Romania tried to live like nothing had changed.
She went back to work at the diner. She kept her head down. She didn't tell anyone about the thing in the alley. She told herself it was just stress. Just fear.
But the city felt different now.
People looked normal, but Romania felt like she was walking in a world that was hiding something. She felt eyes on her sometimes, even when no one was there.
After her shift ended, she walked home alone.
Three guys were standing near the corner of the street. They were loud and laughing. When they saw Romania, they stopped.
"Hey," one of them said. "You got any money?"
Romania shook her head and tried to walk past them.
Another one stepped in front of her.
"Don't ignore us," he said, smiling in a mean way.
Romania's heart started to race. She took a step back.
"Please move," she said. "I just want to go home."
The third guy laughed.
"Or what?"
One of them grabbed her arm.
The heat rushed back.
Romania felt it fill her chest and run down her arms. Her fear turned into anger. She didn't mean to do anything. She just wanted them to let her go.
The ground under their feet grew warm. The air started to shake.
"What the—?" one of them said.
Flames burst out of Romania's hands.
The fire was strong and wild. It hit the ground between them, forcing them to jump back. One of the guys fell over.
"Freak!" he shouted.
They turned and ran.
Romania stood there in shock. Her hands were burning again. She didn't know how to stop it.
"Hey—stop!"
A voice cut through the smoke.
Suddenly, cold water crashed into the flames. The fire hissed and died out. Steam filled the air.
Romania looked up.
A boy about her age stood a few steps away. He held his hand out, and water flowed from the air around him like it was being pulled from nowhere. The water wrapped around the last of the flames and put them out.
The street went quiet.
Romania stared at him.
"You… you did that."
The boy lowered his hand. The water dropped to the ground and disappeared into the cracks in the street.
"Yeah," he said. "And you almost burned down half the block."
Romania felt her face grow hot, and not because of the fire.
"I didn't mean to," she said. "I couldn't stop it."
"I know," he replied. "That's what happens when you don't know how to control your power."
Romania's heart skipped.
"You know about this?"
He nodded.
"My name's Lucio Rufu," he said. "And yeah… you're not the only one like this."
Romania looked at her hands. They were shaking.
"I almost hurt someone," she said.
Lucio's voice softened.
"You defended yourself. But if you don't learn control, next time could be worse."
She looked up at him.
"Can you teach me?"
Lucio hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"Yeah," he said. "But you need to understand something first."
"What?"
"There are people—and things—out there who hunt people like us," he said. "And that fire inside you? It's loud. They can feel it."
Romania swallowed.
"So what do I do?"
Lucio gave a small, serious smile.
"You stop being alone."