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Sometimes Wyldfyre didn’t like herself.
Which was CRAZY!! Right?? Because, Wyldfyre was like…the best person ever?? She was great at like…everything she did!! How could she not like herself sometimes??
Well, the feeling came and went sometimes. Wyldfyre didn’t want to get too into detail—the feeling rarely happened because she was usually so awesome, so she didn’t really have to worry about it—but the feeling had specifically came back earlier that day….
Kai and Wyldfyre were in the living room. Wyldfyre sat on the floor, and Kai sat on the couch directly above her. He was brushing through her hair, making his way through the knots softly, like Nya had done while he was….gone.
It was a while ago. Wyldfyre hadn’t really made an effort to brush her hair since….they returned from the City Of Temples, probably.
But the feeling was nice. And it felt nice to have Kai do it. He was surprisingly good at it, for a guy who only ever used hair gel and nothing else.
They were watching a movie—some crazy thriller about a kid who was getting sent to his death to fight a bunch of other kids, and only one kid could win. It was pretty interesting, Wyldfyre really liked the fighting bits.
Occasionally, the characters in the movie would say a word that Wyldfyre didn’t know.
Wyldfyre had gotten used to not understanding or knowing some words she’d hear other people say. Usually Kai or the others filled her in when she was confused. But he wasn’t this time—Kai was too invested on the movie.
It didn’t bother her too much.
Until Kai snapped back into focus on her.
Wyldfyre could feel the brushing stop; the repetitive feeling of his hands softly raking through her hair coming to a sudden halt.
Kai looked up from the movie they were watching abruptly.
“Hey, Wyldfyre? When’s your birthday?” He asked with such intense curiosity, it made her nervous.
Wyldfyre paused. There was that word that she didn’t know!!
“What’s a birthday??”
Kai let out a terrified gasp. Wyldfyre whipped her head around to face him as he paused the movie. She was really confused…
”You don’t know what a birthday is??” He asked, seeming appalled.
Wyldfyre immediately went on the defensive. “No?? I’ve never even heard of that word before. Dragons probably don’t ‘do’….whatever it is you said.”
”Birthday’s,” Kai repeated the word firmly. “And…how do you just…not ‘do’ birthdays??”
”Kai, maybe it would help if you actually told me what a birthday was, instead of acting like I killed the entire team just because I don’t know a word…” Wyldfyre offered harshly.
”A birthday is like…a celebration of you being born. Every year on the day you were born, you celebrate with your friends and family for being a year older. There’s usually cake and games and music,” Kai informed her. Wyldfyre’s eyes widened at the information. “You’ve….really never celebrated your birthday?”
Wyldfyre attempted to mask how hurt she was that she missed out on that for….her entire life.
She shrugged. “Well, I dunno when I was born,” she clarified. “I don’t even know what day Heatwave found me. I’d only ever seen one of those calendar thingies when you all brought me to the Monastery.”
Kai looked absolutely horrified. “Wyldfyre…do you know how old you are?”
Wyldfyre hesitated, looking away from Kai. This wasn’t something she thought about often, but it kind of hurt every time she did.
“No?…” she answered. “Or—well—it’s complicated! Dragon years are a bit different than human years, but Heatwave thinks I’m about sixteen?”
Kai studies her for a moment. “That can’t be right…” he muttered. “You can barely be older than fourteen…”
Wyldfyre began to feel that awful feeling in her chest. That feeling where it seemed like every bad thing in the world was her fault and that she was the worst barely-human thing in the world!!
“I’m….gonna go find something to put my hair up…” Wyldfyre mumbled standing up stiffly. She trudged off in the direction of her room, not bothering to look back at Kai.
She would only make things worse with her lack of basic human knowledge.
This was so stupid!! Wyldfyre was so stupid!! She could never just have one decent answer to a single question, could she?
Wyldfyre loved who she was. She loves how she was raised!!
But sometimes….she’d give anything to be something she’s not…
“What do you mean she doesn’t have a birthday?!” Arin exclaimed.
”And she doesn’t know how old she is??” Frak added sadly.
”Poor Wyldfyre…” Euphrasia hummed. “That must be so hard for her.”
”Can you even imagine? Never knowing when you were born?” Nya muttered
”I personally can’t imagine never celebrating!!” Cole admitted.
”I don’t even really like birthdays,” Sora admitted. “But I never would’ve guessed that Wyldfyre had never had one!! Or that she just…doesn’t know how old she is..”
”Isn’t that sad?” Kai asked dejectedly. Cole grabbed his hand and squeezed it lightly. “Just….never knowing who you came from? Or never knowing that celebrating her life was an option?”
”Judging by her looks, personality, height, and voice,” Even Zane spoke a little upset. “I suspect that she’s been at least fourteen the entirety of the time she’s been with us.”
”Jeez…” Arin mumbled. “And the rest of us are all turning sixteen this year…”
”Poor Wyldfyre..” Frak sighed. “Master Lloyd, what do we do?”
Everyone turned to face Lloyd, who blinked a bit awkwardly.
“I….thought it was obvious?” Lloyd mumbled. “We make her birthday today and celebrate with her for the first time in her entire life. That seemed…clear as day to me…” Lloyd scratched the back of his neck nervously.
The group shared a collective laugh.
”Well, when you say it like that, it does sound a little TOO obvious,” Jay chuckled, chiming in. He’d been oddly quiet for most of the conversation.
”Somebody go distract her while we set up?” Sora smiled, a plan forming in her head.
”On it!” Frak bounced up and down on the balls of his feet for a second before turning to head to Wyldfyre’s room.
”I’ll go with him just in case,” Cole grinned, squeezing Kai’s hand one last time before quickly following Frak.
“Me and Euphrasia will head to the kitchen!” Arin exclaimed, bolting into the Monastery. Euphrasia followed him in the air much more gracefully.
”How much time do you think we have before she gets suspicious?” Jay asked nervously as everyone else got into motion.
”My guess?” Nya snorted in amusement, “about thirty minutes.”
”Come on, be a little more optimistic!!” Sora chastised her.
”She was being optimistic…” Lloyd said with a curt sigh.
”….oh..” Sora winced.
”In reality, we probably have about twenty minutes.” Zane admitted nervously.
”…We should probably hurry up then?” Jay offered helpfully.
“….I’ll call Roby..” Kai sighed.
”I don’t CARE that I’m not allowed outside the Monastery right now, Cole!! I DO WHAT I WANT AND I GO WHERE I PLEASE!!” Wyldfyre shouted, sending a fireball blazing in his general direction. Cole yelped in fear and ducked away from it.
”Wyldfyre!! Hey—maybe we should…uh…Go to the living room?? Watch a show for a little bit??” Frak offered, running up beside her. He tried to redirect her away from the Monastery doors.
”No, Frak!! I’m going outside, and neither of you can stop me!! WEIRDOS!!” She shouted angrily. She finally reached the doors, and lifted her hands to shove them open.
”WYLDFYRE, WAIT—“ Cole and Frak both shouted.
”SURPRISE!!” Ten voices all rang out at once. Wyldfyre’s eyes widened. The courtyard had completely transformed. There were tables covered in all her favorite foods—a few cut Wyldmelons, scattered sweats, and a giant cake with a few slides already cut—hastily wrapped boxes littered on the stairs, balloons in the air and streamers on the floor. Everyone standing was wearing a party hat, and they were all slightly panting.
”What…is this??” Wyldfyre blinked as Cole and Frak came up behind her, exhaling in relief.
”WYFY!!” A familiar voice rang out. Someone parted from the crowd, barreling straight towards her.
”Roby?!?” Wyldfyre exclaimed catching him in her arms. They two laughed as she spun him around, then silence for a moment as he captured her lips in a small kiss. They roared at each other—their official greeting—before Roby parted away from her to hand Cole and Frak their own party hats.
”Roby, what are you doing here?! What is all this?” She looked around in confusion and awe as Roby lead her down the steps, careful to avoid the boxes.
”Well, when Kai called and told me you had never had a birthday, I immediately rushed over to make things right!” Roby announced proudly, leading her to the others.
”Yeah, right,” Jay scoffed, leaning against Nya. “More like Kai told Roby he wanted to celebrate your birthday for the first time, and he pathetically begged to be apart of the celebration. And then did absolutely nothing to help set up,” he added.
”It’s all the same, really,” Roby shrugged.
”All of this…is for me?” Wyldfyre breathed. “But…I don’t have a—“
”Well, now you do, kid,” Kai smiled, setting a gentle hand on her shoulder.
“We have deducted based on your physical and mental abilities that you are most likely fourteen years old,” P.I.X.A.L informed Wyldfyre, stepping forward next to Zane.
”And because today in now your birthday, that sets you at fifteen years old.” Zane finished for her, handing her a slide of cake.
Wyldfyre took it in her hands gingerly. It was white with multicolored flecks in it, with a red frosting. Wyldfyre didn’t even notice her hands were shaking until Roby rubbed her arm gingerly.
“Remember the day May twenty-fifth, kid. Because that is now, officially, your birthday.” Kai beamed happily at her.
Hot tears were already streaming down her face when she turned away. “IM NOT CRYING!! YOU’RE CRYING!!” She shouted loudly, trying to hold back her sobs.
No one in her life had ever done something like this for her before.
The group wrapped around her in a large hug. Kai and Roby were the closest to her. She leaned into their embrace, feeling loved.
Feeling like maybe all the bad things in the world WEREN’T her fault.
“Happy birthday, Wyldfyre.”