Twinkle's Story: Chapter 18

*WARNING: Contains some emotional and slightly violent scenes.*
*And yes. Warnings like these usually correspond to the 'Duke's view' part of chapters. And Twinkle is all happy-like. For now... XD*
*Sorry the 'Twinkle's view' is so short compared to the 'Duke's view'. X3*
*Eh, enough of whatever-this-is. Enjoy! Well, only the parts that are meant to be enjoyable. (You'll see...) ^-^*

DUKE

That was the second time that happened. I knew I symbolized 'fire' before the voice told Twinkle and me unexpectedly. So how did I know before that?

 Maybe it's because I have a mark that's in Jamaa's worst enemies' favorite colors, which is shaped into a simple flame. So simple, yet so destructive. I think that if I show it to anyone, they'll think I'm cursed, or something like that. But even if/when they say it, I'll deny it. Because there's no possible way I'm connected to them. It's just a coincidence that the flame is in those colors. Nothing more. So where is this flaming mark? It's on my heart. I wonder if that's where 'the darkness' comes from. I haven't shown anyone it. But now another part of me wants to 'release the flames'. I'm uneasy about that though. Sure, it would be cool explaining to someone that I'm naturally fire. But that's it with the explaining. I don't know how to explain how I got it, or what it even means, at that. And now for some reason, I think that would cause something disastrous. I'm not exactly sure what, but I know it would result in something. And now I can put a name to that 'someone'.

Maybe it's because I shot fire out of my claws before the voices came. I think I only get flaming claws when I'm feeling extremely emotional; a strong feeling, which is usually sadness. I'm also surprised it took me a while for me to get flaming claws, in the first place. I felt the same way, years before the first time it happened. I was feeling extremely sad and emotional when Twinkle kinda died. The same feelings when the demon of me came, moments before. Maybe more than one emotional situation results in me shooting flames out of my claws. It only happened once before. So how did I get flaming claws the first time?

It was the time in-between when I walked out of the hospital room at the other hospital because Dr. Fox didn't want me there as he explained how Twinkle got blue fur, and when Twinkle and I met up on the Tall Tower's roof  for the first time. I know Dr. Fox was lying about that. Well, not exactly lying. He didn't know the real reason why. Twinkle didn't get blue fur because of the reasons he explained. Her blue fur is just the 'ice' that was once trapped inside, now running freely throughout her entire body. Let's just say that I lied. I didn't throw my other shirt out of a window, or whatever. My flaming claws burned it.

For some reason, I kept on thinking about a horrific memory, that day. That memory took place a few days after my aunt died. When I was only four years old. This is what happened.:

My father, mother, and I were all in the same room together. It was the living room. I remember that scene exactly, and ten years later. My father and I were sitting on the couch together. He was reading the Jamaa Journal, the name of our town's newspaper. He let me read alongside him. Actually, I don't think I read it at all. I think I just looked at the black-and-white pictures that corresponded with the news articles. My mother was sitting in the armchair all the way across the room. I remember that she was just sitting there. The TV off, the radio off, not a magazine in paw. She didn't even move.

Eventually, I got bored of looking at the newspaper, so I asked my dad. "Daddy, can I ask Mommy something?" He then stopped reading the paper, and turned his head towards me. "Sure thing, kiddo. Just let me move over, so you can get up." He then moved over, so I could get off the couch and walk over towards my unusually silent mother. And I did. I then stood right in front of my mother, who was just sitting there. I glanced back at my father. He continued reading the paper. I looked forward again. She just stared at me blankly. Like I wasn't even there.

 After a few awkward moments, I asked her my question. "Do you love me, Mommy?" She still stared right through me. I remember that I then glanced all around the room. "Hey, Mommy..." I began to ask my very important question again. After another long period of silence, my dad interrupted me. "Of... of course she does, Duke. We all love you, sweetie." My dad then closed the newspaper, and gave my mom an angry look. As a result, she gave him an even angrier look back. I shuffled my feet, embarrassed. She then gave me the same angry look she gave my father, moments before. "No. Now move. You're in my way, you worthless..." Alarmed, I moved out of the way before she could finish that sentence. Luckily, she didn't. However, she continued sitting there. Not even intending on going up, or anything.

Wide-eyed, I then ran up to my room, and locked the door. But right before I slammed my door shut, I heard my mother shout, "Oh would you shut up!? You know I never wanted him; never loved him. You expect me to lie!? How much of a fool are you, Eternal!? My Zios!" And then I heard my father say much quieter and peacefully, "Then yes. You should've lied. As long as he thinks he's being loved. By both his parents. Oh Zios! Now he thinks that his mother doesn't love him..." I then closed the door. And that was when it hit me. My own mother never loved me. I then cried in my room for the rest of the day, into the night.

Even though this happened way more recently, I forgot why I didn't have that shirt on. Eh, that's not important. I held the shirt in my left paw, the past memory running through my mind. I think there might've been a speck of dust on the shirt, or something. But before I could flick the speck off with my right paw, I crossed my right paw over my body, so it's on my heart. I traced my right paw's claws on the edges of the flame. "Never loved, huh.?" I muttered. I closed my eyes, so only the flaming amber color in my eyes shown. "How could you!?" I said, way louder. I then reached out to flick the speck off the shirt with my right paw, but right when one of my claws was about to flick it off, flames began shooting out of my claws. And then came the impact.

 As soon as the fire from my own claws came in contact with the shirt I was holding in my left paw, for whatever the reason was, the shirt burst into flames. Then, the claws on my left paw started shooting out fire, as well. The shirt then became dark gray in color, almost black. A few seconds later, the shirt just fell apart. It fell on the floor by my feet in ashes. "Calm down. Must calm down." I then thought back to the present day. I was going to meet Twinkle on the Tall Tower's roof in a few minutes, and I wanted to be a few minutes there before her. So then, the thought of Twinkle, calmed me down. The flames stopped coming from my claws. I then quickly looked for another shirt to wear (I had to wear a shirt, of course), remembered what Dr. Fox told me earlier that day, thought of a lie, and ran out in the night to the tall, old, abandoned building's roof. The drizzling rain washing away all the flames.

So that's how I know I symbolize 'fire'. I'm now lying on top of my bed in the therapy room. Flora thinks I'm fine, so she doesn't come check on me as often as she used to. She allows me to stay in here still. Thank Zios. I don't want to leave. Besides, the pillows are more comfortable here than at Sparkle's house. I'm also talking with Finny on the phone. He speaks in a way more serious tone than what he messaged me with yesterday. Why did I let Twinkle see that message? Ugh! Finny sure knows how to embarrass me, even if he's on the other side of fox territory.

"... Duke! You there? Come on, it's very important! It's okay if you're mad at me for yesterday, but this has nothing to with that. Oh come on, answer me already!" I sit up on the bed, and say, "What is it this time, Finny?" I yawn. "Finally you're back! About time. And stop daydreaming about Twinkle, you idiot!" I yawn again, and say, "Wait, what? I'm not daydreaming..." I can just picture Infinity rolling his eyes as he says, "It's about school. And the..." I mutter, aggravated, "Oh Zios! School, Finny, really? School..."

 "... And the phantoms. If you'll let me finish." More awake now, I say, "What? Okay, go on! I'm so interested..." I roll my eyes. Haha- boring! "You should be, idiot. The phantom outbreak, dude. The phantom outbreak!" Confused, I ask, "The phantom outbreak. What's that?" I hear Finny sigh into the phone and then answer my question.

"Oh yeah. You've been away from society too, since you're both in hospitals for some reasons. So anyways, the phantom outbreak. Huh, the only top story that's on the news throughout fox territory! Ever since the accident that happened at the field trip, more and more phantoms have been found in our territory. There's hundreds of them. No thousands. And we just saw phantoms for the first time this past year in school. And locked in cages. Well, not anymore. Haha nope. They're even roaming the streets now. And their goo, slime, whatever it is. So disgusting! Anyways, our school finally closed due to the phantom outbreak. Wanna know why?" I sigh, and say, "Let me think. It's because the other fox school, the one where I was from before, and all the other fox schools closed too. And... I don't know. It's seven in the morning."

"Ah, good point. It's actually 7:03 on my phone, but oh well. The phantom numbers are bigger than ever before! Seriously, you see them everywhere, dude. In the woods, in the town square, on the borders..." "In the showers.?" Finny pauses before saying, "What? No... Ugh, Duke! I'm trying my best to be serious!" I roll my eyes again. "Dude, chill out. Can't stand a joke? Geez! And you said 'everywhere', by the way. So..." I hear Infinity sigh. "They're becoming very dangerous for public buildings, so all the schools were forced to temporarily close. Or so I heard. And I think there's another reason why it's closed."

 I hear him take a deep breath, and say, "The other day, on the wolf territory border..." Alert, I ask, "Yeah, go on..." I hear him gulp this time before he continues. "There was a wolf walking by the border. On the wolf side, by the way. And then..." I give him a questioning look, but before I realize that he can't actually see me, he speaks again. "This weird-looking phantom pulled out an arrow. I swear, it looked like a crazy fox pretending to be a phantom. And... and it threw the arrow into the wolf's neck. Oh Zios, why was I there!? Now I'm gonna have nightmares for the rest of my days. So what if it was a wolf? It was still a pup, a kit. It was a baby. And it... died." Visions rush through my mind. Especially of what Twinkle told me when she saw a wolf pup trapped in a hole. I try to remain calm, but I can't. I get off the bed, and I pace back and forth in the room.

I take a deep breath. "Finny, please Finny, tell me the truth. Did that wolf pup that died have a tawny colored pelt?" After a few moments of silence, Finny answers. "Hmm... Hard to remember. I didn't like looking at him when he was practically dying. But I'm pretty sure he had a silvery gray pelt. Why?" I breathe a sigh of relief. So the wolf pup that Twinkle encountered on fox territory all that time ago is okay. At least I hope so. "Ah... no reason. Just curious. That's all." Suspicious, Finny asks, "You sure?" I just nod. Then, I hang up the phone. I then stare at the ceiling, as I lay down on the bed again.


TWINKLE

I'm so excited! The doctors and all the other medical staff that helped me heal and such, have told me great news. Tomorrow I can move out of the hospital. I don't have to stay here anymore! But what makes me the most happiest is this.:

I can finally go back home again! Home.