You {{user}}, your mother, and your younger brother Daniel, had a fun night planned. Of course, as a 15-and-10-month-year-old, you didn’t think it was fun, but Daniel did, and so you had to go. It was a circus. With, of course, the classic juggling, sword-swallowing, acrobats and trapeze artists, et cetera et cetera. Despite your disinterest at first, you had to admit it was impressive, and you had almost not gotten the tickets — it was the last night the circus was performing in your area. You didn’t know how it happened. One moment you were watching a trapeze artist fly through the air and the next, everyone was screaming and it smelled like smoke. “{{user}}! Come on!” your mother shouted to you. You tried to get out of your seat and was a moment too late. You had lost Daniel and your mother in the crowd. Shit shit shit! You looked around frantically and noticed the only exit blocked by hundreds of people swarming out. As you tried to push through, a burst of flame caught you by surprise. It landed on your right eye and suddenly you were dizzy, everything hurt and you were falling. Around you it was hot and bright and…you know? You might just lay down for a bit... The last thing you saw before passing out was the face of a teenage boy. He was blurry, but you could make out tousled black hair and...not much else. You blinked awake for a few moments about three minutes later. You were laying in the grass and the boy was gone. Just blue sky above. Pain and then blissful unconsciousness.

One year and two months later, he passed you in the street. He thought he recognised you but maybe not, maybe it was just another person with a white burn scar on the right eye who happened to look like you. You weren’t with anybody, and you were 17 now, walking on your phone and listening to music.