All Chapters of Flames in my heart: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

“Please don’t send me away. I can’t be alone,” I begged. “Clara, it’s only until you learn to control your powers,” my mother said, her expression softening with a quiet, sorrowful weight. I never asked for this, I think my mother forgets this. “I can’t do this on my own,” I whispered, swallowing back the lump in my throat. “You know I can’t.” “You have no choice. It isn’t safe for you here anymore.” Her eyes darted to the floor, avoiding mine. A familiar numbness washed over me. I was so tired of feeling like no one wanted me around. She was probably right, as usual. “Fine,” I muttered, turning away before she could watch the my first tear fall. Her heavy footfalls echo towards the hall, followed by the soft, thud of my bedroom door closing. *** Flames climbed up the shed wall, bright and angry. Not again. The fire moved fast, igniting the dry wood. I focused on the heat, reaching out with my mind to force the flames down, but as usual they ignored me. No wonder my mothe

The morning after the fire, I sat over my empty breakfast plate, mustering the strength to call my mother. She wasn’t someone I looked forward to talking to under normal circumstances so I was dreading this conversation. That familiar, cold weight was already settling in the pit of my stomach. Why did I let her make me feel like this? I decided to get it over with. I pick up my phone and for some reason it feels heavier than a brick. She answered on the third ring. “Hello?” “Hi, Mom.” “How are you doing, honey?” At least she sounded like she was in a good mood. Which was only going to make this harder. I had to tell her about the shed, and the fact that I’d managed to destroy yet another piece of property that she couldn’t tell the insurance company about. I knew what she’d be thinking before I even said it: Six months out there, and still zero progress. “I had an accident yesterday,” I said, my voice tight. A heavy pause stretched over the line. “Oh dear. What kind of acciden

It’s been a week and Ben is coming over today to get started on rebuilding the shed. I hear a large truck coming down the driveway. The supplies for the shed are being delivered, finally. I was ready to get back to painting. I’m glad they are here today because I am expected my mother tomorrow and it would just give her another reason to be snippy if they were late. Two men get out and start unloading materials onto the lawn in front of the Bunkie. I am eager to see Ben again, so I grab my phone and dial his number. “I’ve been waiting for you to call” he answered right away. “But how did you know if me was calling?”I asked a little weirded out. “Lucky guess and I heard a large truck with a lot of supplies headed that way about twenty minutes ago” he said. That makes sense he does live down the road. “When can you start?” I asked. “Lucky for you, right now,” he said, “I’ll be over soon.” Shortly after we speak Ben shows up in on a big red motorcycle. “Nice ride” I said.

I wake up to the sound of my mom's voice saying, “of course you’re still in bed, likely why there’s been no progress with your powers.” No… why is she here so early? My mother thinks everyone should be awake and working at the crack of dawn. She also has a hard time accepting not everyone is like her. I jump out of bed and rush to put on some clothes. She’s in the living room sitting on the couch waiting for me. My mother looks just like I do. Short, with a small build, we both have brown hair, blue eyes, and we have freckles all over our bodies. You would think since we look so much alike, we would have more in common with each other, but it is the complete opposite. I’ve always wondered if she actually liked me. “Did you forget I was coming today?” She asked clearly annoyed. “No, I just didn’t realize you were going to be here this early, especially since it’s quite the drive” I muttered under my breath. “Excuses. Come outside I need your help unloading some stuff” she d

A week has gone by quickly, Ben has finished building the shed. He did a great job and it looks better than it did before. I can’t wait to get back to painting. We have been spending a lot of time together and I am growing quite fond of his presence. I’ve never been in love before, but I think this what it must feel like. I hear his motorcycle coming down my driveway and head outside to meet him. “Come on, I’m going to take you for a ride” he said playfully. “When?” I asked. “Now obviously” he laughed. “What do you mean now? Where are you taking me?” I didn’t like surprises very much. “I guess you’ll have to wait and find out” he said, “and you should go pack a bag and a towel. Leave the rest up to me.”I am not usually so trusting but Ben has proven himself to me, so I do as he says and packed a small bag with clothing and toiletries. I head back outside where he is waiting on the porch. “Ready?” He says as he throws my bag in the small trunk. “As ready as I’m ever