Chapter 1.0 - Intrologue

Los Angeles, CA. 2012

It was a calm, normal morning in L.A. Sunny as usual, as it was summer. Commuters driving to work. Road rage. Smog. Crime. Well, it was Los Angeles.

A boy with glasses of about 13 years was lying with his head on his desk in a classroom.

“Jason Rosner?” said the voice of the substitute teacher. The boy raised his head.

“Here,” he said in a soft voice.

“I guess he's absent…,” continued the sub.

Jason rolled his eyes and said louder "Here."

“Oh there you are,” the substitute said.

The boy called Jason rested his head upon the desk again as the substitute continued role call.

It seemed like another boring day at school, until the fire alarm went off. There was a moment of confusion as the students looked around nervously, wondering whether it was a fire drill or not. When they heard screams coming from the hallway, their unspoken question might as well have been answered.

The class broke out in panic as the classmates ran out of the room blindly, the sting of smoke starting to fill the open doorway.

Jason gathered his things hurriedly and joined them in their panic. In a moment of fear, he wondered where his brother Zachary was.

Surprisingly there were already firefighters spraying at the spreading fire with extinguisher guns. Jason stopped and looked around. Maybe he should look for his brother. The flames were ebbing away anyways, now that the firemen were here. But he was wrong.

“What happened?” Jason shouted over the roar of the inferno.

“Looks like arson,” the firefighter said in a metallic voice, filtered through the facial helmet he wore.

Jason bit his lip. That was crazy.

He ran with the rest of the students towards the main entrance/exit, when they started turning back.

“There’s more fire over here!” people were shouting. Jason tried pushing through everyone as they turned and crowded past him, going to the other exit. Teachers and staff personnel were herding everyone, some of them telling the students to stay calm.

Jason saw now that the fire was emanating from a classroom ahead. That was his brother’s class!

Jason ran toward it, coughing and covering his face with his textbook. What if his brother was still in there?

He got a crazy idea and suddenly took a run at the door, and at the last second he jumped and drop-kicked it, hoping to kick it open.

His foot made contact with the door, but alas, his rear end made contact with the floor.

Firefighters came and started spraying away the fire from the door, and then one took out a magnetic-axe and chopped it down.

The rest rushed in and sprayed in all directions to clear away the fire and smoke, and Jason followed them, believing it safe.

Shockingly, he saw his brother chasing a frightened-looking man around the room, the flames singing the man but not doing any visible harm to Zachary.

“I’ll kill you!” snarled Zachary, flames now bursting from his hands as if in anger. Jason gasped. He didn’t know what was happening; everything was going on too quickly, too strangely.

The firefighters, as if on cue, looked at each other then started spraying Zachary, who yelped and fell, the flames on his arms going out. Two firemen picked up Zachary, who now looked unconscious, while two more hurried to the man, who had apparently fainted.

The remaining firefighters put out the rest of the fire, then left the room to get the rest of the fire. They all seemed to ignore Jason.

Jason went over to his brother.

“What’s wrong with him,” he asked worriedly, trying to see how badly Zachary was burned.

The firefighters turned, surprised. They moved so Jason could get a better view. “Nothing,” one said quietly.

Jason narrowed his eyes, not believing it, and looked at his brother. Zachary’s long orange hair was straying over his closed eyes, his arms sweating, but not burned at all.