Elemental: Chapter Six, Part 6

That night, Nick slept in my bed and I stayed curled in the rocking chair. Though Drei didn’t return, I managed to find sleep without him. My dreams weren’t the best, but it was an improvement on my former state. As strange as it was, I found the lack of his scent didn’t bother me this time, almost as if I had maxed out on my nightly interest in it.

I woke early again, knowing my duties were would not be dismissed a second day and the children would be running around in no time.

Valetta stood in the doorway, leaning elegantly against the frame. That’s when I noticed Nick wasn’t there. The covers had been pulled neatly across the mattress, the pillows fluffed and stacked, my blanket folded across the foot. There wasn’t any indication he had been there.

“Where is he?” I demanded, jumping to my feet and halfway across the room. I felt betrayed, certain she had removed him when I’d let my guard down believing she had been on my side the previous night.

“Calm down,” she said gently, unmoving.

“What did you do?” I tried to withhold my anger since she was so calm but I wouldn’t exactly call it contained.

Valetta stepped forward, radiating composure. “Lily and I asked Mitchell to move him to another cabin. It is not entirely appropriate for both of you to share.”

“Wish you would have said something sooner,” I mumbled, feeling small for jumping to conclusions. At least he was still here.

“You were still asleep when he woke. I volunteered to explain it to you.”

“Why?” I asked. Was she planning something? Aside from last night, she hadn’t treated me very well.

Valetta sat on my tidy bed, turning to me, motioning I should sit as well. “I regret my behavior towards you upon arrival. It was disrespectful, and I should have given you a chance,” she said quickly, holding my gaze.

I looked down, not really understanding what she was doing, or why. “What changed?”

“You proved me wrong,” she said, as if it had been that simple all along. “I had perceived you as selfish and not much more grateful than the brats—sorry, children,” she corrected automatically. “Last night, though…that was impressive.” A slight smile crossed her features. “No one stands up to Drei. He is the leader; that is a universal truth for us. He is not wrong, though we sometimes disagree with his decisions; he always thinks of how it will affect us all, not just a few…or even one.” She smirked at me, though I could have been imagining it. Valetta didn’t seem the type to smirk. Part of me wondered if I had woken up in an alternate reality, or if I’d truly woken up at all.

I decided my mind was playing tricks on me and considered her words. I could understand what she meant. It was like high school: the popular people were that way for a reason. Everyone else either fell in line or fell by the wayside. Yet, this was also different, because he didn’t seem the type to lead for the sake of leading.  

“It’s like he gives you a purpose outside of living for yourself. Something to aim for,” I said softly.

“Exactly.” Our gazes met and I realized we weren’t so different. Both of us understood wanting the control, not having it, and knowing there was greater safety amongst those who did.

“I admire you,” she went on, “because you were not afraid to face him.”

“Without your support, I would have lost,” I insisted, trying not to blush.

She smiled at me, different from how she smiled at Drei, but a genuine smile all the same. “I supported you because I knew you were right.”

“What is the deal with Martin, anyway?” I asked randomly, remembering his excessive butt kissing the previous night.

“Him?” She waved her hand dismissively, scoffing. “He will do anything to stay in Drei’s good graces. We all figure Drei will leave sometime and start a new camp elsewhere. Martin wants to earn control when he does.”

“And Mitchell?”

“He is a typical vampiric male. The only exception is that everyone likes him,” she admitted, smiling like any girl dishing a good bit of gossip. “What about Nick?”

“He’s…” I began before I realized I didn’t know what to say about him. “…different.” The word felt like the best fit. I didn’t know much about him yet, but I knew he was different from any other guy I had ever met.

She cocked her eyebrows. “Is that all?”

I shrugged, playing it down more than necessary. “Yes.” She didn’t say anything, as though expecting me to elaborate in the silence. Yes, we had bonded. Did I trust her? Not yet. I wasn’t convinced she was anything more than an acquaintance. So I wouldn’t tell her how much Nick staying meant to me, or how I felt he was safe and yet a mystery I wanted to solve.

“I’ve got to go,” I said instead. “The kids.”

“Oh,” she replied, shaking her head as if she had forgotten where we were. “Yes, of course.”

I smiled meekly, hoping she would forget to ask later, though, with my luck, I doubted it.

Outside, the children had already begun playing, except it was them against Nick in a game he must have thought up. It involved lots of mud and mini fortresses dotting the mud-ball field. From the looks of it, they had their fair share of casualties. I sat away from them, watching the onslaught as someone finally broke Nick’s defenses and nailed him with blob at close range. He split them up into separate groups and they continued on their own as he made his way toward me, plopping down in a sloshing mess.

“Hi;” his smile shone through the hardening muck.

I smiled back. “Hi. You’ve made quite the mess.”

“Of myself or everyone else?” he questioned jokingly.

“Both,” I replied, unable to help smiling more.

“That was the plan,” he insisted light-heartedly.

I laughed, thinking how strange he was. How completely unexpected he had been. “Don’t overexert yourself.” I was only slightly concerned so much activity would cause him some other injury.

“Don’t worry. I’m stronger than I look.” His smile was slightly crooked, causing me to question if he wasn’t maybe a little dangerous.

“You keep telling yourself that.” I said, looking away from him to the children at play below us.

“Sure thing,” he assured, smashing a mud-ball on my head.

I gasped from the cold and the shock of the thick goop dripping down my neck and over my ears, watching him laugh beside me. Pushing him over, he started rolling downwards as I sprinted to the muddy field below to pay him back, telling him as much. Even though I complained, for once, I was honestly enjoying myself.