CHASING ASHES

"Alright, now just imagine you have an energy inside your body, okay? Then you take that energy to the core of your body and harness it until you feel it wants to explode, but you'll have to control it. Once you have control of it, let your emotions guide you and let it go. This is the visualization exercise." Nicholas' voice was positive and full of energy but, honestly, I had no fucking idea what he was talking about.

I put my arms forward as if I was going to shoot some lasers or something but it felt stupid. Nicholas noticed I was uncomfortable and reassured me that everybody before me had gone through this and all of them had come out with powers. Some took more time and days than others but all who's in Ivory's group ended up manifesting their ability with his training.

Now is a good time as any, I've been dying to ask him something. I know Ryan can manifest and control, a little, electricity. Ivory can teleport and sense others with abilities. I wonder why she has two abilities, I have to remember to ask her later. "What are the groups' powers? I never got the chance to ask or to see even. This all happened too fast." I asked with full curiosity.

Nicholas cheery as ever quickly responded, "Well, as much as I would love to tell you, I don't want to ruin the surprise. Me and Mas-" His face quickly changed, he remembered Max and what had happened. I can see what Alba was talking about, what Max is going through is really taking a toll on him.

Nicholas lay on the grass of his backyard as I sat in front of him, the sea breeze rustling through the palm trees. The scent of salt and sun-warmed earth mixed in the air, but despite the peaceful setting, I could see his pain

"Nicholas," I said gently, breaking the silence. "If you'd rather talk, I don't mind."

His face shifted slightly, like he had been waiting for me to ask. There was relief in his eyes, but also something hesitant, like he wasn't sure if saying it out loud would make things better or worse.

He exhaled slowly before speaking. "Massimo lost his mother a few months ago. But before that, she had lost her job. Twenty years, and just like that—gone. The privatizations, the budget cuts, all those deals they made to 'save the economy'... she got caught in the middle of it. She worked at the General Hospital here in Ororena. The state sold it to a private company, and they slashed the staff, cut pensions, and raised costs for everyone. She was one of the many they let go."

Nicholas sat up slightly, resting his arms on his knees. "She had spent everything on Massimo and his studies. She didn't have much and she also got sicker as she couldn't afford her medicines anymore. She hid it all from him. Said they were fine, said she'd figure something out. But she didn't. By the time he realized how bad it was, she was already too sick."

I had never met Max's mother, but I had seen the way people like her carried themselves—quiet, hardworking, making do with whatever they had, hoping it would be enough. And in the end, it wasn't.

Nicholas clenched his jaw before continuing. "Massimo... he didn't take it well. Not just because he lost her, but because of how it happened. How unfair it was. He tried everything—took jobs that barely paid, borrowed money from neighbors, but it wasn't enough. So he turned to his old friends, the ones from back when he was a kid. The ones he spent years trying to stay away from."

"They started small—lifting supplies, breaking into USC shipments, hitting their stores. He told me that it was just for her, just to get what she needed, but even after she was gone, he didn't stop. Something inside him broke."

Nicholas inhales before continuing, "Now he talks about burning everything the USC owns here. He says they took everything from him, so he'll do the same to them. And if people support the USC, they'll burn too."

His voice dropped lower. "I've been with him every single day since I met him. He was like a brother to me. But when he needed help, he didn't come to me. He went to them instead."

His eyes glistened, but he quickly looked away, as if ashamed to let me see the hurt in them. "I know I could've helped him..."

I wanted to say something, anything, but what could I tell him? That Max had lost himself to grief? That maybe Nicholas couldn't have saved him? None of it would change the fact that Nicholas was determined to stop him, and Max seemed just as determined not to be stopped.

I laid a comforting hand on Nicholas' shoulder and he looked up at me with grateful eyes. "We should go and talk to him one more time," I suggested, knowing this was what he wanted to hear.

Nicholas' smile returned, and he jumped to his feet. "Come on! Let's go talk to Gustavo. He might know where Max is." He paused, looking back at me. "If you don't mind postponing your training for a bit?"

I shook my head and got up, "A friendship like that is not worth losing." I said, and we set off to find Max.

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We arrived at a tall building not far from the beach. Its people, with their paddle boards, Yorkies, and mini sports cars, made me feel like a stranger on my own island. I've never been to a part of the island where everybody seemed so flashy.

We headed to the 16th floor and the elevator door opened up to a living room with a giant and beautiful ocean view from its wide window that took up the whole room. Gustavo greeted us from a room in the hallway and went back inside it. Nicholas signaled me to go into the room Gustavo was in.

Entering the room, it looked way too bland. A greyish color walls with just a twin-sized bed against one wall and a simple dresser across from it. The only splash of color came from a small tank on the dresser, filled with lizards of various sizes and colors. The tank had a mesh lid, and the lizards could be seen basking in the artificial heat lamp inside. It was oddly quiet.

Gustavo looked like he was feeding the lizards, who, strangely, were standing still even with the lid being lifted and food being introduced to the tank. "I'm guessing you're feeling better for you to be here. Do you need something for the training?" Gustavo's voice was icy as if he resented being asked for assistance.

Nicholas shifted his weight, the air around them growing tense, his tone serious, "Not today. I need your help to find Massimo. I know you have some ideas about where he might be headed."

Gustavo raised an eyebrow, his hand still on the lid of the tank. The lizards inside were bizarrely still, not even twitching as Nicholas approached. "Why would you think I know where he is?"

"Because I know you have some ideas of what he might do. I know you have your issues with Massimo, but he's still part of the group. Help me help him." Nicholas placed a hand on Gustavo's shoulder, his tone serious. "He's still a part of the plan."

Gustavo shrugged Nicholas' handoff and took a step back, his eyes flashing with anger. "He will jeopardize the plan. We're behind schedule right now because of him. I don't hate the guy, but he's too easily riled, a liar, and always wants to be involved in everything, even when he's not invited. He's from a completely different world, and he tries too hard to fit in. I don't trust him."

Nicholas grabbed Gustavo, his grip tightened on his arm and turned him to face him, his voice calm but firm. "He came from nothing and worked hard to be accepted into a world that wasn't his. He took advantage of the life his mother desperately tried to give him and even managed to graduate with us. Just because he's made a few bad decisions doesn't mean you should talk about him the way you have been. Alba has told me everything you've said about Massimo, and I've let it slide because, even if you don't see it, he does see you as a close friend. He's never acted otherwise with you. And I know he came to you before he started this fire-spree on the USC. Yes, Alba told me about it too."

Gustavo's face remained blank, but his eyes widened at Nicholas's words. Suddenly, I noticed that all the lizards had shifted away from the edge of the tank, moving in unison as if they were trained animals.

"If he's burned down his home, probably means he's ready to move on with his plan, which I think is burning down everything that feeds our government. Knowing him, he'll probably try to do something big, to start getting attention, like burning down the Capitol." Gustavo said, avoiding Nichola's gaze. His eyes were now fixed on his lizards, which had finally started to eat the insects.

Nicholas relaxed his grip, his expression now calm. "Thanks... And sorry for losing my cool there. Alba is home with Ivory if you want to hang."

"I'll drop by later," Gustavo replied, his face once again expressionless.

Nicholas thanked him again and stepped out, I lingered for a few more seconds, observing the lizards in their tank. Suddenly, all of their heads turned in my direction, their beady soulless eyes fixated on me. A shiver ran down my spine and I glanced over at Gustavo. He was also staring at me, his expression unreadable. The air in the room grew thick and I felt as though I was suffocating. I mumbled a hasty goodbye and quickly made my way out.

As soon as the elevator doors shut, I turned to Nicholas with a sense of curiosity. "So, does Gustavo control reptiles, specifically lizards?" I asked, feeling the same shiver as before at the thought of thousands of lizards jumping on me.

"He can control the body functions of animals through a black goo-like liquid that enters the animal's body. It's like puppet control. But, he's still figuring things out, so it's possible that the liquid might also be present in his pet lizards." Nicholas explained.

Inside Nicholas' car, before he turned it on, he said "Gustavo is..." He took a while to speak again, "He's an asshole. But he has helped us through school and college and he has the brain for what we're going to do. Everything has just gone to shit because I didn't realize sooner what Massimo was going through." Nicholas said sadness was noticeable in his voice.

I could see he felt helpless regarding Max's situation. "Gustavo seems intense," I commented, choosing my words carefully. The guy freaked me out even more than Max. And Nicholas was stuck in the middle of it all, trying to fix everything. "What are your plans now?"

Nicholas smirked and pulled out a radio from underneath his seat. It looked bulky and complicated, unlike any radio I'd seen before. "Gustavo made this radio so we can listen to the police, and be ahead of the situation when we put the plan into action," Nicholas explained with a hint of pride in his voice.

It was time to ask, "What is this plan? It's impossible not to be curious, even less, ask what it's about when it's all you guys talk about."

Nicholas smiled and began to explain as he connected the radio. "Gustavo, Alba, and I have been friends since childhood. We went to the same private schools growing up. We met Massimo later in high school. He was different from the other kids, with his clothes, shoes, and manner of speaking. But despite this, he always had a smile on his face and made others laugh with his high jinks. He was often treated like a clown by the other kids, but he never let it get to him."

I listened as the police chatter filled the background. "And the plan?" I asked, eager to know more.

"Oh, sorry about that." Nicholas laughed. "I was thinking about a prank we played on our theater teacher in high school. But to get back to the plan, we met Ivory and Kyriah a few summers later. Ivory was passionate about the protest against the privatization of the electric power plants on the island at that time. She approached us and showed us her powers, and told us that we also had powers that she could help us unlock. Although the protest eventually died down, Gustavo suddenly got the idea to form a group of people like us and defend the people if another protest broke out. Ivory got very determined for it."

I think I finally understood the plan; To protect the people from the island. "It's incredible," I said. "She's gathering a group of people with special abilities to stand up for the people, so no one gets hurt. The government won't be a match for them. You guys will be heroes to the people."

Nicholas nodded in agreement. "I don't like that term 'hero', more like, the people's shield. Our goal is to encourage people to speak up and fight for what's right. We can empower them with the courage to do so and create a better future for everyone by finally standing up to the corrupt government officials."

Their confidence was contagious, and I felt a surge of motivation, believing that anything was possible. With Nicholas, Ivory, and a team of people with abilities, I was confident that we could restore the island. However, our thoughts were interrupted by the crackle of police chatter on the radio.

"Attention all units, where are the firetrucks? It's been almost an hour, and the fire has already spread to multiple structures. There are even reports of fires in La Plazoleta. All available police units are already deployed in Urices. Fire response, please respond immediately."

The old city of Urices—our capital. That must be none other than Max. Nicholas and I shared a glance.

"Shit! He really isn't wasting any time! We got to get there, fast!" Nicholas said as he changed gears and sped up. 

Name: Max Luciano (A.K.A. Massimo)

Clemons Cell Ability: Fire Manipulation

Character Info: Born from the poorest town in Vanity Island, to study at the island's most expensive school. He is Nicholas' best friend, and both of them practiced together to perfect their abilities.