precautions and," he gestured to Rhaeya. "... rules. Everybody, go keep your bags and assemble in lines in front of me."

The crowd slowly dispersed.

"Faster!" Rhaeya snapped.

The crowd quickly dispersed.

I jogged over to the closest metal chair and dumped my bag, followed it with a swig of water and ran back. Shuffling to a random place beside a few people already standing there, I tried to keep my body relaxed. I wanted to jump with giddy excitement. I opted for tapping my foot and looking around once more.

I didn't see any windows here or any ventilation. The torches should have made this room heated and unbearable. I looked back up at the ceiling once more, squinting a little. I could make out small darker squares at equal intervals but nothing beyond that. The ceiling mural gave this whole room a warm bright feel but the walls and the floor covered with black tiles made it feel like a glimpse of hell.

They really didn't want students to feel welcome here. Or comfortable. But I guess that's the point of fire. Prickly, dangerous, fickle, foe, friend, companion.

I forced my attention back to the front. The mural was beautiful... hypnotizing, rather. I could get lost in it but there will be enough time to admire it later. Right now, eyes ahead.

Everybody was in line and once again, quietly waiting for them to begin. And begin they did.

"What do you see when you look at us?" Was his first question.

I blinked and then frowned. A tank top, muscled skinhead with the patience of a glacier? A girl with the figure of an Olympic athlete and temperament of a bulldog? What kind of question is this? If I wanted my eyesight tested, I'd go to the doctor.

There was an annoyed sigh from Rhaeya when no one spoke. "Look closely. At our outlines. What do you see?"

My eyes shifted slightly and I narrowed them once more. It took a while but I noticed a wavering effect in the air around them, like they were radiating heat.

"A mirage?" Said a guy tentatively, somewhere to my right.

Rhaeya frowned but Mr. Ryan nodded. "You're not correct but what we're doing is radiating heat. Enough to bend the air around us and give it the look of a mirage."

"This is called an aura." He finally names it. "Your clothes aren't fireproof. No clothes are fireproof. So before we begin any pyro-kinetics here, you're all going to have to learn to do this. Or all your clothes will go up in flames."

A girl gasped softly and the guy beside me glanced down at his shirt fearfully. Must be his favorite. I glanced down at my clothes as well. A pair of jeans, hoodie. I'm wearing a tank top under the hoodie. I guess I can save one of the articles of clothing then.

"We will be learning about aura for now." He continued. I looked up from my self-inspection. "It requires extreme focus and concentration because you need to spread it thinly all over your body. If you concentrate it in one place too much, it will go up in flame. If you concentrate less, when you actually start playing with fire, carry an extra pair of clothes unless you want to walk home naked."

A couple of us chuckled. Ryan cracked a smirk too. "From tomorrow onwards, start wearing shorts and tanks, or half sleeves. Even through winter. But always get an extra pair of clothes. Even after you've mastered it, get an extra pair of clothes— accidents happen."

Rhaeya barked out a command to spread out and separate into two lines facing her. I unzipped my hoodie, jogged back alongside some others to keep it before joining the second line. Rhaeya took her dad's place. She'd be commanding this circus act.

"Okay." She took a deep breath. Her voice was low, soft. "Let's start. Spread your legs a little, not much. Just ground yourself, relax. Now close your eyes and just breathe slowly..."

The world disappeared as I followed her instructions. My breathing was slow, yet deep and I could hear others around me. I could feel the power deep in my belly once more as my mind cleared and my body relaxed. Captain Bad Guy here was actually pretty soothing when she wanted to be.

"Keep your minds clear and tap into that power that you can feel in your core. Reach deep and touch it. Let it spread through your whole body, make a thin film. Keep circulating it, keep it pulsing. Your aura should remain constant and the same at all places. Imagine it originating from your core. Your center."

I listened to her and reached for my power. It came more easily now that I've done it so many times and the familiar euphoria spread through me. A smile automatically tugged at my lips as my body started tingling. First my upper body and then my lower body. It pulsed under my skin and I pushed it out, imagining it like a skintight jumpsuit.

The tingling disappeared and instead a warm glow suffused my entire body. My tank top felt constricting, warm and my jeans were annoying. The warmth flickered and I quickly pushed it out of my mind.

Soon, I realised that my reserves weren't very deep and spreading it all over my body was taxing. My lips parted as I tried to breathe deeply and maintain it.

"Very good, guys. Very good." Came Ryan's voice from somewhere behind me.

It startled me and once again, the aura wavered. Forcing it back on track was becoming much harder.

Some time went by, Ryan would occasionally throw in encouragements and you could get a whiff of Ms. Rhaeya's perfume here and there. People would yelp in surprise and there was would be the sound of stamping feet as someone caught on fire. I opened my eyes once to look and my fingers ignited. The fires were small and on my fingertips, dying out once I shook my hand.

Keeping my eyes open after that, I dared a glance around. Everybody was radiating heat, some more than other. Sweat, concentration and exhaustion dominated their faces and once or twice, a girl swayed. Then I caught Mr. Ryan's eye and he just stared at me. Feeling caught, I quickly turned my head straight and closed my eyes.

"It's reaching fifteen minutes." Came her low, soothing voice again. "Time for a break. Take a deep breath and imagine your aura withdrawing to your core. Pull it back in, reel it like a troublesome fish."

I chuckled at the visual imagery before taking a deep breath. The jumpsuit was gone and the tingling was under my skin again, lower in its intensity. It didn't take a lot of prompting from me before it rushed home. My eyes opened and I let out a huge breath, throwing my head back.

It seemed like a blanket had been pulled off me, like I had a high fever. I was sweating all over and my tank top was halfway wet. At least it's a dark enough color. A wave of exhaustion washed through me and my legs shook slightly as I had to take another reinforcing breath.

"Good job." I jumped at the voice behind me. My head whipped around with wide eyes to see Mr. Ryan standing behind me. "I didn't mean to scare you." He laughed.

I nodded after a moment to acknowledge the compliment "Thank you. Miss Rhaeya is a good teacher."

"Use our first names. "He chuckled as he turned to walk away. His blue eyes had been a lot bluer up close. "She learned from the best. It's only her second year here."

"Okay!" Her voice forced my head back to the front. "Good job, everyone. Minimum to no fires today, easily containable. Probably just beginner's luck but go and rest for five minutes. We'll be back at it for another fifteen minutes till the hour is over and then move on to theory. It'll be a short period of rest before self-defense and I swear to god, if all of your don't leave here with aching muscles today, my name isn't Rhaeya."

She was confusing. Trying to be lighthearted and demeaning at the same time mixed with a little bit of bad guy. I liked her personality and the way she talked. Very self-assured and... intense.

And once the training session was over, I could say with certainty that she wouldn't have to change her name.

Every muscle in my body hurts. My mind felt stretched to its limit. My tank was soaked with sweat and this bag weighed like a ton of bricks with about three books in it. My classmates and I shuffled out of the gym like zombies. I need to visit the bathroom. My bottle is empty as well. I need water. My shuffling turned towards the school instead of the parking lot, Eric had promised me a ride home. I doubt I was taking it because work was in the other direction. A twenty minute walk. God, I feel like shit.

I placed my bag on the sink in the washroom before switching on the tap and shoving my head under it. I didn't care if anyone saw me, I needed to cool down. The water felt heavenly on my head as it ran through my hair and dripped down my face. From my nose and my lips. Using one hand, I pushed the rest of it to the front for a chance under the water. Once I was done, I looked like a cat dipped in water.

Didn't matter. The water that dripped down my back felt good. I wiped my face before heading out once more, refilled my bottle and left the school building. Eric and Flo leaned against the car as they talked, obviously waiting for me. I walked over and they glanced over me.

"I'd heard the training to be a Fire Elementalist was hell but you look like you just ran a marathon, Fi." Eric greeted me. What a sweet guy.

"Why is your hair wet? Why is your tank top wet? Did you just take a bath in the girl's washroom?" Her nose crinkled in disgust and I nodded in answer.

"Training is hell." I began. "Even the inside of that place looks like a corner of hell. Black marble tiles and walls, torches along the wall. Actual torches, guys. The real deal, fire, cloth and medieval handle. The ceiling has a huge mural of a burning fire and the gym is the size of a football field." I stopped my rant to glance over them, they looked like they'd just come from a walk in the park.

Flo's hair was messy, windswept. Eric had a leaf stuck on his shirt and mud on cheek. "You guys look like nothing happened during the three hours." My words were accusatory.

They both nodded. Eric went first. "We learnt mainly small things. Rejuvenating a plant, learning how to maintain an aura to attract animals. Introductions took about an hour."

"There was nothing much in ours either." Flo agreed. "We learned how to play with the wind a little, auras were there too. Self-defense was fun."

"Fun?!" I exclaimed. These guys did have a walk in the park. Literally, for Eric. "Self-defense was hell! My body hurts! She went at all of us individually and threw me down on the mat eight times! I got bruises on my back!"

They grimaced but that was all the pity I would get. I waved my hand dismissively and let my anger pass. "Never mind. We've all got different teachers and elements. Anyway, I'm not coming with you two. I have to go to Anchor. I missed my shift on Saturday so I have to make up for it now."

Flo cocked an eyebrow. "Really? You do know you smell, right? There's no way your boss will let you in in that state."

I shrugged. "I can't go home and make it back in time for my shift to start. I have to go like this." I scratched my head as I started turning away. "I was planning to change into my hoodie before leaving. See you later, guys."

"Text me." Eric threw back as Flo waved.

Brett was a lean, muscular guy. With a well trimmed beard, his black hair fell to his shoulders which he kept tied in a short ponytail. He was working behind the counter when I walked in and his face lit up. His brown eyes crinkling at edges as he smiled at me. I'd changed, as per Flo's kind suggestions, into the hoodie and strained out all the water from my wet hair. I was hopefully looking passable.

"Fiera!" He called out. The one customer sitting there at this hour glanced up at me before turning back to the book he was reading. Brett picked up a rag to wipe his hands before coming out from behind the counter. He was wearing a black shirt over an apron. "Welcome! How are you?"

"Good." I answered with an easy smile. "First day training has left me with a bunch of bruises so, I apologize if I'm slow around the kitchen."

He laughed loudly and gestured towards the counter. I started walking to it and he stayed beside me. "No worries. There aren't exactly a lot of orders coming in at this hour."

I chuckled with him. He'd already given me a tour of the kitchen, so I set to work baking. I made a few thing Mich taught. A few sausage rolls, chocolate croissants, chocolate muffins with vanilla cream filling, mint chocolate muffins with a small piece of mint chocolate inside. Brett loved it all.

He threw open the doors of his café and the smell of baking goodies started attracting customers. Mint chocolate muffins were selling faster than anything. We were out soon. I made walnut brownies, triple chocolate brownies, cookies, éclairs and many other treats to impress Brett and keep him happy.

Happy would be an understatement. He would jump around me excitedly before going out to check on people. Then he would jump around the oven while they baked. Ignoring various warning about the goods being hot, he would pop it in his mouth and moan in delight. A guy had arrived and he was at the cash counter. Self-service was in full effect, there was no place to sit.

This was fun. But hearing a 23-year-old man moan was not my cup of tea.