hung closet. The yellow dress could stay, and the jewel blue skirt, and the red shoes that were the most agonizingly beautiful things she had ever owned, and a few of the other pretty things from her shopping spree.
The rest was going to Goodwill.
And then the soprano on her iPod hit a deliriously high note and something inside Elsie snapped. Something beyond reckless. An idea, pure insane temptation, pierced her soul.
The old Elsie shrieked in terror and tried to run for the door. The new Elsie told her to shut up. Singing along with the soprano, hopelessly off-key, she pulled clothes out of her closet in deranged abandon.
Summer was a lovely time for a bonfire.
"Holy crap." Lizard's voice happened to catch a momentary lull in the music - otherwise Elsie might never have heard her. "You moving out?"
Elsie froze - and then the soprano's voice chased to the heavens once more. Maybe insanity would be more fun with a friend. "Got anything you want to burn?"
Lizard jumped back, cracking her head on the wall. "House fires are a really bad idea. Really, really bad."
She was insane, not suicidal. "No, we can use the fire pit outside. I don't think Caro will mind."
Lizard stared. "You're going to burn all your clothes?"
"No." Elsie stroked the yellow dress hung carefully off to the side. "Only the ones that don't fit anymore." She could feel all the passion Vero spoke of. Building. Flaming.
"No sparking inside." Lizard grabbed half the mountain of clothes. "We're so going to get evicted if you burn the house down."
Elsie looked at her fingers, edgy lightning dancing from their tips. And rejoiced at the blaze inside her.
"Don't make me kick you in the shins." Her roommate looked awfully tough. "Clothes. Outside. Now."
Fine. Elsie scooped up what was left of the pile and headed down the stairs and through the kitchen. Nothing stopped her triumphant march until she tried to go through the back door and got stuck, wedged in by her own mountain of clothes.
Lizard got them unstuck by the most expedient of methods - a foot on Elsie's butt. Which got them both through the door - and heaped in a pile on the back lawn.
"I'm a fracking genius," said Lizard, a really prim button-down shirt hanging from her ear.
Elsie started to giggle. That was the shirt she'd worn for volcano making. "We need to borrow a teleporting witch."
"I'm already a delinquent." Lizard got to her feet and started collecting clothes. "Let's not corrupt anybody else. Bonfires are probably illegal in city limits."
Illegal? Elsie felt her newfound recklessness melt.
Lizard looked up sharply and then rolled her eyes. "Good grief. Only a little illegal. Hang on, I'll be right back."
She was back in less than two minutes - just long enough for the last remnants of Elsie's courage to entirely flee. And then she heard the music again. Opera, booming from the kitchen window.
Lizard stepped out the back door. "That's as loud as it gets, so do whatever sing-y thing you do that makes your head feel all brave and crazy."
Elsie didn't have to do anything. She could feel the flames unfurling in her belly to the beat of the music. She held out her hands as Lizard dropped another armful of clothes in the fire ring. "Stand back."
Her roommate jumped of the way with impressive speed. Elsie let her power free, a bolt of lightning streaking from her fingers. And watched it land in the clothes and smolder a moment before it died.
"I think you're going to need a little more juice than that," said Lizard dryly.
She didn't have a lot more. Clearly bonfires weren't as easy as they looked. This time, Elsie focused, remembering all her fire training. The second attempt was better - there were actually a few flames before everything fizzled out again.
Her heart pelted against her ribs in frustration. How could you rage against the world when you couldn't even get a fire started? Channeling the need clawing inside her, she aimed one more time.
Jennie felt determination from Caro - and then a thunderbolt of power blew past her cheek and Elsie's bonfire whooshed into flame.
Lauren, coming in the back gate, dove for cover. Moments later, she climbed out from behind the rose bush, cursing. A little warning on the lightning bolts next time, maybe?
Thought I'd give them a hand. Caro settled back down on the back porch swing. Girl's not much of a fire witch, but she's got a big heart. Deserves a bonfire.
Jennie