First published by Allen & Unwin in 2020

Text copyright © Anh Do, 2020

Illustrations by James Hart, 2020

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. The Australian Copyright Act 1968 (the Act) allows a maximum of one chapter or ten per cent of this book, whichever is the greater, to be photocopied by any educational institution for its educational purposes provided that the educational institution (or body that administers it) has given a remuneration notice to the Copyright Agency (Australia) under the Act.

Allen & Unwin

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Australia

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ISBN 978 1 76087 636 4

eISBN 978 1 76106 044 1

Cover design by Kristy Lund-White and James Hart

Text design by Kristy Lund-White

Set by Kristy Lund-White

Amber crouched in the overgrown grass at the edge of her family’s property. She unclasped her hands and released the grasshopper she’d found trapped inside her bedroom.

‘Off you go now.’

A butterfly flitted past, and Amber instantly recognised it was a painted lady. Its wings caught the glow of the sunset, and Amber’s heart swelled. She could not help but follow as it flitted from perch to perch.

‘Oh, if you’re looking for thistles,’ she told the butterfly, ‘I’m afraid Dad spent the weekend clearing them.’

Amber knew thistles were a painted ladies’ favourite food, but they also liked red clover and blazing stars. At nine years old, Amber hadn’t learnt this from any book, but simply from watching the fascinating creatures hopping, crawling and flying about her family’s land.

A dragonfly zipped out from the bushes. Amber smiled – she loved anything with the word ‘dragon’ in it.

Suddenly it swooped out of the air and onto the painted lady, driving it down and pinning it to the ground. The butterfly fluttered helplessly, until the dragonfly ended its struggle with one bite of its powerful jaws. Amber bit her lip – she felt bad for the butterfly, but she also knew that insects do what insects do.

‘Amber!’ her mum called from the house. ‘Are you going to give me a hand with dinner?’

Amber raced back through the grass. As the shadows grew long around her, the soft light coming through the windows looked very inviting indeed.

By the time she’d made it to the kitchen, Amber’s mum, Liz, already had the pizza bases out. Amber climbed onto a chair to inspect the bowls of toppings on offer – cheese, mushrooms, pepperoni …

‘I need your help,’ said Liz warmly. ‘Your dad says you make the best pizzas.’

Amber set about sprinkling ingredients onto the bases. Liz’s phone rang and she put it on speaker.

‘Heya, Amber!’ came the voice of Amber’s dad, Joe. The line crackled a bit – reception wasn’t great out here. ‘Your brother and I hear you’re helping with dinner?’

‘Yep,’ said Amber happily, as she piled cheese onto her concoction.

‘What are we having?’ asked Reggie, Amber’s older brother.

Pizza was Reggie’s favourite but Amber couldn’t resist teasing him. ‘You’ll have to wait and see,’ she said.

‘Can I have a clue?’ Reggie asked.

‘Well, it’s round …’

‘Hmm,’ he said, pretending to think. ‘I’m guessing … broccoli balls?’

Amber giggled. ‘Yuck!’

‘How was work?’ Liz asked Joe.

‘No big incidents, thankfully,’ he said.

Joe was a firefighter at the local station, and Reggie, though only thirteen, had already decided he would follow in his dad’s footsteps. Joe took Reggie in on weekend shifts like today so he could learn the ropes.

‘A couple of false alarms,’ Joe continued.

‘Oh, and a cat got stuck in a tree,’ Reggie added, chuckling.

‘Why do cats always get stuck in trees?’ Amber asked. ‘If there were no firefighters, would they just stay up there forever?’

‘Hahaha!’ Reggie always laughed at Amber’s jokes, even if they weren’t funny.

‘Okay, I’m putting the broccoli balls in the oven,’ said Liz, winking at Amber. ‘How far away are you?’

‘A couple of minutes,’ Joe said. ‘I just passed Irene’s pl— Wait … what’s that?’

‘What’s what, honey?’ said Liz, only half paying attention as she slid the pizzas into the oven.

Through the window, Amber caught sight of something odd in the sky. A glowing light, purple and magnificent. Amber scrambled over the kitchen counter for a closer look.

The yard outside was lit up in purple.

‘Are you guys seeing this?’ said Joe.

Liz reached out to pull Amber off the counter, but when she saw what Amber was looking at, she froze. Above the trees, in the distance, was a giant, glowing purple ball! As if that wasn’t strange enough, it was quickly growing bigger. In fact, it seemed to be hurtling towards them.

‘Mum?’ asked Amber.

But Liz didn't answer. She just stared out the window, her mouth open wide.

As the glowing purple ball whizzed out of sight behind a hill, Joe hit the accelerator. Neither he nor Reggie had ever seen anything like it. What was it? A meteorite?

Suddenly the ground beneath the truck shook.

‘Liz?’ Joe shouted. ‘Amber? You two still there?’

Their truck crested the hill onto the incline that led down to the family property, and what Joe saw almost made him spin off the road. His house – the house in which his wife and daughter were – was in flames!

Joe gave a cry of horror and slammed on the accelerator again, tearing down the hill. They didn’t even stop to unlock the gate, but smashed through it, sending wood and metal flying.

The truck screeched to a halt in front of the house. Flames and black smoke billowed from every opening.

‘Liz!’ Joe screamed, throwing open the car door.

‘Mum! Amber!’ cried Reggie, rushing out of the truck.

There was no sign of them.

Joe grabbed his hose from the tray of the truck, and yelled to Reggie, ‘The valve!’

Reggie ran to the outside tap and connected the hose. He flicked on the valve, and a jet of water erupted from the hose in his father's hand. Joe dashed into the house, shouting over his shoulder for Reggie to stay outside.

The living room was a scene from a nightmare. Flames covered the sofas, paintings fell and smashed as their strings burnt through, and smoke billowed up through the hole in the roof. Purple gloop dripped down from the broken beams, splattering everywhere – a dollop of it landed on his arm.

Joe didn’t have time to think about what it could be. He swept the hose about as he yelled for Amber and Liz. They had been in the kitchen when he phoned – maybe they were still there?

He kicked aside a burning chair and strode to the kitchen door. Inside was an inferno. Joe cranked up the hose to carve a path in, splashing walls and benchtops. His stomach dropped when he saw two figures lying facedown on the floor.

The closest, Amber, was splattered with the gloop, her face resting on a scorched floorboard.

‘My baby!’ Joe yelled, dropping to his knees to check her breathing. She was alive.

Joe looked over to Liz, whose body was crushed under a fallen beam.

‘Liz, can you hear me?’ Joe croaked. He grappled with the heavy beam, but it was jammed and wouldn’t budge.

‘Get Amber out,’ Liz muttered weakly.

‘I … ’ Joe didn’t want to leave Liz, but their daughter needed him.

Suddenly, the kitchen door caved in with a crack. Reggie stood in the doorway.

‘Dad!’ he yelled, staggering towards his father.

‘Quick, Reggie!’ yelled Joe. ‘Take your sister!’

Reggie rushed to where Joe was cradling Amber. He heaved her over his shoulder. ‘I’ll be right back!’ he shouted to his father. ‘Just hold on!’

Reggie ran outside and lay Amber on the grass.

‘Amber?! Can you hear me? Breathe!’ he gasped, his own lungs struggling against the smoke. The side of Amber’s face was blackened, burnt, but he saw her chest rise, heard her cough.

With Amber safe for now, Reggie ran back inside the burning house. The flames danced even higher. He raced towards the kitchen and, through the scorched doorframe, saw his father slumped over his mother’s chest. He wasn’t moving.

‘Mum! Dad!’ Reggie shouted, running for the doorway. But before he could reach the kitchen, a huge timber beam collapsed across the entrance, bringing half the roof down with it.

‘No!’ he screamed. Reggie began clawing through the flaming rubble. Some of the purple gloop fell onto his T-shirt from the ceiling. He wiped it from his back – what was this stuff? It was all over his hands, making it even harder to pull at the rubble.

The more ferociously he attacked debris, the more his lungs filled with smoke, making him faint-headed.

I’m coming, Reggie thought, staggering. His mind was determined but his body refused to obey.

‘Mum! Dad!’ he shouted woozily, pushing aside the last bit of wood before collapsing into the kitchen, his head spinning. He crawled towards his parents and reached out a shaking hand …

Just... stay... conscious, he pleaded with himself before blackness arrived.

Amber sat up with a gasp. The taste of ash made her retch and cough.

A great crash came from the house, and she looked over to see the roof cave in, the whole house now wreathed in fire.

She could see the teddy bears in her bedroom, burning like the rest of the house.

‘Mum? Dad? Reggie?’

She tried to stand but the world spun. Her cheek hurt, and when she touched it the sting was so intense her eyes welled with tears.

She pulled her hand away from her cheek to check for blood. Instead, she found her hand was covered in a strange purple gloop. Amber couldn’t think straight.

‘Amber!’

Their neighbour Irene was running towards her.

Amber tried to call out, to tell Irene to help her parents – but shadows crept in at the corners of her vision. The gloop covered the burn on her cheek and seeped into her skin.

‘Please,’ she said weakly, as Irene knelt beside her. ‘Help them.’

The shadows took her over.

Amber dreamt she was flying.

She looked either side of her at massive scaly wings, looked down to see sharp claws, looked behind to see a long, powerful tail. She opened her mouth and breathed out a huge jet of fire.

She grinned, even though the fire left a taste of ash in her mouth.

Amber woke up. She was in a bed, and propped up by pillows. As she reluctantly let go of her dream, she felt foggy … although maybe the fog was a blessing, as it dulled the pain in her cheek. There was a rustle beside her and she tried to open her eyes, but something restricted her eyelids.

‘Best not to touch the bandages,’ came Irene’s voice. ‘The doctor said.’

‘Bandages?’ she whispered.

‘I’m sorry, little Butterfly.’

Irene had called Amber ‘Butterfly’ ever since she’d found Amber chasing butterflies on her property one afternoon.

‘You were hurt,’ Irene continued. ‘In the fire … The doctor said it should heal over time.’

Amber could sense the uncertainty in Irene’s voice. At the mention of fire, it all came back to her.

Her family … trapped inside a burning house.

‘Mum? Dad?’ she squeaked. ‘Reggie?’

Suddenly Irene’s arms were around her. ‘I’m sorry, Butterfly. Your mum and dad ... they didn’t make it. Your brother tried to save them. Now he’s sleeping. Everyone hopes he’ll wake up soon.’

Amber suddenly felt weightless, as if the very bed she was on had been ripped from beneath her. Everything she’d known had just disappeared from under her in an instant.

Amber’s life was never the same again. In time, she slowly came to accept that her parents were really gone, stolen from her by a freak meteorite.

Her right cheek had been burnt much worse than anyone could have imagined, and for a long while she had to visit Woodville Hospital regularly to have her dressings changed. She wondered what she would look like when the bandages finally came off.

Irene offered to take her in, and everyone seemed to think that best. That way, Amber would be nearby when her brother woke from his coma. ‘It could be any day,’ the doctors kept saying. Yet Reggie Autumn continued to lie in bed, eyes closed, strange machines beeping around him.

From Irene’s fence, Amber watched as different crews came and went from her old house. First it was scientists wearing full-body hazmat suits. Then a group that seemed to be from the military. Then people in dark uniforms she didn’t recognise.

She asked Irene if any of her things – or her parents’ things – had survived the fire. Irene said she had asked, but the National Service was keeping a tight lid on whatever they had found over there.

Over time, Amber grew angry. She wasn’t allowed to enter her own house – even to look for an old photo album!

One night, when Irene was asleep and the security guards were all staring at their phones, Amber snuck over to her house.

It was surreal to be in a place at once so familiar and so changed. The floorboards creaked and ash coated the walls. There were purple stains on everything, and here and there strange notes were pinned, with numbers marked on them.

Amber went to her parents’ room and found it mostly empty – whether stuff had burnt or been taken away, she wasn’t quite sure. In the living room she saw the cabinet that had contained the family photo albums was now reduced to ash.

Finally, she did find something. Underneath some burnt fabric she found a photo of her parents with a young Reggie. Her father was strong and tall, and his big arms were colourfully adorned with tattoos of roses twined around love hearts. Her mother was laughing, her beautiful smile seemed to sparkle. Next to them, little Reggie grinned broadly, his mop of hair tousled by Joe.

Amber tried not to cry. She held the photo tight and fled into the night, spurred on as the guards’ voices rose behind her – but they were only cheering at their phones.

The next day, another crew of workers turned up in construction uniforms and knocked the derelict building to the ground. Irene found Amber watching as they loaded debris onto trucks.

‘Come away, Butterfly,’ she said. ‘You don’t need to watch this.’

Amber’s heart hardened with every passing moment. ‘Yes, I do.’

Amber’s voice was sharp, and Irene did not argue. She waited with Amber until the last of the debris had been driven away, then led her inside.

When Amber saw a home-cooked meal waiting on the stove, she felt bad about speaking so harshly to Irene. The woman had never been anything but kind to her.

Amber tried to apologise, but she burst into tears. Irene held her tight.

‘I’ve got you, Butterfly,’ she whispered. ‘We’ll get through this together. Somehow.’

Amber believed Irene. Though her mother and father might be gone, one day her brother would wake up. Together, they would start again.

She put the family photo by her bed so she could feel that they were always there, watching over her.

One day Reggie would wake, she told herself, again and again. But time passed, days turned into months, and months turned into years.

Amber walked through the gates of Woodville High, feeling the same anxiety she always did. It hadn’t faded over time. Now, at fourteen years old, she felt it as strongly as ever.

There was another thing that had refused to fade. Her scar. Every day she caught someone eyeballing the twisted vortex of dark red lines that covered her right cheek.

At first, she’d felt shy and self-conscious. But now she mostly felt anger at how superficial people were – how obsessed with one kind of beauty.

Now and then Amber caught a boy staring at her ‘good’ side – staring in the way she’d often seen them look at girls … other girls. So she’d immediately turn and face him front-on, and seeing her scar, the boy would quickly turn away. It worked every time. But sometimes she wondered if it was the scar that scared them off, or the challenging look in her eyes.

Amber’s worst scar wasn’t visible to the world. The loss of her parents, the uncertainty about Reggie, who was still in a coma, and the gnawing questions about that meteorite had left a deep emotional wound that she carried wherever she went.

‘Oh look,’ came a mocking voice. ‘It’s Butterfly. She looks more like a caterpillar to me … or maybe a slug.’ Laughter followed.

Trish – the meanest girl in school – had turned Irene’s name for Amber into an insult.

‘Go away,’ said Amber, under her breath.

Trish arched an eyebrow. ‘What did you say?’

‘Ooh … she’s angry today,’ said Stacy, one of Trish’s minions. Emma, the other, grinned menacingly.

Amber noticed an injured ladybird on the path before her. For a moment, she forgot about Trish and reached down to gather it up.

‘Awwww,’ Trish mocked. ‘Has slug girl finally found a friend?’

Trish reached out as if to smack Amber’s palms together and squash the ladybug, but Amber fixed her with a stare so seething even Trish hesitated.

‘I wouldn’t do that if I were you,’ said Amber.

‘Be careful not to touch her, Trish,’ Emma piped up. ‘She’s feral.’

‘You’re right,’ said Trish, smirking. ‘She’s a feral freak.’ The three of them walked off.

Amber made her way towards the gate. She didn’t want them to see where she was going to release the ladybird.

Amber placed the ladybird gently onto a leaf of button-bush.

‘Don’t worry about Trish,’ came a voice from beside her, and Amber almost jumped.

It was Justin. They shared several classes, but he seemed to care about music more than any other subject – which Amber liked.

‘I, uh …’ she said. Amber and Justin hadn’t spoken much before, she’d just … observed him from afar.

‘What is it that you like about bugs?’ asked Justin.

Amber’s thoughts drifted briefly as she wondered. ‘They’re the closest thing we have to dragons,’ she said.

‘There are some pretty big lizards around,’ said Justin with a chuckle.

‘Yeah, but they can’t fly,’ Amber said firmly. ‘Some of them, like the spotted apatelodes moth, even look a bit like dragons. Others can secrete acid from their mouths, which is kind of like …’ Amber trailed off, and her face flushed with embarrassment.

‘Kind of like breathing fire?’ asked Justin.

Amber nodded.

‘I think it’s cool you love bugs so much,’ he said.

‘Cool?’ she replied uncertainly. Justin was popular at school, in an offbeat way. Amber wished she could tell if he was friend or foe.

‘Sure,’ Justin continued. ‘Some people spend their whole lives wondering what they’re into. Then get some boring job – something they don’t have any real passion for – just because they have to. But you already know what your passion is, so you can get some, you know, bug job.’

Despite herself, she grinned. ‘Bug job? Like what?’

Justin shrugged. ‘Dunno. Exterminator?’

Amber’s grin fell into a horrified expression, and Justin laughed. ‘Joke, Amber, joke. I mean something like, you know, a bug scientist.’

‘Entomologist,’ corrected Amber.

‘See? You already know the name for it and everything!’

The school bell rang. Justin turned and then looked back at Amber.

‘So … are you coming?’ he said.

Amber hesitated, turning to watch a line of ants marching along a twig. All in sync, all knowing where they were going. Working together. Maybe he was nice?

‘Hey,’ said Justin, ‘imagine we’re ants and you can follow me – c’mon!’

Amber laughed, surprised. Had he just made an insect joke?

The pair walked back up to the school gate in silence, taking their time while the other students hurried past.

When Amber and Justin arrived in Biology, Trish was sitting at Amber’s favourite desk. It had a good view of a tree outside where bombardier beetles could often be spotted. They were fascinating creatures that could produce explosions of burning chemicals from their butts. Trish probably had no idea about that, and had taken Amber’s usual desk just to spite her.

Amber ignored Trish and made her way to the desk behind. She was surprised when Justin sat down next to her – as were some of the other students apparently, from the resulting whispers and giggles.

Amber felt her cheeks burn.

Mr Brooks, who was short with long brown hair, was standing by the whiteboard.

‘All right, everyone,’ he said. ‘Are we all excited about our field trip tomorrow?’

‘Urgh,’ muttered Trish to her gang. ‘I can’t believe we have to spend a day in the woods! Bug Face will be in heaven,’ she sneered.

Amber ignored her. Despite her love of insects, Amber wasn’t looking forward to the field trip either. She went into the woods all the time – to be alone. The idea of everybody else tramping about was far less appealing.

Mr Brooks picked up a poster. ‘Plenty of interesting insects to check off your list. I trust you’ve all studied the prep notes?’

He pointed to a picture of a bee. ‘Can anyone name this species?’

‘Neon cuckoo bee,’ said Amber, without thinking, then kicked herself for speaking out loud.

‘Cuckoo like you!’ said Trish, and her minions giggled.

‘Patricia Cunningham!’ snapped Mr Brooks. ‘Perhaps you’d like to name this fellow here?’

He pointed to one of the dragonflies on the poster. Amber instantly recognised it as a jade clubtail.

‘A fly?’ muttered Trish.

‘A dragonfly, well done,’ Mr Brook said drily. ‘And what can you tell me about the feeding habits of dragonflies?’

Trish was silent.

‘Anyone?’ said Mr Brooks.

‘They’re carnivorous,’ Justin suddenly said.

Mr Brooks glanced at him. ‘Yes! Thank you, Justin. Anything else?’

‘They eat pretty much whatever they can catch. They can predict the trajectory of their prey. They have excellent eyesight and powerful jaws. They’re, like, the perfect killers of the bug world.’

‘Absolutely spot on,’ said Mr Books.

Justin glanced at Amber, who was staring at him in surprise.

‘You think I can’t read notes?’ he said, a twinkle in his eye.

‘No, I, er …’

‘Besides,’ he said, ‘there’s a stream out the back of my place. I’ve been watching dragonflies there since I was a kid.’

‘I’d like to see that one day,’ said Amber, before she could stop herself. She blushed again.

Amber’s classmates blundered through the woods so loudly she was sure most of the wildlife would be scared away.

Ahead, Justin pointed at a red-tailed hawk above the canopy while other students clustered around him, their pens poised to check it off their lists.

Amber didn’t know why he was helping them. Couldn’t they spot their own red-tails? She’d already seen three. Still, she thought, this was just a test to them – they didn’t love the woods. Not like she did.

Noticing that Mr Brooks had gone on ahead, Amber took her chance to slip quietly off the path and away from the group. If you want to see anything good, she thought, you have to get off the beaten track.

It wasn’t long before she came across a massive Hercules beetle, ambling along a fallen branch.

She wondered about marking it off her list. Sure, she thought. She took her pen and checked off every box in one go – she’d seen everything on the list dozens of times.

Amber sighed with relief as she got further away from her classmates and began to hear the real sounds of the woods again – birds chirping, the rustle of things moving through the undergrowth, the breeze through the leaves.

Then, just as she was starting to relax, she became aware of a loud buzzing. Suddenly a huge swarm of hornets flew by, winding through the trees like living smoke. She squinted – it was hard to make out the species from this distance – but then one landed on a leaf nearby. From its distinctive black and white stripes, she knew it was a bald-faced hornet.

Incredible, she thought. If that was the size of the swarm, how big would their nest be?

Amber began to track the hornets, following the buzzing sound, until they disappeared around an old shagbark tree.

Getting closer, Amber saw that the shagbark’s roots ran down into a gully, in the middle of which stood a towering white oak. There, halfway up its trunk, hung the biggest hornet’s nest Amber had ever seen – the huge misshapen orb looking like a partially melted moon, buzzing with squadrons of hornets ten times the number of the swarm she’d followed.

Amber held her breath. Bald-faced hornets were very aggressive when it came to guarding their nests. She’d better move carefully …

‘There you are!’

Amber spun to see Justin smiling at her, and stumbled on the crumbling edge of the gully.

Nooooooo!!! Amber fell backwards. Justin reached for her flailing hand, but was too late – their fingertips barely brushed before the world became flashes of tree and earth as she tumbled down into the gully.

A split second later, she heard Justin call out in panic, but his voice was drowned out by the growing buzzing sound.

Dazed, she looked up to see she’d landed at the foot of the oak. Out of the great nest, hornets poured in streams towards her.

‘Help!’ she could hear Justin shout. ‘Mr Brooks! Anyone!’

Amber knew this many wasps could easily kill her, but despite her fear she felt adrenaline surge up, pushing her to her feet.

She stared at the oncoming swarm. They looked larger than life, and had taken on a strange purple tint. Amber blinked, thinking she must have something stuck in her eye, but the purple remained.

The adrenaline coursing through her body increased until her every vein was tingling.

Slowly, as if emerging from a chrysalis, she saw the world in a new light. The hornets were no longer simple insects, but hundreds of tiny interconnected souls, purple and bright, while her own life force was bigger, stronger.

The swarm hesitated now, as if they could sense this too – the network of signals between the insects deferring to Amber’s more powerful signal.

Peace, she thundered in her mind.

It was a feeling more than a word, echoing outwards like a shock wave, smothering and frazzling the hornets’ lines of communication. The hornets flew towards her but none landed on her, or stung her. Instead they circled until they formed a kind of shell.

Amber couldn’t believe it.

She heard a cry as Justin clambered down into the gully, probably on some foolhardy mission to save her. Justin was rubbing his arm where he’d already been stung. He froze as more hornets darted towards him, seemingly torn about whether to help or flee.

No, Amber thought. The hornets hesitated again.

Disperse. The oncoming hornets broke over Justin like a wave, streaming away in different directions.

Amber ran towards Justin and arrived at his side just as a single hornet landed on his face.

‘No,’ she whispered, and it flew away.

Justin blinked at her in disbelief. ‘You’re not hurt? That’s impossible!’

‘Let’s get out of this gully,’ she said, taking him firmly by the arm as the purple tinges in her vision faded away.

They made their way back to the group, but Justin wouldn’t stop staring at Amber. She couldn’t blame him – what had happened was impossible. And yet …

‘How did you stop them stinging you? Stinging us?’ Justin asked.

Amber struggled for an answer. ‘You know how some people are good with things? Like good with dogs, or good with animals?’

‘I guess.’

‘Well … I’m … good with insects,’ she said. But Amber wasn’t sure who she was trying to convince – Justin or herself?

That night Amber lay in bed staring at the ceiling, unable to shut off her brain.

Could she really have been connected to the insects? Was she actually sensing – controlling –them through sheer force of will?

A tiny mosquito whined overhead.

Buzz off. Within an instant, the room fell silent.

She would not get much sleep that night.

Justin sat next to her again in Biology the following day, but Amber wasn’t sure she wanted him there. Especially now that he wouldn’t stop glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.

‘What?’ she said.

‘I’ve heard about this kind of thing in the news,’ he whispered, pointing to his phone.

Amber looked at him questioningly.

‘People getting strange powers. It’s been happening all around the world recently. Maybe—’

‘I don’t want to talk about it.’

‘But—’

‘Justin!’ she whispered harshly.

Justin seemed taken aback, but he smoothed his features and nodded.

‘Okay,’ he said, putting his phone away. ‘But if you change your mind …’

When the bell went, Amber ditched Justin in a throng of students and made for the library. There was no way she was going to Maths – right now she had bigger questions to answer than ‘what’s x plus y’.

In the library, Amber pored over every book she could find on insect behaviour – swarm patterns, hive minds, colony organisation. Usually she’d have found the information fascinating, but today the answers she needed weren’t there.

Looking up from a book, she suddenly became aware of something inside the wall beside her. She stiffened, concentrating. Yes, a purple shadow, moving slowly up the other side of the wood panelling … a cockroach?

‘What a psycho,’ said Trish loudly to her pack at a nearby desk. Snapping out of it, Amber realised she had just been staring at the wall for ages.

After school, Amber sat in the yard behind Irene’s house, which had been her house for five years.

Without people around, Amber could finally concentrate. She focused on a line of ants marching through the grass. Her blood tingled, and … there it was – an ethereal purple tinge, glowing along the line.

Nearby Amber saw a dead beetle the ants hadn’t noticed. She concentrated on the ant leading the line. Food, she thought at it, then looking at the beetle, there.

The ant paused, antennae twitching, then turned. Soon, the beetle was covered.

Amber exhaled, not sure if she was relieved or scared that her command seemed to have worked. Could this be real?

Meow!

Irene’s old ginger tomcat, Charlie, padded towards Amber. She squinted at him but unlike her insects, there was no purple glow around the loveable old fur ball.

Stop.

He didn’t even hesitate, wandering over to nuzzle his face against her hand.

So, she thought, scratching Charlie’s head absently, doesn’t work on everything.

She glanced back at the ants, and saw they were all frozen in place.

Over the next few days, Amber experimented constantly.

With a butterfly, she tried specific directions. Turn left didn’t work – butterflies didn’t understand the idea of ‘left’ – but go there and picturing where she wanted them to go worked much better. Land there, stay still and eat there also worked.

Soon, Amber could stand in the middle of the garden and point any butterfly towards the flowers they sought.

She even sensed grasshoppers in the weeds. She asked them to sing and they obediently rubbed their legs together, singing in their own way.

Though she’d never say it out loud, for the first time in years, Amber was actually content. While she couldn’t share her abilities with anyone, being able to speak to the insects she had always loved so much felt like a gift from a world that had taken away everything else.

But Amber had only just begun to realise the extent of her powers.

One day she was sitting under a tree in the schoolyard when she felt the largest presence she had sensed so far. Her eyes travelled up to the branches, and she spotted a purple outline right away. It was a giant darner – the largest species of dragonfly in the area, larger than some birds. It flexed its crystalline wings in the sunlight.

‘Whoops,’ came a voice, and Amber suddenly felt cold liquid spill down her back. She leapt to her feet and spun to face Trish, who was holding a small carton of milk.

‘Sorry,’ Trish said, her words dripping with sarcasm. ‘How careless of me!’

Emma and Stacy laughed on cue. Amber felt rage shoot through her.

‘See ya … Bug Face,’ Trish said, spurring more giggles from her gang.

Not for the first time, Amber furiously wondered why Trish did this stuff to her. What did I ever do to her? she wondered. What?!

But before Amber could calm her thoughts, the giant darner had launched from the tree. It dived down and latched tightly onto Trish’s hair, its wings whirring as if trying to haul her up into the sky!

Trish screamed, dropping her half-empty milk carton and the rest of her lunch, then twisted and turned, grabbing in vain for whatever was attacking her.

Suddenly the dragonfly let go of Trish’s hair and went for the bare skin on her left arm.

‘Arggghh!’ Trish screamed again, and other students watching started laughing at the spectacle.

Stop, Amber told the dragonfly, as she realised what she’d done. It was an accident!

Fly away. The darner shot upwards, off into the sky.

Trish, now shivering with revulsion and covered in lunch scraps and milk, glared at Amber through her messed-up golden curls. Despite a tinge of guilt, seeing Trish get just a taste of her own medicine made Amber quickly able to see the funny side.

‘Trish! You seem to have dropped your lunch,’ Amber said.

‘Come on,’ Trish snapped at her friends. ‘Let’s leave this freak to herself.’

Amber couldn’t help smiling as they backed away. She hadn’t thought of using insects like that before, but now … something told her Trish wasn’t going to be a problem anymore. Not unless she wanted to wake up in a bed full of ants.

Then Amber noticed Justin behind the other students, watching her with concern. Her smile faded.

Amber didn’t go back to class. Who would sit listening to some boring teacher when they could spend the day commanding their own private insect army? She waited until no one was watching, then slipped out a gate and disappeared deep into the woods.

The further away she walked from town, the louder the thrum of insects became. Eventually they were everywhere – in the earth beneath her, throughout the bracken, inside the tree canopies and all through the air. When she let her perception shift to them, spots of purple filled her gaze near and far, and her blood tingled. It was an orchestra of little lives, comings and goings, and intricate, complex dramas playing out.

Soon, Amber had gone further into the woods than she had ever gone before. She followed a burbling stream, watching the water skippers dancing in the current. Then, out of nowhere she spotted a log cabin up ahead, nestled among the trees.

Amber ducked behind a bush, not wanting anything to do with other humans right now – especially not some crazy hermit.

As she crept closer for a better view, however, she realised she had little reason to worry. The cabin was in bad repair – there were weeds pushing up from under the porch, vines across the walls, and cracked windows looked into dark rooms. There was no driveway or road in sight. It was probably long abandoned. Probably …

Amber took a couple of steps towards the cabin, eyeing the shadows through the glass for any sign of movement.

‘Hello?’ she called.

No answer.

She pushed on the front door and cautiously stepped over the threshold. The cabin consisted of one room. Cast-iron pots hung over the fireplace, and a thick layer of dust covered a wooden table and chair and the filthy mattress in the corner. No one had been here for a long time.

Amber pulled open the threadbare curtains, coughing at the clouds of dust they released. But the place didn’t look quite so glum as the light spilled inside. With a little fixing up, Amber thought …

But Amber wasn’t looking to redecorate today, and started making her way back out before the sun set. Irene would probably be worried, she thought, and looked at the sky to find the direction home – her father had taught her how to do that.

Soon the shadows started to lengthen, and Amber grew worried. She had no idea how far she had to go, and it was getting dark fast …

Help.

Amber had only meant to think it to herself, but the word pulsed out of her. A moment later, twinkling lights arrived out of the brush. She stared in wonder as she realised these fireflies had answered her call, bobbing about and flying along the ground to illuminate any rocks or bumps in her way.

With the fireflies’ help, Amber was soon safely back at Irene’s property.

Thank you, she said, hoping they understood.

The fireflies sparkled and circled her one last time, then faded back into the woods.

Amber began to skip school more often.

She told Irene not to pick her up, saying she preferred to walk home.

Amber could tell Irene was worried, especially when Amber started coming home at odd hours covered in dirt and scratches. But how could she stop now?

She had been visiting the old cabin by the stream, taking cleaning gear, towels, a pillow, canned food, cutlery and some old sheets she found at the bottom of the linen closet.

She told herself she wasn’t setting up house – but it was nice to have a comfortable place to eat lunch, and, sometimes, take a nap in between the hours she spent practising with her insects.

In no time, Amber had learnt to summon the hundreds of different species the woods had to offer. It turned out that the words were less important when issuing commands – what mattered was the intent.

Eventually she could direct bugs in flight as if she were steering them – and not just individual bugs, but entire swarms.

She even used her new friends to improve the cabin. Caterpillars munched on the weeds under the porch, paper wasps blocked up leaky holes with their nests and termites ate away rotten patches of wood.

Amber soon fell in love with the place – her own private cabin in the woods.

But one day she arrived home to find Irene waiting for her with a note from the school.

‘You haven’t been to school all week?’ Irene asked, her voice sounding more worried than angry. ‘Amber, what’s going on? Where are you going every day?’

Caught unawares – and unsure how to explain – Amber just shrugged.

Irene hugged her tight. ‘I know it’s been hard,’ she whispered. ‘And I don’t know how to make it okay. But …’ She pulled back and looked into Amber’s eyes, her face growing somewhat stern. ‘You have to go to school. Tomorrow I’m dropping you off and picking you up. Deal?’

Amber owed Irene so much – her neighbour had taken her in out of the goodness of her heart. She was the only one who Amber loved anymore, that was for sure, even if Amber didn’t often show it. The only one who wasn’t in a coma, anyway.

‘Deal,’ said Amber, already regretting it.

The next day, Amber sat alone under her tree. Though she was surrounded by other people for the first time in a week, she’d never felt so alone … or so out of place.

In an insect colony, she thought, everyone has a job– a reason to be. Now, watching the jocks, nerds, class clowns and cheerleaders, she wondered what their purpose was.

What was the ‘grander scheme’ of the strange ‘human’ colony they called high school – with all its cruelty and selfishness and stupidity? Ants didn’t bully each other, hornets didn’t hold grudges, and butterflies certainly didn’t spend the whole of lunch grossly pashing Bobby McManus, like Stacy Mackey was currently doing.

Amber grimaced at the sight of Bobby and Stacy. Even Emma, seated nearby, averted her eyes.

Amber suddenly wondered where Trish was. She usually didn’t go anywhere without her minions.

‘Hey, stranger. Mind if I join?’

Amber looked up to see Justin, smiling down at her. Her heart gave a little flutter. She gestured for him to take a seat.

‘Haven’t seen you about much,’ he said.

‘And?’ said Amber, immediately regretting her harsh tone. Was she getting so used to being an outsider that she pushed everyone away now? Amber took a breath and looked at Justin. ‘I’m sorry. I’ve been taking some time to work things … everything … out.’

From the corner of her eye, Amber could see Stacy and Bobby’s kiss getting steadily more revolting. Almost without thinking, she gave a nearby fly the impression Stacy’s nostril would be a nice place to visit. A moment later the fly shot up Stacy’s nose and the girl recoiled, pulling away from Bobby, spluttering and coughing.

Justin looked over, then turned back to Amber with a serious expression. Amber’s grin quickly faded.

‘Was that—’ he began, but the bell rang and cut him off.

Amber jumped up. ‘Gotta go.’

‘Can I meet you after school?’ said Justin. ‘There’s something I want to show you …’

Amber thought about her deal with Irene. Still, if she explained that a boy had asked to walk her home, Irene would probably be happy about it. She wanted Amber to be normal – and that’s what normal people did, right?

‘Okay,’ she said. If Amber was going to give normal a shot, she would rather it be with someone like Justin.

Justin kept pace beside Amber, though she knew his long legs could easily stride ahead.

‘Where are we going?’ Amber asked.

Justin gave her a quick smile. ‘I’m taking you to the stream I told you about. Down the back of my place.’

Amber smiled, surprised he had remembered.

Justin’s family had a big garden, at the end of which was a fallen-down fence. Justin stepped over it, then offered her his hand. Sheepishly, she took it, and he helped her over.

‘This is my reserved seat,’ said Justin, sitting on a rock next to the sparkling stream. ‘You can have that one though. It’s just as good.’

She smiled at his joke and sat down beside him. He didn’t say much at first, but she wasn’t complaining. It was so peaceful here. Beautiful. The stream burbled and dragonflies dashed about in the air.

‘Eastern pondhawks and black saddlebags are the most common customers,’ Justin said, nodding to the dragonflies.

‘I told you I know a bit about these things,’ he added, noting Amber’s surprised expression. ‘I couldn’t count how many days I spent down here when I was little, poking about for yabbies, catching minnows …’

It was nice that Justin also liked bugs. Perhaps they could be weirdos together? She almost laughed at the thought, and her heart swelled.

Amber looked over at Justin, who seemed to be working up to something.

‘Listen,’ he finally said, looking Amber in the eye. ‘I don’t care about what you did to Trish. She’s a bully. She had it coming.’

Amber looked away.

‘But whatever is happening to you,’ Justin continued, ‘you have to be careful. I’ve read stories, seen things on the news. They’re watching out for people with ... powers. They’re taking them away.’

‘They? Who are they?’

Justin shrugged. ‘The government, I guess.’

Amber frowned.

‘Anyway, Trish was one thing,’ said Justin. ‘But today with Stacy …’

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ said Amber.

Justin gave her a flat stare.

‘You didn’t need to do that,’ he continued, ‘And every time you do something like that, it attracts attention.’

Amber bit her lip. After looking after herself for so long, she hated other people telling her what to do – especially giving her advice. Still, Justin looked genuinely concerned, and Amber knew he had a point.

‘You know,’ Justin said, his grave expression lifting, ‘you’re like a dragonfly yourself.’

‘Me?’

‘Elusive. Unpredictable …’ He took a breath, as if not sure whether to go on. ‘Super hard to get close to …’

Justin grinned, probably on seeing Amber’s shocked expression.

But as Amber watched Justin she thought about Stacy, of all people. Specifically, about how annoyed she’d been at Stacy’s public display. Amber wondered if there had been a touch of jealousy.

Justin coughed a little awkwardly, moving slightly closer to Amber and continuing, ‘You’re also … beautiful.’

He looked directly at her.

Then his eyes flicked to her scar.

It was only for the briefest of moments, but Amber saw it.

She pulled away and cleared her throat.

Justin took a deep breath. ‘The school dance. This week. I wondered if you wanted to go?’ He shuffled nervously. ‘With me, I mean.’

‘School dance?’ Amber hadn’t even known it was on.

‘Uhh yeah, this week. So …?’ Justin asked.

Amber had never been to a school dance before. She’d always told herself school dances were stupid popularity displays. Then again, she’d never been asked before …

‘Okay,’ she said. ‘Let’s go to the dance.’

Then they sat for a while in silence, watching the dragonflies float and weave and – though Amber wasn’t quite sure how – holding hands.

‘Oh,’ sighed Irene as she looked Amber over. ‘You look amazing!’

‘Thanks,’ said Amber, not sure of herself, turning this way and that in her dress. ‘I look okay, I guess?’

‘Better get going,’ Irene said, herding Amber out the front door. ‘You don’t want to leave this mysterious fellow of yours waiting!’

‘He’s not mysterious,’ said Amber a little too defensively as Irene bundled her into the car.

‘That’s a shame,’ said Irene with a grin, climbing in the driver’s seat. ‘You two would’ve had that in common.’

As they drove towards town, Amber started to get nervous.

‘Is it a bit hot in here?’ she asked, rolling down a window to steady her breath.

After years of going out of her way not to draw attention to herself, Amber was about to walk into a hall full of people, in a pretty dress, with one of the nicest boys in school. She had even put make-up on for the first time in her life … then put it on again with Irene’s help.

The only thing they’d avoided was her scar. It turned out a scar with concealer on it looked very much like a scar with concealer on it. Besides, Amber now thought, she wasn’t trying to be someone else. She just wanted to … try something different.

Irene kept glancing at Amber.

‘What?’ Amber finally said.

‘I shouldn’t really say this … I don’t want to upset you … But if only your parents could see you now!’ said Irene. ‘They’d be so proud … like I am.’

Amber’s chest thudded, and her eyes felt hot and misty. She didn’t let Irene get close often …

Amber didn’t let anyone get too close. She’d learnt the hard way that those you loved could be taken away from you at any time …

‘Nervous, pet?’ asked Irene, shaking Amber from her thoughts.

‘Can you let me out here?’ said Amber as they turned onto the same road as the school. ‘I want to walk the last little bit. To clear my head.’

Irene pulled over, then arched an eyebrow.

‘Are you sure it’s not because you don’t want to be seen getting dropped off by a little old lady?’

Amber grinned. ‘You know you’re more than that, Irene. You’re … well …’ Amber faltered.

‘How about a friend?’ said Irene, smiling.

‘I was thinking more like a grandma,’ said Amber, smiling again, ‘but if you prefer …’

Irene suddenly burst into happy tears, and hugged Amber tightly. And for the first time in recent memory, Amber hugged Irene back just as hard, if not harder.

As Amber walked towards the school hall, she saw other students were dressed like they were going to the Academy Awards.

It was all a bit silly, she thought, but decided it was also kind of nice – especially when she spotted Justin in his suit, waiting outside the hall.

‘My lady,’ he said, giving a little bow.

Suddenly Amber’s phone rang. She dug through her bag and fished it out. Amber barely used her phone, and usually forgot about it entirely – but Irene had made her bring it tonight, just in case she needed to be picked up in a hurry. Amber glanced at the screen, thinking it was probably Irene, but she didn’t recognise the number.

Amber turned away from Justin as she answered. ‘Hello?’

The line was a bit crackly, but she could hear someone breathing.

‘Hello?!’ Amber said again, louder.

‘Hello, yes,’ someone said, finally. It was a man’s voice, and not one she recognised. ‘Is that Amber Autumn?’

‘Uh, yes?’

‘This is Doctor Harris. I work at Woodville Hospital.’

Amber’s heart leapt. Woodville? Reggie is at Woodville Hospital.

‘Yes? Is this about Reggie?’

‘Are you sitting down, Ms Autumn?’ the man said.

‘Just tell me!’ Amber shrieked down the phone.

‘I’m sorry to have to inform you that your brother passed away, about an hour ago. We did everything we could …’

Amber felt like she’d been hit in the stomach with a sledgehammer.

Meanwhile Harris kept droning on. ‘… never felt any pain. He fought a good fight, but—’

‘A good fight?’ cried Amber. ‘He’s been in a coma for six years!’

‘If I could …’

Amber felt Justin’s hand on her shoulder and she spun around, knocking it away. She staggered backwards, not really hearing or seeing anything. Her eyes filled with tears.

‘Ms Autumn?’ said Doctor Harris. ‘Are you still there? We need to make …’

‘Amber?’ Justin took a step towards her. ‘Are you okay?’

Justin looked concerned, but Amber didn’t want to see it. Not now. Amber had been waiting for her brother to wake up for what felt like a lifetime, waiting for him to come home, to help her start over.

She had stopped going to visit him recently, because the trips were so upsetting, so frustrating, but her love for Reggie had never changed.

Now all hope was lost.

Rage built within her – it must be the doctors’ fault! Not a single one had ever given her a straight answer! Not about the meteorite, not about the weird purple gloop and certainly not about her brother’s coma.

And now Reggie was gone.

She threw back her head and screamed. Nearby students were startled and stared at Amber. Even Trish and her gang looked scared.

Idiots, Amber raged furiously, they have no idea what I’m going through! Who are they to judge?

The anger pulsed from her.

From overhead, there came a buzzing sound. Suddenly, bombardier beetles launched from Amber’s favourite tree. They flew straight up and formed a shape that looked like … like …

A dragon.

The swarm swooped over Amber’s head … right at Trish and her group.

‘Amber, stop!’ Justin grabbed Amber’s arm.

‘Don’t touch me!’ Amber shouted, scaring herself with the intensity in her voice.

Trish, Emma and Stacy screamed at the sudden onslaught of beetles.

‘Call them off!’ Justin said fearfully, as Trish’s screams grew louder.

But Justin couldn’t tell Amber what to do – there was nobody left alive who could. She looked down at Justin’s hand on her arm. Suddenly a beetle landed on Justin’s hand, shooting its burning chemicals onto his skin.

Justin cried out and released her. He backed away, fear in his eyes, clutching his hand.

Amber stared around her at the swarm of insects and frightened students. She hadn’t meant to do any of this, not consciously at least.

Stop! she thundered, though whether she was communicating this to the beetles or herself, she wasn’t sure.

Leave.

The beetles rose back into the air, and Amber turned and ran as fast as she could.

He opened his eyes and blinked with some effort. Though the light was soft, it still stung.

He blinked again and his surroundings slowly came into focus. Standing around him were people in lab suits carrying clipboards.

Where am I? A hospital?

But as his foggy eyes wandered around the room, he wasn’t so sure. The walls were dark and metallic and the equipment even more high-tech than you’d expect in a hospital. There was a full bank of computers and screens running the length of one wall. The machines were performing scans, and the team of lab coat-wearing operators watched every blip and spike. Along the other wall ran a mirror. There were no windows.

‘Welcome back,’ said a bearded man with large brown eyes. ‘I’m Doctor Harris.’

‘How did …’ he said, attempting to sit up, but it was difficult.

‘Slowly, slowly,’ said Harris, helping him to lie back again. ‘You’ve been asleep for a long time ...’

‘Where …’

Talking was difficult. His voice cracked strangely, as if trying to find the right note.

‘We are in a special medical facility,’ said Doctor Harris, ‘for unique cases like yourself. But before I explain that, I need to ask you some questions. Would that be all right?’

‘Sure,’ he grunted, though he had more than a couple of his own right now.

‘What is your name?’

He scoffed. Of course he knew his name. It was … his name was …

How could I forget my own name?

‘I … I don’t know,’ he croaked. His voice was deeper than he’d expected, as if it wasn’t really his own.

‘How old are you?’

‘I … twelve? No, thirteen. I think.’

Harris exchanged a glance with a young red-haired woman who’d now approached.

‘It’s Reggie,’ said Harris. ‘Your name is Reggie.’

Of course! thought Reggie.

Doctor Harris continued. ‘Can you tell me the last thing you remember?’

Reggie frowned. He tried to remember but ... there was nothing? He couldn’t remember anything about his own life.

Reggie took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to delve deeper. There was something there. A spark. He focused on it, and suddenly his mind was full of flames. They were everywhere, on all sides, a wall of flames with no way through.

‘Fire!’ Reggie yelled, panicking. ‘Fire!’

‘It’s okay,’ said Harris. ‘You have been through some trauma, but we can help. That’s why we’re here. To help.’

‘Why can’t I remember anything?’ said Reggie.

Doctor Harris nodded to the young red-haired woman, who wheeled a monitor to the side of the bed.

‘I’m going to show you something now,’ said Harris. ‘See if it brings back any memories. Okay?’

Reggie nodded.

On the monitor was a man lying in bed. The man seemed tall, his body filling the bed, and he had wavy, dark blond hair, just like Reggie. He seemed older than Reggie, perhaps eighteen or nineteen, but the resemblance was uncanny. The man could easily have passed for Reggie’s older brother!

There were doctors and technicians bustling around the man’s bed.

‘Look at this brain activity,’ said one of them. ‘He’s waking up. Doctor Harris! He’s waking up!’

On screen, the man sat up. The sheet slid off him and revealed a large blue and purple scar that ran all the way up his side. The man’s eyes flew open and he looked furious. Doctor Harris appeared by his side.

‘Mr Autumn,’ he said. ‘I’m Doctor Harris. We weren’t expecting—’

The blond man on screen raised his right hand, cutting off Doctor Harris.

What’s he doing? Reggie wondered.

Then, without warning, a great fount of fire burst out of the man’s hand! Reggie blinked, unable to understand what he was seeing.

On screen, the fire raged across the room to the computer bank. Workers cried out and Doctor Harris dived for the floor. The man directed the fire stream this way and that while he bellowed in wordless rage. Then he raised his left hand and a great jet of water shot out!

Fire swept towards the camera and the screen fell to static. Before the audio cut out, Reggie heard something that made his heart stop.

Doctor Harris could be heard screaming two words over and over: ‘Reggie! Stop!’

Reggie was speechless. Reggie? He turned to Harris. ‘I don’t …’

Reggie suddenly looked down at his hands. They were covered with strange metallic casings.

‘No—’ Reggie’s voice cracked.

‘Mirror!’ he shouted. ‘Get me a mirror!’

The red-haired woman looked to Harris, who nodded and held a small mirror up to Reggie’s face.

Reggie stared.

‘What the hell is going on?’ he said. ‘I’m...’

‘It’s quite a lot to take in,’ said Doctor Harris. ‘You’ve been asleep for some time, Reggie.’

Reggie stared at the face in the mirror. Then blinked. He turned his head one way, then the other. Without thinking, he raised his hands to his face. The metal casings were cold.

‘What are these?’

‘Just a precaution,’ said Harris. ‘Once I am satisfied you are in control of yourself—’

‘And that?’ Reggie interrupted, nodding at the screen.

‘Nothing to worry about. You were not truly awake. More likely in a kind of waking nightmare.’

‘But the fire? The water? My hands …’

‘Yes, there have been some … interesting changes to your physiology – your body – since the incident.’

‘What incident?’

‘Ah.’ Harris cleared this throat. ‘Your home was struck by a freak meteorite. Your family were inside. You tried to save them, but I’m sorry to say that they did not survive.’

‘My family?’ Reggie was stunned, unable to process what he was hearing.

‘You’re going too fast,’ the red-haired woman whispered to Doctor Harris, but he gestured for her to stay silent.

‘I do not feel there is any point mincing words, Mr Autumn. The meteorite contained a substance – an alien element previously unknown to man. Being exposed to this substance triggered a mutation in you. Essentially, turning you into…’ Harris rewound the tape and paused on Reggie shooting fire and water. ‘… this.’

Reggie shook his head. ‘This is … impossible.’

‘There is a lot we do not yet understand,’ said Doctor Harris. ‘But “impossible”? No. In the six years since the meteorite struck—’

‘Six years?’

‘Yes. You have been in a coma, which may explain your current amnesia,’ Doctor Harris said matter-of-factly. ‘In any case, we’ve had a long time to study samples of the now-inert substance and we made some … discoveries. We believe that the substance reacted with you not just physiologically, but also psychologically. Those who knew you told me that you wanted to be a firefighter. I think it was no accident that you wanted to fight fires and now you can shoot fire from one hand and water from the other.’

Reggie lay back, speechless. This was too much.

‘Forgive me,’ said Harris. ‘Doctor Levi here –’ he gestured to the woman ‘– and I have known you for a long time. I forget that you do not know us. For now, let’s get you up and walking. Perhaps even arrange a meal not served through a drip? And I’m sure you have questions?’

‘Oh, you could say that,’ said Reggie.

Reggie and Doctor Levi were in an enclosed firing range in the facility’s basement. It had been a strange few days for Reggie – to say the least – but with some physical therapy and real food he was finally able to stand without help.

‘Ready to take your inhibitors off and stop suppressing your ability to produce fire and water?’ said Doctor Levi.

‘Not to mention my ability to hold a fork,’ said Reggie. ‘Just so you know, I doubt anything is going to happen.’

Doctor Levi smiled, but turned serious as she began undoing the inhibitors.

‘This is a big show of trust, Reggie,’ she said. ‘It’s amazing you didn’t kill anyone when you woke up the first time. While I don’t think you were acting consciously, I need to know you can use your power responsibly.’

‘Jeez,’ said Reggie, ‘you sound like a teacher. Speaking of which … I’ve been thinking. I slept through high school … I don’t have to go back, do I?

Doctor Levi chuckled. ‘One step at a time.’

Reggie grinned. He far preferred Doctor Levi to stuffy old Doctor Harris, who really did remind him of a teacher.

‘So,’ said Levi, ‘we know the foreign microbes in your blood react to your brainwaves – that you can direct them to activate through sheer force of will. But the question remains, how far can you control your will? Are you ready?’

‘As ready as I’ll ever be …’

‘Aim for the targets,’ said Doctor Levi, gesturing towards three straw dummies at the other end of the range. ‘And please, no sudden moves. If you get an eyelash in your eye, you’re going to have to wait to pick it out.’

‘Good advice,’ said Reggie, still unsure. He reached out his right hand towards the targets. ‘Fire,’ he said, feeling silly.

Nothing.

And then, slowly, something seemed to shift. A purple tinge crept into his vision and there was tingling in his palm. Suddenly, a blazing stream of fire came from his palm! Shocked, he almost withdrew his hand, but, with surprising strength, Doctor Levi grabbed his arm and kept his hand pointed down the range.

‘Control!’ she said, over the whoosh of flames. ‘You cannot be burnt, but everything else can. Including me.’

The fire hit a dummy and it burst into flames. Reggie could not believe what he was seeing.

‘Try to alter the intensity,’ said Levi.

Reggie focused his mind and thought about the fire lessening. The stream narrowed.

‘Good,’ said Levi. ‘Now, increase it!’

Reggie concentrated on the idea of more fire, and the stream widened to a cone. Two of the dummies fell to ash, and spraying embers set the third one alight.

‘Very good,’ said Doctor Levi. ‘Now, try to stop.’

Reggie was relieved when the fire sputtered out.

‘Great,’ said Levi. ‘Are you feeling okay?’

‘I … think so?’

‘Ready to try your other hand?’

Reggie nodded. He lifted his left hand and with only the slightest thought, a jet of water surged from it, dousing the last dummy and putting it out.

‘This is unbelievable,’ he said.

‘Not unbelievable,’ said Doctor Levi. ‘Merely unexplained. It’s quite a universe we live in.’

Reggie sat in Doctor Harris’s office, staring at his hands. Harris entered with another man, who was wearing a suit and oversized square glasses.

‘Doctor Levi tells me you’re doing well with your training, young man,’ said Doctor Harris.

Reggie didn’t believe for a second that Harris hadn’t been watching him on the security cameras installed all over the facility.

‘When will I get my memories back?’ Reggie asked bluntly.

‘Ah. Well, amnesia is a tricky one. Chances are they will return over time, but we do have to be patient.’

Reggie let out a dissatisfied grunt. He nodded towards the stranger beside Harris. ‘Who’s he?’

‘My name is Agent Ferris, Mr Autumn,’ said the man.

Mr Autumn, Reggie thought. Still not used to that.

‘I’m with the National Service,’ Agent Ferris continued. ‘We have been interested in your case for some time.’

‘Right …’ said Reggie.

‘I’m told that in your previous life, you were a young man with a sense of civic duty. Somebody who wanted to help people. I hope to help you fulfil that dream.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Consider for a moment what a young man of your … abilities … could accomplish. The lives you could save, the people you could protect. You could be a hero.’

Reggie raised an eyebrow. ‘Doing what?’

‘We’d start small – putting out fires with that water jet of yours, burning through otherwise impassable areas with your flames. Then go from there. In return we will give you a home and a new identity.’

Reggie wasn’t sure he liked this guy. If Harris was like a teacher, this guy was the mean principal. But the idea of getting out of this place and back to the real world was appealing.

‘In fact,’ Agent Ferris said, ‘my scientists have been working on a special uniform for you.’

This got Reggie’s attention.

‘It will disguise you,’ said Ferris, ‘to separate your life as a civilian from your life as a … firefighter.’

Reggie’s heart leapt. ‘A firefighter?’

‘In all possible meanings of the word,’ said Ferris, cryptically.

Reggie frowned.

‘What I mean to say is that you, Mr Autumn, have the potential to be the greatest force for good our society has ever known. Could you really turn away from that?’

Why this had happened to him, Reggie was not sure. He didn’t know whether it was a gift or a curse. But the idea of helping others… That, at least, felt good. It felt right. Even if he didn’t quite remember why.

‘I’ll give it a shot,’ Reggie said.

Agent Ferris smiled broadly.

Amber stared at her reflection in the stream but the ripples from the breeze made it hard to see clearly. She would grab a small mirror on her next raid, she decided. After all, as much as she’d rejected society and its conventions these past two years, she was curious to see what she looked like. Perhaps there was still some part of an ordinary fifteen-year-old girl left in her.

After that fateful night at the school dance, she had fled to her cabin and had been living there ever since.

She was sure that no one had actually seen her enter the woods, but a couple of days later a police search had passed nearby. It hadn’t been difficult to keep them away using swarms of hornets.

Eventually the search parties stopped.

Nobody cares, Amber had told herself, but she knew that wasn’t entirely true. Irene had probably begged the police to keep looking. Poor Irene.

But Justin wouldn’t care. Not after what she’d done to him.

It hadn’t taken long for the cabin to become home. Once it was free of dust, Amber had filled the cracks in the windows with hardened tree sap, which cast slivers of orange light into the room. She’d repaired the decrepit furniture. Outside, her insects even helped her restore a bracken-covered vegetable garden – caterpillars pruned the leaves, locusts chewed away the stalks, ants marched off with debris, and burying beetles dug holes to aerate the soil before hauling dead birds and rodents in to fertilise it.

Amber ate wild fruits and berries, while insect larvae in the stream helped her seek out yabbies and fish. Thanks to her swarms of bees, honey was plentiful.

Still, she regularly ‘borrowed’ food from town. Woodville was an easy mark – it was relatively sleepy and quiet, and no one ever saw her come and go.

She had only once gone back to Irene’s. In the dead of night, she had slipped through her bedroom window to retrieve the photo of her parents, and deliver a note.

A simple note. But perhaps not enough …

Despite that lingering guilt, Amber could finally breathe. She was, for the first time in her life, truly free – of responsibility, of other people, of society judging her.

The only problem now was figuring out what to do with all this freedom.

She knew she’d been given an incredible power, but was it a freak accident, or was there something she was supposed to do with it?

The forest thrummed around her, and she knew every creature by their unique frequency. Each of them had their own part to play, she thought, the ants, the bees, even the dung beetles. What is mine?

It was times like this she missed her family more than ever. Mum would have told her what to do, she thought, and Dad would have told her not to worry too much. Then her brother, Reggie …

Tears began to form in the corners of her eyes, and dripped down onto the object she’d been turning over in her hands.

A mask. It looked like those you’d find at a masquerade ball, except it was made of termite-carved ironwood and dragonfly wings. She had not killed any dragonflies to make it, of course – her ant friends had been gathering the wings for a long time so she could overlay enough to make it strong.

As she turned the mask this way and that, bright colours shimmered across its crystalline surface. It hid her face well, and would reflect light back at any camera lens that happened to catch her. Town was full of security cameras – even more since she’d started her little ‘shopping sprees’. Amber was always careful to keep her true face hidden, especially her distinctive scar. Being recognised was just too risky.

Amber looked up at the sky. Night would fall soon, and she would pay Woodville another visit.

Amber watched the moon slowly rise amid a dazzling sea of stars until the time was right. She then turned to a distant tree, the entire trunk of which seemed to be crawling with life.

All right, everyone. Let’s go.

Locusts poured off the tree and up into the sky, whirling together to form into a single mass in the shape of a dragon – the same shape the beetles had formed at the dance. The mass swooped towards Amber, who was waiting by the edge of the stream.

Amber took a deep breath, and as the mass zoomed across the water, she leapt onto its back!

The insects beating wings created a cushion of air that kept Amber afloat. It was always a bumpy ride at the start and it gave her a rush of adrenaline every time, knowing that the only thing that stood between her and a rapid plunge back to earth was the power of her concentration. But then, as always, the whirring bodies beneath her levelled out and she found a stable kneeling position.

Up.

They rose together past the trees and into the night sky. In the distance lay the twinkling lights of the town.

It didn’t take long to reach the outskirts of Woodville. She often set down here to scout outlying houses, then sent insects inside to raid cupboards. But tonight she had her mask. Tonight, she would try for a bigger target.

In the centre of town was Clyde’s supermarket. There were only a few cars on the road below – typical at this hour – so even if anyone looked up, she doubted they would see her.

There.

They circled down towards the roof of Clyde’s.

Amber had learnt the hard way that locusts couldn’t hover, so as they swooped down, she jumped off. She hit the concrete and rolled, came up into a crouch, and directed the locusts to set down nearby.

‘Time to go to work.’

The roof door was fitted with a sturdy lock, so she reached into her pocket and pulled out a fistful of carpenter ants.

Dinner time, she said, setting them on the wood around the lock. They started eating with vigour, and a minute later the timber was so damaged Amber could simply pull the lock out.

Come.

Her bugs swarmed over the walls behind her as she descended the fire-escape stairs.

Don’t eat each other.

When she entered the main space of the supermarket, she immediately saw the red dots of motion sensors in the corners.

Fly.

The locusts whirred up and began to chew through the wires in the sensors. One by one the red lights went out.

Cover.

Locusts swarmed the security cameras and clustered over the lenses to block them before Amber strolled in, sack in hand. It was time to go shopping.

Amber walked the aisles, grabbing whatever took her fancy. In the cosmetics section, she found a hand mirror. Perfect. She headed for the food aisles but was distracted by flashes of light coming from the other side of the store.

Following the light, she ended up in the electronics section. Someone had forgotten to turn off one of the TVs, which was playing soundlessly.

Amber gazed at it curiously. It had been a long time since she’d watched TV. The local news was on. The story showed a man in a strange kind of firefighter suit that covered his entire body, including a helm with a dark visor.

The captions were on, so Amber read the report as it happened.

BARBARA COOK, NEWS ANCHOR: Tonight on WLN, ‘the Firefighter’ – saviour or superhero? Freak or government puppet? These images caught earlier today add fuel to public speculation.

The Firefighter turned towards a burning building when, suddenly, his backpack shot out steam – it was a jet pack!

Amber’s eyes widened at the sight of the Firefighter hurtling through the air. Incredible!

As he neared the burning building, he reached out a hand, and a stream of water sprang from his palm to smash in a window!

The report cut to an academic-looking man talking to an off-screen interviewer.

RICH WATKINS, GENETICS PROFESSOR: How the Firefighter is able to create fire and water from his own body remains a complete mystery. Until he is studied, I cannot recommend he be allowed to roam free.

The camera cut back to the Firefighter descending from the burning building with a little girl in his arms. He handed the girl to a distraught woman. The camera then cut to the woman being interviewed.

WENDY FRANKLIN, MOTHER: Thank god for the Firefighter! Without him, who knows if I’d still have my Sarah? (indecipherable sobbing)

BARBARA COOK, NEWS ANCHOR: Meanwhile, other members of the public are less convinced.

The news cut to people out on the street.

PAUL SMITH, ACCOUNTANT: I mean, where did this guy even come from? We need to get that mask off and make sure he’s not an alien!

Amber’s hand involuntarily went to her own mask.

JO GARLAND, NURSE: Did you hear they sent him after that gang and most of them ended up in hospital? They’re criminals, sure, but we have a system for dealing with them!

ANNE MATHESON, JUDGE: No one should have special permissions beyond our usual law enforcement. Who will hold him accountable?

BARBARA COOK, NEWS ANCHOR: The Firefighter joins a host of recent reports of people all over the world with unexplained powers, including one in our very own Woodville. Though we have no footage to show you, there are several eyewitness reports of a local girl said to have gained dominion over the world of insects …

Amber’s heart quickened. She rushed to the TV and turned the sound on.

CHARLIE PILCHER, POOL SALESMAN: It was weird. The bugs flew into the kitchen through the top floor window, then took Cheerios out of the box one by one!

JIM DONATI, GROCER: I saw her flying on a cloud of insects! I tell no lie!

JENNY JACKSON, HOUSEWIFE: This black mist of insects rose up out of the trees like a huge black dragon.

Amber felt sick. She thought she’d gone completely unnoticed!

Just then she saw a locust walk across the top of the TV. What are you doing down here? Amber glanced up at the security cameras.

The locusts were crawling everywhere. The news report had made her lose concentration!

Quickly, she turned away from the camera.

BARBARA COOK, NEWS ANCHOR: Local legend, or unbelievable reality? If you have any further information, please call the National Service hotline on …

Amber slung her sack over her shoulder and raced back up the stairs.

That night Amber lay in bed, restless. She had considered herself an exile, forgotten, but she was not as isolated from the world as she’d believed. She’d also thought that Justin’s warnings were silly, that he was being paranoid … but now she wished she’d listened.

If the government really wanted to find her, how long would it take? A week? A day? Amber decided she’d abandon the cabin. Move deeper into the woods. Or perhaps another forest entirely, far from civilisation … She didn’t want to leave her home, but what was the alternative? Being locked up in some lab?

She would have to go and see Irene. To say goodbye. A real goodbye, this time – for good.

What would Irene say? Would she be angry? Hurt? Surely she’d forgive … Surely …

The following night, Amber rode her insect dragon to the edge of Irene’s property. She felt suddenly self-conscious in her mask, worried Irene would see it and think of her as nothing more than a kid playing dress-up.

With a deep breath Amber headed for the house, but she stopped short in front of the kitchen window. Is this a bad idea?

‘Amber?!’

Irene emerged from the dark, dropping sprigs of basil she must have just picked from the herb garden. For a moment the old woman simply stared at Amber, then started running towards her.

Amber braced herself – for what, she wasn’t sure – but she found herself caught up in a fierce hug.

Amber had not felt a human touch in a long time, and she was sobbing before she knew it.

‘I’ve been so worried,’ said Irene, stroking Amber’s hair a little too hard.

Amber’s fears melted away. She wondered how she ever could have doubted her only family’s love.

‘Come inside,’ said Irene, in a tone that brooked no argument.

Soon Amber was sitting on the comfy couch with a mug of hot chocolate, something she had not tasted in a long time. It was very sweet.

She hadn’t intended to tell Irene much, but it turned out that news reports of police being chased out of the woods by hornets had verified Irene’s own suspicions – Amber’s early experiments with bugs in the backyard hadn’t escaped her notice.

‘You could have told me, you know,’ said Irene. ‘Though I understand why you didn’t.’

Irene seemed even more troubled as she handed Amber a newspaper.

‘It isn’t safe for you around here anymore,’ she said.

Amber gasped at the headline – ‘Skydragon’ Sighting at Clyde’s. Under the headline was a grainy CCTV image of Amber standing in front of the TVs. Thankfully her mask obscured her face, but Amber was still worried.

Amber felt her blood momentarily chill when she saw the image.

‘That’s what the papers call you,’ said Irene. ‘It seems my little Butterfly is now a Skydragon.’

Amber didn’t know what to say.

‘Most people think it’s complete nonsense, thank goodness,’ Irene continued. ‘An urban myth. But they aren’t the ones you have to worry about. I’d hoped you’d left Woodville by now, even though I … well … I’ve missed you terribly.’

As they talked well into the night, Irene coaxed details from Amber about how she’d been living. She insisted on filling up Amber’s old school backpack with things that might help her in the wild. A pair of kitchen scissors, a sharp knife, seeds for the garden …

Irene had nothing but love for her, and Amber wished she’d come to visit ages ago.

‘That boy came asking after you,’ said Irene. ‘Justin. Days after you disappeared. He wanted to know if I’d seen you.’

Amber had been certain Justin would want to forget her after what she’d done to him. ‘How … was he?’

‘Sad,’ said Irene. ‘Seemed like a nice boy.’

Amber pondered that. Maybe Justin hadn’t been angry with her after all? Still, that was in the past. No need to dig it all up again.

By midnight Amber had refused the offer of ‘one night in a normal bed’ for the tenth time and said her goodbye – she knew it would probably be her last.

‘Take care, Butterfl—’ Irene stopped herself, smiling softly. ‘Skydragon.’ Tears formed in her eyes. ‘I’m so sorry,’ Irene finally said. ‘For everything.’

‘You have nothing to be sorry for,’ said Amber. ‘Nothing at all.’

It was even harder to walk away than it had been to arrive, and though Irene was the one crying, Amber’s eyes stung with tears too. It was with a truly heavy heart that she rose above the trees on her insect friends.

But as Amber sped off through the night, something else, unseen by her, began to move. Glinting metallic in the moonlight, a drone swivelled its lens and followed her soundlessly through the night.

Reggie sped along above the red sports car that was weaving dangerously through traffic. He was using his jet pack – an ingenious device powered by steam generated from thin streams of fire and water flowing from the pores on his shoulder blades.

Since he’d woken, Reggie had learnt there was more to his powers than simply shooting from his hands. He could produce fire from pretty much anywhere on his right side, and water from anywhere on his left.

His every move was reported, and the news troubled him. It seemed no matter how hard he worked to help people, some would never accept his existence. Even now, as he risked his life to bring a criminal to justice, he knew there would be some news interview with a slob on the street moaning, ‘The Firefighter must be stopped!’

Reggie tried to put the news out of his mind and focus on the job. Michael Casey was the criminal’s name, and Agent Ferris had instructed Reggie that he be taken down with ‘extreme force’. Reggie was wary, however – there were a lot of cars on the road and he didn’t want to hurt anyone by mistake, including Casey. Instead, he watched for an opening.

Below, Casey drove recklessly, forcing cars off the road. The other cars screeched and spun to avoid colliding with each other – not always successfully. Far behind the cops were in pursuit, but Casey had taken a complicated route and done a good job throwing them off. Reggie might be their only hope to stop him.

When Casey turned down a side street Reggie angled into a dive, closing the gap, and reached out to send a stream of flame whooshing into the side of the car. With a whumpf the car did a full flip and crashed back down onto its tyres.

As Reggie landed in front of the car, Casey looked stunned.

‘Get out of the car!’ shouted Reggie. ‘I don’t want to hurt you.’

A look of defiance crossed Casey’s face. This guy isn’t coming quietly, Reggie thought.

Suddenly, Casey slammed on the accelerator and sped towards him.

Reggie simply sighed, then shot flame at the ground. A carpet of fire spread out before him and under the oncoming car. The tyres melted almost instantly, and the axles scraped against the road with a horrible grating sound. Reggie grimaced as the car ground slowly to a stop in front of him.

Casey fumbled with the door and burst out, making a dash for it. Reggie shook his head and raised his left hand. This is almost too easy, he thought. A stream of water burst across Casey’s back, knocking him to the ground. Reggie strode over and seized him by the neck, hauling him to his feet.

‘I tried to warn you,’ Reggie said. ‘You’re going away for a long time, but it’s still a better fate than that of your poor victims.’

Casey blinked at him, frowning. ‘Victims?’

‘The two guys you killed.’ Just saying the words made Reggie angry. ‘All for what, a few hundred bucks?’

Casey chuckled, even as he coughed up water. ‘Is that what they told you? I didn’t kill anyone, you fool. I was trying to blow the whistle on the masters you so mindlessly serve.’

Reggie frowned. ‘What are you talking—’

‘Ah!’ came a loud voice from behind them. ‘Excellent work, Firefighter!’

Reggie turned to see Agent Ferris approaching with a couple of agents in dark suits.

‘If you let them take me away,’ said Casey urgently, ‘I’ll never be heard from again. If you really are the hero they say you are, you’d fly me away right now. Listen to what I have to say.’

‘We’ll take it from here,’ said Agent Ferris firmly.

The other two agents pulled Casey away from Reggie, forcing Casey’s hands behind his back.

‘No!’ shouted Casey. ‘You don’t know what they’ll do to me! I didn’t—’

One of the agents backhanded him heavily across the face, silencing him. They shoved him into the back of a dark car.

Ferris looked at Reggie. ‘Everyone will sleep safer with that guy behind bars.’

‘He said he didn’t do it,’ said Reggie, his mind suddenly loud with different thoughts.

Ferris laughed. ‘Of course that’s what he said. Dear boy, do you think the courts are full of criminals proclaiming their own guilt?’

‘So, he’ll be handed to the police?’ Reggie asked. ‘He’ll go to court?’

Though Reggie wasn’t a big fan of the news media – especially the way they talked about him – he had recently been watching stories about people who had been ‘disappeared’ by the government under strange circumstances.

‘Of course!’ said Ferris, though his eyes flicked away briefly.

Reggie nodded, trying to push his doubts away. But Reggie hadn’t trusted Ferris the first time he’d met him, and his feelings hadn’t changed over time …

‘Great work, once again,’ Ferris said. ‘Now, you head home and rest up. Who knows when crime will strike next? All too soon, I’m sure!’

The doors of the transport tube opened and Reggie stepped out into his basement.

The tube ran between his house and the city’s National Service HQ. He had been told it was important to travel between them unseen, because he needed to be able to disappear as the Firefighter and re-emerge as Reggie – but he wasn’t sure the system was only about protecting his identity.

Still, Reggie’s doubts about the Service’s motives had only popped up recently. It had only been a few months since he’d woken up from a six-year coma, and he couldn’t remember the specific details of his life before, but Reggie had a lot to be grateful for. He knew that not many eighteen-year-olds were given a luxurious bachelor pad, with a state-of-the-art home theatre system, unlimited internet access, and a brand-new sports car in the driveway. He’d even been given a credit card, the limit of which he hadn’t yet reached at the local supermarket. But the longer time went on, the less his place felt like home and the more it felt like a solo dormitory. One with invisible bars, and ever-watchful eyes.

Reggie went upstairs, trying to ignore the many sensors and security cameras that had been installed for ‘his own protection’.

He sat down and turned on the TV for some background noise. He faced away from the nearest cam, closed his eyes and thought about Michael Casey.

Ferris had called him ‘highly dangerous’. Sure, Casey seemed desperate, but ‘highly dangerous’? More like scared. But wouldn’t anyone on the run be scared? And why had Ferris basically ordered a lethal force? Did he want Casey silenced?

Reggie made up his mind to make sure Casey really did show up in court. If not, he and Agent Ferris were going to have a conversation.

Reggie’s phone rang. He glanced at the screen.

Speak of the devil, Reggie thought.

‘Yes, Agent Ferris?’ Reggie said, failing to hide his lack of enthusiasm.

‘We need the Firefighter.’

Reggie sighed. ‘What is it now?’

‘Top priority mission. We have confirmed the existence of a rogue “super”. She goes by the name of Skydragon. She’s been terrorising the town of Woodville and we’ve managed to track her to her lair. She’s a flight risk, so we need to act fast. Return to base immediately for further briefing and loadout.’

‘Super?’ Reggie had never met another person like him before. ‘You mean she has a power?’

‘Yes, over insects,’ said Ferris. ‘It seems she can command them at will.’

‘Whoa,’ said Reggie.

‘We want to question her, of course, but if you have to use force…’ Ferris paused. ‘… ensure her remains are intact for study.’

Reggie scowled with distaste. ‘I’m not hurting anyone else for you, Ferris.’

‘You’re still worked up about the robbery, aren’t you? Reggie, they were criminals, leeches on society …’

Reggie thought back to the hold-up at the supermarket. Ferris hadn’t told him the robbers were armed, and Reggie had done what he needed to do to protect the shoppers. ‘With better intel, those two guys wouldn’t have ended up in hospital—’

‘And I’ve apologised for that,’ Ferris said, cutting Reggie off. ‘It won’t happen again. Now please, return to base, Firefighter. This time, you’ll have access to all the information we have. I promise.’

As she travelled back to the cabin, Amber let her extrasensory awareness spread. The article Irene had shown her put her on high alert and she didn’t want to land at the cabin and be surprised by government agents. If it hadn’t been for the photo of her parents and brother, she wouldn’t have even gone back.

Amber was concentrating so hard on the ground that she almost missed something strange happening in the sky.

High above, purple dots were flaring out. This wasn’t unusual in itself – insects’ lives were often brief – but these dots were flaring in a straight line.

Amber directed her locusts upwards and she soon came face to face with the culprit – black and metallic, with four propeller blades spinning soundlessly. A drone. It suddenly veered away.

Kill, she directed.

Some of her locusts broke off and streamed forwards, driving themselves up under the drone’s ‘belly,’ tipping it. Though the drone tried to right itself the locusts were relentless.

Then, when the drone had almost fallen to the trees …

Abandon.

The locusts flew away just before the drone hit a high branch and shattered.

Who sent you? Amber wondered. A nerd in a basement playing with a high-tech toy? Or some government department?

Amber circled above the cabin, feeling torn. She knew she should get out of here, but the photo was all she had left of her family.

She looked to the north. She knew from maps she’d seen that there were vast areas of woods out there. She could bury herself so deep in the wilderness that no one would ever find her.

Suddenly, over the wind, an unexpected sound reached her ears, growing louder. She wondered if it was another drone.

But she realised it was… a person? Steam shot out from behind them in great clouds as they sped along. As the person got closer and closer, Amber recognised him. It was the Firefighter.

Cold fear raced through her. The Firefighter worked for the National Service. This was no chance encounter. He was here for her!

Fly. Her locusts took off. Fast as they were, however, she knew they could never outfly him.

She searched the wood below for allies, issuing silent commands as she travelled.

The Firefighter drew up alongside her and slowed, his steam dying down a bit, the noise subsiding.

‘Skydragon!’ he called. ‘I just want to talk.’

Amber didn’t know what she’d expected him to sound like, but he sounded younger than she thought he’d be.

‘Are you listening to me?’ he called out again.

Almost naïve sounding, she thought. But there was something else … something familiar that she couldn’t quite put her finger on.

‘Slow down!’ the Firefighter called.

He sounded sincere, but she couldn’t trust him. Amber checked below again – she had gathered a virtual sea of purple.

Slow, she said, and her locusts obeyed.

The Firefighter moved closer. He was a large man, completely covered in an outfit that appeared to be modelled on firefighter uniforms.

‘If you just want to chat,’ she called, ‘send me an email!’

He chuckled, which surprised her. ‘I don’t have your address. Anyway, I prefer talking face to face. Or, at least, mask to mask. Can you stop?’

‘There’s no hover mode on these guys. You can say your piece and keep your distance, then I’m leaving.’

Her tone seemed to turn him cold.

‘It’s not that simple. You have to come with me,’ he said firmly. ‘You’ve committed crimes, but I promise that no harm will come to you if you surrender peacefully.’

‘Crimes?’ she scoffed at his suddenly official tone. He sounded like a kid playing at being a cop.

‘Stealing from the people of Woodville, for one,’ he said.

‘You really expect me to believe that’s why you’re here?’ she said. ‘A few stolen cereal boxes? Things must be really slow at HQ if they’re sending you after shoplifters.’

‘Also disrupting the peace and plaguing the local—’

‘I don’t know about disturbing the peace,’ Amber snapped back, ‘but I do know a thing or two about plagues.’

Now.

At this command, swarms of insects rose up from the trees around the Firefighter. He cried out as beating wings and buzzing bodies suddenly surrounded him and sent him off course.

Amber surged ahead, trying to put as much distance between them as possible. The Firefighter tumbled downwards, encased in a black cloud. Then orange flames swept about around him, and out of a cloud of ash he rose again, his jet pack roaring back to top volume.

He shot out a hand towards her, and she feared the touch of fire – but instead cold water was blasting her insect dragon and she was falling towards the trees.

Re-form.

A new dragon formed and scooped her up. As she rolled this way and that, off balance, her locusts countered with their movements, until she steadied herself back on her knees.

She spotted a hilltop clearing ahead and gave the mental command to dive, barely ducking another stream of water that went shooting by overhead. She managed to spring off the locusts a second before it hit the ground, dispersing. She whacked her limbs on rocks as she rolled.

Amber came to a stop and let out a groan. There was a hiss and she raised her head to see the Firefighter. From the air, he directed a thin, precise line of fire around her, lighting the dry grass in a circle until she was surrounded by a wall of flame.

He set down inside the circle. ‘Maybe now we can talk?’

Amber watched in horror as the flickering wall reached for the sky. It reminded her of a terrible night, a memory she had long tried to bury.

‘Leave me alone!’ she shouted. ‘I’m just trying to live in peace!’

The Firefighter seemed to consider this. The pause was all Amber needed. Outside the circle, her growing insect legion circled, faster and faster, building momentum. The Firefighter seemed not to hear them above the crackling.

NOW.

A dark swarm arced out of the sky from above the flames, insects tightly packed into a buzzing ball. They slammed into the Firefighter like an almighty dragon claw, sending him hurtling out of the circle.

Amber heard him land with a grunt and a crunch somewhere further down the hill. She glanced around at flaming wings drifting in the air.

The sight made her angry. In her rage, Amber leapt over the now-dying flames to where the Firefighter lay.

Amber came down the hill with her insects swirling around her. As the Firefighter rose onto a knee, Amber readied a new clawed fist.

‘You’re not welcome here,’ she said.

The fist plunged forward, slamming the Firefighter mercilessly into a tree trunk. He gasped as the insects broke apart over him.

‘Why can’t you just leave us alone?’ Amber screamed.

The Firefighter staggered to his feet, but another fist hit him directly in the stomach. He gasped again and curled over.

When Amber rallied her insects for a third punch, the Firefighter raised a shaky hand and unleashed a cone of fire. Hundreds of purple dots flared out.

The Firefighter looked Amber in the eyes, at the rage evident from behind her mask, and raised his other hand. Amber veered off and dashed into the woods. The rush of oncoming water followed her. Cold flecks splattered her back as she wove through the trees, putting many trunks between them before she ducked behind a rock.

‘The dark won’t save you,’ called the Firefighter, in the distance. He sounded angry now too.

Fiery reflections blossomed on surfaces around her, and she peered around the rock. The Firefighter was stalking between the trees, raising his hand to the canopy and setting it on fire. Did this maniac plan to set the whole forest ablaze?

‘You won’t be able to hide in the ashes!’ he shouted.

Searching, she found a nearby swarm of hornets.

Attach.

The hornets landed all over the Firefighter’s body, but the crackling flames drowned out the sound of them and he didn’t even notice them hitching a ride.

Sting.

The hornets obliged.

The Firefighter cried out and spun around wildly, a whirlwind of flames spewing in all directions.

Retreat.

The hornets buzzed back into the woods.

A blackened tree branch fell from the canopy and broke apart at the Firefighter’s feet. He recoiled, and Amber wondered if he was scared. He’s immune to fire, but scared of a falling tree?

‘You don’t want to be seen?’ he shouted. ‘Fine! We’ll do it your way!’

The Firefighter then turned his palms inwards and streams of fire and water burst against each other, turning instantly to steam. Great clouds of the stuff billowed outwards, choking the fires and wafting through the trees. A moment later, Amber was immersed. The steam was so thick, she couldn’t see a thing.

She held still, not wanting to give away her location.

She heard the crunch of footfalls on burnt twigs, then silence. Had he stopped?

A hand suddenly plunged out of the steam and grabbed for Amber, but she scrambled to her feet and ran blindly until she fell. She could hear him crunching after her.

Searching the insect world for clues, she saw a line of dots suspended in the air. Ants marching up a tree. She made for them and watched for where they diverted to a branch, illuminating the shape of the tree. She swung herself up, then continued clambering upwards, feeling her way up the tree, until she was out of his reach.

There were steps beneath her. She tensed … but the steps carried on away from her.

Fireflies.

She directed the few fireflies she could sense nearby to fly after him. Not to attack, but rather to land on his back. She wanted to be able to see him coming.

The Firefighter walked further away but seemed to sense he was heading in the wrong direction and turned around.

The steam was beginning to clear, and moonlight filtered through the canopy.

Amber gritted her teeth. She couldn’t ask insects to fight all her battles. The Firefighter was easily strong enough to best her in a fair fight. But if she took him by surprise …

As he moved beneath her, Amber dropped onto his back and hooked an arm around his neck.

He grunted in surprise, staggering, trying to shake her off. But she’d learnt from her mistakes, ordering the hornets back – this time, to attack his unprotected hands. He reached back to grab her but screamed as he was stung.

He fell to his knees, trying to grasp at Amber’s arms, but was only stung more. Then she heard a hissing, and glanced down. Steam was shooting out of the jet pack.

Too late, she realised what he intended.

They launched from the ground, hornets blasting free, and she held on for dear life. Amber knew the Firefighter couldn’t see where he was going as they barrelled through the woods, twigs whipping against them, branches tearing at them. Any moment now they would crash into a tree.

‘Let go!’ he gasped, pawing at Amber’s hand. ‘Or we’ll both die.’

‘Better the two of us than only me,’ she hissed into his ear.

His foot snagged on something and sent them spinning. They shot out of the trees and back into the clearing and hit the hilltop sideways, breaking apart. She rolled one way and he rolled the other.

Bruised and dizzy, Amber tried to stand. A moment later cold water pinned her against a tree.

Shakily, the Firefighter walked towards her, keeping up the pressure of the water. It splashed into her eyes and up her nose as she struggled to breathe.

This was it, then? She was going to be dragged off to some shady government lab? Maybe she could make friends with the roaches in the walls.

The Firefighter glanced up at the sound of approaching helicopters.

‘About time,’ he said.

As despair threatened to engulf her, Amber became aware of another purple presence nearby. She had one last shot …

‘Give up,’ said the Firefighter. ‘It’s no use.’

But at that moment, bombardier beetles flew up the hill and landed all over him.

‘Enough with the insects!’ he shouted. ‘You can’t—’

But the beetles had already started to explode their hot, burning chemicals on the Firefighter’s suit. He paused, confused for a moment … then his uniform started to melt! In seconds, he was scrabbling to rid himself of the crawling beetles. The water holding Amber in place swept away, as he used it to blast the bugs.

Gulping in air, Amber focused her mind and summoned her swarm one last time. All remaining insects rushed through the air towards the Firefighter. He heard them coming and looked up, just as an entire insect dragon concentrated all its might and smashed into him. He fell back, flat on the hillside.

The lights from the helicopters grew brighter. Amber could see figures lowering down on ropes.

She glanced at the Firefighter once more, then turned and fled into the shadows.

The fresh air brought her back to herself, and soon there were enough locusts around to summon her dragon again. She leapt on and they dodged through the trees, aided by the pre-dawn light.

Amber was hurt, but it wasn’t the physical pain that plagued her. It was that last glance she had taken, as the Firefighter had turned over on his side, his uniform covered in growing holes as the material dripped away …

In that fleeting moment, she thought she’d seen a scar creeping up his side. A scar with the same twisted vortex of dark red and purple lines as her own.

It has to be a coincidence, she thought. It has to be ...