Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

Francis

Another damn forty-eight-hour shift at the firehouse. Sometimes these hours can drag on if we don't receive any calls. Or maybe it's pitiful that I am waiting for a call so I don't have to sit on my ass doing nothing. Kind of depressing I'm actually waiting for a disaster to fill my day.

Guess I could probably go down to the gym we have here in the house, but a class of kids is supposed to be taking a tour today of the firehouse and I don't want to scare them away. It has happened numerous times over the years, so I have learned to just stay in our bunkroom, out of sight.

Lying back on my bed, I look through the motorcycle magazine, continuing reading the story that caught my attention. It's about a really old dude nicknamed Pops, in his mid-eighties, still riding and enjoying the hell out of it. The pictures reveal an older Harley motorcycle with the extra kit or training wheels in the back so he can enjoy riding without all the weight of his bike. The concept is awesome as it keeps him active in the world he loves.

I'm so absorbed in the story; I don't hear the door open until it slams shut. Immediately I feel the tingling I get when I'm around one of my own. A similar individual, who walks this strange realm between the normal world and where I landed. They possess skills or talents similar to my own. Looking over the top of the magazine, I see a small young boy's eyes widen, looking right at me, mouth open in a huge O. I'm aware his shocked expression is not because of my appearance, but because he wasn't expecting to stumble upon someone in one of the bunks. Well, that will change as soon as he sees me. Trying to get a read on him, I get nothing. His mind is blank and he isn't displaying any kind of fear or anxiety at all. This is strange to say the least.

Dropping the magazine to my side, I swing my legs over the edge and stand up. The kid's mouth drops even wider and his eyes are popping out of his head. Slowly approaching him, I put my hand out, not even sure why because I generally don't shake hands with people I don't know. When touching people, I am usually bombarded with their thoughts and emotional baggage, so I try to avoid touching them at all if possible. Don't want to see their demons, have enough of my own. Lowering my voice so it comes out softly, not my usual gruff sound, I try for a calm approach on my introduction.

"Hey, little dude, I'm Francis. What's your name?"

After looking at my scarred hand for a minute or so, he raises his up and grabs mine loosely. Immediately I feel a weird sensation, kind of like an electrical shock with intense warmth flowing from him to me, and we both stare at each other. If the sense I got off him when he first came into the room wasn't confirmation enough of his own special abilities, shaking his hand certainly proved it. Not sure he realizes it just yet.

"Hi, I'm...um...My name is Damien. I'm here on a field trip to see the firehouse. You're one right, a fireman? We're here to see firemen. Oh man, I forgot, the teacher said to call you fire people because girls do this now, too."

Shaking his small hand in mine, I'm amazed he hasn't gone running from the room. An extraordinary feeling of peace embraces me as we continue to shake hands, putting me instantly at ease. Something I have never felt before meeting someone new. When I go to release him, I look at his hand and realize it's badly scarred and disfigured. Maybe that's why he is okay in my company, because he understands, no, he gets it. Or maybe even if he doesn't understand, his gift still puts him at ease. I can only hope.

"So, Damien, do you have any questions for me regarding the firehouse or what we do? I'll answer any of your questions the best I can. My first question to you is: how old are you?"

"I'm eight, going to be nine in about three weeks. Mom says I'm kind of small for my age, but also that boys continue to grow way longer than girls do, so I still have some hope. Francis, how frigging tall are you? You are huge—I mean—you are so. No, that didn't come out right. I just mean, I hope to be as big as you when I'm done growing."

Seeing Damien struggle, I can't hold it back. I lean my head back and let a laugh out. Damien observes me then smiles and lets out a little boy giggle. It feels so good just interacting with someone, even if it is a little kid, who isn't intimidated by my size or scared shitless from my scarred face. As we get to know each other, I realize I've never been around many kids in my life—except for my brothers from the MC—when we would have family parties and their old ladies or bitches would bring their kids by. And when they got a look of me, they would distance themselves, or worse, ask me if I'm related to the monster, Frankenstein.

This little guy is a first for me. He is so bright and intelligent it shocks the shit out of me, and I am not getting anything from him; thoughts or emotions that indicate he is scared or frightened. We continue to shoot the shit and time flies by, unbeknownst to either of us, until the door flies open and a bunch of kids burst in, followed by a couple of my firefighter brothers.

"Damien, we have been looking all over for you. Are you hiding from us? Didn't you want to go on the tour of the firehouse with these fire dudes?"

"Wow, look at that big dude behind Damien. He has to be like seven feet tall. Look at his arms; his muscles are huge, just like he is. And…Wow, holy crap, dude, what happened to your face?"

Feeling all eyes turn in to look at me, the embarrassment rises immediately, moving up my neck to the apple of my cheeks, burning them a bright red. The absolute quiet in the room is overwhelming. All you can hear is my breath coming out in angry gasps as I fight to control the darker side of myself that wants to immediately hurt the big-mouthed kid badly for bringing all the group's attention on me—even realizing the kid means no harm—not knowing at their young age the full impact words can have on another.

That is until I feel a change in the air, bringing a different vibe to the room. It's a dark energy that is radiating from little Damien, aimed toward the kid with the mouth. He totally gets my reactions to the kid's comments and doesn't seem to like them at all .

"Tommy, mind your own dang business. That was totally ignorant, you need to apologize to Francis for being a butthead with a big trap."

Looking down, Damien is standing directly in front of me, arms crossed over his chest. His little face is flaming from his anger and he is breathing hard. All around him I see a crimson haze. This little dude is pissed on my behalf. Wow. Another first.

"Don't lose yourself, Damien. Jeez, I was just asking. Sorry, Francis, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I was being nosy, kinda mean, and shouldn't have been."

Looking at all the kids watching me, I struggle on how to reply. Before I can figure it out, my chief cuts in.

"All right, how about we let my guys chill out. I'm gonna show you the mess hall where these guys eat their chow."

Seeing the kids file out of our bunkroom, I look over to my partner, Gage, who is observing me closely. Out of all the guys here, he like Brick, my prez, knows just about everything about me, including my past, along with my abilities to truly read folks through their emotions and thoughts. He's also met some of my MC brothers, and he gets why I need to be part of both worlds.

"How you holding up, brother? Kids can be so friggin' honest, to a fault at times. I'm sure the mouth didn't mean anything by it. He just didn't think before he let loose. You probably spooked the shit out of him. The other kid didn't seem afraid of you at all, the one who snuck up here by himself. Did he bother you?"

"Gage, thanks, brother, I'm good. Damien and I were just getting to know each other before the rest of his class stumbled in. Did you notice his fucked-up hand? He is scarred and disfigured, so I don't think I scared him too much. He seemed like a good kid. Actually enjoyed speaking with him."

As we continue to shoot the shit, I feel like my chance meeting with Damien was one of the few good moments recently in my life. Little do I know how much that little boy will alter the course of my life, giving me something I have secretly desired since I became my own man.

A purpose in my life I never thought I'd have a chance at.