The distant booms and crackles of fireworks barely reached Maren’s ear. From the map she’d looked at, Glen Park didn’t appear too far from this district. Made sense she could hear at least a small bit of the festivities taking place for the festival from the city center.

A center which was quite different from the fringes that surrounded it. Instead of multiple colors of bars and restaurants, everything here seemed so uniform and utilitarian. Grey buildings hosted offices, lavish restaurants way out of Maren’s price range, fancy clothing stores, and, of course, bars. Not the friendly, warm-and-welcoming kind she’d seen just thirty minutes ago. These were boring, bland, and corporate. The greatest variety in color came from the massive electronic billboards, which displayed an enticing product – which one could buy at the local megamarket stores – before it was replaced with another one.

At least Maren finally saw people. Sure, many of them were rushing to their destination, faces shifting side to side in an almost paranoid manner. The only person who wasn’t in a rush was a blonde woman in a business suit and heels, flanked by two massive men on either side. Maren watched as they leisurely walked up the steps of a plaza which led–

Boom!

From an alley several streets down, a man soared backward into the main street. Maren’s heart pounded, then she rushed forward and peered into the valley. A Peace Keeper stood atop a service vehicle, gathering flames along his arms, opposing two men on the ground wearing matching uniforms. 

Not exactly a difficult choice of whom to help. If a Peace Keeper was fighting someone, there was a good chance that “someone” was on the wrong side of the law. If said fight took place in the heart of where twenty-three people had been kidnapped in the last week, that made Maren’s decision even easier.

The flung man had rolled to the other sidewalk. Despite how painful that must have been, the man got to his feet. Granted, he was fumbling and groaning, but small spheres of flames ignited his palms a moment later.

Criminal or not, Maren had to respect the determination.

The Flame Dancer didn’t so much as glance at Maren as he charged to the alley. Looked like his tunnel vision would give her an easy victory. 

She removed her warm blanket and took a wide stance, bracing herself. Water formed on both shoulders, which she channeled down to her chest. She held her hands before her, connecting the tips of each hand’s fingers to form an opening, where she would create a pressurized funnel. As the Flame Dancer attempted to enter the alley, Maren blasted him with a stream stronger than one from a firefighter’s hose. 

He flew to the side, his fire extinguishing like a candle’s. The force pushed her back, but her braced position kept her standing. The man hit the ground and Maren ceased her stream, keeping the rest of her water along her upper torso. 

The man held another fireball before he was back on his feet, flinging it to her as he rose. It was too fast for her to dodge, so she coated her arms in water and held them before her face. 

TSSS! 

The flame hit her shield, evaporating most of the water. A second volley slammed into what remained of her shield. She exclaimed, bringing her arms back, as an intense heat scalded her forearms. 

The man took a labored breath. Looked like he could land on his back only so many times before his lungs lost air. Maren, shaking her arms to help cool them down, returned his glare with a smile. He brought both hands to his side, forming two more flaming spheres. 

“You’re very creative, aren’t you?” Maren said, mouth drying. 

Tendrils of water sprouted from her skin, arching back and then whipping forward as the fireballs grew in size. Maren’s water lashed at the man on his upper arms, abdomen, lower legs, and face. His skin reddened with each strike and his face winced with pain. He flailed about as if to slap the water tendrils away. In his frenzy, the two spheres expelled from his palms, one hitting the street, the other a sign hanging from a building. Both left scorch marks. 

“What did the public property ever do to you?” Maren asked. 

He was already creating more fire. Might as well end it before he damaged the city any further. She focused water into her palm, ready to shoot a powerful yet controlled blast to knock him out. But as she did, an explosion sounded from down the alley and steam slammed her in the side. The sudden force put her off-balance and her Gift squeezed the water point she’d been holding. Her stream was thinner and more forceful than she’d intended. 

It hadn’t simply hit the man’s gut. It slid straight through it.