Eternal: Chapter Three, Part 6

“All enter,” the voice called into the hallway. Drei, who had held me tightly and kissed my forehead when I’d exited the room, now walked to stand on the other side of Mitchell again as we filed into the room to hear Tudor deliver the verdict.

“Abriel Jones, it has been unanimously decided your alternative suggestion will be…” He carefully regarded the paper in his hands for an extended pause. I knew all of them were watching me—Valetta, Mitchell and Drei confusedly, the Council unfeelingly—waiting read a response on my face. “…accepted.”

I gasped, shocked, relieved and excited. It had worked. This was a good omen, I hoped. If not, at least I spent my luck on someone important.

“Under one condition,” he continued, sucking away my joy. “It has been voted that you will only be given two years, with a possible extension of three months upon request and with reasonable explanation. Until then, all penalties and charges are suspended.”

“Thank you,” I said, my mind racing to figure out what kind of timeline I would need if I only had two years for sure. I was grateful still, but this meant we needed to hit the ground running; there was no room for delays or mistakes.

“Adjourned,” the presiding vampire announced. “You shall all be returned to wheresoever you desire.”

With that, we were escorted from the room and back through the mansion to the car. None of the Council had moved and I wondered if they ever did. It was a strange thought, but I was hungry, exhausted, and emotionally spent; additionally, I had to figure out how to make—what the Council would consider to be—significant progress in two years. Mentally entertaining the thought of those eight never leaving that room was the only thing keeping me sane, and sanity was a good thing at this point. With two years, every moment counted. At the end of those two years, I probably wouldn’t qualify for ingénue status given my bargaining.

I leaned against Drei on the car ride home and he stroked my hair. It was comforting, the temporary relief and happiness falling away from all of them combined with his loving touch.

“Can you roll your window down?” I asked sleepily. I was starved, and any bit of fresh air helped. Drei and Valetta both obliged. As we drove through the city, the night life in full swing, it wasn’t long before I felt full, my contentedness adding to my exhaustion.

“You will explain this alternative option, yes?” Drei asked softly.

“Of course,” I replied, trying not to fall asleep on them just yet. “I have two years to make significant progress on my movement.”

Mitchell stared incredulously at me; Valetta gaped. Drei’s hand stopped running through my hair and I glanced up at him. I wished he hadn’t stopped.

“Two years for that?” Valetta asked.

“I had asked for three,” I said, speaking more to Drei than to the others. His eyes were unsure and unfocused. He was as worried as I was about how much the Council’s decision might change in two years if it didn’t happen. “But we can do it.”

“We shall stay to assist in any way possible,” Mitchell said.

“Thank you,” I responded, wishing I could sleep for now. I’d be able to think better with some rest.

“What do we do first?” Drei asked, squeezing my hand as though to reassure himself as the shock lessened.

“First we sleep,” I insisted, closing my eyes—I caught Drei’s thought about that being a first. Any more thinking and it felt like my brain would implode, but he could probably guess that much. “Then we start…and hope two years is enough.”

Eternal: Chapter Three, Part 5

“How are you handling your hunger?” the woman asked after a long, breaking the long pause.

Exhaustion weighed heavy on me and I wished we could skip to what I wanted to discuss. “I’m handling it well, though the lack of fresh air around here isn’t helping anything.”

“Elaborate.”

Speaking with my hands, I did my best to simplify what wasn’t so simple. “My element finds nutrients in energy—mostly sounds, people’s thoughts, emotions, so on—and my vampire is sated by those nutrients.”

“How, though?” the presiding vampire asked, sitting forward on his elbows.

Shrugging, I admitted, “It’s really complicated, and I only understand the basics of it aside from it works.”

“Interesting.” After a moment, he sat back again. “We cannot leave you in Mr. Valmoritim’s custody, as he has disregarded Council rulings and has proven himself a poor role model. Instead, we would like to place you in the temporary custody of Councilmember Emaline Walters until another vampire has been found to raise you,” he said in a way that made it clear he didn’t see my opinion of the option as mattering. It did; he just didn’t know it yet.

“May I offer another option?” I asked, holding his eyes steadily, despite my exhaustion.

Leaning forward, he amusedly inquired, “What would this other option be?”

“The way I understand things,” I said, “personal dealings with an elemental are against your rulings because it will interfere or alter our destinies. Am I correct in this understanding?”

“Yes,” he said slowly.

“So then, by that logic, if I’m still able to accomplish what I’m destined for, none of this should be a problem. Is this an accurate assumption?”

The seven vampires below him glanced up, intrigued and concerned. Whatever he said now would become law. “In a large part, yes.”

“Then I propose you suspend any rulings on these events for three years, allowing me to do what I’m supposed to do,” I said, looking at all eight of them in turn, ending with the presiding vampire. “If, at the end of that time, there has been significant advancement in the direction my movement is supposed to go in, all charges are dropped. If, however, I fail, or have been unable to make significant progress, then you can press any and all charges. How does that sound?”

He was pensive at first; he didn’t look at me, though several of the others did between watching him, trying to guess at his reaction. “We shall confer and when you return with the others, you shall hear our verdict.”

“Very well, then.” It was better than no.

Eternal: Chapter Three, Part 4

“Abriel Jones,” the voice summoned, yanking me from my plotting. I hadn’t realized Drei had exited.

Drei stood before me, a hand outstretched to help me stand. I took it without hesitation, allowing him to pull me into his arms for a brief moment. His touch was assuring, though pain and fear washed from him. I was used to feeling pain from him, but I couldn’t remember him this afraid. There had been times where he had felt fear, but not this strongly. It was unlike him. I squeezed his hand, realizing all I could do was hope this worked.

The room hadn’t changed, not that I had expected it to. But it almost felt like sunlight should be filtering in through the shuttered windows. I was greeted, however, by the same flickering lamp light and gloom.

“We shall be asking questions regarding your relationship with Miss Bevinston, Mr. Jameson, and Mr. Valmoritim,” the one woman—sitting to the right of Tudor—explained in a clipped voice. “When and how did you come to acquaint yourself with Mr. Valmoritim?”

“Drei? I’ve been acquainted with him for six years Valentine’s Day this year. He stopped two thugs from mugging and raping, and possibly murdering, me,” I replied, hoping I didn’t sound as defensive as I felt. If they wanted me to put him in the light of a villain, they weren’t going to succeed. Not even Valetta, or Drei himself, could make me see him that way.

“When did you become acquainted with Miss Bevinston and Mr. Jameson?” she asked, her fingers laced and resting before her on the table. She sounded impatient, which didn’t help me to remain calm. If I wasn’t careful, I could be as snippy as she seemed to be.

“At the elemental safe camp Drei led. That’s where he took me after I lost control at school. Both Valetta and Mitchell worked under him,” I elaborated, unsure how much or how little to say. “We’re friends.”

“When did you leave this camp?”

“Just over three years ago, February.”

“Did anyone accompany you?” she pressed, leaning forward slightly.

“Drei did. He left Valetta in charge of the camp,” I said, staring at her. My heart was racing because I didn’t want to lie, but the truth sounded so incriminating, especially considering how she asked each question.

“Was there anything Mr. Valmoritim did to seduce you, appear dishonorable, or the like?”

Shaking my head, I replied, “No. He set things up so I could work with Caroline and see how to run a revolution; he made sure I stayed healthy because I have problems with insomnia; he was even patient and encouraging when I was impatient and frustrated that I had no idea what I was supposed to be doing.”

“There is no need to be defensive, Miss Jones,” the presiding vampire interrupted, lightly tapping his fingernails on the desk before him. “You are not the one on trial.”

I bit the inside of my cheek to stop the rash reply begging to escape. I might not have been the one on trial, but I might as well have been.

“May I continue, sir?” the woman asked in her clipped, impatient way. When he nodded, she inquired, “From the previous interrogations, it has been understood that you and Mr. Valmoritim were separated for a time. How long were you separated and why?”

“Almost eight months.” I didn’t want to go into the why because it really was complicated. But I didn’t want to be rudely reminded to answer the question, either. I’d need them in a decent mood if my bargain was going to work and that, unfortunately, meant playing nice. “It was because he thought I was lying to him about my involvement with Caroline and her project. The situation might have been avoided if we had communicated with each other better,” I added. What happened wasn’t entirely his fault. A great deal of it was mine and Caroline’s, though hers was more indirect than anything else.

“What were the circumstances, as you understand them to be, surrounding your turning?”

“I was shot;” I shrugged. How much of an answer did she want? When she didn’t say anything, I added, “I was already dead. Or maybe I was still dying and just thought I was dead. Either way, I woke up and that’s when Drei told me what he had done.”

“What was his reason behind the act?” she asked, her eyes glinting as if this was the answer that would make the case against him.

“He loves me,” I replied softly, diverting my gaze downward—not from embarrassment or shame, but because it felt like I had betrayed him. The truth here wasn’t setting anyone free. It was condemning us all. “Because, he said, he couldn’t imagine living without me.”

“What are your personal feelings for Mr. Valmoritim?”

Catching her gaze, wanting to ensure she received my answer and wasn’t going to twist it to suit their cause, I responded, “I love him with all of my heart.” She opened her mouth as if to say that it wasn’t love but I interrupted her saying, “And it is not some effect of seduction, or attraction, or anything he’s done intentionally. It was my decision to love him long before I ever knew he loved me.” Tears pressed at my eyes. I doubted they were moved at all, but I couldn’t contain my feelings when I was starving or guilt-ridden, trying to be polite and hoping against odds they would take my suggestion.

“It is entirely possible you have imagined loving—”

“It isn’t,” I interrupted the presiding vampire. Not smart, I know. And not playing nice, either. But this was one thing I knew for sure, and they didn’t. Nothing they said could convince me I was wrong in this. “And I know because I spent a year trying to convince myself not to love him;” I cried, any restraint I had over my emotions lost. “I know what happened, and we both tried not to love each other and to no avail.”

Silence flooded the room as they stared at me, either shocked or indignant I had interrupted and refused to go along with whatever they said. My hands worked to clear the tears from my eyes as I struggled to regain some sense of composure. This wasn’t over yet.

Eternal: Chapter Three, Part 3

It seemed hours passed before she came out of the room, followed by a voice demanding Mitchell enter. She glanced in my direction and then retreated into a corner of her own, defeated. Whatever happened hadn’t gone well. It had exhausted and drained her.

Though I could have asked what had transpired, I resolved to plot, to find a solution to this new predicament. I didn’t want to be the ingénue and Drei the villain. Valetta and Mitchell didn’t deserve to be punished. At least, I didn’t want them to be punished. I wanted everything to work out well. I needed Drei; and although I didn’t know what they would do yet, I needed Valetta and Mitchell as well.

I was determined to find some solution. There had to be one.

Mitchell exited after another extensive period of waiting. He moved as if to look in my direction, but changed his mind and leaned against the wall a few feet from Valetta. The demanding voice summoned Drei.

He didn’t seem to see anything as he disappeared into the room again; he just stared ahead as if indifferent to these events. Watching him leave, I felt hurt. Not because I was afraid for him, but because he didn’t look at me. Once I had told him lying hurt more than it helped. Right then, all I wanted was for him to lie to me. Tell me it would all work out, or not to worry; I’d even settle for a convincing smile. Anything to make the situation seem better than it was.

There was a crack in the wall across from me. I stared at it, wondering. I wondered what was happening in that room; why, when I tried to listen in, I couldn’t keep my focus; what would happen to me; why they would leave this crack in the wall. It wasn’t a very interesting place to look. Occasionally, a spider or two crept in or out but, other than that, it was just a black slice of void. It gave me somewhere to look, I supposed. Somewhere that wasn’t completely hopeless. Valetta and Mitchell were so worn and defeated it made me feel worse to look at them. Something about this place suggested speaking with them would be entirely inappropriate and punishable by some obscure Council ruling.

As I stared and thought, occasional ideas popped up that had nothing to do with what I was thinking. All of them, I realized after a while, were related to the Council and my movement. Studying the hole in the wall as if it held the answer to how these two were connected, I began to see how I might be able to spare all of us from punishment. Might being the key word. I’d have to do a ton of smooth talking and hope the Council bought into it.

Eternal: Chapter Three, Part 2

“We shall begin the proceedings on this first night in May, of the human year 2015,” the presiding vampire, the one seated above the rest, stated in a dramatically disinterested voice. His dark eyes were scanning over a document before him, then they glinted at us as he continued, “We shall begin with the reading of your charges. Step forward when your name is called.”

“Valetta Bevinston,” the centermost councilmember began; Valetta took a step forward, her head up but her eyes diverted. “You are being charged with conspiring against Council rulings and being an accessory to unlawful conduct. Do you understand the charges brought against you?” His dark eyes bore into her.

“I do.”

“Very well, then,” he said, monotonously. “Mitchell Jameson.”

He stepped forward, changing places with Valetta. The vampire read the same list of charges, to which Mitchell agreed he understood. I watched, everything feeling as though it was happening in slow motion. This was happening because of me. They encouraged us, kept our secret, and now they were being charged as felons. It wasn’t right; I wanted to make this go away, to plot a way to fix things. But the vampire’s silky, monotonous voice demanded absolute attention and any attempt to do otherwise was thwarted the moment he spoke again.

“Drei Valmoritim.” My eyes followed Drei as he stepped forward, my plotting forgotten. Unlike Mitchell and Valetta, he didn’t look down, but stared at the vampire, awaiting the list of charges he faced. He knew, already, what rules he had broken, and the consequences. He wasn’t going fight them; he wouldn’t deny any of it. Despite the situation, that thought delighted me briefly. Drei wouldn’t deny me; even if that was our undoing, it was the greatest thing he could have done. The feeling, though, disappeared as the vampire began reading the charges.

“You are being charged with conspiring against Council rulings, jeopardizing an elemental’s purpose, seducing a mortal, seducing an elemental, feeding on a mortal, feeding on an elemental, and two acts of high treason: turning a mortal and turning an elemental.” My heart sank with each item. “Do you understand the charges brought against you?”

“I do,” Drei replied stonily, his face set like marble. Shadows didn’t dance across his features, but he appeared just as menacing as the others. I wished I could appear strong like him in this place; I’d even settle for the subdued guiltiness of Valetta and Mitchell. But all I continued to feel was ill and crushingly guilty.

“Abriel Jones.” Drei stepped back to the far side of Mitchell as I took his place, glancing down the line of shadowy figures before me before diverting my eyes to my feet. “Sir,” he said, turning to face the presiding vampire. “You wished to handle this one?”

“Yes, Tudor,” he replied before turning his attention away from the document before him. “Miss Jones, how long has it been since you were turned?”

“Roughly a year and a couple of weeks,” I answered, looking up at him as he leaned forward, more of his face coming into the lantern light.

“Were you given a choice in the matter?”

“Will it change anything?”

“In the case of your charges and the outcome in regards to you, it will,” he said, his black eyes studying me carefully. I was about to glance over my shoulder at Drei when he snapped at me to answer him. Yeah, they definitely knew how to be delicate about this sort of thing.

“No,” I whispered, unable to return my gaze to him.

“Miss Jones, you are then free of charges as an innocent, for the time being. If our interrogations to follow should find you otherwise, the charge will be of falsifying information and seduction of a vampire,” he said before sitting back again. “Should your status remain that of an innocent, during your interrogation, we will also deliberate what shall be done about you.” Was I really so much of a burden something had to be done about me? If I were in a better state I probably would have argued with him. I was their burden because they deemed me so, not because I had to be. “Do you understand your situation?”

“I do.”

“Adjourn to the hallway,” Tudor instructed. “You shall be summoned one at a time for your interrogations. We shall begin with Valetta Bevinston.”

In the hallway, Mitchell paced anxiously, glancing towards the door, concerned with how Valetta was faring. Drei leaned elegantly against a wall, his hands buried in his pockets, his eyes closed in meditation. Between Drei’s resignation and Mitchell’s nerves, I didn’t have focus enough to figure out how I was feeling amidst this mess. By now, I was fairly certain my nerves were shot and I was faintly worried about how Valetta was doing, how Mitchell would do next, and Drei after him, but I had no clue as to what the vast majority of me was feeling.

I sat curled in the corner, my head resting in my arms. This whole experience was tiring and the lack of fresh air wasn’t helping my hunger—now a fairly large part in my distraction. If anything, it only starved me faster.

Mentally shaking myself, I pried my mind from thoughts of my hunger and tried listening to whatever was happening to Valetta. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to concentrate long enough to pull the conversation to me. Their emotions were drawing too much of my element’s attention, seeking anything that resembled what it usually relied on to satiate me.

Eternal: Chapter Two, Part 5

“Why are you with her?” Valetta demanded when we stepped through the door. Her anger flooded the room as she stood, glaring at him.

I could feel Drei shrinking beside me under her fury. Our talk earlier hadn’t completely settled him, and he still hadn’t decided the answers for himself. But I didn’t want her bullying him when it was my fault and I was around—I didn’t want her being hard on him even when I wasn’t around, but that was slightly harder to control.

Slipping my hand into his, I stared back at Valetta. “It was my idea,” I stated, determined not to fold under her ferocity. “I asked him to come with me because I wanted to be with him.”

She was completely taken aback—not expecting me to speak on his behalf, apparently—but it wasn’t long before she recomposed herself, her anger still obvious but not nearly as strong. “Why?”

“Because I love him, Valetta, and I enjoy spending time with him,” I explained gently. I knew she had once felt the same way, but somehow she seemed to have forgotten that.

“But he was not there to protect you, and he turned—”

“We were both responsible for what happened, and we’ve come to terms with it already.” I was trying to remain patient. She didn’t know the circumstances and seemed reluctant to even attempt understanding them, but that didn’t give her an excuse to completely ignore their existence. “We went over the whys and the hows and we’re past it. We just want to be happy. Just like you.”

Mitchell took Valetta’s hands and pulled her aside. They argued a moment over whether or not to trust what I was saying, if they were really my own words or somehow Drei’s influence. He eventually talked her down, taking our side, and explaining how he saw it to her. We weren’t trying to spite her; Drei wasn’t trying to take advantage of me. We were simply making the best of our situation and living our undead lives the way we wanted. And for once, Mitchell was speaking straightforward and, instead of hitting him, I kind of wanted to give him a huge hug.

“Apologies are in order,” she said when Mitchell finished and they had approached us again.

“No they’re not,” I said, crossing the space between us and taking her hands in mine. “You were just standing up for what you felt was right. There’s nothing to be sorry for in that.”

“But—”

“You are worse than Abriel when it comes to arguing about everything.” Drei was unsure yet about whether he was still in deep with her or not, but not so uncertain as to remain silent. “She is right, though. There is no reason to apologize.”

“I yelled at you,” she persisted, her dark eyes wide and befuddled. “I was cruel and judgmental; I separated you, and—”

“We needed that,” Drei finished for her, steadily growing surer of his position in this. “At least I did. It gave me time to contemplate how much I do value her;” he met my eyes and held them. A faint warmness spread through my body and my lips upturned slightly. “How I have made mistakes in the past, and renewed my resolve not to repeat them.”

“I do not recall mushy messes being on our itinerary,” Mitchell teased, successfully coaxing grins from all of us—even an eye roll from Valetta. I was grateful he was breaking up the cycle of reassurances that was bound to follow, but it didn’t stop me wanting to hit him for his teasing.

“Do you always have to be insensitive to the moment?” I asked, my hands on my hips.

“Only when you are around,” he taunted jovially, hugging me.

“Of course. So what should we do now that all this drama is done with?” I asked as Drei slipped an arm around my waist, his other hand disappearing into his pocket.

We all looked at each other, hoping someone had an idea. “What if we just talk?” Valetta suggested after a while. With no other suggestions, we sat in the living room and talked.

It was entertaining, as we covered recent events—both serious and frivolous—debated about different places in town, and discussed what I had come up with for my movement. From their reactions, I really had figured it out—all of them had known since before meeting me, but none of them would ever tell me what it was.

It was well into the afternoon before Drei insisted I should sleep. Mitchell and Valetta agreed, despite my arguments, but then Valetta suggested we all retire for the day, as if to ensure they weren’t just treating me like a little kid. Mitchell even proposed we go out as a group the next night before we parted ways. Things were somewhat back to normal for the time being. Valetta didn’t even say anything about Drei and me sleeping in the same bed again. That was probably the best thing, too. I felt like I was actually able to fall asleep.

Eternal: Chapter Two, Part 2

The next night, Drei went out to some meeting or another. He wouldn’t look at me as he left; Valetta’s words still rang in his head, filling him with undue guilt. Mitchell and Valetta were going out in search of entertainment and invited me along, but I didn’t feel much like spending time with them currently. I couldn’t figure out if it was because I blamed them, or if I was shamed and embarrassed. Either way, I wouldn’t have been much of an asset to their plans as I didn’t feel like smiling.

I sat, staring into space for the longest time. Eventually I stood and went to the window. There was still one experiment I had never tried, and now was as good a time as any. Besides, I hoped it would take my mind off of everything else.

Opening the window, I slid out onto the narrow ledge, concentrating on how I wanted to do this. It was similar to some things I had done in the past—like sending messages to people on a breeze. I just hadn’t done anything like this with a person. I had made the air into shapes and used those to move people, but never on a breeze. In my mind, it would be something like flying if I could pull it off.

I started pulling a gentle stream of air below my feet, part of my brain wondering if I should maybe start this closer to the ground instead of five stories up. Ignoring that questioning part of my mind, I jumped onto the breeze, pulling more air into it to accommodate my weight. Slowly going in circles, I practiced balancing myself; unlike before when it was more like standing on a solid object, this was akin to standing on a collection of strings. I could see the wispy strands beneath my feet and tried centering myself on enough of them I found some stability.

After circling for a while, I directed my breeze upwards over the rooftops of the apartment buildings and worked on balance while moving faster, turning, swerving, and even while changing position on my strands of air. I tried to keep over the rooftops, not too far off in case I fell. I did fall, quite a lot. But it seemed all too soon I heard Valetta and Mitchell on the street heading back to the building, so I followed suit and slipped through the window.

Taking a quick shower, I exited the bathroom to find them sitting on the couch, Valetta’s head resting on Mitchell’s shoulder, her eyes studying their linked hands. He was whispering something to her, though I doubted she heard a word of what he said. She just had that look about her suggesting her thoughts were elsewhere.

As I walked past them, she glanced up and asked. “What have you been up to all night?”

“Nothing much,” I said, forcing myself to come up with something more solid than that. “Thinking mostly.” I really wasn’t good at this.

She nodded, though, turning her dark eyes from me again. Mitchell smiled hopefully, obviously unsure what was wrong with her. Reading her thoughts, I found she still fought with herself over what was the best thing to do: reward Drei to my benefit or punish us both. She also struggled to find something for Drei to do to prove he deserved the former.

I shrugged to Mitchell. He didn’t really need to know if he didn’t already; it was one of those things she had to figure out for herself, despite how difficult it might be.

The next few nights followed a similar pattern: Mitchell and Valetta went out after I declined the offer to join them, Drei went out somewhere—I wasn’t sure where or what for, but he kept his distance from me, much to my dismay—and I would take my breeze and improve with what I would call flying.

My mom named every trick she learned and discovered, and I had picked up the habit over the brief time I had spent with her. Shortly after I was born, the government had taken her to one of their testing facilities, and she’d been there ever since. While working under Caroline, I had taken one for the team and been temporarily reunited with her and Nick. Then Drei came and took me away from that dreadful place and the crazy specialists, but she had opted to stay behind. I couldn’t begin to understand her logic; her mind wasn’t in the best of conditions, but that wouldn’t stop me being grateful for the time I had been given with her.

Vampiric: Chapter Two, Part 1

Chapter Two: Learning to Live

The drive was longer than it had to be, in my opinion. But everything Caroline did seemed to be done with the utmost care and secrecy. I had just finished the thought when Drei commented that she was an intelligent person, seemingly for no apparent reason to our driver. Not for the first time, I reminded myself not to think so loudly.

We circled various sections of the city until I thought it was a joke and some movie star was going to jump out screaming with laughter. The thought of punching said movie star in the face crossed my mind briefly, before I realized we were driving in absolute darkness. Looking back through the rear window, I saw the city lights twinkle in imitation of the stars.

Drei took my hand, gazing at me in a way that seemed to say wait. He knew I was impatient—though it contradicted the common nature of air elementals—but he also knew I could wait if he reminded me to.

It seemed hours later—I cannot begin to explain how numb my rear end was or how badly I needed to stretch—we finally pulled into a pier with rundown warehouses and a shabby looking dock. Ghostly tugboats rocked fitfully against their ropes, wishing to drift aimlessly into retirement.

He stopped the car outside of a stoic warehouse, a soft light falling through one of the broken windows at the top momentarily before flitting away inside again.

“We’re here;” the driver climbed out of the car.

Drei and I followed suit, walking next to each other a few paces behind him. Pulling a strand of air towards me, I heard voices inside. Though soft, I could hear them perfectly.

“—they’re here, C,” a masculine voice said.

“About time,” she replied in her smooth voice, a note of irritation apparent.

“You never told Ian she’d be difficult to locate.”

“Well, I didn’t know,” she snipped back.

We entered through a side door then. From the inside, it became obvious the windows of the lower level had been covered with black paint, explaining why this warehouse also seemed disused.

Caroline stood in the center of the room, a black, long sleeved tunic and blue skinny jeans covering her thin frame. Her hair was down, the natural curls framing her sharp features.

“Finally,” she huffed, crossing her arms. “Ian,” she nodded in our driver’s direction, “and Conan,” she said, motioning to the other man standing beside her. He was medium-height—just slightly taller than I—with crew cut brown hair and sea green eyes. A few other people dressed in dark colors moved around behind them, but she didn’t bother introducing them. “We’re the only ones you need to know;” she signaled us to follow her. “Now we get down to business.”

She walked from the large front room and jogged up a set of stairs, disappearing into another room. This one was smaller, containing a couple of file cabinets, a desk, and three chairs. She sat on the far side of the desk, shuffling the haphazard piles of paper out of the way. We sat in the chairs opposite her.

“Give me a moment,” she said, still shuffling through papers. “Conan was supposed to clean this up for me and now I’ve lost your stuff.”

The room was cold, the chilly tendrils of air burrowing into my skin. Drei stood momentarily, removed his coat, and dropped it over my shoulders. He shook his head as I opened my mouth to object. There was no arguing with him, at least not on this, and most definitely not here.

Caroline watched the exchange, slightly interested, as if trying to figure what had happened or why. She then cleared her throat loudly to draw attention back to herself. “Sign these,” she ordered, handing us each a pile of papers. “The first one is your waiver paperwork, since I can’t guarantee you won’t be injured. Signing it means you won’t hold me accountable for anything that happens, though we do try to prevent injury.”

I skimmed over the packet of possible injuries—one of which was death through various means (electrocution and shooting for two)—slightly shocked at the list. Drei signed his, handing it back, so I did the same. If I died doing this—I couldn’t think about that. It was like setting myself up for it. Besides, the thought was actually pretty bitter, and not towards the person rubbing me the wrong way.

“The next is an agreement to follow all of our policies, rules, regulations, and to keep your traps shut on matters concerning our operation,” she said, filing the waiver forms into separate folders.

The policies and such were straightforward, including regulations on apparel while working and tips on how not to have your head burned off, though it didn’t explain how the burning would occur; so while it was useful to know, it was apparent Caroline wasn’t letting everyone know about her secret. As for the confidentiality agreement, it too was blunt—I was beginning to think she didn’t know how to do things any other way.

“Don’t say anything about our operations, ever. Don’t question motives or activities. Don’t even think of whining. Not when you’re alone, and not when you’re at work. If you can’t hold your liquor, forget about drinking and find an AA group to join.”

I signed both forms, handing them over before I could change my mind and shred them. Drei had been watching me as I read through everything; I think he was scared I would change my mind about this. He should have been, though. It wasn’t something I really fancied doing at all; but he had asked me to.

Caroline filed them separately again, leaning forward when she was done, fingers laced and set before her.

“Jobs;” she sighed and grimaced. “I’ll find the actual descriptions in a moment;” she waved dismissively at the file cabinets, probably not wanting to think about dealing with them at all. “Both of you will be backup. I run the show because I am the show; everyone else just gets to help. Buddy—Drei was it? You’ll be on my security team, inside circle. You look tougher than most of the guys I have now.”

He nodded, as though he had expected this. I guess he kind of had. If looking around downstairs had been any indication, he was the tallest and strongest person she had currently. Then again, if that was everyone she had downstairs, this wasn’t as big of a setup as Drei had led me to believe.

“What exactly that entails, you’ll see when I get you the description sheet Conan drew up for me.” She turned towards me. “You are on my lookout team. Your talents would be most useful there from what I can guess. If not, tell me now so I can reassign you.”

“I can do it,” I said firmly. She was not going to intimidate or insult me. I wasn’t in a very generous mood, especially not towards her. There was just something about having your evening ruined with a ridiculously long car ride and being talked down to that didn’t sit well with me.

“Not what I asked,” she snapped, her eyes cold and her features hard. Maybe she was used to making people do what she wanted by intimidating them, but it made it that much more apparent she underestimated me. I wasn’t scared off as easily as most—not in situations like this anyway. “I asked if your talents are good for it.”

“They are,” I replied flatly, wishing I knew some way to shut her up. She might have been older and whatnot, but that did not give her the right to snap at me.

“Good.”

While she searched through the cabinets to find the job descriptions, Drei whispered into my ear, “You gave her the right when you signed the agreements. She is the boss now.”

“Be in the same place you were tonight in one week, at five. Don’t be late.” She handed us our respective descriptions. “You aren’t needed now, so you can do whatever.” She waved a hand toward the door, settling back down to glower at the mess of paper surrounding her.

Ian herded us through the now busier warehouse and out to the car.

“Welcome aboard,” he said, tearing away from the pier and taking a different route back to the city.

All I could think about was how I was going to survive taking orders from someone as hotheaded and infuriating as Caroline. I didn’t care who she thought she was, but she wasn’t so great I couldn’t live without her.

Vampiric: Chapter One, Part 1

Chapter One: New Flame

She sat, legs crossed under the table, an arm draped across the shiny surface while the other hand supported her thin face. Her bordering on too long fingernails, sporting chipped nail polish, tapped a rhythm across one of her high cheekbones; probably bored out of her mind and already disinterested. At first glance, her flaming crimson hair seemed more like a wig, but roots don't lie. It flared around her head like its own version of the sun.

Drei stood next to me, tall and powerful. It had been his idea for me to meet with her. Caroline, he insisted, would help me to learn what it was I was supposed to do. She already had a following—however small it might have been—and a plan. I had neither. Not to mention I didn’t have a clue as to where to start.

“Are you sure that's her?” I whispered, crossing my arms over my fluttering stomach. There was something in her demeanor that made me feel threatened. But Drei wouldn't purposely put me in harm's way. He had spent the five years we had known each other keeping me safe. He was my rock, my love; I trusted him.

“Caroline is a bit of a wild child, but she has much to teach you if you are willing,” Drei said softly.

I couldn't tear my eyes from her; she couldn't have been more than 25, fresh from college if she ever attended. Throughout my entire life, I couldn't recall once talking to someone like her. She was so much freer of society and could care less what people thought. I was her opposite in every way.

“Go on;” Drei waited for me to start towards her. He had made the initial contact; I had to prove he wasn’t dragging me into it, even if this really wasn’t my choice.

As we reached the table in the corner of the cafe, gold flecked bronze eyes swiveled towards us, seeming to absorb what she liked and disliked. The judgment cast on me was obvious: I wasn't someone she worked with. She was intrigued by Drei, her eyes lighting up a moment before she buried it, fearing she would have to take me on if she invited him.

“Sit,” she commanded in a rich voice.

At her questioning gaze, Drei introduced us; “I am Drei, the one who contacted you. This is Abriel.”

She nodded as though she hated the formality of it all, but didn't want to start talking before she knew for sure we weren't mistaken. Rather intelligent on her part—not that she didn’t seem intelligent.

“I don't usually consider people like you,” she said, pausing to sip her latte. From the sweetly spiced smell wafting from the cup, I knew it was a mocha chai. Personally, I found them too sweet. “It may be your too normal hair, the cutesy ballet flats, the skirt—I couldn't tell you. But something about people like you…” she scrunched her nose a bit, staring at me, “makes me not trust anyone.”

“I take it you like my blouse,” I said, lacking any other comment. It felt hopeless. If she didn't like me, what could I do to change it? The only thing to do, really, was make whatever was left of this meeting bearable.

“Have one just like it,” she replied, taking another sip. “A wrap blouse is a necessity.”

Silence ensued. She didn't leave, which was good—for us anyway—but she didn't say anything either. When Drei asked if I wanted a cinnamon chai—my favorite—I nodded and he left.

“Who is he, really?” Caroline asked, her eyes following his departure. She was interested in him, but not in a sensual way. Which was to all of our benefit. If she had been anywhere near drooling after him, I would have left and never glanced back.

For a fleeting moment I thought about revealing him as a vampire, but I knew better. If he wanted her to know, he'd tell her. “A friend.”

“More like a muscle man.” She took another drink. Maybe I had been wrong about her not being interested in that sense.

“Why haven't you left yet?” I found myself saying; it came about more because I wanted to change the subject, but I rationalized I had valid reason to ask. Caroline had already made it clear she didn't like me, so it didn't make sense for there to be an awkward silence between us—especially not when she was still ogling him.

“Honestly?” She raised an eyebrow as her eyes returned to mine, wrapping both pale hands around her cup. I nodded, half afraid I would say something inappropriate. “The fact that we have the same blouse counts for something. It means you’re not totally hopeless.” She thought a moment longer over a more legitimate reason. “He doesn't hang around you for nothing. Someone like him knows who he wants to be around, so there's got to be something I'm missing. Is there?” She held my gaze steadily.

“Perhaps,” I said, my voice even, more uncertain what her intentions for either of us were. The answer she sought was also the thing that put me at risk. If she wanted me to reveal my hand, I needed to know she wasn’t going to turn around and sell me up the river. “Is there a reason why you have such control over who works with you? Why you have such a following when you're so young?”

Caroline laughed. “You're gutsy. I like that.” She finished the rest of her mocha chai, tossing the cup in the trashcan across from the table and sat back. “Every revolutionary is young. You don't see some grandfather leading an uprising, do you?”

“No. But why you?”

Her lips cocked to one side, she laid her hand palm up on the table between us. “Because I can do this,” she answered as a small flame sprang to life in her palm. “Does that scare you?”

Continuing to hold her gaze, I created a vacuum around her flame. When it extinguished, she looked down at her hand, shocked momentarily, but then smiled at me.

“Coincidence?” she questioned for the sake of it. The spark in her eyes revealed she already knew the answer.

“It wasn’t.”

“I'm not the only one with tricks, I see,” she said, still smiling as if amused. “That was pretty nifty. Does he know?” She bobbed her head in the direction of Drei, walking back with my chai and his latte.

“He knows more than I can say.”

“We'll be in touch,” she announced, standing as Drei handed me the chai. She was taller than I had thought, only a few inches shorter than Drei. “I'll have one of my people pick you up. Then I'll tell you everything you need to know about helping me.”

We watched her leave, and then sat with our heads bowed together. It had been a long while since I'd had to trust anyone but Drei. But something about Caroline—whether it was her spunky attitude or her power over fire—interested and frightened me. Not to mention, I still couldn’t make heads or tails about her interest in Drei, though I knew I shouldn’t worry about it—he had chosen me, after all. Ambivalent as I was, I wanted to trust her, to be around and learn from her. As this occurred to me, I realized I wanted to run from her, as well.

“That went well.” Drei sipped his latte.

“We'll see soon enough.”

Elemental: Chapter Ten, Part 1

Chapter Ten: Wolfish Sheep

New Years came with less pizzazz than Halloween but, like all beginnings, it had a way of staying memorable.

Waking up that morning, I hadn’t realized what was coming, or even what had passed, and it hadn’t occurred to me the old year was over but not yet out. It was raining and a miserable day, but memories never let you stay down long, especially not on New Years.

My year was bittersweet at best. I loved Nick, lost Drei—in a sense—and rebuilt a life when I wasn’t sure there was anything left to start over. It seemed impossible Nick had only arrived ten months ago, or that already we were so close. Neither did it seem likely Valetta and I were best friends, confiding everything—though not always saying it aloud. My relationship with the kids blossomed, but suffered slightly due to Nick. I was like their temp mom: here to kiss the scrapes better, dry the tears, and work out disagreements. It was amusing, to Nick, anyway. I took it seriously.

Two things I couldn’t manage to keep from my thoughts long were the fact something might be wrong with Drei, and Jake’s warning. I had said everything because it had felt right; but the more I thought about it, I wasn’t ready to give up anything; not Nick, Drei, the kids, Valetta, or my life. None of it. But I sensed judgment on my promise was closing in. There was something in the air that made me anxious, even through the downpour.

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.

Elemental: Chapter Five, Part 5

Once he was gone, the children began their games again. Walking closer to the cabin he had disappeared into, I pretended to observe the children playing in their separate groups, but I was really trying to figure out how to bring the inside conversation to me without it being too obvious. I wanted to fulfill Drei’s expectations of me and prevent any trouble below—I had already noticed the difference between those with stronger powers and those with weaker, I wasn't sure that would be a problem since they seemed to play well together. However, I had a feeling the vampires were talking about me.

The thought of treating the air like a rope and pulling the conversation to me came suddenly and ingeniously. Taking immediate action on the idea, splitting my concentration—okay, so I was less concerned with watching over the kids—the first trickling of conversation reached my ears.

“—needed protection,” Drei was saying.

Another voice piped in, supporting him; “She is an air elemental, and might be the one of which Gloria dreamt.”

A feminine voice fought back; “She lost control, Drei. Even this far away the news stations were broadcasting the story.”

“Lori has a point,” a masculine voice agreed. “Even if it is reported as mere gossip, bounty hunters never leave anything alone.”

“On top of that,” someone—more than likely Valetta—added, “she ran away. They will interpret it as guilt.”

“Or,” Drei argued, “they will view it as a quest for her mother, disbelieving her father when he admitted she was reported dead.”

“You planted that on purpose,” an angry voice rose up.

Drei wore a smirk in his voice as he said, “As a scapegoat. I knew we needed one—for her safety.”

“And what of everyone else’s safety?” a new voice demanded.

“Yes, what of everyone else?” Lori questioned, her voice level though still livid. “You would risk the entire operation on a child we cannot even verify is the right one?”

“Trust—”

The conversation broke away as a mud ball hit my arm and splattered across my shirt. A fight had broken out between the two groups of children, leaving a discombobulation of mud in their wake.

I ran into the chaos, yelling at them to stop, demanding what was going on. It took them a moment, but eventually they separated into their groups, shooting daring glances across the distance between them. Though I had never babysat or had any siblings to practice on, some undiscovered maternal or sisterly instinct came over me. “One from each of you. Who started the fight?”

The groups vomited forth a person each. A girl with long, fair hair and bright blue eyes dug a foot into the mud, standing before her counterparts of water elementals, clots of mud caught in her locks and smeared across her dress. The earth elementals relented a tanned boy with shaggy, chocolate hair and cinnamon eyes, soaked through, looking like a drowned hamster.

“What happened?” I asked gently, not wanting them to feel as though they were in enough trouble to keep quiet.

Each pointed furiously at the other, shouting their side of the story in a collision of words that made no sense at all.

“Stop!” I yelled to be heard over them, quickly feeling a headache coming on. Their eyes fell to the ground again, taking in the soggy messes they had become. “You start,” I suggested, turning towards the boy. “Start with your name.”

“Danny,” he said softly. Then his head jerked up violently as he pointed cruelly at the girl, screaming, “She started it. She wouldn’t leave us alone and was ruining all of our castles and sculptures!”

Immediately she reacted with her own screeching, the words lost in his furious volley of response.

“Cut it out!” I screamed, this time failing to be heard in the rising raucous quickly engulfing all of them. For a moment, I stood despaired, uncertain what to do. Mud began flying again and a large pat of it slapped me in the cheek, ending my indecision. “ENOUGH!” I shrieked, sending mini gales in each direction, further separating them but efficiently silencing both parties. I suddenly felt as if I were caught up in an ugly political debate or a loveless version of Romeo and Juliet. That feeling definitely wasn’t helping my growing headache.

“You,” I exhaled, turning to the girl. “Speak.” I quickly turned again to the earth elementals and glared, daring them to renew the fighting.

“I’m Michelle,” she pouted. “Nothing would have happened if their stupid dirt had stayed over there and hadn’t gotten into our water.” Michelle turned her face up toward mine, a pleading look for sympathy in her aquamarine gems. “Water gets so heavy with dirt in it, and then it isn’t any fun because it’s not pretty or clear.”

“And air is heavy with arguing when little—” I paused, not wanting to call them snots or anything excessively inappropriate. “—children are not playing well together.”

All of their heads ducked down, and I felt slightly like the bad guy in a fairytale. But they needed to shape up, really. There was no reason they had to even separate. This was almost worse than Drei’s assumption they teased the kids with weaker abilities; it almost broke my heart seeing no one get along.

I bit my lip, unsure where to go from here, the surge of sisterly instinct dissipating. “Go change into something clean and then come back. We’re going to do something to get you all together.” The start of a plan was on the tip of my mind. I hoped sending them off for a short while would give me enough time to lure it out and develop it into something more complete.

Elemental: Chapter Five, Part 4

The children were sitting as though separated by an invisible barrier. On one side, they played with crumbling sand castles and sent little dirt figures walking through their constructed towns. A boy stood off on his own, drawing flowers and other plants up from the ground and into full bloom within seconds, some of the plants looking more like hybrid versions of others. On the other side, they were preoccupied with buckets of water, drawing the liquid up into fountains and sculpting them into obscure shapes before freezing them in place. One girl in their group was experimenting wrapping water about herself in an elegant ball gown of shifting design.

There was a splashing sound accompanied by the sight of water falling and dirt crumbling around the two groups—to the detriment of their clothes—at the sight of Drei. From their reaction, I assumed they rarely saw him, but knew it was important to give their attention fully to him when he was present. If I wasn’t mistaken, some of the youngest in the group were afraid of him. But that didn’t seem plausible. Unless, perhaps, they found ways to regularly anger him.

“It is not even an hour after breakfast and you already have made a mess,” Drei said; the attempt at a playful tone failed. None of them offered anything except steady gazes locked on him for dear life. A few thought it fairly brave to sneak peeks in my direction, the wonderment in their eyes leading me to feel important, possibly even special. When they remained silent, Drei continued; “Children, this is Abriel.” A sweeping hand found its way toward me, drawing their obedient eyes in my direction. “She is different from all of you, but you will discover that soon enough. You will be polite and respectful to her, because she will be watching over you during the day."

They nodded, peeling their eyes from me.

He turned to me, saying, “Eventually you will meet the others, but not today.”

I nodded in much the same fashion as the children, but it was obvious the way he spoke to me was very different from the way he spoke to them, and none of them failed to notice.

Drei whispered, “You will be fine,” just above my ear before walking away toward a group of the tall, dark figures I presumed to be the other vampires; the very same others I would meet some other day.

Elemental: Chapter Five, Part 2

Halfway through the night, we came upon a worn dirt path and Drei confirmed this six-mile road led straight to our final destination: a lake and campground. We moved onward, unable to decide on anything to discuss; I didn’t wish to bring up his conversation, and he didn’t want to let on anything was wrong.

The awkwardness was expelled as the trees thinned enough to reveal waters sparkling under an orange and pink sun. Nestled in the falling shadows were rundown cabins, small two-room shacks lucky to be standing.

“Are you sure this is it?” It didn’t seem inhabited, or even suitable for habitation.

“Do not fret. They are all asleep. We are merely early.” He started ahead of me, continuing his introductory speech of my new, hopefully temporary, home. “You will notice, when you meet the children, they are mostly between the ages of five and fourteen. Most leave when they turn fifteen, confident they are able to conceal themselves, and most are. Those who are still here often enjoy playing games, exercising the extent of their powers;” he looked over his shoulder at me as if accusing me of such a game. “One of your main occupations here will be ensuring those who are more powerful do not lower the esteem of those with a weaker elemental gift.”

“What if my own gift is weak?” I questioned aloud, suddenly concerned with my own power, never before realizing it might be a concern. It didn’t seem likely, but it still concerned me. It was almost like realizing drinking diet soda could give you cancer.

Drei stopped a moment and smiled kindly at me. “You have no need to worry. Air elemental gifts are rare enough, those who possess them, rarely are weak in their ability.” His glance disappeared over his shoulder again as I withheld my sigh of relief. I really was comforted to know I wasn’t defective or anything. “There is nothing to worry about. Even if their gift is weak, their influence remains strong.”

I allowed his words to stew a little in my mind. Then something odd struck me about the whole situation. “Don’t the parents ever worry?” I inquired, my brow furrowing. “About the children, that is?”

His head nodded slightly, as though he were teaching and a student had just made a point he was about to disprove. “The non-elemental parents are led to believe the children are attending a highly exclusive, entirely charitably funded, boarding school. It is not a complete lie. But you understand we could not just admit this was a ten year camp. The elemental parents are fully aware of our purpose.”

I nodded, breathing deeply and trying not to feel self-conscious about possibly being the only runaway; besides, I had another question screaming for attention. I shoved it aside; Drei didn’t want any more conversation. I could tell by the way his long strides quickened, his hands burrowed in his coat pockets, and his face hid, bowed, from the sparkling morning light. He was closing himself off, very possibly from me.

We were just breaking through to the clearing when Drei stopped and said, “I cannot explain why the government hunts you, other than they want to completely remove miracles from life.”

His reply to my unasked inquiry was startling. The one thing I wanted more than anything else to truly understand and he didn’t have a definite answer. I wasn’t sure how this news was supposed to make me feel. I knew, however, I felt increasingly distraught; I never meant to be a burden on anyone. And yet, though I hadn’t entered the camp, it felt as though I already was—if the night’s visitor was any insinuation. Now, I had runaway—probably the sole person at the camp to have done so—and because the government wanted to erase miracles? It was disconcerting to say the least.

Just as the thought of running away—again—came to mind, Drei gazed at me, a soft smile playing across his lips; the kind I only saw when he spoke about his sisters.

“Do not fret about a thing, Abriel. I shall protect you so long as you desire it so.”

With that smile, all of my doubts and worries were washed away. If I were a burden, Drei would have left me miles ago. But he hadn’t. He was standing here, a few paces away.

“Now, come. They should be waking shortly.”

I followed a step behind Drei, shy at the thought of meeting children who had known who they were longer than I had. It was humbling and nerve-wracking. What if they hated me? Or, worse yet, knew about my shallow history? That was one thing I wanted to leave behind me forever. It hadn’t brought me happiness and I wanted to lead a life that did.

Tall figures exited some of the shelters, a few carrying baskets full of something I couldn’t make out. Most of the figures with baskets moved towards a level, grassy area not far from the lake; one of them, however, made a beeline for Drei and me.

“Good morning,” she greeted cheerfully. Her long black hair curled at the ends, falling to her slim waist; her skin was waxy in a way not many could pull off. Even her eyes were gorgeously dark and mysterious, hiding her emotions in their raven depths. The dress she wore—for she did wear it and not vice versa—was long and flowing in an onyx hue that complimented her skin tone immaculately. In general, she was inhumanly stunning. She was also the visitor from earlier in the woods. “Welcome back, Drei,” she said, a smile on her thin, ashen lips. “And welcome, Abriel,” she added, offering the basket of breads and fruit to me.

I was at a loss for words. Here she was, the perfect image of vampire queen, and I was crushing on her guy. No wonder she was so distressed earlier.

“No thank you,” I replied to her unsaid offer, feeling my stomach disappear in a flurry of guilt. “I’m not hungry.”

My gaze cast downward, I felt the impulse to run more urgently than before. I was inadequate, and couldn’t compete against someone like her. Why hadn’t he said anything and just crushed my imaginings then? It would have saved me looking like the fool I was.

“Thank you, Valetta,” Drei said, reaching for something in the basket. “I’ll show Abriel to her cabin.”

“Very well, then,” she responded, still cheerily, though there was a hint of disapproval.

She sashayed elegantly away, tossing a flow of dark hair over her shoulder. There was no doubt in my mind she claimed him; short of shoving her tongue down his throat, she couldn’t have made it more clear.