Splinters In Time

"Good morning." Lydia came downstairs the following day to see Lili cooking breakfast in the kitchen. "You're up early!"

"Well, you know what they say. The early bird catches the worm and all that." The frying pan sizzled on the stove.

Heading over to her seat at the breakfast table, Lydia sat down. Dishing up eggs and bacon, Lili carried the two plates over. "So, I was thinking, since Dad and Esther are going to be out most of the day, we might as well make use of the time."

Not having forgotten how things went yesterday, Lydia eyed Lili warily as she put the food down in front of her. As peace offerings went, it wasn't bad at all.

A sly grin crept across Lili's face. "How about we do some training?"

***

Breakfast eaten and dressed for the day, Lydia joined Lili out in the garden. "So, where do we start? Are you going to teach me to throw fireballs from my hands or something?" She mimed the action, punctuating it with the sounds of explosions.

Leaning against the low wall that separated Esther's vegetable patch from the rest of the garden, Lili shook her head, amused at her sister's antics. "No, not quite yet." Reaching into her jacket pocket, she pulled out a matchbox. "How do you feel about playing with some matches?"

Lydia figeted, rocking on her heels and swinging her arms back and forth. "I mean, yeah... but isn't that a bit basic?"

"Oh, so if I gave you one now and told you to light it with your powers, you'd be able to do it no problem, right?" She smiled as Lydia shook her head. "Patience. You don't even know what we're doing yet." Clearing her throat, Lili straightened her back as she stood free of the wall. "So, the thing with your powers is, we've got to figure out how it works. What makes it go, what makes it stop, what makes it better, what makes it worse. Once you figure out that, well, the rest just all comes down to practice really."

Opening the box, Lili reached inside and pulled out one of the matches. Carefully she laid it on top of the low brick wall. "Now, light the match."

"Hey, I thought you said I didn't know what we were doing!"

"You do now. Light the match. —With your powers." Lili added, reading the expression on Lydia's face. "Not with the box or by striking it against the brick."

Laughing at herself, Lydia backed up a little. She fidgeted some more, scuffing at the floor with her boot, not quite sure what to do.  Steeling herself, she focused on the match, trying to imagine setting it alight. She pictured fire shooting from her hands or eyes,  burning up the small strip of wood.

Nothing happened.

Concentrating harder, Lydia narrowed her eyes. She tried thrusting out her hands towards it— one hand, both hands, like a wizard, like spiderman— she tried saying magic words under her breath, begging and pleading for it to work; every muscle clenched, she willed it to happen with all her might.

Still nothing.

Lydia's breath escaped in a rush— she had been so fixated, she hadn't even realised she was holding it. "It's not working!"

"Come on." Lili encouraged. "Think back to the last few times it happened."

"The last few times I did it by accident!"

"If you can do it by accident, you can do it on purpose."

Frustrated, Lydia kicked at the ground again. Giving herself a shake, she turned her attention back on the match. Casting back her mind, she thought about all the other times she had set things on fire— school, the bonfire, the barn, the trashcan— trying to capture what she was thinking, what she was feeling at the time. Then, something happened— a thought.

"... I don't think it works like this."

"What do you mean?"

"Every other time it's happened, there's been some kind of flame or heat source there already. I've just made it worse."

Lili considered her words. "... Alright." Picking up the match, Lili took out the matchbox and struck it against the side. She watched it burn for a moment before blowing it out. "Now try."

Lydia laughed nervously. "Not sure I'm comfortable doing this with you holding it like that. What if I blow your arm off or something?"

Lili waved the match tauntingly at Lydia. "Well, don't and we won't have a problem."

Taking a breath, Lydia closed her eyes. Something was different this time. Lydia felt like a livewire— electricity crackled beneath her skin, every hair standing on end. A strange energy coiled inside her, every neuron and nerve ending suddenly so very aware, waiting to ignite. "I... I can feel it."

Gathering all she had, Lydia riffled through her memories, trying to find that switch, that thing, whatever it was that made it work.

Hearing a sharp intake of breath from Lili, Lydia opened her eyes to see a tiny orange ember glowing on the tip of the match. Then, it sputtered out.

Lydia sighed in defeat, doubled over and panting.

Tossing the match into a bucket of water she had strategically placed nearby, Lili slid open the matchbox and took out another one. "Okay... forget trying to recreate what happened before— it's not working. Do you want to know the best piece of advice anyone ever gave me? Focus on one strong memory. Rather than scrabbling around with all these different thoughts and emotions— one strong memory. Something that really makes you feel, but also something that grounds you. Can you think of something like that?"

Lydia thought for a moment, then she nodded. "I think we can try again."

"Yeah?" Lili smiled as Lydia straightened up, dusting herself down and shaking herself awake.

Stepping back, Lili struck the match. "Breathe. Relax. It should come easy." She blew it out.

This time, Lydia thought about Battle of the Bands— the thrill and adrenaline of being up onstage with her keyboard, the lights, the crowd, the music. They were up against Corroded Coffin and if anything else, they had to beat them— she had to stomp Hawkins High into the ground and wipe that smug look off of Eddie Munson's face.

With a crackle, the match sparked to life.

— And then another thought crept into Lydia's mind. Eddie Munson. The party. The kiss.

The fire blazed white-hot, burning bright as it leapt up the stick. Lili dropped it as it singed her fingers, violently stamping it out. "Ow! Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Picking it back up, she dropped it in the bucket.

"... I'm sorry." Lydia stuttered. "I did say not to hold it—!"

"Oh, no— don't worry about that." Lili said, shaking her injured hand. "But... it was going so well. What happened?"

"I think... I just panicked."

Coming forward, Lili took Lydia's face in her hands. "You must not panic. The worst thing you can do is panic. Remember, the panic stops the power."

"The panic doesn't stop the power." Lydia grumbled. "Panic feeds the power until it all spirals away from me!"

"Lydia, you only have power when you're in control. Otherwise it has power over you." Chucking her sister under the chin, Lili stepped back. "You ready to try again?"

Lydia nodded. Feeling something wet under her nose, she wiped it on the back of her hand, only to find blood.

"Okay, that's a lot." Pulling out a tissue, Lili rushed over to pinch Lydia's nose. "Don't tip your head back, you'll choke. Maybe we should call it a stop for today— we can practice again another time, yeah?" Giving Lydia's shoulders a cheerful squeeze, Lili steered them both back inside.

A/N: I cannot believe it has taken me over a month to write this. I am so sorry! Anyway, I hope you like it. Fingers crossed the next chapter comes quicker.