Operation: Flashpoint

[Taylor Brenton]

The smell of bacon frying made Taylor more than a little melancholy as she grasped her quilt and cuddled beneath it. “Trent!” He mom called from downstairs, andTaylor ticked the names off using her fingers. “Bryce! Jack! Shane! Taylor!” The list used to be longer, back before Cale left for the University of Wyoming over in Laramie and Annie went and married Greg Metzger. “Get a move on, or there won’t be time for breakfast!” Leave it to her mom to think about food. Here it was, the morning of her move to Paragon, and her mom was worried about the toast getting soggy.

Taylor slipped out of bed and straightened out the sheets, smoothing the quilt on top of them, taking extra time this morning to make sure everything was perfect. She ran her hand along the shelf over her bed, taking one last look at all the Jr. Rodeo trophies, the pictures of her and the horses, the fair ribbons she’d leave behind. Her eyes paused for a moment at the bandanna hanging on her bedpost, the one with the two eye-holes cut into it from when she was determined to be a super-hero’s side kick. Running her thumb over the thinning material, she made a last minute decision to toss it in the bag with the rest of her belongings that would be coming with her. It was sad to think of the room being empty. Well, not empty for too long if Shane or Bryce had their way, but her mom told her a thousand times she could come home if things didn’t work out.

Taylor wanted it to work out. She didn’t want to be like her older sister Annie; Wasting her ‘gift’. Stealthily igniting the stove’s pilot light went it went out and not much else. But Annie was the only mentor Taylor had in terms of Pyrokinetics. Her mom, her dad - they had no powers. And all of her brothers, the five of them, none of them had the ability either. Now that Annie had moved to Jackson with Greg, Taylor was at a stand still. Paragon, Paragon was the place for her, and once she’d researched academies she could attend there - she put all her energy into convincing her parents that it was the right fit. In just two years she’d be off to college anyway. Her parents had plenty of help on the ranch what with two of the Brenton boys in the local community college, Shane still being in high school, and Bryce content to work at the ranch rather than studying agriculture or business. The ranch would always be there. This opportunity might not.

“Going to Hero High today, Misfire?” Shane teased as he passed her in the hall, and Taylor couldn’t help but smile. Bryce and Shane had been needling her for a while with the moniker. “You need a hero name!” Bryce scoffed. “I know! Miss Fire! Get it? Misfire!”

“It’s Flashpoint.” She quipped to Shane, letting a small fireball materialize in her hand before squelching it in what she hoped would be a dramatic display. Shane raised his eyebrows and sneered with a chuckle.

“That’s the superhero name? Really?”

“What’s wrong with Flashpoint?” She asked, heading down the steps. “ It’s when something ignites...”

“Or what happens in New Orleans during Mardi Gras.” Bryce chimed in, taking her bag from her to bring to the truck. “Gets you a lot of beads.”

“Don’t be coming home with beads!” Her overprotective brother Trent warned from the kitchen.

“It’s Paragon, not Louisiana.” Taylor groaned as the Brenton brood sat down at the table.

“And it’s a good opportunity.” Her mom defended, setting the last of the scrambled eggs on the table before placing both her hands on Taylor's shoulders. “Taylor’s going to do just fine at that new school, even if it is thousands of miles away from home, and even if she doesn’t know anyone, or have anyone there to watch out for her.” Taylor’s shoulders slumped as she bit into her toast. Her mom did the same thing when Annie moved out, and when Cale left for college, she knew it was coming.

“I thought this was a road trip, not a guilt trip.” Jack snickered, lowering his voice to Taylor. Just as Connie Brenton was about to give her 4th son a piece of her mind, the door swung opened and he was given a reprieve.

“The truck’s all set.” Judd Brenton, father to the seven of them told her before draining the rest of the coffee from his mug. Judd, like most of the boys was all cowboy, right down to his snake skin boots and ten gallon hat. Taylor hoped he wouldn’t embarrass her too much at Westbrook. “ Bryce and I are going to make the trip out with you, get you all settled, then you can take us over to the airport in Providence on Sunday. This way you’ll have your truck.” Bryce at least was a little more down to earth, even with his Frontier Days trucker hat.

“No problem, Dad.” She replied between sips of juice.

“You sure you don’t need me to come, help settle you in? The boys would be fine here on the ranch for a few weeks.” Connie offered, causing Taylor to swing her eyes towards her dad for help.

“We’ll be just fine.” Her dad comforted. “She’ll be just fine, Bryce and I personally guarantee it. And she’ll call home, every night.” Taylor slumped again, about to protest, but looking up into Connie’s watery blue eyes she caved.

“Every night.” She promised, reaching up to put her hand over her mom’s. “It’ll be fine. You’ll see.”

“Don’t mind your mother, it’s hard to let your youngest go.” Her dad told her once she’d climbed into the Ford F-150. The pick up was a gift for her 16th birthday after she'd gotten her license. It was slightly used, a 2008, but only a week old to Taylor and she was glad she'd get to keep it at school with her. Bryce had called shotgun leaving her to take the long ride from Cheyenne Wyoming to Paragon in the back of the extended cab. Her father looked back and smiled to her through the rear view mirror. “It’s hard to let your baby go.”

Taylor hugged her arms around herself and leaned her head against the window letting a few tears escape down her cheek. She watched the ranch grow smaller and smaller until it disappeared from sight. It was her choice to go. It was the right thing to do. She just wished it didn’t have to hurt so much.