WHACK!!


James Neville flung himself up out of bed after the impact of his sister's slap to the cheek jolted him from his sleep.


"What the fu-"


"You rat bastard! You stole my girlfriend! AGAIN!" Jewel's temper flared as she leaned in close to her twin brother.


James cowered back down and pulled the duvet closer to his body. He could almost feel the red angry aura protruding from Jewel.


"Well?" His sister demanded without lowering her tone.


"What are you talking about?" James asked innocently. He hoped she was aware he was unclothed so as not to pull the duvet away from him.


"Oh I don't know! How about Rachel!"


"Who?" James tried to play dumb.


Just at that moment a body began to stir next to James and a surprised female face looked up at Jewel. Surprise turned into horror as her waking brain told her the situation. She turned to James for reassurance.


"Morning, Rachel, would you like tea," he spoke nervously.


Rachel turned back to Jewel, "I'm sorry, Jewel. I didn't mean for it to happen."


Jewel shot Rachel an evil glare, "Didn't mean for it to happen? You're no better than him," she turned her attention back on James. "Wasn't happy enough with taking Melissa last week! You knew how much I liked Rachel! I never want to see either of you again!"


With tears filling her eyes, Jewel turned on her heels and was about to leave. A click from the door of the en suite stopped her and she turned to face it.


A girl in her undies walked out and froze at the sight of Jewel, "Hi," she mustered with a swallow.


"Argh!" Jewel fumed and stormed out of the room. "I hate you, James Neville!"


"Tea, Mel?" James asked as confidently as possible.


***


Jewel threw herself onto her own bed and sobbed a little, muttering a few choice words to describe her brother and now ex-girlfriend.


"Alexa, play some soft beach waves sounds please. If I'm going to mellow I may as well pretend to be somewhere nice."


"Certainly, Jewel. Would you also like me to project your grannie into the room for comfort?" The voice came from nowhere in particular but it filled the room.


"Yes please," Jewel replied sadly and rolled onto her back.


A life-sized blue projection of her grandmother appeared in a padded chair next to the bed.


The image smiled down at Jewel without saying a word. The sound of waves began filling the room and the wall opposite the bed displayed images of gentle waves washing up onto a beach.


"I miss you, Grannie. Things were much simpler when you were here."


Only the beach sounds replied as her grannie sat still, smiling down at her.


Jewel continued, "Sometimes I wish I could just disappear. Leave this place and never return."


Silence fell upon Jewel then as she stared into the projected eyes of her grandmother. She tried to ignore the sounds coming from the hall of Rachel and Melissa attempting to sneak out.


A few minutes later James knocked on her door and entered before she could refuse him.


"Listen, J. I'm sorry, I'm an arse," James spoke apologetically.


"Understatement," Jewel huffed. "We stopped calling each other J. We're not twelve anymore, it's no longer cute."


"You'll always be my little sister," he said with a smile.


"By eighteen minutes, twerp."


"I still call it a day as it was past midnight," James teased.


"Shut up, I'm not talking to you, James," Jewel turned on her side to face their gran.


"Hello, Grannie," James acknowledged. The projection looked towards James and smiled.


Jewel lay in silence with the intention of ignoring her twin for the time being.


"I am sorry, J, truly. When you're ready, come back to my room, I have something to show you."


Jewel sighed heavily in response. James nodded to her back and left the room.


***


After completing a few college assignments with friends at the library later that day, James returned home with the intention of playing FC72 game on his Xbox Ever.


His intentions were dashed however as soon as he stepped foot into his bedroom. "J?" He questioned.


Jewel was sitting on the edge of his bed, waiting for him to return. "J," she greeted after a slight hesitation.


"I didn't think you would come back in here today," James replied.


"Believe me, I do not want to be here. What do you want to show me?" Jewel pulled a face as her eyes lingered on the bed for a while.


"Oh yes, right. Set your watch to privacy mode."


Jewel frowned but did so. "What are you planning, James?"


"We're turning eighteen soon, you know what that means, right?" James asked.


Jewel rolled her eyes, "That you can go to a bar and pick up your own girlfriends from now on," she replied dryly.


"Well yes, but no. We'll be coming of age for our family's prophecy."


Jewel looked into James's eyes, she was trying to figure out if he was serious or not, "The fable we learnt as young school children where you can play with fire?"


"Yes, that's the one," James knew Jewel only saw it as a bedtime story. "Check this out, this is what I wanted to show you."


While twirling ringlets of hair around her fingers, Jewel stared absentmindedly at her twin, still waiting on what he wanted to show her so she could leave.


James reached into his pocket and pulled out a lighter. He clicked it on, producing a flame, "Ready?" He smiled.


"Hurry up already," Jewel spat.


James pointed a finger from his free hand towards the flame and it suddenly burst into a silhouette of a naked woman and began dancing.


"How are you doing that?" Intrigued, Jewel stood up and moved closer to inspect the dancing ember.


"I have no idea," replied James. "But wait, it gets better."


The lady turned back into a flame and rose up away from the lighter which James put down. It formed into a circle and started spinning and moving in tune to James's finger movements.


"That's incredible," Jewel exclaimed. She was still angry with James but she could not help being fascinated by this trick.


The circle grew bigger and wider and James began laughing, "I have no idea what I'm doing."


"Maybe you stop now then," nerves crept into Jewel's voice and she took a step back.


"Let me figure out how," James replied. He instinctively clapped his hands and the ring became a roaring flame before subsiding.


Just as he thought it had died out, Jewel let out a frustrating scream


"James, you bastard!" Jewel cried. She began flailing around as the hem of her dress was in flames, the embers ate away at the clothing like paper.


"Oh shit!" James panicked, he reached for a blanket.


In her flurry of struggles Jewel waved towards a glass of water on the bedside table.


Before either of them could grab it, the glass had already tipped over and the water had somehow levitated through the air, expanded and splashed against Jewel's legs like a bucket full.


The fire extinguished but Jewel still danced around like she was completely engulfed in flames.


As soon as she realised she was safe, wet but safe, Jewel fled the room cursing her twin for the second time that day.


James was left to contemplate the events. Had he controlled the water too, or was that strange occurrence, Jewel?


***