ELEMENTALS

FIRE

Dinah understands it was her fault why she ended up in that orphanage. A massive guilt she carries for a long time now weighed her like tons of rocks on her shoulders. And the guilt for all the other things she has burned were piled up, gnawing slowly at her, inside out. She doesn't know how to make up for all of it. She tried to be nice and gentle to compensate for her terrible actions but there is something in her that can only be described as rage.

Rage and anger she can't seem to get rid off. And even if she's been struggling to understand herself, she does get it why no one ever wanted to be her foster parents. She is different. She is cursed.

Cursed with fire.

No one else knows how much of a fire hazard she literally is. Not even Riley or Maya knows about it. The first two people who has become her source of what little piece of serenity she has since losing her parents.

How she managed to keep it a secret was beyond her comprehension. Considering her unstable self, she cannot take the risk of people knowing. She might end up hurting them. And she will not allow herself to hurt either Riley or Maya or the little kids in the orphanage. She won't be able to take it, since losing her parents was the worst thing she could ever endure.

And it was all her fault.

Mentally refusing to dwell in that darker thought, she entered another store. She willed herself to think of the most calming thoughts to prevent herself from sparking another fire.

She thought of Seth's big bright eyes and Auggie's cute little smile. She thought of Regina's soft giggles and Ava's happy dance. She thought of Riley's poetry and Maya's guitar strumming.

She thought of the little things her little family did and smiled.

Calm and collected, Dinah briskly picked food items and placed it in her cart. Humming to continually keep herself relaxed, she didn't notice the dark haired girl trailing behind her. She didn't notice until she reached the fruit section.

Reaching for some peaches that Maya is so fond of, Dinah looked up and met the light green eyes of the strange dark haired girl. For some reason, the eye contact caused her to feel some sort of pull. The girl grinned and Dinah felt herself blush. She knows the concept of attraction and crushes but never, for the life of her, she found herself attracted to anyone or had a crush. She was so wrapped up dealing with her abnormality to even acknowledge the physical beauty of another human being, whether it's a male or a female.

However, upon seeing this dark haired girl with light green eyes, Dinah is convinced that this girl is absolutely attractive.

Still with her strong resolve to keep calm and carry on, Dinah continued humming a tune as she picked on fresh fruits. She can sense that the strange attractive girl was looking at her. And the feeling was starting to bug her and the relaxing effects of her humming are about to wear off.

I can't lose control again...

"Hi..."

Frozen, Dinah found herself staring at the peaches in both of her hands when she heard that husky voice. She didn't turn. She just stared awkwardly at the peaches.

"Those are nice looking peaches..." The strange girl said.

She blinked. Slowly, she faced the other girl and politely smiled, "Yeah... It is,"

"You are Dinah Jane Hansen. Correct?"

Once again she froze.

Unable to form coherent words because her tongue felt frozen as well. If there's anything that isn't frozen in Dinah, it was her thundering heartbeat and racing mind.

Not too many people know her full name. Just Riley, Maya, the orphanage directress and her boss at the gift shop she's employed at since she was fifteen. The kids doesn't know her full name, and the few people in their neighborhood whom she managed to be cordial with only know her by her first name. Regina even had the audacity to call her Dinah Vagina, to the horror of anyone who heard it. That pretty much sums up everything.

And considering her tragic history with fire, she doesn't go around flaunting her full name.

"Hey, it's okay" the strange girl saw her tense up and took a slow tentative step closer to her, "I don't mean any harm. I want to help you, and in turn you can help me too,"

She doesn't want to accept what she thinks the strange girl was insinuating and Dinah found herself gulping nervously as she felt that familiar heat again. Running and flowing through her, unrestrained, insistent and strong. She shut her eyes tightly, her jaw clenched. She willed the robust energy that's threatening to burst another flame out of her.

"My name is Lena..." The girl spoke again, closer to her this time, "...and I have the same power as you do. I can help you,"

Dinah's eyes flared open, blazing red. The next thing she saw was black...

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