“Yeah,” Seth whispered back. “I think so.”
“We’re with you,” Gibby said.
They were all brought back to reality when Miles cleared his throat. They looked at the adults in the room. Most were smiling, though they looked confused.
“Seth?” Martha asked. “This is what you want?”
Seth helped Jazz up off his lap, and she pulled Gibby along with her, sitting back down on the couch. “It is.”
Bob said, “Whatever you need, kiddo. You want us to do it?”
Seth shook his head. “No. It’s my responsibility.” He glanced at Nick. “And I know I’m not alone.”
“Damn right,” Nick said.
“Team Pyro Storm,” Gibby agreed. She looked at her parents. “Mom. Dad. I need you to listen to Seth, okay? Let him tell it how he wants to. Don’t interrupt. You’ll have questions—a lot of questions—but wait until he’s done. And Seth, tell us if you need us to jump in.”
“Same,” Jazz told her parents.
Seth said, “Watch.” He lifted his palm toward the ceiling. The skin around his eyes tightened briefly before twin flames bloomed above his hand. At first, they hung suspended, the fire crackling. Then they swirled together in the shape of a double helix. No matter how many times Nick had seen it, it still knocked the breath from his chest.
The flames rose up, beginning to spin in concentric circles above Seth’s head.
As a stunned Miles, Jo, Trey, and Aysha looked up in wonder, Seth Gray lowered his hand and said, “I’m Pyro Storm. And this is my origin story.”
By the time he finished speaking, Seth’s voice was hoarse. Nick and Gibby and Jazz had helped as best they could, but it was Seth’s story to tell. He told them of the train accident, the loss of his parents, how he’d figured out at a young age that he could create fire from nothing. There were many accidents, burning things that shouldn’t have been burned. Bob stepped in once or twice, telling the rapt audience that Seth had gotten control of it far quicker than any of them had expected.
It wasn’t until Seth reached the part about Owen and Simon Burke that anyone interrupted. Miles snarled angrily, his wife gripping his hand to keep him from rising. “Those assholes,” he snapped. “If I’d known that they …” He shook his head angrily.
They allowed Seth to tell the rest of the story, ending with the Battle at McManus Bridge. The adults all looked shaken as Seth described fighting their former friend. “And Nick saved Rebecca Firestone,” Seth said. “If it wasn’t for him, she could have gotten hurt. Or worse.”
“Yeah, well,” Nick muttered. “We can’t all be heroes.”
When Seth finished, everyone was quiet. Nick fidgeted, wanting to fill the silence, but he somehow managed to keep his mouth shut. This wasn’t about him. It was about Seth and his endless well of bravery.
He let out a sharp exhalation when Aysha spoke first. “You’re telling the truth; I know you are. But I …” She shook her head. “I’m having a hard time believing it.” She rose from the couch and walked around the coffee table to Seth’s chair. “Up,” she said. “Up.”
Seth stood and grunted when Aysha hugged him tightly, her face in his curly hair. For a moment, he just stood there, arms dangling at his sides. It wasn’t until Aysha reminded him that’s not how hugs worked that he clutched her tightly.
“You’re a hero,” she whispered to Seth, and Nick felt his bottom lip wobble. “You protected all those people. I’m so proud of you, Seth.”
Seth blinked rapidly as Aysha took a step back. A tear trickled down his cheek when Aysha moved out of the way so her husband could hug him too, followed by Jo, and then Miles.
Once everyone sat back down, Seth still looking dazed, Jo glanced at her daughter and said, “You’ve been helping him?”
Jazz nodded. “We’re Team Pyro Storm. We don’t fight like Seth does, but we’re there to make sure he has all the backup he needs.” She pointed at the boxes. “That’s what those are for. To make sure he has the best equipment. We call ourselves Lighthouse. It was Nicky’s idea.”
Dad made a small, wounded noise.
“I don’t understand,” Aysha admitted, looking around the room before settling her gaze on Bob and Martha. “You all knew about this? For how long?”
Bob shifted uncomfortably. “Martha and I have known for a while now. There was always something … different about Seth. We couldn’t quite put our fingers on it. Not until …” He glanced at Martha, as if unsure.
Martha patted his leg. “Not until he accidentally lit his bed on fire. Luckily, it was a small fire that we were able to put out before anyone got hurt. We didn’t know what had happened. It took a little bit longer to get the truth from Seth.” She smiled at her nephew. “He was scared that we wouldn’t want him anymore. As if pyrokinesis would make us love him any less.”
Bob scratched the back of his neck. “We didn’t want anyone else to know. Seemed safer that way. There wasn’t much out there about Extraordinaries—at least, not enough to show us the best way to proceed. We had to figure things out on our own. It was … well, let’s say the process was trial and error, with more error than anything else.” He laughed quietly. “Quite a few singed eyebrows, but we got it under control, didn’t we, Seth?”
Seth grinned at him, though it wasn’t as bright as usual. He was still nervous, and Nick was in protective mode. Seth said, “They grew back, thankfully. There’s a reason we evolved with eyebrows. You looked freaky without them.”
“And you knew?” Trey asked Dad, and now he sounded angry. “You let our daughters get involved with this and didn’t tell us? What the hell, Aaron—where’s your damn head at?”
“Dad,” Gibby said, flushing slightly. “It’s not like that. We knew before Mr. Bell did. In fact, out of everyone who knew before today, he was the last. If you’re going to be pissed at anyone, be mad at me.”
“Oh, I am,” Trey said. “And when did you find out? Last fall at the bridge? Before? That was months ago, Gibster. I get that you were protecting your friend, but come on. You should’ve told us.” He glared at Dad. “Someone should have told us. You say you weren’t involved in any of the fighting, which—fine. But that doesn’t mean you couldn’t have gotten hurt.” He closed his eyes. “Or worse.”
Alarmed, Nick said, “Seth wouldn’t hurt any of us. He’s in control of—”
Trey’s eyes flashed open, and Nick snapped his mouth closed. “I’m not talking about Seth, though, believe you me, we’ll get to that in a moment.” He glared at Dad. “What happens if my daughter gets pulled into a fight? What happens if the cops come and she doesn’t raise her hands up quickly enough? Or too fast? What happens if a cop has an itchy trigger finger? You gonna tell me you did everything you could to keep her safe? That’s bullshit, Aaron.”
“Dad,” Gibby said, sounding nervous. “Maybe we should—”
“Lola,” Aysha said, and Gibby scowled down at her lap.