On a camping trip with his family, Aidan sat at the campfire and began roasting a marshmallow. As he watched the flames dance against the night sky, he started imagining that he was controlling the fire. Telling it what move to make next. Then, it was almost as if he heard it. Or felt it. He's still not sure…but the fire listened. It danced the way he had told it to. Except that couldn't be right…it was just pretend. So he tried again, to prove to himself he had just imagined it. However, again the flame moved as he wanted.
Okay, one final test. This would show for certain he was just an 11 year old with an active imagination. He looked at his marshmallow on the end of his stick, urging the flames to leap from the logs and onto the mallow. They didn't listen. Instead, the marshmallow itself caught fire and began to crisp.
With a startled yell Aidan threw the stick and marshmallow to the ground. His parents and brother had not seen it…and he couldn't tell them. How could he? He wasn't even sure what had just happened.
He didn't tell his parents what happened until months later, when incidents kept occurring and it was becoming harder to ignore or excuse away the burn marks on his carpet or in his clothing.
Fire Creation (Ability): Pretty straight forward. Aidan is able to create fire from within himself and bring it outside of his form. This aspect of his powers does not require a preexisting source of fire.
Fire Manipulation (Ability): This aspect of his powers does require a preexisting source of fire. Whether a spark or a flame, Aidan can take it and manipulate it for his purposes.
No Air (Weakness): If Aidan ever finds himself in a situation where he is deprived of oxygen, this affects his ability to create fire. This makes sense as fire needs oxygen to flourish. However, this does not necessarily affect his ability to manipulate an existing flame that does have a source of oxygen.
Burn Out (Weakness): Whether pertaining to his fire creation or manipulation, if Aidan utilizes his powers to extensively he will become tired or otherwise effected. The degree to which this effects him depends on to what extent he uses his powers and how much he continues to push himself after feeling the effects.
Flare Up (Work in Progress): Still getting used to controlling his powers, Aidan sometimes experiences a 'flare up'. This can present itself in a moment where he loses control on a fire source he is manipulating. It can also occur through acts of 'spontaneous combustion'. Not as destructive as it sounds, this just means sometimes his fire creation is not always intentional.
With two loving parents and a younger brother, Aiden's early life started average enough. He developed an interest in basketball at a young age and, discovering he was actually good at it, joined his Elementary School's team.
Outside of classes, most of his time was spent either on the court or outside running wild with his friends. His best friend was a girl named Tess. Meeting in Kindergarten, the two quickly became inseparable. During the Summer before their third grade year, Tess and her family were involved in a car wreck that left Tess mute. This led to Aidan learning ASL with her, both to help her through her recovery and so they could keep communicating with each other.
At home, Aidan's younger brother was an annoyance at times, but he loved him all the same. Though that didn't stop them from having their fights. Still, it was nice to have somebody to team up on mom and dad with too. Their family did a lot together. However, Aidan's favorite family activity was camping. Something about being out there under the stars was very relaxing to him. It was on one of these trips, at 11 years old, that he discovered something was…odd.
Sitting at the campfire, Aidan began roasting a marshmallow. As he watched the flames dance against the night sky, he started imagining that he was controlling the fire. Telling it what move to make next. Then, it was almost as if he heard it. Or felt it. He's still not sure…but the fire listened. It danced the way he had told it to. Except that couldn't be right…it was just pretend. So he tried again, to prove to himself he had just imagined it. However, again the flame moved as he wanted.
Okay, one final test. This would show for certain he was just an 11 year old with an active imagination. He looked at his marshmallow on the end of his stick, urging the flames to leap from the logs and onto the mallow. They didn't listen. Instead, the marshmallow itself caught fire and began to crisp.
With a startled yell Aidan threw the stick and marshmallow to the ground. His parents and brother had not seen it…and he couldn't tell them. How could he? He wasn't even sure what had just happened.
He didn't tell his parents what happened until months later, when incidents kept occurring and it was becoming harder to ignore or excuse away the burn marks on his carpet or in his clothing. They were very supportive of their son, promising Aidan they would do everything they could to help him learn to live with his powers.
Everything went well enough from there, but with more and more 'flare ups' happening, Aidan's life quickly changed from what he knew. Difficulty and absences from school caused him to drop out in 8th grade, his mother homeschooling him instead. Still, even with this added measure, his powers grew stronger and his control did not grow with them. He became increasingly concerned for the safety of his family and friends. Withdrawing socially, Aidan kept himself either at the house or completely shut away in his room.
The breaking point for Aidan came one day when his younger brother came into his room, initiating their usual rough housing. However, this time Aidan's fire flared and burned his brother badly. Aidan begged his parents to let him go somewhere…anywhere…that could help him learn to control his powers. They agreed and soon he was on his way to Coral Springs.
Aidan has been attending Coral Springs for over a year now, currently in the 10th grade, but that doesn't mean everybody knows him. He keeps to himself a lot, usually seen reading or listening to music in the cafeteria or somewhere on campus. Always aware of his surroundings and the general goings on of campus, he is friendly enough if approached. So go ahead and say hi!