He looked down, “It was nothing really. Glad you’re okay.” Slowly he lifted his head and flashed her a smile.
Lilah couldn’t pull her eyes away from him.
“Let’s get you home,” Todd said.
Lilah knew her uncle was nervous about the attention this could draw to them.
Todd and Abby helped Lilah to her feet. They paused to make sure she was alright then they all headed to the door. When Lilah stopped for her mom to open the door for her, she felt someone grab her hand. She turned back quickly. It was Jackson. He was pressing something into her palm, and she wrapped her fingers around it. “Thanks again,” she told him before following her family out to the parking lot while tucking the paper she held into her pocket.
Once in the car, the silence was deafening. Lilah knew they were mad and an argument would begin soon. She deserved it. What she had done was stupid. Anything could have happened. She had unloaded on her mom about treating her like a child then she went and acted like one.
“I think it’ll be fine,” Abby said.
“With your story that she went for a ride on her bike and wrecked it? I doubt anyone will wonder why someone new to the area would be riding their bike this late in the dark. And in this weather! Top notch cover up, Abby.”
Lilah couldn’t help but giggle. Her uncle’s sarcasm always amused her.
“What?” her mom asked.
“Nothing,” Lilah replied.
“Didn’t you say something?”
“I just laughed. That’s all. Sorry.”
“This is funny to you?” her uncle was irate. “We had no idea where you were. Your mom thought you went to bed until she got that text.”
“I know. I’m sorry,” Lilah began.
“Not sorry enough. We thought you were dead. We couldn’t find you.”
Lilah was mystified. It must’ve been after she passed out, so they couldn’t get clear details from her mind. “You found me though.”
“Only because Abby knows you well enough to think you went for a milkshake!” Uncle Todd was almost yelling now, and he hit the steering wheel.
“I passed out right after I sent the text,” Lilah said more to herself to try to understand why they would have any difficulty finding her.
“We figured as much, honey,” her mom soothed.
“No, Abby! She wants to be treated like an adult. Stop babying her!”
“You’re right, Uncle Todd.”
“I know I’m right! And now you’re in the backseat giggling because you think this little stunt you pulled tonight is funny.”
“That’s not why I laughed. I laughed at what you said.”
“What did I say?” Uncle Todd looked at her through the rear-view mirror.
Lilah deepened her voice and mocked her uncle, “Top notch cover up, Abby.”
Abby’s mouth dropped and looked at Todd who was still eyeing Lilah in the mirror. “I never said that.”
“Yes, you did.”
He shook his head and gripped the steering wheel tighter.
“I heard you, Uncle Todd.”
“I never said anything, Lilah. I thought it.”
“Oh,” Lilah wasn’t sure how to respond.
“You’re not surprised?” her mom asked.
“At the restaurant…” Lilah began then stopped.
Uncle Todd eyed her in the mirror again, “You could hear people’s thoughts at the restaurant?”
“Yes,” Lilah rubbed her temples which were beginning to pound again. “At first, I thought I was just overhearing conversations, but then I started to realize that some of them weren’t speaking.”
There was an uncomfortable silence that returned in the car. “What is it?”
Neither her mom nor her uncle answered.
“What?” Lilah repeated more demanding. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong, honey. It’s good that your abilities are developing. You should be happy. You’ve wanted this for a long time.”
“Then why are you two acting like this?”
“Like what?” her mom asked.
“I don’t know. I can feel something between the two of you. Like it’s worrisome.”
Her uncle cleared his throat. “Everyone is different, Lilah.”
“I know,” she groaned. She had been hearing this her entire life. “Some have stronger psychic abilities. Some heal faster. Some develop younger or older.”
“Close,” he said, glancing at her in the mirror again. “Usually, it begins with your immediate family like your parents.”
“It did,” Lilah chimed in.
“Yeah, but then it’s other family, friends, neighbors or other people you see often. It usually takes years before you’re able to hear the thoughts of complete strangers.”
Lilah thought about it for the rest of the drive. Her abilities turned on a like a light switch. One minute, she could hear nothing then she could hear everyone.
“What are you thinking about?” her mom asked as her uncle put the car in park at the farmhouse.
Lilah snapped to attention, shocked. “You can’t hear me?”
“No, and I’ve been trying ever since you went silent.”
“I blocked my thoughts from you?” Her voice didn’t hide her shock.
“And me as well,” added Uncle Todd.
“But how?”
“Well, for me, what I do is-“
Lilah interrupted him. “I didn’t do anything Uncle Todd,” her voice strained.
“It’s okay,” her mom told her. “It’s been an eventful night, and you had a lot to say about privacy earlier. I’m sure you’re blocking us without realizing you are doing it.”
Lilah mulled it over for a while. They got out of the car, and she was quickly reminded about her injured wrist when she pushed open the car door without thinking. The pain had lessoned, but she still winced. Crossing it over her stomach and keeping it still with her other arm, she headed up to porch.
Todd raised an eyebrow then nodded as though he answered his question before he could speak it, “You fell tonight. It’ll be fine by morning.”
Abby extended a hand to help Lilah up the stairs, and Lilah looked at her and deliberately thought, ‘I was thinking that my abilities came on at once like someone flipped a switch.’
Her mom smiled, and said, “Exactly. Like a switch.”
Lilah breathed a sigh of relief at the familiarity of her mom invading her mind. She was happy knowing that her thoughts could be blocked now…once she figures out how she did it.
Chapter Six
Lilah was still struggling to wrap her mind around the news that had been dropped on her like a bomb well into the night. Vampires and werewolves were real. She waited for her mom, Uncle Todd or Aunt Akalah to say something. Akalah was actually her great-great-great grandma, but they never went by typical familial labels.
It was Akalah who finally spoke. “Each of the Elements were punished in their own way.”
“Not Air,” Lilah said.
“Oh yes, Air too. That’s why Marcus has been trapped here for a millennium.”
“But I was always told he followed orders?”
“He did. That is why our line has the least of the punishments doled out by the Divine Spirit.”
“Why was he punished at all?”
“It was a risk for the four of them to be here on this planet as mortals. They were each made aware of the chance they were taking. If one did not make the Return, none would be allowed home.”
“So that’s the punishment? Being stuck here instead of returning to their spiritual form.”
Akalah nodded. “Mostly, yes. Air’s punishment is the annual denial of being able to go back. It’s also the unknown of what will happen to us when the Return does occur.”
This was something Lilah was highly aware of and tried not to dwell on. No one knew what would happen. Would they die instantly? Would life continue for them as it always had? Would they become mortal?
Her uncle added, “None of us really know what the Divine Spirit’s reasoning was when he punished the Elements. We’re not supposed to know any more than humans can figure out their own divine plan. Some of us have had a few more years to think on it then others to try to decipher the meaning of it all.”
“Why don’t you enlighten us, Uncle Todd?” Abby said in a tone that hinted this was not the first time she had heard his explanation.
“Don’t mind if I do,” his eyes twinkled.
“Wait,” Akalah interrupted him. “She needs to learn the basics first.”
Todd sat back and crossed his feet at the ankle. “Okay. Carry on.”
Akalah “Air and Fire are immortal. Earth and Water are not save for the two Elements who rule their lineage. Fire stays young as do we. Earth can change their appearance with spells. Water is unable to change except for their transformation during the full moon which cannot be stopped no matter how hard they try.”
“And they’ve tried everything,” Abby added.
Lilah’s aunt and uncle agreed. “Most importantly, to me at least,” Akalah continued, “we have natural human counterparts. Some are more real than others. There are people who are born more sensitive to the spiritual energy that connects us all. That is how a mom knows that the ringing of the phone will bring terrible news involving her child before the phone begins to ring. Or why there are mediums who assist police in solving murders because they communicate with the spirit of the deceased.”
Spiritual energy had been explained to her before, and Lilah tried to remember what she had been taught. It was like a web in a way. Everyone, even the Elements, were all created from one collective spirit energy source. We were all connected by it. The human body created a blockage that cut them off from the source. Some people were more in tune with the web that connected them than others. Throughout history even before the Elements arrival, people had felt that connection, and they were usually hunted down and killed if their secret was discovered.
Akalah went on, “There are those who choose to practice witchcraft and declare themselves witches. There is an innate power in all of nature. These self-made witches are able to harness a fraction of that power, but they do not possess the magic that lies inside a true Earth descendant.
There are even people who claim to be vampires and drink their partner’s blood. Choosing to drink a human’s blood does not a vampire make, but if they’re happy in the world they created, let them enjoy it.
Vampires and werewolves can actually be created although the practice has been frowned upon for centuries. Still, there is the occasional werewolf attack survivor, and vampires still take mates who they turn in order to have an immortal companion. Love is the only acceptable reason for Fire to turn a human today.”
Akalah stopped there. She knew there was more that Lilah had not yet learned, but it was a lot to take in at once. She felt that after a time when Lilah had digested this new information, she would fill her in on the rest.
“So how do the punishments fit the crime, Uncle Todd?” Lilah asked when she was sure her aunt had finished.
“Well, in order, it was Air, Earth, Fire and Water from who followed orders the most to least. Air and Earth got off fairly easy. True, Earth isn’t immortal, but their spells allow for a lot of aide and ease in life. Fire is immortal, but cursed to be persecuted and alone. Water has the worst of it. The agonizing bone breaking transformation every lunar cycle.”
“What did Water do?”
“No one knows,” he answered. “Marcus hasn’t seen Water since the first night they left the rock as far as I’m aware. Any of the Water clan I’ve ever met have been tight lipped about their Element as well.”
“I’ve always believed it was for protection. Water probably feels like everyone is pointing fingers,” Abby added.
“Fire wasn’t there that night either,” Todd pointed out.
“No, but Fire has made the Return attempt hundreds of times since. Water disappeared without a trace.”
“What will happen if they never make the Return?” Lilah asked.
Akalah shook her head as though she wouldn’t entertain the thought of it never happening. “It’s not good whatever it is I know that. Balance in everything is brought about by the four Elements. Without it, things have moved off course. It started slowly then picked up speed and is ever increasing is magnitude. Look at the number of natural disasters. There was a volcanic eruption just last night in Iceland! I fear that if they don’t manage to make the Return soon, this planet may not survive much longer.”
“Why aren’t we friends with the others?”
“What are you talking about?” joked Uncle Todd. “One of my best friend’s is a witch.”
Lilah smiled. She had met Meredith several times and was utterly fascinated by her.
“You’ve always been the strange one,” Abby teased.
“Exactly!” Lilah looked at her uncle. “You’re the only one of us to befriend a witch. Why is it so rare for the groups to intermingle?”
“Protection and habit,” Akalah was the one who answered her. “Earth, Fire and Water have all suffered persecution at more than one time. Assumed witches were burned at the stakes. People were drowned out of fear of them being a witch or a werewolf. People’s graves were dug up and stakes driven through their heart to make sure they stayed dead. The groups separated to keep themselves safe then it became habit for us to stay apart.”
Lilah thought it over, but something was still plaguing her. “There’s one thing I don’t understand.”
“What’s that?” her mom asked.
“None of this started with us.”
“How do you mean?” Uncle Todd furrowed his brow.
“Well, there are legends of vampires that date back long before the Elements came for one.”
“Ahh,” he smiled. “I see now.” Uncle Todd leaned back and appeared to be deep in thought.
“Are you going to explain this or not?” Abby asked him confused by his initial response.
He nodded while continuing to stare off at nothing.
Lilah sat and waited for someone to explain to her how vampires could begin with Fire when they were already here. She was starting to wonder if anyone would.
“Alright,” her uncle looked at her. “Have you ever heard of the term ‘dead ringer’?”
“Isn’t that when someone looks like some else? Like exactly like that person? A doppelganger.”
“Yes. Its origin dates back to the origin of the phrase ‘saved by the bell’ as well. Familiar with where the phrases got their start?”
Lilah shook her head.
“Way back, medical care was rustic and harsh at best. Sometimes people would be declared dead and buried when they were actually still alive just unconscious with a faint heartbeat.”
It clicked with something she had learned in school. “People became aware of this and started tying string to the fingers of the deceased that ran above ground to a bell.”
“And if the bell rang, they would dig up the body thinking the person was still alive,” Todd finished. “Mostly, they would in fact not be alive because the body’s muscles do twitch and contort after death. However, in the rare event the person would be alive, they would have been saved by the bell. Also, anyone who saw them on the street afterward not knowing they had been saved from a horrible fate would think they were a dead ringer for the person they believed to still be buried.” Todd sucked in a long breath after getting all of it out.
“What’s that have to do with vampires?” Lilah had no idea how it had to do with Fire in the least.
“Before humans had the knowledge that sometimes people were accidently buried alive, graves would be exhumed for various reasons. It was mainly grave robbers back then doing the digging. They would see the unusual twisting of the bodies. Sometimes there would be claw marks on the coffin if the person had in fact been buried alive. Plus, your hair and fingernails continue to grow. All of this added up to somethin
g that the minds of the people of the time couldn’t comprehend.”
Lilah opened her mouth then stopped. She thought she had it, but couldn’t be sure. Her uncle looked at her encouragingly wanting her to grasp what he was trying to explain. “So, what you’re saying is people created vampires to explain all of that?”
“In part, yes. There were other unexplained mysteries and oddities that they had to make sense of as well.”
“Like large quantities of cattle disappearing or being killed near the time of a full moon,” her mom added.
“Must be werewolves,” Lilah threw the thought out.
“Now, you’re getting it,” her mom smiled.
“Okay, I kind of already knew the false myths. People would stake the corpses in the coffins to make sure they didn’t resurrect or hang garlic.”
“Garlic came later. That was Fire’s doing,” Uncle Todd told her.
“It was around before him,” Abby corrected.
“No, I distinctly remember that Fire started that rumor,” Uncle Todd argued.
“He may have encouraged it, but he didn’t start it,” Abby insisted.
“Were you there? I was there, Abby. I know he spread that rumor like wildfire.”
“Yes,” Abby agreed. “He spread it; he didn’t start it.”
A sharp whistle cut through the morning, and they turned to look at Lilah.
Her eyes were round as she looked at both of them before pointing to Akalah. “It wasn’t me.”
“You two,” she spoke as if they were children. “You keep talking in circles, but have said nothing to answer this poor girl’s questions.”
Lilah was enjoying watching Akalah treat them the way everyone had treated her throughout her life. She didn’t even try to hide the amusement from her face.
“Fire and his descendants are not vampires. No more than Water is a werewolf. The myths existed long before they did, but it’s where they fit.”
Lilah put her elbows on her knees and her face in her hands. She rubbed her hands across her skin tightly to grotesquely move distort her face in frustration. “That’s even more confusing.”
“Vampires and werewolves existed before the Elements came. They just had various myths and legends associated with them, but weren’t actually real,” her mom tried to explain it better.
Air: The Elementals: Book One Page 7
