Chapter 21: Amina's Rage
The apartment was small, overheated, and permeated by the stench of stale anger and fear. The air wasn't just warm; it was searing, a clear sign of the uncontrolled **Fire Magic** radiating from the two-week-old child.
The man in the doorway was tall and coiled with nervous tension. His initial rage at Yolanda was now directed squarely at Carter.
"CESGA? Man, get the hell outta here with that fed talk," the man spat, trying to slam the door, but Carter's foot was already subtly planted in the frame.
"Sir, I assure you, this is a matter of critical health and safety," Carter said, keeping his voice level and authoritative. He focused a micro-surge of **Light Magic** into his vocal cords, lending his voice an instant, almost hypnotic quality of command. "I am here to ensure the well-being of Amina Johnson and everyone in this building."
The Light Magic worked. The man faltered, his eyes widening slightly. He took a half-step back.
Carter pushed the door open the rest of the way, stepping into the living room. **Yolanda**, young and exhausted, was standing defensively over a bundle on the floor. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and the strain of being an 18-year-old single mother dealing with a walking, fire-hot infant was etched into every line of her beautiful face.
"Yolanda Johnson?" Carter asked, ignoring the boyfriend.
"Who are you? What do you want with my baby?" Yolanda demanded, her voice shaking.
Before Carter could answer, the boyfriend found his voice again, pointing a finger at Carter's chest. "See, Yolanda! This is that government shit! They gonna take my daughter 'cause of that red hair!"
*"The boyfriend, identified as Jerome, is amplifying the chaotic energy,"* **Earth** warned in Carter's ear. *"The baby's mana signature is spiking. Thermal discharge is about to breach safe levels."*
Carter glanced down. On the cheap, patterned carpet, **Amina Johnson** was not only awake but **crawling** with incredible speed toward a pile of papers. Her bright red hair seemed to glow, and where her tiny hands and feet touched the carpet, the synthetic fibers were beginning to **smoke**.
"Your daughter is a danger to herself and to you," Carter stated, dropping the polite facade. He flipped open his scanner watch. "She is emitting an energy signature that is destabilizing the molecular structure of the air around her. She has to be moved to a controlled environment immediately."
Yolanda's eyes darted from the smoking carpet to Carter's face. "The news called them... the Awakened. It's that, isn't it? She's on fire!"
"She needs specialized care, and we are the only organization equipped to provide it," Carter pressed.
Jerome stepped in front of Yolanda, his face twisted in protective fury. "You ain't takin' nobody! On my soul, I will beat your ass out of this apartment!"
The threat was the catalyst. Amina, reacting to the extreme stress and anger, let out a tiny, infantile wail.
The effect was instantaneous and violent. A burst of **uncontrolled Fire Mana** shot out from her tiny body—not a flame, but a searing, invisible wave of heat. The wallpaper immediately behind Jerome **ignited** in a rolling sheet of fire.
Jerome screamed, leaping back toward the kitchen, away from the sudden, terrifying blaze.
Carter reacted instantly. He extended his hand, not toward the fire, but toward Amina. He channeled a focused, intense beam of **Light Magic**—pure, calming white energy—and aimed it directly at the child's burgeoning Mana Core.
The light hit Amina like a gentle lullaby. The red glow of her hair dimmed, and the screaming stopped. She slumped forward, instantly asleep.
Carter turned his attention to the spreading fire. He didn't use Water Magic, which might draw too much attention. Instead, he channeled his **Light Magic** into the air around the blaze, violently robbing the flames of the **molecular bonds and oxygen** they needed to survive. The fire, starved of fuel, collapsed in on itself with a sickening *whoosh*, leaving behind a charred section of wall and a room suddenly filled with smoke.
Yolanda stared, her mouth agape. Her anger and defensiveness were gone, replaced by absolute, terrified compliance. She looked from the charred wall to the sleeping, red-haired baby, and finally to Carter, the source of the impossible solution.
"She... she can walk and she's two weeks old," Yolanda whispered, her denial collapsing. "And she did that. You stopped it."
"I can save her life, and yours," Carter said, stepping forward. He held out his hand. "I am not taking her away, Yolanda. I am offering you and Amina full, protected enrollment in our facility. Your life has changed forever. You have to come with me, or I cannot guarantee either of your safety."
Yolanda looked at the charred wall, at Jerome cowering in the kitchen, and finally into Carter's cold, serious eyes. She didn't hesitate.
"Take us," she choked out, tears finally breaking. "Just get us out of here."