Elemental: Chapter Six, Part 3

The figure had been a boy, slightly older than me, if not the same age, his pine colored hair tousled and damp from the now fading fog. Drei stood across the bed from me, staring out the window as the children scampered out of their cabins for breakfast. Both of us were waiting for him to stir. I sat curled in a corner of my room, staring at the boy, trying to find answers I wouldn’t have until he was conscious.

As soon as I had reached him, I half carried, half dragged him to Drei’s cabin—the closest one to where the boy had collapsed. He startled me with his haggard greeting. When he realized who it was, he transformed into something cuddlier; then his demeanor changed once more when he realized I wasn’t alone. He heaved the boy into his arms and carried him swiftly to my cabin. En route, he pumped me for what had happened. The first time through, I left out the urgency that had filled me so entirely; the interrogation following revealed this fact, and appeared to worry him more, forcing me to wonder if I had done the right thing.

Now he stood stoic, his back to me. Something unfriendly radiated from him and I curled into myself tighter, wishing the boy would wake soon and free me from the relentless worry.

My eyes again swept over his features, taking in the ragged clothing, the dark circles under his eyes, the strong chin and chiseled cheekbones. His revealed skin was scratched, covered in patches of soot, and sported the occasional burn. He must have been through more of an ordeal than I, and I wondered if he was an earth elemental, or if he was one at all. If he was, he had more of a reason to run than I did, whatever it may have been. This thought made me feel suddenly petty, as if my transformation over the last few months meant nothing: I was still the same girl, running for no reason other than for believing there was no way she could have survived as an outcast and a freak.

In that moment before he woke, I felt the changes I had made melt away, my shield of confidence slipping out of reach.

“Who are you?” Drei demanded when the boy rolled closer to the edge, coughing and heaving at my feet. Thankfully, nothing came spewing forth.

“Drei,” I gasped, shocked at his behavior and suddenly livid eyes. The force of his anger was incredibly powerful, nearly to the point of suffocating. I crawled to the boy’s side, rubbing his back to ease the coughing. He stopped a moment later, gazing into my eyes with his jade ones. “You’re safe,” I answered his unasked question. After a peek at Drei’s fuming figure, I added, “For now, at least.”

Drei jerked in our direction dangerously, and I was timorous for the boy. “Let me,” I pleaded, unsure how effective Drei’s tactics might be when he was scaring even me.

He nodded with some reluctance as the boy looked on, more curious and confused by the minute. I didn’t blame him. The relationship I had with Drei confused even me most days.

“Who are you?” I questioned slowly.

His lips twitched as he tried to form the words. I remembered waking up one morning and blacking out in the bathroom. When Mother found me, it took a moment to recover speech after such a dramatic shutdown. That was another incident I never wished to repeat. “Nick,” he managed in a coarse voice, a note of uncertainty slipping through.

My eyes found Drei’s and he nodded, insisting on more information. I hated how this seemed so much like bad cop/good cop.

“Where did you come from?”

“We live—” His forehead crinkled, as if he had forgotten something important. “We lived just outside of Winnsboro—before the fire.”

“Who else is with you?” I continued, hoping there wasn’t some other person passed out in the woods. If there was, I wasn’t sure how we’d ever find him or her.

He didn’t reply immediately, so I repeated the question.

“I heard,” Nick said patiently, his voice becoming less coarse. “They’re…they…none of them survived.” My gaze was held captive by his bright eyes, and I felt a prickling in my stomach. There was so much pain inside him, and it took everything in me not to start crying. I knew if I did, Drei would take over the questioning and that would be worse. “I’m the last one of my family; they all died.”