I watched as the fire caught on his brown jacket, a look of terror in his eyes as he turned back to me. He was paralyzed from the waist down, the trunk of a burning tree pinning him down. Our eyes met and I could feel tears threading my eyes as I pursed my lower lip. His eyes softened and a slight smirk caught on his lips. "I love you," he mouthed, his head falling to the ground with a soft 'thump'. 
        The fire ran up his sleeves, the rest of his body going up in flames. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I ran over towards him, falling to my knees before him. Charred tree branches fell around us as I leaned down and embraced his burning body. "I love you too," I sobbed. "I love you more than you could imagine." I could feel the fire eat away at my skin but the pain was numb compared to what I felt in my heart. "Why couldn't it have been me?" I managed to whisper, "Why...?" 

***

                I stared blankly at the ceiling, tears still rolling down my cheeks. "I had the dream again..." I muttered, bringing an arm up over my eyes. Even though the last few vivid memories of the dream had already started to fade away, that deep pain it always left still lingered. It always came, every night since I can last remember, and it left me sobbing on my bed for hours until the first light of dawn peeked through the window over hanging my room. Never have I been able to remember what my dream was about, or what exactly happened... All I know is that it leaves me feeling this pain in my heart that hurts more than anything I have ever felt.  
        My knees curled up to my chest as I turned on my side, tucking them under my chin while my sobbing echoed through out the room. Through squinted eyes, a saw a poster on the opposing wall that read, "Providence Will Take Care Of You." "Sure..." I said, running a hand under my nose. "But why can they never make this better?" I whispered, burying my head into my knees. 
        Providence... The only place I've ever known... The one place that has kept me safe since the moment I woke from death. As an Elemental, I have lived a life before this but because of my untimely death I was permitted to live once more but under the service of my element. I probably would be lost, or dead, if not for Providence though. They're like an archangel coming to sweep you away from the clenches of evil, and I'm utterly grateful to them but... There's always such a cold and very distant feeling here... As if once you're saved, no one really cares about how you feel, or if you're okay... They just leave you alone. So when you truly need someone to comfort you... There is no one... You have to go about it yourself... Alone.

        ***

               My sobs died down to a soft whimper just as the first rays of sunlight peeked through the window. I pushed myself into a sitting position, my legs curling from my chest and swinging over the side of the bed. With a sigh, I stood up and shuffled my way over to the small bundle of clothes that laid folded by the door. On top of them, read a note that said, "Fresh clothes. Curtsy of Providence."  With a soft smile, I slipped on a well fitted shirt and shorts that were a bright red and tapped my feet in sneakers of the same coloring.  
        Even though Providence may have a distant atmosphere to it, it is nice to find a freshly clean pair of clothes waiting for me each morning. I guess one can make do without companionship if it means security... 
       Taking a deep breath, I pushed the thoughts of the dream aside and opened the door. Fluorescent light filled the doorway, causing me to squint slightly as my eyes adjusted to the change of brightness. Outside, rows of doors ran along the walls side-by-side with guards clad in white armor at each door, the line of doors and human continuing far down the hallway where it ended in double doors. 
        The hallway was vacant besides the guards and myself, the guards themselves seeming to be silent and still. They never do talk nor acknowledge your presence. They simply stare on, and when anything of importance happens they jump into action. It all only adds to feeling of security yet loneliness of Providence. Giving the guard beside my door a gentle nod, I stepped out of my room and down the hallway as I headed towards the double doors. Passing through them, I continued down corridors and rounded corners, my body already following the route it took so many times before and allowing my mind to drift off.
         Providence... It's hard to believe I've been here for about a year since my revival. In that time, no one has really told me what my past life was like, it's just a big puzzle that has all the pieces missing to it. When I woke from the ashes, my mind was a clean slate. Besides the needs for survival and communication, there was really nothing in my head. I had no recollection of a name, age, family, or of anything else... I was given the name Eve after my arrival within  the campus of Providence. It's not short for anything, nor do I have a last name... It's just simple Eve. 
        After various tests, I was told that I'm a Fire Elemental, Type Two. Type Twos are supposedly very common amongst their kind, however they're the weakest of the two types. I guess the tests were wrong though... There should be a Type Three because for some reason I'm weaker than all the others... My attacks do minimal damage, and I can barely hold up a flame let alone start one. 
        The spark within my heart, or otherwise known as my life source, lies dormant for most of the day and when lit, drains a lot of life out of me. To the point where if sustained long enough, it would burn out and I would die. For a small boost of power, I require an injection in which I receive each morning. With a dose of 45 mg, Flame Extract 2.3 allows my inner flame to burn brighter so that I don't run the risk of burning out. But yet even with that, I can still never measure up to the others.... 
 

***

        I stood in front of the clean, white door, letters of bright red printed on it that read "Medic Ward." Biting back a sigh, I slid the door open and stepped inside to be greeted by small office. A desk leaned against one wall of glass that look on at a room full of medical equipment and machines, while on the other end were three cots in row with cabinets over hanging them. The beds were vacant and made, not a single wrinkle visible on the pristine sheets. At the desk sat a youthful woman with a head of blonde hair as she clenched it within the palm of her hand. 
        I stood awkwardly in the doorway as I watched her flip through papers on her desk, muttering to herself about various of things. She abruptly paused and she snapped her head in my direction. A warm smile spread across her red-stained lips as she spun the office chair to face me. 
        "Oh Eve... It's only you," she said, folding one leg over the other. "I didn't expect you to be here this early. Is something wrong?" 
        I shook my head, "No ma'am. I just wanted to get my medicine early today.'
        "I see," she said, her expression softening into sympathy. "Did you have the dream again? Perhaps we can talk about it... Did you remember any de-" 
        "I don't wanna talk about it," I said, adverting my eyes to the ground. 
        There was silence for a moment before I heard the chair squeak and her voice say, "Alright... Well please sit on the cot." Then the clicking on her heels echoed through the room before I heard the opposing door ease shut. 
        Closing the door behind me, I made my way to the first cot and plopped down on it with a heavy sigh, my head falling into cupped hands. Must she always remind me of the dream? The pain is bad enough... But to keep reliving it each and every living moment is torture... I know she means well, but her means of helping only make the pain worse... 
        I picked my head, my eyes catching my reflection in the glass window. There I saw a pair of brown eyes staring back at me, brown locks of hair falling around them, and mixed with those brown eyes was loneliness and seclusion. This isn't what my eyes nor hair should look like... No. This is what I looked as when I was human, what I was before revival. 
        Past my reflection, I could see the medic holding up a vial of fluorescent, red liquid to the light as a syringe rested in her fingers. She gave a curt nod, and dipped the needle inside the vial, the fluid slowly filling the syringe. Flicking off excess liquid from the point, she returned the vial to a crate beside her and entered the office. 
        "Now tilt your head Eve," she said, kneeling down beside me. 
        I tilted my head to one side, my eyes still fixated on my reflection in the window. 
        "So..." she said, brushing back my hair to leave my neck bare, "Ranking matches are today, yes?" 
        "Yes ma'am." 
        With a saturated cotton ball, she carefully cleaned the side of my neck as she asked, "This is your eighth right?" 
        "Yes ma'am." 
        'Mhm," she hummed, poising the needle above my neck. "So how many have you won?" 
        "None." 
        She ran stiff, the needle freezing just centimeters away from me. "None of them?" 
        "Yes ma'am." 
        "You do know if you lose one more that means-"
        "Demotion?" I asked, side-glancing at her. "Yes ma'am..." "But considering I'm the lowest rank, I don't suppose they can demote me any farther, so it's not like it's too big a deal." 
          She went silent for a minute, her fingers tightening around the syringe before she said through pursed lips, "Of course...." Without warning, she buried the needle in the skin of my neck, causing a yelp to leave my lips. 
        It almost feels like a rush of adrenaline but yet more intense. It feels as if my whole body heats up, and both my breathing and heart rate pick up. All my senses are heightened; I can smell the alcohol on the trashed cotton ball, and I can hear the medic's heart beat. Every detail catches my eye, from the few strands of grey in the Medic's hair to the smugs on the glass window... 
        Closing my eyes, I can almost envision the inner flame doubling in size, the embers licking at the air with crackles. This feeling of power is amazing and almost addicting, as if you never want it to stop... Yet just as suddenly as the sensation starts... It ends...
        A small puff of steam escaped my lips, my eyes slowly opening. Staring back at me from the reflection of the window was what a true Elemental was suppose to be. Her eyes glowed a bright ember as they stared unblinkingly at me, strands of dark auburn hair falling around them. 
        The medic stood, wiping the syringe point with the end of her shirt sleeve with a sigh. "There you go Eve. You're free to go." 
        I nodded, flipping my hair back into place before I stood myself. We both just stood in awkward silence, our backs facing each others. My hand crept up to my arm as I rubbed it gently, "I'll be leaving now... " 
       Just as I was about to take a step towards the door, I felt a gentle hand rest upon my shoulder.  
        I looked over my shoulder, arching an eyebrow at the medic. "Ma'am?" 
        "Eve... Be careful tomorrow." 
        "Yes ma'am," I said, simply staring at her. 
        She gave me one last squeeze as she said, "Eve. Just know someone in this godforsaken building cares about what happens to you." "Now get going," she said, ushering me towards the door. 
        I nodded and walk up to the door, pausing as I placed a hand on the door frame. "Thank you ma'am," I said, adverting my eyes towards the ground. 
        "Maria will do fine, Eve." 
        "Well then... Thank you Maria," I said, looking over my shoulder and giving her a warm smile before leaving and closing the door behind me. With a sigh, I leaned my back heavily against the door.
        If only she knew how deep those words ran... Never has anyone here ever shown any signs of caring for me... And now, this woman who I see every morning for my injection, is the first to voice her concern for me. In a way, it fills me with joy to know that I'm not alone  in this cold building... But it also unsettles me. 
      

The smallest flame can cause the biggest fire. ~Eve