Entry Writing

The lack of magical ability was only a small problem for Felix. When he saw people with powers on TV, he knew what he wanted to be when he grew up. Firebending had fascinated him from the moment he first saw Avatar: The Last Airbender, even though it was fictional. He was determined to be as strong and awesome as the characters he grew to love. He was already halfway there, in his own opinion. Being a dragon meant he could breathe fire, so how much harder could it be to learn to control it?

“There’s more to firebending than just flinging fire around!” Myra huffed one day when they were kids. “Don’t you see how much Zuko practices? And how Aang doesn’t get all the elements right away? You have to work at bending. They’re arts.”

“Okay, so I’ll start there. You take Taekwondo, and that kinda looks like how they’re bending, right? I’ll join you!” Felix circled his friend excitedly, unable to sit still.

“You’re not joining me,” Myra said flatly. “You won’t take it seriously, and you’ll get me in trouble.”

“I will not!” Felix argued, crossing his arms. “But whatever. I’ll take karate instead. It’s cooler anyway.”

“Sure, whatever you say.” Myra had little faith that his interest in martial arts would last long.

Boy was she wrong. Felix had enrolled for karate within the week, and remained with the practice for years. He got surprisingly good at it, too.

-

Now he needed to add fire. It was a lot harder for him to get his parents on board with this one, but he did manage it eventually. He started with flash paper out of a magician’s kit that he got from an uncle. He quickly ran out of that and refused to stop asking for more, so his parents opted to reward him with flash paper for doing chores. Now that he worked for his little fires, he used them more sparingly, attempting to light them and move them as he’d seen Azula do on TV.

The month he spent grounded for using hairspray and a lighter as a flamethrower he remembers as being totally worth it.

-

His parents eventually realized that his dreams of firebending wouldn’t die so easily. When he was old enough, they let him attend a circus camp that advertised the chance to learn fire dancing. Unfortunately, those classes were for kids a few years older than Felix, but he fell in love with the camp all the same. He attended every year, becoming interested in acrobatics and stunts in addition to fire.

-

“I can’t believe you still haven’t grown out of this… dream,” Myra commented late one summer night as the two of them lay in the field between their houses. They were in high school now, ten years older than they had been when Felix had decided he was going to be a firebender when he grew up.

Felix looked over at her, hands behind his head as he lounged. “That’s what happens when you love something, Myra! It just… never leaves you.”

“Yeah, but when a kindergartener says they’re going to be president when they grow up, nobody really believes them. Nobody really expected you to follow this ‘firebending’ path so far, and now you’ve got to make a decision, Fee.” Myra propped herself up on her elbows. “You have to choose what you’re going to do with your life. How you’re going to make a living.”

“I already made my choice.”

“You can’t be a clown for a living.”

“I’m not going to be a clown! Being a performer is a real profession. I can do stunts for movies and shows. I can join different companies and travel the world doing what I love.”

“Be realistic-” Myra argued, which earned a thump of Felix’s tail as he sat up.

“I am being realistic!” He said firmly. “Look at you, your plan is to either be an Olympian or a CEO.”

“Yeah, because people actually make a living off those, and I’ve got what it takes.”

“A living isn’t all there is to life, Myra,” Felix sighed, knowing his friend likely just wasn’t going to get it. “I don’t want to just be okay. I want to enjoy what I do and make memories. And like you said, I’ve got what it takes. A lot of people don’t believe the kindergartener who says she’s going to be an Olympic gymnast, either, but that’s not stopping you.”

Myra considered this, her brow furrowed deeply. When Felix used her own analogy, it helped her understand a little bit more, but she was still unsure. “... I just don’t want you to set yourself up for disappointment. Performers don’t have stable lives, solid tracks…”

Felix leaned forward so he could look his friend in the eye. “I know. I’ve thought about that already. I have other ideas for how to live if I truly can’t make it, but I’m not going to plan for failure, Myra. I’m not stepping out into the world saying “Okay, and if this doesn’t work, I’ll be an accountant.” I’m telling myself that I’m going to be incredible, because this is all I really want. I want to be good at what I do, and I want to live an exciting life. And if that means hardships sometimes? I’m okay with that.” He laid back down and eyed the stars.

Myra was quiet for a long time before she laid back down as well. “Alright,” was all she said.

-

Felix wasn’t the only one who believed in his dreams. The owners of the circus camp he attended for years saw a spark in him. They passed word of their fiery protégé on to friends in the business, and by the end of his senior year, Felix was packing to head off and join a circus troop that he’d essentially been scouted by. It was nerve-wracking and exciting at the same time. On one hand, he was finally going to do what so many had said he couldn’t or shouldn’t, but on the other, he wondered if they were right.

He was surprised to see Myra standing at the end of his driveway when he left for the airport. He rolled down his window and smiled at his friend.

“Fancy meeting you here,” he greeted her.

Myra nodded. “You’re heading off, I take it?”

“Yep.” Felix looked at her, bracing himself for one last attempt to coax him into a normal life. He would be inclined to believe her if she made a convincing argument right now, he was so nervous. Instead, he was surprised by her response.

“I can’t wait to see you on TV someday.”

Felix’s eyes widened and welled with tears. He was very sentimental, much more so than Myra, and her words of encouragement at the end of the driveway meant more to him than any praise from his trainers or circus friends. He didn’t know if she remembered that TV was how this had all started, but regardless, he threw open the car door and ran to give her a hug. Myra stiffened at first, not usually one for affection, but then hugged him back. “I mean it. Do something cool,” she mumbled to him. Felix laughed and nodded.

“I’ll do my best.”

-

That was how he’d come to arrive at this exact moment.

The heat of the flames was as comforting as ever as Felix twirled a lit baton for the crowd. He tossed the baton up and back, doing a back walkover before catching it. His fellow performers gave him room as he traded his baton for large hoops. He puffed a small flame onto each section that was to be lit, igniting the colored powders in rainbow order. The crowd cheered and Felix walked the edge of the ring, showing off the hoops before he resumed his act.

He spun the hoops along his arms, his costume somehow not catching on fire as he performed. The bells and tassels that decorated his body were flame resistant, but Felix was also just good at knowing where his fire was at all times. He kept the hoops spinning as he danced, beaming the entire time. The roar of the crowd as he purposely made close calls and nailed extravagant moves fueled him, filled him with pride.

Felix moved with grace and glamour, visually capturing the energy of the music that the band played, telling a story of a fiery warrior lost in battle who would rise from the ashes. He bowed with a flourish at the end of his segment and saluted the crowd before he ran offstage.

-

After the show, the performers milled about the lobby signing autographs and doing small tricks for kids. Felix was popular among the crowd, his costume just as enamoring as his personality. He flashed smiles and puffed small flames into the air, laughing with the kids he entertained until a familiar voice caught his attention.

“Well, aren’t you the star of the show?” Myra mused from behind him. Felix turned quickly, his eyes widening.

“Myra!”

“Hi, Fee,” Myra smiled as she hugged her friend. “You did incredible.”

“You saw the show?”

“Couldn’t look away.”

Felix smiled proudly and stretched, his costume jingling gently. “Glad you liked it.”

“You really did become a firebender, Felix. I’m impressed.” Myra paused, then smiled softly. “You know, I really looked up to you when we were little. I still do.”

Felix snorted playfully. “You were always trying to talk me out of following this crazy dream.”

Myra sighed. “I know, I know, and the more I thought about it… I was scared to see you fail, Felix. And when you didn’t, when you managed to reach these wild goals? … You inspired me to be a little crazier, too.”

“Myra? Doing something crazy? You sure you’re the Myra I grew up with?” Felix laughed and Myra rolled her eyes.

“You underestimate your own power, then, which is a terrifying idea. What could you accomplish if you genuinely believed in yourself?”

“Real firebending!”

“No!”