I don’t know how to control the fire that burns desperate in my soul.

My parents saw my power early on and have just recently discovered it’s grave danger just after my seventeenth birthday.

And so I am now in front of Flametrove’s gates, awaiting for my mentor.

As the old iron engraved doors screech open, a tall, muscular man, no older than the age of eighteen, approaches me with a bored look.

“You’re with me.”

His voice is low, and enhancing, but has an edge of fire to it.

And so does his fingertips.

I see ruby red flames dancing along his callused hands.

After I am settled in a small bedroom, with plush blankets and a bathing room, the man leads me to a training yard.

The field is stone, no wood is near, fire is contained in this area.

Swords, bows, dummies, and weights are placed in several areas for the multiple fire-breathers training here.

That’s what I am, a fire-breather, named by the first of us born on the Red Moon centuries ago.

The man’s pine green eyes meet mine as he brushes his shoulder-length black hair out of his face.

With his low voice he says,

“I am Reven Valerie. I will be your mentor here.”

I simply nod.

“Now, ignite your flame.” He commands.

I freak.

And the memory hits.

My parents fighting in the kitchen, me holding my hands to my ears, breathing heavy, barely being able to contain that raging flame.

My father hits my mother, and the flames erupt.

My father covered in burns.

My mother sobbing out of fear.

Me shaking and ashamed.

Our house, burnt.

“Ignite.” Reven demands again.

I shake my head.

I can’t do it.

I can’t hurt another person.

“I don’t want to hurt you.” I say with shame, bowing my head, wiping my hot tears.

Reven steps closer and folds his arms.

“Look, you won’t hurt me. I’ve been training with flames my whole life. I’ve learned to master controlling all flame, including others. So even if things did go wrong, I could harness you flame from committing any danger or damage. Got it?”

I look up at Reven and feel the flame answer for me. It desperately wants out, to feel the wind in the air and swim in it.

Reven sees me calculating and again says with his stern voice,

“Ignite Kara.”

And so I do.

The fire bursts from within, climbing on my arms and wrapping around my legs like a snake.

I close my eyes and bring out every tether of flame from within.

It feels so good.

The heat moistens my skin, but the flame does not burn.

I do not let it.

I let flow and flow.

But then I can’t control it.

I open my eyes and feel that despair once again touch me.

My fire shoots at the walls, growing erratic, and burning.

Reven shouts, reaching his hands to try and harness the flame, but I am too strong.

“How do I stop!” I cry in desperation.

“How do I stop!”

I try to pull the flame back into my soul, I pled and pled with it.

‘Come back.’

‘Come back home’

I whisper to myself.

And finally it does.

With one swarm around Reven, it shoots back at me and knocks me off my feet.

I feel it again burn in my soul, happy with the burst of life it felt.

Reven runs over, surprise striking his beautiful features.

He offers a hand, but when I touch him, my skin still fumes from the flames, and he drops me from a burn.

He swears.

“I am so sorry-“

Before I could finish apologizing to the whole training area, the headmaster of Flametrove walks towards me with grace and a smirk.

With her enchanting voice, she says to Reven and I,

“Looks like Reven has found his other Phoenix.”

Shock covers my features, matching Reven’s.

I am a Phoenix, a fire-breather that holds the original flame gifted to us centuries ago?

And Reven-

“You two are the Phoenix pair. Your flames are destined for each other. How beautiful it is, Reven, to finally find your equal.” The headmaster smiles, so brightly that blue flames wrap around her body.

Reven hides his surprise and simply stalks off toward the watering station, not at all happy.

I am still in shock.

The headmaster walks towards me and helps me from the ground.

“Oh, darling Kara, Reven will warm up to you sooner than later. He has had a troubled past.”

A troubled past?

A past like mine?

“Miss, what does it mean that I am a Phoenix?”

And with a fiery smile, she answers,

“It means you restore the confidence and spirit of the Phoenix power to all fire-breathers. To break the shame many of us hold, and to win the ancient battle against the immortals who have taken our kind and killed them for sport.”

With a hand on my shoulder she says,

“You are hope, Kara the Phoenix.”