Bodaway stared down at his hands as the wheels of the bus turned rhythmically beneath him. None of the other passengers dared to look at him directly, but he knew that they watched him out of the corner of their eyes. They did not talk about him—out loud, at least—but they didn’t have to. Bodaway knew what they thought about what he did. They were the same thoughts that he had.
Images of flaming buildings flashed in his mind. People frantically fled before his eyes. He curled his fists tightly as memories of the screaming overtook him.
He hadn’t meant to set the community center on fire. He didn’t even understand how he had done it. He had just been so mad at the tribal leaders after they announced that they were defunding the youth basketball team, and then the flames began…
His parents hadn’t been surprised. Why had they not been surprised? Had they always known this about him, that he was destined to be this…monster?
Bodaway looked up as the bus came to a stop. They had arrived. No sign gave away its name, but he had heard his parents say it enough the past week to know where they had sent him: The Institute for Enhanced Human Abilities.
As Bodaway hopped off the bus, he could hear all the other students whispering about him. He glanced up. They all stole looks at him, avoiding direct stares, lest he turn his internal flame on them as well. Even here, Bodaway was a freak among freaks.
Bodaway pulled his baseball cap over his eyes and headed toward the administration building.
He didn’t care.
He couldn’t care.
He could only embrace what he had become.
The Fire-Starter.
About the Creator
Stephanie Hoogstad
With a BA in English and MSc in Creative Writing, writing is my life. I have edited and ghost written for years with some published stories and poems of my own.
Learn more about me: thewritersscrapbin.com
Support my writing: Patreon
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The Longest Minute
A minute. Sixty seconds to say goodbye. That’s all the time that I had left with him as the needle slid into his leg. I stared into his drooping eyes, looked at the blood-tainted saliva dripping from the corner of his mouth. They said that this was the best thing that we could do for him, a last kind act for a best friend…but if that were the case, then why did my heart feel so heavy?
By Stephanie Hoogstad2 years ago in Fiction
Comments (6)
Very cool! "A freak among freaks" - you made this character relatable even though s/he's got abilities none of us have 😁
Oooo! Stephanie, this was such a great origin story!! You've left me craving more!! This would make a good prequel to a book or larger story!!
So interesting
I really love your content and how it's crafted , I love it and happily subscribed , you can check out my content and subscribe to me also , thanks for this beautiful one
Hey, it's been a while. I remember the Hoogstadite. Oh yes, the little devils always end up at Professor Xavier's school for the gifted or The Institute for Enhanced Human Abilities. Hopefully become reformed and working for humanity. Love it.
Whoaaaa, that's like soooo cool! I wish I could produce fire like him!