by Mia Hoddell
Sighing he settled himself on the rock as if it was going to be a long story.
“Fine you’re right,” he muttered in defeat.
“When you told me about the fire I knew instantly that the chances of it being natural were slim to none so I got in my car. I drove to yours as fast as possible, hoping I would make it in time. You see the only way to kill an Elemental is to shoot it right at the core of its power, which in their case is the base of their feet, so no matter what the firefighters did, they wouldn’t be able to stop it.” He glanced down at me but I was lying back on the rock, staring at the sky again, only noticing a brief movement out of the corner of my eye.
“When I got there it was terrible, the men were struggling to keep the wall of flames under control and there was no way into the forest where they were. I had to go all the way round to find a way in but thankfully it was close to where the fire Elemental was. Once I shot it I left so the firefighters could finish the job and came to find you.”
“Um this may sound stupid but how do you shoot a spirit?”
He laughed a bit at my question but I just frowned at him. That shut him up pretty quickly and he resumed explaining.
“Well physically from the waist up they look like us, only they have less detail as their element decides their colouring, orange for fire, blue water, purple air and green for earth. From the waist down, where their legs should be is basically a ball of energy that looks like their element. The fire Elemental is surrounded by flames, which are most prominent at its feet. That’s where you shoot it. Technically the bullet would go through it but as it passes through, it causes a surge of energy that the creature can’t cope with, causing the bullet to burn up and the Elemental to die. Therefore it is consumed by the energy of its element. For example the fire Elemental I shot dissolved into a ball of flames then vanished.”
I was even more confused now and it was all starting to get too much for me.
“You don’t believe me do you? I can see it on your face.”
It wasn’t really a question and to be honest I didn’t have an answer as I was still unsure what I believed so remained quiet. Thankfully he too remained quiet while I tried to gather my thoughts. When I was ready again I sat up and faced him for the first time since arriving.
“OK so just to sum up so far; you’re an Elemental Killer working for a section in the government but all they do is pay you. Elementals are spirits that are trying to take their land back by killing us and that’s what happened to my dad. Oh and you kill Elementals by shooting them.”
He smiled at my very brief version. “Those are the basics yes.”
I shivered slightly as I hadn’t realise how late it was and it was getting pretty cold with the sea breeze hitting us constantly. Kai pulled me against his chest, the warmth that radiated from it feeling good against my back.
“Is there anything else you want to know before we go?”
Only a few hundred things, I thought.
“So how do you know where to go? I mean if there’s something that needs to be taken care of.” I felt his chest vibrate with a slight laugh.
“Phones of course.”
I had to laugh also at my stupidity then and it was the first time since my dad’s death I felt safe, even though I’d found out it was something much bigger than all of us and I was with a guy who just told me he was a killer.
“How many of you lot are there and how many of them?”
“I don’t know about them but there are twenty of us.”
I knew I was asking random questions and there was no order to them but I was just asking them as soon as I thought of them. I wasn’t sure I wanted every tiny detail anyway.
We sat in silence for a moment, just watching the sun set. I felt comfortable sat in his strong arms.
“Kai? What happened to your family?”
I felt his sigh, more than heard it as his lips were pressed against my hair.
“I was wondering when you were going to get to that. If I say they were killed by Elementals is that enough? Or do you want details?”
He sounded so sad yet angry at the same time I decided it was enough and that I too was out of questions.
“Shall we go then?” I nodded and we made our way slowly back to his car.
* * * *
I didn’t know where Kai planned on staying the night but everything was cleared up when he booked us into a small, local hotel. Once again he surprised me as he pulled out a huge wad of cash to pay. He just shrugged as he noticed my face but thankfully I wasn’t the only one. The receptionist also had a shocked expression on her face as she eyed the money.
As soon as we entered the room, I felt myself grow quite nervous about the prospect of staying in a room on my own with Kai.
“I’m going to take a shower,” I said, grabbing the overnight bag I had packed that morning. This was mostly just so I could get away from Kai and gather my nerves.
When I got out of the shower I found Kai lying shirtless on the single bed that was closest to the window. He was watching the standard small T.V that comes in most hotel rooms. I gasped as I saw his half naked form, my sound drawing his attention to me. He had a smug grin on his face, obviously pleased with the way he affected me. My eyes gazed over his strong, well defined abs that looked better than a super model’s and now that there was no shirt obstructing my view I could see just how good looking he was.
“See something you like?”
My cheeks flushed and I turned to rummage for my pyjamas so I didn’t have to stand in front of him in just a towel. Thankfully while I had my back turned he sneaked into the shower and by the time he returned I was snuggled up under the covers of my bed. I was going to pretend to be asleep but when I saw his perfect body covered in droplets of water it took all my strength not to stare and I blushed every time he caught me.
Jumping into his own bed he got comfy then turned on his side so he was facing me.
“How you holding up? You look kind of pale from here.” He had propped himself up with his one arm and I was grateful that the sheet was hiding his body so I could form a coherent sentence.
“I’m just about holding it together, I rang my mum though and she isn’t. I feel so bad for leaving her right now but I can’t be around her when she’s constantly crying, as it makes me too and I don’t want to do that.”
“I understand, but sometimes crying is the best thing Rea. What about your feelings for me? Do you still want to continue this now you know what I do?” He looked more vulnerable than I had ever seen him as he asked that question and as I drew out the silence his eyes looked sad.
“Of course I do, I mean look at you.” I teased, trying to lighten the mood, I was fed up of being down.
Our conversation was then interrupted by a loud buzzing noise.
“It’s yours, mines switched off,” he said as he lay back and stared at the ceiling.
Grabbing my phone I saw my mum’s number on the screen and dread filled me. I had only spoken to her half an hour ago so she shouldn’t have been calling again.
“What’s wrong mum?” I could hear her snivelling on the other end of the line.
“The police have identified the body that was found in the forest...it...it was...” I heard the phone hit the floor as a cold numbness spread through me, I had already admitted to myself that my dad was dead but hearing it confirmed was different.
“Rea? Are you still there.” My aunt’s voice came over the phone and by the sound of it, she too was crying.
“Yeah I’m here. It was Dad wasn’t it, that’s what she was trying to tell me,” I managed to choke out.
“Yes, I’m so sorry Rea.” Silent tears were making their way down my face as I felt the bed dip with the weight of Kai climbing on it.
“I’ve got to go help your mum, are you going to be okay?” She sounded strained as she spoke.
“Yeah Chloe’s here,” I said as Kai’s strong arms embraced me, holding me against his muscular chest, th
e heat soothing me as I hung up. Neither of us spoke for the rest of the night. Kai just held me, slowly rocking as I sobbed into his chest, crying myself to sleep.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The morning sun that crept in through the curtains the next day awoke me as the curtains were slightly parted. It took me awhile to notice that I was not alone and as I felt the well defined chest under my cheek my breathing began to increase. His shirtless body felt warm and comforting against my skin but I was slightly embarrassed about being in bed with Kai, even if it had just been because I needed support. I closed my eyes, hoping he wouldn’t realise I was awake as I tried to get my breathing under control.
“Morning sleepy head. How you feeling?”
Damn, I thought. His greeting didn’t stop me from trying to pretend to be asleep though. Instead of replying I stayed silent, hoping he wouldn’t notice how rigid my body had become at the sound of his voice.
“You can pretend all you want Rea, it doesn’t bother me one bit having you lying across my chest.”
He laughed while playing with my hair so it was fanned out above me. I groaned and tried to bury my face deeper into his chest, only to realise what I was doing and instantly pulled myself up into the sitting position.
“Aww spoil sport,” he teased as he reached for me but I just batted his hand away, feeling the heat start to rise in my cheeks.
“Honestly though, how are you feeling?”
“Hungry,” I said, avoiding what he really was asking.
“You really should take better care of your girlfriend you know. One cone of chips doesn’t class as a meal.” Thankfully he didn’t press the issue and laughed at my mock sternness.
“Let me have a shower then I’ll go get breakfast if you want.” The bed creaked as he got out and I couldn’t help but watch his muscles flex as he pulled out some clothes from his bag.
Once he was in the bathroom, and I could breathe properly again, I lay back in bed covering my face with my arm. What am I doing? I was in bed with a guy just as I found out my dad really was dead. Wow there really is no hope of him coming back now. Surprisingly I felt unusually at peace about the situation.
Now I knew the truth and spent a whole night crying it was like I had finally accepted the facts and my mind could rest. Don’t get me wrong I was missing my dad like crazy and I would have given anything to see him one last time, but a small part of me was reminding me it wasn’t possible. Automatically I fumbled for the necklace he gave me a few months ago. I hadn’t taken it off since and now it was the only thing I had left from him I doubted I’d ever remove it again.
Once Kai had come out of the bathroom I quickly ran into it so wouldn’t gawk at his half naked body, seeing as he’d only taken jeans into the shower. I seemed to spend hours in the bathroom thinking about my life problems and letting the water wash them away, but it didn’t bother me. The water felt good against my skin.
The slight knock on the door scared me as it brought me out of my thoughts and for a moment I was worried I hadn’t locked and believed Kai was going to walk in.
“Breakfast is ready if you want any,” he said while thankfully staying on the other side of the door.
“I’ll be out in a minute,” I called back while switching off the shower.
Kai was sat on his bed with a mouthful of pizza as he watched T.V. When I exited the bathroom his eyes fixed onto me and seemed to follow me where ever I moved.
“What?” I said, not confident enough to believe it was my looks that drew that reaction from him.
“You look good,” he mumbled around a mouthful of pizza.
“So where’s this breakfast?” He pointed to the open pizza box on the side cabinet that contained half of a cheese pizza.
“You bought cheese pizza for breakfast?” I asked astonished.
“Yeah why? Don’t tell me you’re one of those girls who doesn’t eat anything, I don’t like that.”
Laughing at his comment I took the rest of the pizza over to my bed, where I picked up a slice and began to eat.
When he thought I wasn’t looking Kai leaned over to try and snatch another slice but I slapped his hand away.
“Get off, this is my half. You should have bought a bigger pizza if you wanted more,” I said laughing at his exaggerated frown.
“Please... Just one more slice?” He held his hands out, fingers interlaced as he begged; drawing out the word. Groaning in mock anger I held the box out to him, offering him one of the remaining four slices. He mistook my action and grabbed the box off me.
“Hey you said one piece, not the whole box!”
He looked at me, his eyebrows arched in a silent challenge for me to go and get it.
“Fine keep it, I’m not hungry anymore anyway.” I folded my arms across my chest and returned to the T.V, ignoring him waving the pizza box in my direction.
“So what’s happening today?” I asked when he eventually finished my pizza.
“I was thinking of going to the beach again if you want?” He shrugged.
“Yeah sure but you owe me more than just chips this time. Especially because you stole my pizza.”
He laughed at my pout.
“Yeah okay fine.” He said as he pulled me out the door, both our bags already in his other hand
* * * *
The drive to the beach was short and quick, especially as Kai seemed to drive everywhere over the posted speed limit. As we pulled up into the same parking space and exited the car, I grabbed my camera once again before we began walking back to the same part of the deserted, pebble beach. I started to head for the rocks we sat on the day before but Kai grabbed my wrist.
“Nope, we’re going a bit further down the beach,” he said pulling me along.
As we stopped walking I saw the tiny beach covered in fine, golden sand.
“Thought you’d want to go somewhere comfier today.” He smiled as he lay a blanket down and sat cross legged on it waiting for me. I still felt a little awkward about this morning so I made sure to keep a gap between us as I sat on the opposite corner of the blanket.
“So was all that stuff you told me yesterday true?” I said after awhile. Now I had had a chance to process everything he told me it sounded pretty ridiculous.
“I knew you took it too well yesterday but yeah it was. I know it sounds crazy but I don’t know how else to say it.”
He looked deep in thought for a moment before pulling out his mobile from the front of his jean pocket.
“Here, take a look at the messages, they don’t prove much but it’s a start.”
I started scrolling through the numerous text messages. Most just had locations written on them but there were a few conversations asking if Kai had completed the task. I was trying to accept what he had told me and the messages helped slightly. Turning back to hand him the phone I noticed he was scrolling through photographs I had taken on my camera.
He caught me watching him and looked up.
“Sorry it was just lying there and I was curious.”
I just shrugged, it wasn’t like there was anything private on there and he had just trusted me with his phone.
“I don’t mind, they’re only pictures for my college work.” Smiling I watched him return back to flicking through them.
“Um Rea did you edit this picture?” I knew instantly which photo he had come across and regretted not deleting the image. Shuffling closer towards him I leaned over his shoulder to check and there in front of me was the image of the strange burning man.
“No I thought it was just something strange happening with the light, although I never actually saw anybody in the woods with me.”
He was shaking his head before I had even finished.
“Rea that’s not a man. In fact that thing isn’t even human. Looks like you got the proof you were after.” He grinned at me, holding up the camera so I could get a better view.
Sure enough, now I knew the truth, the figure looked exactly as Kai described. It had tinte
d orange skin and flames engulfed the figure, becoming more prominent towards the base of the creature. I exhaled loudly.
“You mean I’ve taken a picture of an Elemental? I knew there was something wrong with it when I saw it. It freaked me out but I didn’t think it would be so huge. Wait do you think that’s the same one who killed my dad?” Anger started to bubble up inside me as I saw the possible murderer.
“If it was it is dead now. I killed it remember?” he said as he wrapped his arm around my waist, squeezing me gently in reassurance. I nodded finally accepting what he told me but I really needed a distraction.
“I’m going for a swim,” I stated abruptly, standing up and walking towards the sea, shedding my clothes as I went, not giving myself enough time to think about the fact I was stood in front of Kai in just my underwear.
The water was cool and refreshing on the hot summer’s day and I felt like I could stay in there for hours, just letting the water soothe me. I had quickly learned not to look over at Kai as every time I did, I saw him propped up on his arms watching me with a satisfied smile. Instead I faced the vast amounts of water that glistened from the sunlight, wishing I could swim out but letting the fear of what lurked below the water stop me.
Finally when I saw my fingers had shrivelled up and now resembled raisins I decided it was time to head back. I was more nervous about getting out though. My previous confidence had deserted me and now I had to walk facing Kai. Then I realised I didn’t have a towel and knew I was going to have to lie in the sun to dry off. Walking up the beach, picking up my scattered clothes I tried to avert my eyes so I didn’t have to see him watching my every move.
“Enjoy your swim?” he asked, his eyes mostly fixated on my chest, and I could have sworn his breathing was a little ragged.
“Yeah the water’s great, just wish I had a towel.”
He laughed and said he would have given me the blanket if he wasn’t enjoying the view. That comment made my face turn a deep shade of crimson as I sat beside him self-consciously, trying to cover myself as much as possible with my clothes.
