00. PROLOGUE
[ MYSTERIOUS CASE OF THE FIRE LADY ]

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It was hard enough being half alien but being half alien and woke up at 4 am was worse. Especially a pyronite. Jessamine narrowed her eyes as she self-combusted for the fourth time that morning. "Dad, it's not working," she grumbled.

"Try again," Her father, a full pyronite said, a smug smile on his mouth.

Jessamine growled lowly, gritting her teeth together before she closed her eyes, and her temperature flared, causing the magma stones to melt, her hair flickering into a bright, waving flame. She looked at her toes and watched them branch into two separate toes on each foot, the rest of her burning like a candle. "Jess!" Her dad yelled. "Look."

"I see it," Jessamine grumbled, before she yawned. "Can I go back to sleep? I have school in an hour." She hovered over the ground, her bright gold eyes glowing while she was a bright beacon of burning hot fire.

Her father pinched the bridge of his nose with his two fingers. "Jessamine."

She mocked him, before rolling her eyes. "Dad."

"If you can beat me home, then fine, you can sleep, but if you lose, you have to cook breakfast-" He started, before Jessamine had already propelled herself into the air as a streak through the early morning blue-purple sky.

He laughed, taking off after his daughter. "Cheater!" She leaned her head down to grin at him before she shook her flaming hair.

"You talk too much!" She laughed, landing in their backyard. She cooled down to where her flaming feet wouldn't scorch her mother's tile and her hand wouldn't melt the door into goop. Her fury was worse than anything she had ever seen.

Pulling their back door open, she slipped inside, her skin cooling off until she was back in a human form and so was her father, but before he could say anything, she ran up the stairs and towards her room, flopping on her bed. She pulled her pillow towards her face, laying her arms all over the bed. With a soft laugh, she felt her baby brother jump on her back.

"Elliot," she grumbled.

"Jess, Jess, Jess!" He cried, and laughed, as he rolled off her back. She groaned as she shifted in place and then laughed softly. Her dark hazel eyes looked over at her little brother who was evidently wide awake and refusing to go back to sleep. 

Or maybe not.

He yawned very feline-like, before he stretched his back and then dropped his head on her stomach, curling into her quilted comforter, his hands pressing into her belly, his fingers cold. Elliot was only seven, so his hybrid half hadn't kicked in yet, and at this point, there was no signs that it ever would if they were honest. 

Their mom was hoping he would be the normal and proceed to leave Jessamine as the hyperactive hot-head.

As she went to turn her alarm clock off, she felt him whimper and curl deeper into her warm side. So, she grabbed her phone and swiped it unlocked, laying on her back as he slept in her bed like so many nights before. She shivered when her cold necklace hit her hot skin, causing goosebumps to raise. Her deep hazel eyes looked at her feet and wiggled her exposed toes. She gave a deep sigh as she closed her eyes and dozed off for good.

. . .  

Later in the day, or towards that night, Jessamine and Elliot were walking down the street, coming back from her school's soccer game. The air was warmer than usual, and while Jessamine was barely bothered by it, Elliot's hair was sticking to his forehead.

"Jess, can we go to Mr. Smoothy? Please?" He begged. 

The reaction he had elected a gentle laugh from her, before she nodded. "Sure, kid." Elliot cheered, and ran ahead of Jules, before she heard the loud sound of air being released and as she turned around, she spotted a semi truck speeding towards a busy intersection. 

She looked back, only to see she saw Elliot trying to cross the street. Panicked, she sprinted forward and grabbed him in her arms as the bed of the truck came hurling their way, and she didn't even think twice when she combusted, taking off into the air as the truck hit a nearby pole and its contents -water- came spilling out. She heard jeering and screaming as people pointed to the sky, and before people could pull their phones out, she took off into the sky, streaking across until she landed in their backyard, scorching the grass she had landed on. 

Dealing with her mom for burning the grass was one thing, but appearing on the news as a fiery extraterrestrial? Not so much. She didn't even want to imagine the lecture that would follow that mistake.

Not to mention the actions her father would have to take with his job. She rushed Elliot into the backdoor (after cooling down, of course), before she shut it behind her. She could hear Elliot protesting the fact that he hadn't gotten a smoothie, which was reassured by Jessamine promising to get him one when the weekend came around. She heard his little humph, before went into the living room to grab his book about the planets from his backpack they had left on the couch two hours before. 

Jessamine ran a hand through her hair and sighed in relief, before she flopped on the loveseat opposite of him, placing a hand on her face.

"Jessie... are you mad at me?" Elliot asked, and she spotted the tears on the waterline of his eyes, his bottom lip quivering a little as he was on the verge of tears. "Please don't be mad at me, Sissy. I'm sorry."

"Oh, El... I'm not mad at you. I just panicked because I didn't want you to get hurt, little man. Come here."

Her brother ran into her extended arms, and pressed himself to her body, his nose digging into the soft flesh of her stomach and rubbing his wet cheeks into her blue t-shirt.

"I love you, kiddo."

"I love you too, Sissy."

When she pulled away, Elliot climbing into the seat next to her with his book, she grabbed the tv remote and began flipping through the channels, passing the news without a second thought until she thought about what had been said.

"Today, a strange fiery being was seen saving a little boy from an out-of-control semi truck. There's no idea where the being came from, but we are reminded of the being that showed up seven years ago in Bellwood and in surrounding cities as well as the heroics that followed. We'll have more for you at eleven. Back to you, Jim!" The female reporter chirped, and Jessamine sighed deeply.

She was going to be in so much trouble.