Firebound Chapter by Chapter Breakdown
Suddenly, a strange tattoo appears on Abigail's shoulder, the morning after her 16th birthday. The tattoo is quickly explained when she is told that she is the heir apparent to an underground world that has been controlling the elements for centuries. As she learns more about her new world and her own hidden natural fire abilities, more secrets are discovered, including ones about her mother’s death. Abigail is left with the choice of backing the seemingly corrupt system she was born into or turning towards the radical rebels who want to overthrow the Guardian Elite.
Published 12th September 2022
Available to buy here on Amazon
Chapter One:
Abi getting ready to go out for her birthday and her mum’s old necklace heats up in her hand.
Her mum died last year and Abi is dreading the anniversary of her death.
Abi ignores the necklace and heads downstairs to find her dad and grandmother arguing behind the kitchen door.
She heads into the kitchen – her grandmother says something strange, in a different language, which she doesn’t understand.
Her dad forces her out of the house.
Chapter Two:
Abi heads outside to meet up with her boyfriend Jordan.
She feels a pain in her shoulder as they walk to the local park.
Abi and Jordan are kissing on a bench in the park, this is interrupted by Abi hitting her shoulder and it hurting her.
They stay out late, drinking.
The next morning, Abi wakes up with a hangover, she heads to the bathroom for a shower and sees a tattoo on her right shoulder.
Chapter Three:
Abi studies the tattoo, before Holly calls her name and Abi forces herself to get ready for school.
Abi has a day of lessons in which she doesn’t really focus, before she heads to school football training.
Kelly sees the tattoo, questions Abi about it, but Abi dismisses her questions.
Abi takes part in the training session. She is fouled by Shannon, falls and hits her shoulder. The shoulder starts hurting and Abigail almost loses her temper before she storms off the football pitch to the changing rooms.
She meets Holly and Josef in the carpark by Holly’s car. Holly shows her the same tattoo on her right shoulder.
Chapter Four:
Josef insists that they start training straight away and Holly tells him that it can wait.
Holly explains to Abi that they will talk at home, Abi spends the car journey trying to wind her sister up.
They arrive home and Holly explains that they are Guardians and she lets her hand catch on fire to demonstrate.
Chapter Five:
Holly continues to explain about Guardians.
Beth got in trouble around her eighteenth birthday and left the Guardian world.
Sylvia arrives and explains that Abi is her Heir to the Guardian Elite, that Abi is rare because of her birth and her heritage.
Sylvia states that if Julia had let Abi enter the Guardian world early, then she may not have needed to die.
Chapter Six:
Abi leaves the house and heads out for a run, heading towards the park.
Josef turns up. He tries to talk to her and Abi says that she’s not interested.
Josef admits to handling the conversation badly and asks for another chance.
Josef throws an elemental ball into the floor, forms a portal and steps through it.
Chapter Seven:
Abi wakes up the next day on the anniversary of her mum’s death, she has no intention of going to school.
She gets up and gets changed. Questioning aspects of her mum’s death in her head, she slips out of the house and walks to the graveyard.
Beth arrives at the graveyard, explains Holly is waiting by the car.
Beth forms a flower in her hand out of thin air. She puts this on the grave and they head off to the castle caves with Holly.
Josef turns up and Beth says that Abi doesn’t have to go with him. Abi says that it’s okay. She steps through the portal into the Guardian world – into the Porta.
Chapter Eight:
Abi goes into the Erudito with Josef and they head to her Universa hut. Josef explains about the world and Universas. Abi raises doubts over The Elite system not being very fair.
Abi meets Mike and Jess, and Jess starts to put Abi at ease.
Chapter Nine:
An hour later and Abi heads home.
Family dinner in the kitchen.
Abi challenges her dad to start getting involved back in her life.
Tom refusing: ‘I won’t have a daughter that is Sylvia Green’s Heir.’
Chapter Ten:
Holly yells at Abi for forcing their dad to make a choice and a fight follows.
Holly storms out of the room.
Beth explains that Holly’s outburst wasn’t all about Abi, that they had been to their grans and that never goes well.
Chapter Eleven:
Next few days are very tense. Abi plays in the county cup football semi-final. They win two goals to nil, with Abi scoring a goal and providing an assist.
Post match, Abi heads over to Jordan, they kiss and Jordan invites her over to his house later. Abi then goes over to the other side of the pitch and to Beth, Holly and Josef.
Tension eases with Holly, Abi hugs Josef (which Jordan walks off on seeing), and Beth questions if McCall is Abi’s teacher.
Abi heads into the changing room. The team are on a high. McCall stops Abi before she leaves the changing room and shows Abi the air tattoo on her wrist.
Friday brings the Christmas holidays and Abi is in the Guardian world on Saturday at her Universa. She spends the time gossiping with Jess. Josef comes over and tells her to focus on forming a flower. Abi forms the flower.
Chapter Twelve:
Christmas day is quiet. On Boxing Day, Abi is sat in the living room watching films and eating chocolate with Beth and Holly.
Sylvia turns up at the front door and all three sisters say that they are not interested in talking to her.
Abi heads out for a run. Not stretching or warming up and going straight in for a sprint.
She feels a sharp pain in her hamstring and falls to the floor.
Josef turns up and helps her home, where Beth opens the door and calls for Tom.
Chapter Thirteen
Tom arrives and turns on Josef, blaming him for Abi’s injury.
Tom takes Abi to the hospital (A&E), they arrive home hours later with Abi on crutches and a bandaged leg.
She spends the next few days in her bedroom, feeling sorry for herself. The holidays end. Beth returns to Scotland. Abi returns to school on crutches and the Year 11s go straight into mock GCSE exams.
The exams over, off crutches but still injured and walking with a limp, Abi heads back into the Guardian world for Charlotte’s first Universa session.
When Abi gets to the hut, Josef asks for a word and Abi fobs him off.
Chapter Fourteen
The Universa session drags and Charlotte gives Abi dirty looks throughout it.
Abi goes over to Jordan’s house that evening and they go up to Jordan’s bedroom..
They both start to undress, then Abi changes her mind and fire spits out of her hands at Jordan.
Jordan yells at her to get out.
Chapter Fifteen
Abi flees outside the house, running down the stairs and onto the street, re-injuring her hamstring.
She calls Holly and asks her to pick her up.
Holly arrives and tries to question Abi when she gets in the car, but Abi stays quiet and they head to the hospital.
Chapter Sixteen
Abi leaves hospital (A&E), back on crutches and facing at least twelve months out before she can think about running, meaning that she will be into her GCSE exam period before she can start think about playing sport.
Abi disappears into her room, and Holly knocks on her door just after midnight.
Holly asks Abi whether she channelled and then reassures Abi that it will be okay.
Holly calls their mum’s Spirit for Abi.
Chapter Seventeen
Julia appears in Spirit form, she tells Abi not to tell Sylvia that she has channelled the Spirit.
School the next day. Abi finds none of her teammates on any of the sports teams happy that she is back on crutches and very few people in her year group are willing to talk to her.
She sees Jordan and his friends on the English corridor. She gets in a fight with Jordan, Abi throwing the crutches to the ground, before Kelly holds her back as Mrs Morgan steps out of her classroom and stops the fight.
The day doesn’t get any better as she is sent out of French, given a detention and a lecture from Morgan when she goes to present her report at the end of the day.
Chapter Eighteen
Josef stops her from leaving at the end of her Universa session on Saturday, he helps to explain channelling to her.
Weeks passing. Abi receives praise in the Guardian world as her normal life falls apart. By mid February, she is able to conjure a controlled fire and starting to look forward to the Unda Dies (water festival).
The Saturday before the festival, after her Universa session, Josef calls her as she is leaving. He says that some of the people she sees at the festival may shock her.
Chapter Nineteen
Abi saying ‘it will be okay’, and Josef takes her hand. A warm feeling shoots up her arm and Abi dismisses it.
Half term – Monday, Abi sleeps in, before getting up and throwing clothes around her room before she tries to work out what to wear, finally going over to Holly’s room.
Holly is dressed for the festival. Abi asks Holly how they hid all the Guardian stuff from her and Holly tells her that she is not very observant. Holly then tells Abi that The Elite won’t let her go.
Sylvia arrives for them to leave for the Unda Dies. Holly tells Abi that there is something that she should know first before they leave and Sylvia explains that they don’t have the time.
Chapter Twenty
They arrive at the festival. Abi is being spun from person to person as Sylvia introduces ‘her delightful granddaughter and the next true Heir.’
Thirty minutes later, Abi manages to disappear from her grandmother’s side and is having fun with Jess.
Jess heads off to her family as the speeches are due to start and Abi goes to find Holly.
Abi doesn’t pay attention at the feast to Holly or the speeches as she tries to find Josef.
She heads outside for the water fight and Abi sees Josef hugging Lucas White.
Chapter Twenty-One
Abi is stunned at seeing Lucas – the man that was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving and causing her mum’s death.
Josef heads back into the room where the feast was held.
Abi follows him in there, slamming the door behind her, her hands forming into fists.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Abi charges at Josef. Josef catches her and holds onto her as tears start to form.
Abi breaks the hold, she turns away and kicks out at a chair.
Her anger starts to ease and Abi asks Josef what happened.
Lucas arrives and says that ‘they planned it.’
Chapter Twenty-Three
Abi sees Lucas coming into the room with Eva, Holly and Sylvia.
Abi hits Lucas and Holly pulls Abi back and keeps hold of her.
Lucas offers to explain. The Elite knew that Abi was a target for some Guardians and they decided that the best way to hide her was for Julia to die.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Abi is numb at the fact that her mum had chosen to die and it was not an accident, that Lucas had ‘murdered’ her mum.
Abi goes home and grabbing a bottle out of the living room, she shuts herself in her room.
At 3pm the next day, she heads downstairs, finding Holly in the kitchen. An argument follows as Holly tries to explain and Abi finally lets her.
The rest of the week is a blur, she is back at school on Monday and getting herself into trouble.
McCall stops her after her PE lesson to talk to her about her practical exam before talking to her about the Unda Dies and offering her a chance to meet up with her and her friends on Saturday.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Abi wishes her week away and is still getting into trouble at school.
She arrives late to her Universa lesson on Saturday. Josef wants to talk to her but she says that she’s already late.
Abi preoccupied. Josef preoccupied. Abi tries to encourage, Jess along with Mike, to form elemental balls.
Josef asks Abi to talk at the end of the session. Abi says that she is not sure how she can trust him.
Abi meets with McCall in the Porta. McCall explain that her friends meet topside and Abi steps through McCall’s portal.
Chapter Twenty-Six
They reappear in a grass field on a slight slope that led down to a pebbled beach and a large lake. There is a group of people, ranging from their teens to their early twenties.
McCall leaves Abi, so she can go to talk to Steve.
Aaron calls her over and Abi joins him and his group of friends, staying with them for the next few hours.
Aaron and his friends, show Abi how to make ‘fireworks’ – elemental sparks that are fired up into the air, as Steve watches them.
On Monday, Abi heads to the PE offices to find McCall and asks to go again.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Saturday morning, Abi and Josef not talking at the Universa meeting.
Afterward Abi meets McCall at the Porta, they head back to the field and McCall introduces her to Steve.
McCall and Steve explain the Keepers and ask Abi to keep the group secret.
Abi listens in on McCall and Steve’s conversation by dropping her bag on the way over to meet Aaron and his friends. McCall mentions that Steve’s dad wants Abi involved and Steve says that he is reversing his judgement over her.
Abi heads over to Aaron, Nick and Curtis, and spends the afternoon with them.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Abi and Holly arrive home from school on Monday and see Sylvia’s car in the driveway.
Sylvia is waiting for them in the kitchen. She wants to know why she hasn’t been able to sense Abi. Abi stays quiet.
The effect of her grandmother’s visit doesn’t help her the next day at school and she gets into more trouble.
At the end of the school day, Abi finds Holly talking to Josef by the car. Josef suggests that they walk home.
Easy banter between the two of them until the subject changes to Josef’s family. Josef says that he may not agree with everything that The Elite does but he won’t join a splinter group.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Abi stays quiet, before saying she understands why he sees things like that.
Josef points out that they are Heirs and they can’t change that. Abi says that she never asked for that and Josef tells her that she is on the wrong side of the debate. Abi says that she won’t promise not to be part of a splinter group.
Abi is angry at home that evening and in school the next day.
McCall grabs Abi in the corridor at break the next day and takes her into the PE offices. McCall listens to Abi rant, before offering to show her how to throw fireballs at a target.
Chapter Thirty
Abi meets McCall that evening on the Keepers field and McCall shows her how to throw an elemental ball.
Abi misses the first eight attempts, sending out a fireball on the ninth attempt and hitting the target on the fourteenth attempt.
Abi asks McCall about Steve. McCall says that Steve doesn’t like The Elite, she questions the system of Heirs and states that The Elite didn’t need to kill her mum.
Abi sinks to the floor.
Chapter Thirty-One
Abi buries her head in her hands and McCall sits down to comfort her.
They practice for another thirty minutes before Steve shows up.
Abi goes back every night that week, meeting Aaron there on Friday – they go out for a film and McDonalds.
Saturday – Abi goes to the Park Steels game instead of meeting with her Universa.
After getting changed from watching the football, Abi heads downstairs and Lucas appears in the kitchen.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Abi tells Lucas to leave and Lucas says that he wants to talk to her about the Keepers.
Lucas explains that they were formed 35 years ago by Andrew Jones, that they caused a lot of trouble and tried to challenge The Elite. The Keepers were got rid of but not destroyed.
There are rumours that the Keepers have returned and that Abi has been cloaked like people were last time.
Lucas give Abi a file on the Keepers and leaves. Abi throws the file in the bin.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Abi leaves and heads to the Keepers field (via the Porta).
The atmosphere in the field is very different – people are tense.
McCall comes over, she asks Abi whether she is ready to commit.
Abi agrees and Steve takes her down to the lake.
Chapter Thirty-Four
McCall reassures Abi that it will be okay and Abi hands her jacket to Aaron.
Steve cuts Abi’s tattoo. Abi collapses, feeling like she is on fire.
Abi comes around, pushes herself into a sitting position and Aaron kisses her.
Whooping around them and Abi kisses Aaron back.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Abi goes home happy, she head.s into the bathroom to check out her tattoo which is already healing.
The next morning, she gets up, changes into training gear, grabs a football and heads into the garden.
Ball juggling in the garden, Holly comes out of the kitchen and asks where she was yesterday.
Sylvia turns up.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Abi and Holly turn their attention to the garden gate and their grandmother. Abi says that she’s not going back. Sylvia threatens to talk to Social Services and asks why she can’t sense Abi.
Holly and Abi head inside followed by Sylvia. Sylvia tells Abi that she doesn’t get to negotiate with her, that Abi will behave herself, or she will go for custody.
Sylvia leaves and Abi turns to Holly, she says that she can’t do this. Holly says that she thinks that she can.
Abi leaves and heads to the Keepers field, which is in chaos. Curtis is fleeing and tells Abi to get out.
Steve grabs Abi’s arm and tells her that she is not going anywhere.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Abi tries to pull away from Steve as others start to appear.
Steve tells her that she’s either with them or against them. Abi says that she’s out.
Abi pulls away and Steve lets her fall. Abi blacks out.
Abi wakes up in pain, beaten, her hands and feet bound. There is laughter around her and the number of people around her has grown and they are of all ages.
Steve kicks her, drags her across the floor and throws an earthball at her. Abi blacks out again.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Fighting to regain consciousness, Abi comes round, her head is banging.
She assesses her injuries – she has a deep cut above her brow – and assesses her surrounding – the cell.
Abi stiffens her back and slams her feet into the door. She hears a cracking noise. She has a broken ankle and is still trapped.
Holding back her tears, she hugs her knees before she bangs her head on the stone wall and blacks out.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Abi wakes up to the sound of Aaron calling her name. McCall had told him where to find her.
Aaron helps her out of the cell and Abi tells him that they can’t leave without McCall.
Aaron agrees to stay and find McCall as long as Abi leaves.
Abi forms a portal and heads to her hut in the Erudito.
She collapses once she gets inside the hut and tells Josef that she needs his help.
Chapter Forty
Abi explains that she screwed up, that she knows where the Keepers are and they are going for an uprising tonight. Josef asks how she knows that and Abi says they wanted her to be part of it.
Josef asks what she’s going to do and Abi says that she needs to tell The Elite.
Less than ten minutes later The Elite arrive.
Lucas tells Abi to get to her feet and take them to the Keepers.
Chapter Forty-One
Josef helps Abi up and to the Porta, reassuring her as they walk there.
They form a portal and Abi and Josef step through just after The Elite into a the field which is a disaster zone. The Elite are killing people.
Abi struggles to watch, turning into Josef’s arms.
She hears Nick scream and Abi forces herself out of Josef’s arms and makes her way over to her grandmother.
Sylvia sends a protective shield over Abi, knocking her to the floor before she kills Nick.
Chapter Forty-Two
Abi forces herself up and breaks through the shield.
Josef tries to catch her hand but Abi pulls away and walks across the battlefield.
She hears Aaron calling her name and she crouches down to him. She tells him that he can’t die and to fight.
Aaron dies.
Chapter Forty-Three
Abi forces herself to look at Aaron’s body, crying.
Sylvia tells her that it’s time to go and then has a conversation with Declan on how to ‘make it look like an accident.’
Josef pulls Abi through a portal and then forms a defensive shield over them in the Porta so that they can talk in private.
Josef tells her that this is how The Elite work, that they won’t hurt her because she is too valuable, that they need to wait and change things slowly.
Josef breaks the shield so that Abi can get checked out. On her first unsupported step, Abi collapses.
Chapter Forty-Four
Hours later, Abi wakes up in hospital – concussion, broken ribs, sprained left arm in a bandage and sling, broken left leg, torn right hamstring, cut face, bloody nose. She closes her eyes but just sees images of the Keepers field. Opens her eyes again. Tom sleeping, Beth’s eyes are closed as she rests her head on her dad’s shoulder and Holly is staring at her.
Holly wakes Beth up. They tell Abi that she was hit by a car and that Sylvia is suggesting to the nurses that Tom did this.
Beth tells her that The Elite won’t get away with this and asks Abi if she bound herself to the Keepers. Tom wakes up and explains that Julia helped form the Keepers.
Abi goes home, the next couple of weeks are a blur. McCall is missing. Thirteen days later, she is back in the Guardian world. Jess meets her on the walk across the Erudito and tells her Lucas has taken over the running of their Universa. Abi vows to get rid of The Elite.