Young Writers Society

Hev blocked the shots with a shield of fire. The strange bullets melted and landed on the ground in gooey clumps.

“I’m finished with this.” Hev focused on the professor’s shoes and willed it to catch fire. It almost immediately lit, quickly spreading to his pants.

Professor Haagen glanced down. "Not my shoes!" He growled and launched himself at Hev, shield in front of him to block the rest of Hev's flames.

Will started biting his nails.

Hev tried to sidestep again, but the professor grabbed his shoulders. “Let go of me, professor.”

He slipped his hands over the shield, and shot flame into his hair.

As the smell of burnt hair filled the air, the professor let out a battle cry.

And then he summoned ice cream.

Great blobs of mint chocolate chip, cherry vanilla, and double chocolate ice cream appeared on top of his head, extinguishing the flames. Ice cream coated the platform as well, and the fire on the professor's shoes went out with a hiss. Professor Haagen slammed Hev into the ice cream on the floor.

Hev’s arm lit up with a fiery white pain. He took a deep breath, trying to breath through the ache. He couldn’t move his arm. He couldn’t think beyond the pain, beyond his voice.

“Come on, son. You can do better than that.”

A small Heliodor Everett, his arm hanging loosely in a blaze of agony, sniffled in the corner.

“Get up, and stop crying. Men don’t cry, son, and if you keep on crying like that then you’ll be no son of mine.”

Hev gasped and shaking it went to push himself up, his hand slipping on the ice cream.

Professor Haagen grunted. "Tougher than you look, eh? No match for me, though." The professor let out a growl and summoned more melting ice cream, making the platform's surface slippery. Then he shoved Hev over the edge.

Will froze, too shocked to scream. Hev would be alright, right? The- the water was deep enough that he wouldn't smack into the bottom of the lake.

Hev sighed. On the one hand, he was supposed to blend in. People finding out what he was would be dangerous. But, on the other, everyone back at home would give him a hard time for losing a fight to ice cream.

Besides, wings could be played off as a whimsy, right?

His wings flitted through the holes in his coat, and he caught himself hovering just above the water. He launched upwards, his wings like an open flame as the light danced over the red, orange, and yellow. Hev landed gracefully back on the platform, showing the professor that each wing was much larger than him.

Professor Haagen stared at Hev for a moment, his mouth agape. He scrambled backwards, keeping his eyes on Hev’s wings the whole time. “W-wings. But your whimsy was manipulating fire, wasn’t it?” The professor’s bushy eyebrows drew together as he frowned.

Will gulped.

But suddenly, the professor let out a loud belly-laugh. “Well done, well done, child! Tell me, which one is the real whimsy and which one is a clever contraption?” The professor grinned at Hev.

Hev shrugged. "You tell me, professor. You teach fighting, correct? Shouldn't you be able to tell the difference?"

He tried to move his arm again, only for the pain to almost send him to his knees.

Professor Haagen frowned. "Ah, I suppose that can wait until later. Will, take this warrior to the school doctor, eh?" The professor made a gesture in the air, and the platforms floated back to shore.

Will nodded frantically and stepped closer to Hev.

As the platforms landed gently, the professor winked at Hev and said, "Well fought! You have me convinced of your abilities. I look forward to seeing you teach weapons history!"

Will winced and gestured for Hev to follow him. "Let's get out of here..."

Hev nodded to the professor. "I look forward to seeing you around, sir."

He followed Will, his face still perfectly neutral. "My arm's broken."

Will whipped around to stare at Hev. "What? I-I can't believe you just said that in a deadpan voice." He walked faster. "It must be hurting so bad--" He ducked around a gaggle of students and gave Hev another concerned glance. "Okay, is anything else hurt or broken?"

Hev shook his head. “No, I don’t believe so. Though, I suppose it does hurt.”

He narrowed his eyes, staring at his hurt arm. “Ow.”

He looked back up at Will. “The professor mentioned a doctor?”

Hev's only reaction to a broken arm was an 'ow?' And not even a particularly vehement 'ow.' It sounded like he was a bad actor trying to portray a person in pain. Was this some kind of coping mechanism for the pain?? Will quickened his pace. "Yeah, just around this building." He pointed at a glass tower, then at a smaller blue building just beyond it. "That's the doctor's office."

Hev nodded. “Your help is appreciated, Will. Thank you.”

He smiled at Will. He didn’t show his teeth, just simply upturned the corners of his lips. “How much does it cost?” He fished out a coin purse from his pockets.