Playing with Fire

By Lindsey Owens

Adaline has always been mesmerized by the glowing licking colors of the flames. Until that day which she learned to control them, her life never really had begun. When her and her brother Zehn get a call from the police stating their house was burned and their parents are dead, they make a promise to each other to make the arsonist pay. Eventually they discover that with each other anything is possible. Will they be able to avenge the death of their parents? Or will it be more than just their parent's lives that have been put in harms way which need saving?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lindsey Owens
• Release date: Oct 27, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386717492

Lindsey Owens

Lindsey is the author of the erotica fiction novel In the Dark as well as The Chocolatier and the new adult novel Fated Love. She also writes werewolf books, romance genre, some teen fiction, new adult fiction, fantasy, and paranormal stories. She has many more novels to come! She's just a girl who wants fun romance novels! Is that so much to ask? Not the same ol' same ol'? Not all love is slow and casual, some are fast paced and nearly overwhelming. Not all paranormal books have vampires! Not all stories have been told!  Seriously!? Lindsey took it upon herself to begin her stories for her own entertainment in the beginning of early 2000. She had not struggled with finding books that captivated her, no, instead stories began to form in her head. The more she read, the more she loved to write. Her romance stories began with her desire to write things down! More romance! More Paranormal Romance!  She lives in the South with her husband and children where she continues to put her thoughts to paper.

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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used factiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

A publication of Lindsey Owens

Copyright 2015 by Lindsey Owens

All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in

whole or in part in any form.

Text of this book is set in Garamond text size 13.

Manufactured in the United States of America

All rights reserved.

Woman’s photo provided by © Can Stock Photo Inc. / okssi68

Summary: Adaline has always been mesmerized by the glowing licking colors of the flames. Until that day which she learned to control them, her life never really had begun. When her and her brother Zehn get a call from the police stating their house was burned and their parents are dead, they make a promise to each other to make the arsonist pay. Eventually they discover that with each other anything is possible. Will they be able to avenge the death of their parents? Or will it be more than just their parent's lives that have been put in harm’s way which need saving?

[1. New Adult – Fiction 2. Romance ]

Lindsey Owens

Copyright 2015 by Lindsey Owens

All rights reserved.

Chapter 1

Ever since I can remember, I loved to watch the fire. I always loved how the flames licked and danced up to the sky. I would watch it for hours at family bonfires. Eventually, I learned to control it, to manipulate the movements. And when I discovered it couldn’t hurt me, I learned to create it in my hands. When I didn’t get burned by its touch that’s when my life really began.

I was barely thirteen years old when my parents died in a house fire I couldn’t control. Arson. Not by my hand but by someone else. I was on vacation from school and spending my time with my grandparents in Florida for the summer with my brother.

When we had gotten the call from the police station we all packed up and left immediately. Our grandparents held my brother and me as we cried. There was nothing left of our home. All we had was a few items that were left in a fireproof box on the floor of the closet in each of our rooms. Why they were there we never knew our parents had told us to keep the combination a secret and never let anyone see us open them.

Zhen, my fraternal twin, took charge. He took my hand and together we walked through the broken house. I protected him from the burning embers while he led the way to our rooms. We first stopped at his. Zhen and I stood staring at the room that was once his, we surveyed it for anything salvageable, but there was nothing worth taking. Zhen pulled the box from its bolted position under the floor and handed it to me. I took it and held tight as he led the way through the house once more.

We had stopped at my room and lastly we stop at our parent’s room. Their room was just as badly charred as the rest of the home but their picture of the family in a small frame still stood untouched near their bedroom window. I ran to the picture and wrapped it in my arms, holding it tightly as I began to cry once more.

After we rescued the three boxes, we left the rubble of what was once our home. Our grandparents engulfed us in their arms once again and we left the home without a second glance.

Once we were finally safe in our new home, Grandpa and Grandma’s nearly a thousand miles away, Zhen and I sat in his bedroom staring intently at the three boxes and the one picture that survived the blaze.

If only we were home I could have stopped the flames! I cried.

That is why it was burned was because we weren’t there, whoever did this they did it so we wouldn’t be able to stop it. You will get stronger and one day we will avenge their death but not today. Zhen soothed as he hugged me close to his chest. What box should we open first? He asked cautiously.

Mom always said we opened our own first then theirs. Ours were more important. I replied to Zhen confidently. She told us this nearly every day since we were able to crawl.

Our mother and father both were very intrigued by what I could do but they never questioned it. I lived with the special skill for most of my life; our families had bonfires every weekend from the day I was born until the day they had died. Most would think that something so... unique as to be able to control fire would make people question. You would think it would make people worried or think that you were crazy; heck, think they were crazy, but it didn’t. People always treated me with the utmost respect. My brother was always by my side and stood confidently protecting me from those in school who wanted to consider teasing me. Yet I could have taken care of myself. I still can, but Zhen always wanted to make sure that I didn’t burn down the school and all the innocent people inside it.

I remember clearly one day just a few days before we had left for our grandparent’s house, I was walking to school; Zhen had been too tired to get up in time for breakfast, so I needed to leave for school by myself. It was the first time in forever that I had left without him and yet it didn’t scare me one bit.

Two girls approached me and began to bother me. They were teasing and laughing as they mocked my choice in clothes, shoes, and even my backpack for goodness sake. They mocked me about my hair how it was so straight and dark. It wasn’t blond and curly like their own it was straight long, silky, and very dark brown nearly black yet it held a reddish tint in it. I being the hotheaded little girl that I have always been, snapped back pushing them away from me. Go away, Becky. Pick on someone else. Wait! No, don’t pick on anyone just leave, go home, and never look back! I screamed.

She just laughed. Ah... poor Adeline, her big brother isn’t here to protect her this time. She cooed as she pulled my hair and flung my backpack across the sidewalk. I couldn’t take it any longer. She let out a blood-curdling scream as the anger rose up in me. My hair burst into flames and they licked her hand, torching the skin of her palm that was pulling me around.

Becky fell to the ground crying holding her black charred hand in her other hand, she wouldn’t have been so burned if she would have let go. But no, that crazy girl had held on tighter and pulled harder when I lit up like a Christmas tree. Sure, I could take away her pain. Sure, I could take away the charred and dead skin taking the burn and healing the wound on her body but I wanted her to leave me alone. I didn’t want any more teasing.

I walked away confidently as Macy helped Becky off the ground and they scurried back to Becky’s house. After I had made it to school that day I was called into the office, they had contacted and my parents were waiting in the office for me. They brought me over to Becky’s house and made me heal her hand.

They tried to get me to say I was sorry but I flat out refused. I am not a mean person. I could do what I wanted if I wanted to because not too many people would stand in my way; but I have always been kind natured, even with a hot head. I gripped the whiny girl’s scorched hand as tightly as I could, creating as much pain as I could before I removed the burn. I squeezed and she let out a cry louder than before. My mother yelled, Adeline! Fix it and we will leave, don’t make her hurt more or you will be in big trouble!

I cringed at her tone and then quickly engulfed the girl’s hand with a healing fire that consumed our hands and licked away the wound. She screeched when she had seen the fire, nearly passing out from the sight. Zhen had been there as well. He held the poor mean girl’s body so she didn’t fall to the ground as the purple flame ran around our hands.

The whole process took around five minutes. It could have been longer if the wound covered more of an area but the hand was all which had burned. I couldn’t believe my parents had made me fix her up. They hadn’t even bothered to ask why I had burned her nor did they really care, they just wanted it fixed so ... I fixed it.

After that day, Zhen didn’t leave my side even if the school put us in different classes they fixed it because he would always be in mine. Everything in our lives revolved around being with each other. We were twins for one and for two we got along great. He was my big brother. He protected me and kept me from hurting others who tried to hurt me.

Okay. We will open yours or mine first, which is it? Zhen questioned.

I stared at him for a moment then back at the boxes in wonder. Both, I said. We will open them both at the same time and show each other what is inside. I nodded firmly. I was set on this one. I liked the idea.

Okay. On three, Zhen announced as his fingers began to push the buttons on the box. They were locked with a special code and a small electronic pad that only took our fingerprint as recognition before it would open.

Zhen counted down and on three, we opened the boxes together. Inside my box was cash, a passport, a few miscellaneous mementos from my parents, a