“Oh my God.” It was like the history was repeating itself, except this time elementals were the ones being hunted down and not carriers and element preservers. I shot to my feet. “My parents might be in danger. I have to warn them... Elemontera must have found out about me somehow, so they attacked the house. I thought it was some guy, Marlau... he has some unresolved business with my mom’s friend, but if this was all about me... I can’t let some stupid secret organization kill my parents because of me!” I ran for the door.
“Moira, wait!” Jaiden yelled after me and sharp pain split my skull. I stopped, unable to make another step. My head was pounding as if someone was banging my head against the wall. “We don’t know if Elemontera is the one behind the attack, but you shouldn’t do anything until we know for sure.” He got up, his hands tucked in the pockets of his gray jeans.
I blinked through the tears that were clouding my vision. What the hell was going on?
“Come here,” he said, and I stumbled forward. “You’re strong. I like that.”
I gaped at him. “What are you...?” The pain disappeared as fast as it had come.
“I told you some of us were far more dangerous than anyone could imagine, especially air elementals,” he said casually. “You know, there are ways to drive your element into someone’s brain and tweak their thoughts just a little.” A twisted smile curled his lips.
“That’s impossible,” I said, even though what I’d just experienced was anything but impossible. If he could do that, then he could force anyone to do whatever he wanted. That thought terrified me to the core of my being. I was beginning to understand Elemontera’s point. “How many of us can do that? The mind control thing?”
He looked away. “I don’t know. Only me so far. Normal people can’t sense it when I do it, though, but our kind can, so don’t worry that I’m controlling your mind without your knowledge,” he smirked.
My knees threatened to give way under me. I rubbed my temple, closing my eyes. “Can you read minds too?”
“Would be a nice ability, but no. I can’t.”
“Can’t you just force the bad guys to go away?” If I sent Jaiden to Ria’s house, he could mind-control the guys who were spying on the house and get them to leave. My family and I could get out of there safely before the guys realized what was wrong.
“I wish.” He scratched his neck. “But if they’re from Elemontera, they’re protected against me.”
“How?” It was hard to believe they were all like us and had incredibly strong elements.
“They captured me once and developed a device to block me out.” His face was empty of all emotion. “I got lucky and escaped, but I can’t fight them anymore.”
My eyebrows shot up. “But you know more about them, don’t you? They haven’t captured the rest of us. We could go after them, take them down, and make sure they don’t hurt anyone anymore.”
“You’re making it sound like it’s so easy, but it’s not. You can’t even control your elements properly, let alone fight Elemontera,” he grinned. “But I appreciate your enthusiasm.”
Kenna appeared out of nowhere, leaning on the doorframe and looking bored out of her mind. “Are you done?”
“I believe we are,” Jaiden said. “Moira, tell Noah to start your training. If you want to face Elemontera one day, you better start now.”
I gave him a brief nod and walked past Kenna, who was still not done using her nastiest glare on me. What was she afraid of? That it would turn out I had stronger elements than her? The sole thought of annoying her gave me so much pleasure that I was even more interested in my training. Kenna could prove to be very useful. Who would have thought?
Chapter 12
“You’re doing it wrong.” Noah covered his face with his hand and let out a long sigh. It was our third training session and, like the ones before it, it wasn’t looking promising.
“Then how am I supposed to do it?” I adjusted my ponytail, accidentally tugging out a couple of hairs. “Maybe my element isn’t strong enough for this. Jaiden told me we were all different.”
“This is just the beginning. I didn’t know much when I got here.” He shrugged. “I don’t know how powerful your elements are, but I’m sure you can do better than this.”
I’d been trying to turn my hand, or at least one finger, invisible, but so far I’d only managed to frustrate myself. “So how did you find this group? Are you from the city?”
“Jaiden found me, actually. I was on the run from Elemontera after they captured my sister and I had nowhere to go, so I hid on the streets, hoping they wouldn’t find a way to capture me too. For some reason, the devices they adapted for her didn’t work on me. She didn’t have three elements, so that might have something to do with that.” His face was somber, his hand briefly turning invisible. “When Jaiden first appeared in front of me, I attacked him because I thought he was one of them. But he brushed me off like a pesky fly and promised to teach me more about my elements and keep me safe. I agreed, so he brought me here. That was two years ago.”
“And your sister...?”
“Dead. I suppose she couldn’t take it anymore. Jaiden and I planned to get her out. It was an elaborate and risky plan, but when I finally got to her...” His voice broke, his chest rapidly rising and falling. “She had found a piece of glass somewhere and she...”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have...” I swallowed past the lump in my throat.
A sad smile spread his lips. “Why are you so intent on learning how to become invisible? We could start from something easier.”
“When I asked you about it earlier today, you said learning new abilities was equally hard.” I had many reasons to want to learn the ability to become invisible before any other. If no one could see me, then I could go visit my parents. Not to mention that invisibility was the best way to keep me safe from those who wanted to harm me.
“I know, but you’re not getting anywhere, so maybe invisibility is not one of your abilities.”
I cut him a glare, even more determined to prove him wrong. Focusing on my hand, I pushed with all of my strength at my element, but at the same time tried to force it to stay within me and not cause a tornado. The training room was element-proof and consisted only of bare walls, so it wasn’t like I could destroy something, but I still didn’t want to lose control and make Noah think I was incompetent.
Instead of turning invisible, my hand burst into fire, but it wasn’t any fire. It was the elusive blue fire that I’d seen only once. Noah’s eyes widened, his mouth hanging open.
“What is that?” He pointed at the fire that was slowly traveling up my arm.
Marissa gasped from the doorway, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she strutted over to me. “It’s so pretty.”
“Umm, thanks. I guess.” I didn’t think blue fire had any special use, but a part of me was glad that I could create it again on my own.
“I suppose your fire has never gone blue? Not even in the early stages?” Noah raised his eyebrows at Marissa.
She shook her head, her red hair bouncing around her shoulders. “I think I know what’s going on.” Her gray eyes met mine. “You’re using fire and air at the same time, and for some reason that’s turning your fire blue.”
A frown line creased my brow. “I’m not sure about that. I mean, wouldn’t air simply make my fire stronger, not blue?”
“You didn’t drink any alcohol, did you?” Noah gave me a wide grin.
Marissa pursed her lips together. “Our elements are not like normal ones. They’re tainted. Anything can happen.”
“Tainted?” I chuckled. “Is that a synonym for improved these days?”
“Elemontera calls them that,” Marissa said.
“Did everyone here have a close encounter with Elemontera?” I pulled my blue fire back into my body. Maybe Marissa was right. I’d been trying to use air, and fire popped out, so it was possible that the two of them had mixed somehow.
“Kind of, ye
ah.” Marissa rubbed her arms as if she were cold.
“Does that mean you have a plan to take Elemontera down? Is this why you train here?” I asked. Noah and Marissa shared a look.
“We’re in hiding, actually,” Marissa said. “This is the safest place for us. Carriers can’t sense us, so they can’t track us down. The whole island is remote and visits are regulated, so it’s harder for Elemontera to get here and monitor everything without explaining themselves to the carriers who oversee the island. No one knows about these tunnels, and if someone comes here, they won’t find their way to us easily.”
“But you’re planning to fight back, right? You can’t live here forever. How do you even survive?” I’d seen stacks of food in the kitchen when Noah had taken me there to get some breakfast, but surely all of the food had to come from somewhere. “Do you go out?”
“Maybe one day,” Noah said. “We’re not ready to fight yet.”
“The boys usually go out to bring food when they’re sure no one is watching,” Marissa said. “We do go out occasionally, especially to observe the ferries.”
“Do you ever leave Roivenna?” I hadn’t been down here for long, but I was already getting claustrophobic.
“Nope.” Noah put his hands in the pockets of his blue jeans.
“Jaiden does,” Marissa chimed in. “He’s the only one who can fly from Roivenna to the city.”
“Really?” My mouth fell open, and Noah’s whole body twitched.
“I’m still in the process of learning how to fly on longer distances,” he said, staring at the ground.
“I’m sure you’ll figure it out.” I gave him an encouraging pat on the shoulder and the corners of his lips quirked up. Focusing once again on my hand, I closed my eyes and let my air envelop me.
“Is it working?” I mumbled, afraid that if I opened my eyes, I’d somehow mess up everything.
“Nope,” Noah said. “But you might want to put out the fire.”
“Fire?” My eyes flew open and, surely enough, there was blue fire on my arm again. I let out a frustrated sigh, glaring at my arm. “Great. When I needed you, stupid fire, you didn’t show up! Now I can’t get rid of you.”
“I don’t think talking to your fire will help,” a voice behind my back said. I turned around and saw Jaiden leaning against the doorframe.
“Then what will, Mr. Expert?” My lips spread into a small smile.
“Nothing,” he said calmly. “If you can’t do something, then you can’t.”
I tensed, heat flushing through my whole body. “You can’t know what I can and can’t do.”
“Are you sure about that?” Amusement sparkled in his dark eyes as he gave me a look under his eyebrows. Was he referring to his ability to control someone’s mind? Could he really sense my abilities?
“Jaiden...” Noah licked his lips, shaking his head. “You’re so not helping!”
Jaiden shrugged and turned to leave. I chewed on my lip, wondering if he was right. Maybe I was wrong to think I could learn how to control my air perfectly without learning how to control my fire first. “Marissa,” I said, facing the red-haired girl. “Maybe we should try to do some things with fire.”
Marissa nodded, but Noah took a step toward me and placed his warm hand on my cheek.
“Don’t let him get you down. I swear you can learn this,” he said, his tone gentle.
“It’s okay, really.” I offered him a weak smile. “We can try the invisibility thing later.”
“As you wish.” He pulled back, his hand dropping to his side. Marissa called to her element, both of her arms turning into fire like mine had done. Only a second later, the fire was gone. If only I could feel my fire, I might be able to do the same and switch between fire and air within a heartbeat. Hopefully, that wasn’t as hard to learn as turning invisible.
Chapter 13
Every muscle in my body protested in pain as I made my way across the room. After we got tired of practicing with our elements, Noah had decided to teach me how to defend myself in case my elements were incapacitated. I’d never felt more out of shape.
When I was sure no one was watching me, I grabbed the phone off the shelf, glad that Kenna hadn’t taken it back. Slipping the phone into my pocket, I headed to my room, which consisted of a single bed, closet, and a small desk. No ornaments or pictures could be found on the metal walls, but there was a small opening for the ventilation. The room couldn’t be more claustrophobic. I had no idea if Kenna’s phone was special, but somehow it still had signal, even when I closed myself in my tiny metal box of a room.
I held my breath as I dialed my mom’s number, hoping she’d pick up. I needed to know if someone had managed to force the attackers to leave the island. My mom had said someone was on their way to help, but I wanted to be sure.
“Hello?” my mom said cautiously.
“Mom, it’s me.” I breathed out a sigh of relief.
“Hey, honey. How are you?”
“I’m fine. Is everything alright?”
“Yeah,” she said. “We’re no longer in danger. Ria and her friends took care of it.”
“What did the attackers want?”
“They were after Ria.”
I frowned, hoping she’d elaborate, but she didn’t. “Okay. Umm, so does that mean I can come back to the house?”
“Honey... I think you should stay with your new friends for a while. I came up with a theory about your elements, but I have to do some research in the city. And since you can’t come with me, it’s better that you stay where you are and maybe learn something important that only someone like you can teach you.”
I plopped down on the bed, chewing on my lip. “How long do you plan to be gone?”
“I won’t be long. Promise,” she said.
“What about Dad?” If he stayed, I’d rather be with him at Ria’s place than in this claustrophobic den.
“He’s coming with me too.”
“Oh.”
“Is something wrong?” Suspicion filled my mom’s voice. “If you don’t want to stay with those elementals...”
“No, everything’s fine. It’s just...” I ran a hand through my hair. “I don’t really like it here, but I guess I can stay for a couple of more days until you come back.” My parents would come for me immediately if I told them to. I was sure of it. But I’d only cause problems if I went with them back to the city, especially now that I knew about Elemontera. I wasn’t ready to face Elemontera and I sure as hell didn’t want to put my parents in danger. “Can I come see you before you leave?” I’d find a way to get past everyone.
“No, better not. We’re going early in the morning and I don’t want you to rush here for nothing. We’ll see you soon. Don’t worry.”
“So what exactly are you researching?” It had to be very important or my mom wouldn’t be rushing back to the city without even seeing me.
“Something about your fire, but I don’t want to tell you anything right now because I don’t have all the facts. Don’t want you to get excited for nothing.”
“You always say that!” I said, annoyed. “Listen, I have a lot to tell you. It seems that my elements are not unusual at all and that I can do some awesome...”
“Honey, we’ll talk about this some other time. Someone could be listening to us.” She coughed and mumbled something that sounded like, on your end.
“Right.” I took a deep breath. “I just have so many things to tell you.”
“You will. I have to go now,” she said, her tone light. “I love you, honey.”
“I love you too, Mom, but please be careful. Many people would love to get their hands on special elementals and their families.”
“I will.” She ended the call and I was left staring at the phone.
A strange weight settled in my chest. My mom always wanted to know everything that happened to me, and I was sure she’d be particularly interested in what I’d learned about elementals like me. Wouldn’t that knowledge help her with what
ever she was planning to research? Maybe I already knew the answers to her questions. I was about to call her again and ask, but finally decided against it. She was right. Someone could always be listening in to us, so it was better to say as little as possible. I’d have an opportunity to tell my mom everything and compare notes once she got back. My anxiety must have something to do with the fact that my parents and I had never spent so much time apart. Yeah, that had to be it. I hoped I was right.
“You’re doing great,” Noah said, panting, after my kick to his leg knocked him to the ground. “Much better.”
We’d been practicing close combat for the past hour because Noah thought I needed to be in shape and ready to fight without my elements. A gust of air hit me in the chest, sending me backward. I raised an eyebrow at Noah. “Hey! You said no elements!”
He hopped to his feet, a grin spreading his lips. “Oops. Did I?”
“Yeah, you did.” I sent a blast of wind at him, but he dodged it. As I rushed him, he turned into air, flashing back behind my back and placing his arms around me. “So not fair,” I said, and stepped hard on the inside of his foot, making him yelp. “I can’t turn into air.”
“When did you have a fair fight with your enemy?” Noah said.
I twisted out of his grip, facing him. He took a swing at me, but I ducked and hit him in the stomach with my air.
His back hit the wall and he grimaced. “Whoa, easy there, Moira.”
The corners of my lips tilted up. “Does that mean I win?” I batted my eyelashes at him.
“This time only.” He lifted his dark blue shirt and rubbed circles over his stomach, his breathing ragged. My attack had left a light red spot on his taut muscles. I had to bite my lip to keep a pleased smile off my face.
Different (Tainted Elements Book 1) Page 7
