Michael-
The cops come back a few hours later. “We have bad news. There were no survivors.”
“Oh, no!” I wail, pretending to be horrified, when in truth I am triumphant.
“Eight bodies found.”
EIGHT?! THERE WERE NINE!! “What?!” my voice screeches.
The cop looks at me funny. “Son, is there anything you’d like to say?”
“Yeah, um, sir? Nine of my friends were trapped in that fire,” I say to him, feeling my face want to elongate, my eyes want to fall out, my mouth want to stitch itself shut, my true form.
“Then that means one of them got away, Michael.”
“Yay!” NOOOOO! How could this have happened?! They were ALL supposed to die!
“My son was in that building,” Leo’s mom wails, crying. “Was his body found?!”
“No way to tell until the DNA tests come back, Lauren, but there is a possibility Leo got away,” the cop looks at her sympathetically, and I realize that they know each other really well.
Lauren is wailing so loud, it feels as if my eardrums will burst. “I want my boy!”
The cop pulls her into his arms. “I know, Lauren, I know.”
Lauren pulls me into a hug. “Come here, honey. It must have been so hard for you. Who else was there?!”
“Jenna, William, George, Zoey, Ava, Hannah, Kayla, Kevin, and David,” I say, pretending to be sad. “My friends… well, except for David. He was a bully.”
“Yes, Leo frequently complained about being bullied for his sexuality by this David fellow,” Lauren says, smiling a watery smile at the mention of Leo.
Oh, Leo. Why did you have to be so protective of your pathetic little friends? You and I could have had a beautiful relationship together.

Michael-
I walk down the road, on the way to Leo’s old house. I’ll be staying with Lauren for a long, long, time.
Like, forever.
I walk into Leo’s old house and go up to his room. “Ahh, the old, familiar room!” I flop down onto his bed, remembering the days Leo would hit on me in here, and how I pretended to remain oblivious.
Suddenly, my sixth sense starts to tingle. I sit up, feeling the person’s anger and bitterness course through me.
“Hello?” I call out, nervous.
I see a flash of movement in the corner of my eyes. “Hello? Is anyone there!?”
I turn to where I had seen the movement. And feel my blood go cold.
Leo is standing there, glaring at me, nostrils flared, teeth bared.
And I am scared of him, because like an idiot, I didn’t check to see if anyone had escaped.
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Suddenly, Leo is gone.
“Leo? I’m sorry,” I apologized to him… or where he was. “I loved you, you know. When you were hitting on me, I enjoyed it, because I love you. I love you so much. And I’m sorry that you had to die.”
You killed my friends, his voice hissed inside my head. I cannot forgive you for that. I may have lived, but they died.
“Are you dead?” I asked, whimpering, hating my weakness for him.
No, you idiot. I’m not dead. I just got some new powers. Like your powers.
“Okay, okay, umm… I do adore you Leo…” I muttered.
NO! You don’t understand! YOU KILLED THEM!
Then Leo appears in front of me, full body, not just… spirit.

Michael-
“Leo!” I jump to my feet.
He sneers at me. “Oh, please, Michael. Don't be so… sympathetic. YOU TRIED TO KILL ME! AND YOU KILLED MY FRIENDS!”
“I know, Leo, but I wanted my revenge,” I say pathetically.
Leo sneers again. “Oh, please, Michael. Don't give me that bullcrap.”
I sigh. “Please, Leo. Do understand this.”
That’s when I lunge forward and crush my mouth to his.
Leo struggles, but I am stronger, oh, so much stronger.
He kicks out, again and again. I finally let him go, and he slaps me across the face. “DON'T KISS ME!” he screams. “YOU KILLED THEM!”
“Sshh, darling,” I mutter, grabbing his body and pulling him against me. “Sshh, it’s okay. I won’t hurt you.”
“But you hurt them!” he sobs. “You killed Jenna and William and George and Zoey and Ava and Hannah and Kayla and Kevin!” Leo sniffs, tears falling fast down his beautiful, sculpted face.
“Leo, I’m sorry, so so sorry. I love you and that will not change.”
“IT ALREADY DID! IT CHANGED WHEN YOU BETRAYED US!” he screams as loud as he can.
“Oh, darling-”
He cuts me off. “Don’t call me that! You don't own me anymore!”
That’s when he whips out a knife and throws it at me.

Luckily, I am already dead, so the knife passes right through me like a hand through mist.
Leo curses and pulls out a lighter. “Will this work?”
I love Leo, but I love my life more. And so I pull out a knife and pose threateningly at him. “If you come any closer, this goes through your chest, do you understand me?”
He stares at me in shock and horror. “Why-why are you doing this? Why do you want to hurt me?”
His voice whimpers. “Why?”
I feel my soft spot for him open up and I drop the knife.
That’s when he charges me, flicks open the lighter, and makes a flame appear.
He touches it to me, and I feel the familiar sensation of burning.

Leo-
When Michael’s body is nothing but ash, I stand up and put the lighter away.
“THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT!” I scream triumphantly.
I hear footsteps on the stairs. Who is in my house?!
But it’s my mom that shows her face. “Leo?”
“Mom?” I ask.
“Oh, Leo!” she runs to me and throws her arms around me. “I thought you were dead. Where’s Michael?”
I glance at the pile of ashes on the floor. “He’s gone. And he’s not coming back.”
“Leo, I’m so sorry about this,” Mom says.
“About what?”
“Your friends being dead,” Mom says. “Honey, that must be so hard. We all loved them. And I know about your secret.”
My throat closes. “My… secret?”
“Yes. I know you’re gay, honey. It’s okay. I love you no matter what, understand?” Mom says.
I can breathe again. So she doesn’t know my real secret. “Mom, I need some privacy.”
“Of course sweetie.” Mom kisses my forehead then leaves my room.
I stand there, then look into the mirror as my face elongates, my eyes fall out, and my mouth sews itself shut.

The End