(Jess pov)
I didn't understand what was going on, on my way back home. The whole village people were staring at me as if I killed the boy. Was it that abnormal to see a boy beat up another boy? No. It wasn't that. It's because I showed them my hand lighting on fire. That had to be the only reason they looked at me like that. They didn't give weird looks that told me, I was different. The states were fear, a fear I would burn this village alive. Who knows, I might just do that. Steal a horse and go riding away from a burning village as I watch everyone inside die from the mistakes they made. If they didn't want that, then why were they acting as they wanted it?
When I got home, I went straight to my room, not wanting to see my family at the moment. I closed my door quietly, reaching for a match in my small tinderbox. As the flame lit up on the match, I brought it to the candle and watched the room light up from the sudden disturbance. My mother was in the kitchen cleaning and making dinner like usual at this time. My siblings were probably outside playing or studying inside. Father would be home in about an hour or two and would have heard of the fight by then. Word gets around too quickly for me to be upset about being caught. That's why when I was little my father had heard about me looking at flowers and he got upset. He was very strict about the rules of gender.
I started writing down in my journal all about today. How I expected my father to do either two things: Be happy because I got into my first fight as he wanted, or upset because I fought a boy so hard he got blood in his face. I couldn't help but write how the boy threatened my family and then I made sure he would never get his face back to normal. By the time I was done writing the candle seemed to move towards me as if trying to curl around my body.
In a hurry, I stood up from my spot and trampled over to the farthest wall away from the candle flame. The fire calmed down and whisked over the wall, creating shadows across it. The shadows danced across the wall like magic creatures that myths used to tell. I wanted to run out the door, stay with the family instead of staring at my nightmares, but it drew me forwards and kept me in a lock. As if I was in a trance, I walked forwards to the shadows on the wall.
"No!" My voice trembled, "I don't want to see it!" I protested. I already saw it many times before and yet it terrified me every time. Soon the shadows twirled off the wall and around me.
"You Monster" The voice hissed into my ear, making a cold shiver run down my body. "You will watch as your whole family burns in your own flames without you being able to do anything. The world will fear you so much that it will block you out of it and you will suffocate from pressure until you're left dead on the ground".
"You're wrong" I yelled out, barely able to hear my voice from the wind building up in my room. Books and papers flew around the room, things dropping to the ground and smashing into walls. "I would never do that. I'll learn. I'll learn to control my fire and I'll hide it away from people so no one will ever be hurt again!" I told the shadows.
"Jess!" Someone called out, "Dinner time". My eyes shot to the door and back to the candle, the shadows had been shortened until it was nothing but a simple dot on the wall. I shook my head, walking out the door of my room and into the kitchen.
"Hello son," Father greeted as I sat down at the table. The silence in the room informed everyone that I had something I needed to say. Father had already known about it, everyone could hear it in his voice. "Do you want to explain it to me, or will I have to tell everyone?" He asked.
"Tanner and I got into a fight. He threatened to kill me and Viar and marry Delilah. Then he would make her life into hell. I...I snapped and threw him to the ground, punching him multiple times until he was bleeding." I explained, my voice getting quieter until it disappeared from the glare that my father gave.
"I am proud it's your first fight, but you caused that boy some serious damage. You know I can't accept that, so you're grounded. The rules are you can't leave the house for a week" His voice was stern.
"I was defending my family!" I snapped, "You would have done the same thing if it were yo-..." My father stood up, cutting me off as he pointed to the living room.
I quietly stood up and walked into the living room, leaving the rest of the family in a shaky tone. Unlike the rest of them, I was the only one who ever talked back to my father and that's what caused the fear in the house. Father didn't take it lightly, as he would do many things to get me to shut my mouth. I stood there, staring at the ground as father fumed over me.
"Father I…" My face forcefully flung sideways as my hand clung to my burning cheek. My body shook in fear and I bit my lip to keep myself from screaming. I felt my hair get yanked forwards as my father brought me closer to his face.
"Don't you ever compare me to you?" He growled, angrily narrowing his eyes into mine.
"Y-Yes sir," I spat out, shaking from the fear of getting hit again. He let go of me, throwing me to the floor and leaving me there to cry.
"Good. You can eat when we're all done." He turned around and disappeared into the kitchen, slamming the door of the living room. I curled up and burst into tears, wishing that the day would be over.
By the time they were done eating, I wasn't even in the mood to stand up. I crawled over to the fire that warmed the house up, staring into it. I could hear the rest muttering things on the other side before two sets of feet were heard. The door opened and I glanced over to see Delilah and Viar.
"Hey Jess, how's your cheek?" Delilah asked hesitantly, walking over next to me and gently grabbing my face to look at the wound.
"I'm fine Delilah," I muttered, carefully dismissing her hand, "I shouldn't have talked back and just kept quiet".
"What Tanner said. Everything he says does happen, so I'm glad you knocked sense into him before he actually did kill you guys and marry me" Delilah mentioned, "Things will get better. Father was in a bad mood because a lot of his friends' sons are getting married and he's watching you and Viar not even talk to girls".
"You know I don't feel that way about girls," I stood up, "I never will…"
"Hey…" Viar hugged me, with Delilah joining in after, "It'll be okay".