Becoming Elemental

by Ryann Elizabeth

  As the professor was explaining how to multiply polynomials, I snuck a peek at Chase. He was still staring at me with a hateful look on his face. I turned back around quickly. I didn’t understand why he hated me so much. Was he friends with the guys who attacked me? The week could not get any weirder.

  Finally, the class was over, so I grabbed my backpack and headed toward the door. I didn’t see Chase and assumed he went out the other door. As I exited the math building, I saw him. He was standing with four other guys, each one hotter than the next. I quickly turned to walk the opposite way even though it wasn’t the direction of my next class. Luckily, I had an hour before my biology class and could take the long way.

  From behind me, I heard my name being called, but I ignored it and walked faster. Someone grabbed my arm from behind and spun me around. I was now face-to-face, well face-to-chest, with what looked like a big, scary biker. I started to struggle out of his hold when a brown-haired guy who looked like a professional GQ model walked up. “Breanna, we are not here to hurt you. We just want to talk to you,” the brunette guy said.

  I relaxed a little, because what else could I do at that point? I was surrounded by five of the most beautiful men I had ever seen. Aside from being distracted by their looks, the fact that there were five of them towering over me made struggling pretty pointless. I turned in a circle, looking at all of them. In addition to Scary Biker Guy, who was also gorgeous upon closer inspection, with his jet-black hair and dark brown eyes, there was the one with brown hair and kind, sea green eyes, Chase, a guy with blond hair and extremely light blue eyes, and one with brown hair and what looked like gold eyes.

  The one with kind eyes also had dimples, which I could now see as he smiled at me. “Breanna, we just want to talk to you. Sorry if we scared you,” he said while glaring at Scary Biker Guy. Scary Biker Guy just shrugged.

  “Okay,” I said. “What do you want to talk to me about? The fact that I was attacked last night and Surfer Dude over there threatens me right after? Or the fact that he has not been in my algebra class until today and all he did the entire time is glare at me? Or do you want to talk about the fact that Scary Biker Guy over there just grabbed me? Hmm, what topic would you like to discuss? Because I am open to any of them.”

  “First of all, let me introduce myself, my name is Bryce Hampton and these are my friends. Chase, you already know. Scary Biker Guy, as you called him, is Harrison. Then there is Mason and Carter,” Bryce said. Mason was the one with the really light blue eyes. I didn’t even know it was possible to have eyes that light. I wondered if he wore colored contacts. The one with the gold eyes was Carter. What is up with these guys having such beautiful eyes?

  Chase stepped forward, still glaring at me, and said, “What are you and what are you doing here?” Bryce gave him a look, but didn’t say anything.

  “My name is Breanna Hunter and I am a freshman here,” I said. “I thought we covered this last night? Or did you forget about being an asshole already?”

  “Oh no, I remember. And trust me when I say I enjoyed every second of it,” Chase said through gritted teeth. Bryce pushed him back and stepped in closer to me.

  “I’m sorry about Chase. He tends to get a little aggressive when he meets someone he doesn’t know. Where are you from and why can’t we tell what you are?”

  Are all of these guys mental? What in the world is he talking about? What I am? These guys were crazier than I was and I needed to get the hell away from them.

  “I am a normal person just like everyone else and I would appreciate it if you would leave me alone!” I yelled at them. I tried to walk away, but Chase stepped in front of me, stopping my progress.

  “Just answer the question,” Chase growled.

  “I did!” I said as I threw my hands up. “I have no idea what you want me to say.” I started to get really loud and others were noticing. Apparently, we were getting more attention than they wanted, because they backed off a little.

  Bryce looked at me and said, “I’m sorry again if we scared you. We just don’t understand what’s going on. We’ll leave you alone now. Again, I‘m sorry for scaring you.” Each of them gave Bryce a frustrated look, but they all walked away from me and toward the parking lot. I continued to stand there staring after them, looking confused and bewildered, because I was. What in the hell was wrong with them? I walked to my biology class in a fog.

  After biology class, which I paid no attention in, I wandered to the courtyard to grab lunch. While eating and not tasting my club sandwich, Bryce sat down next to me. “Ugh, what now?” I asked as I threw my hands up.

  Bryce didn’t look mad or irritated at all. He looked really sweet and adorable, smiling at me with those heaven-sent dimples, and I couldn’t help but relax a little. “I wanted to speak to you without all the guys around. I thought it might be a better way to approach you.”

  “You think?” I said sarcastically.

  “Chase told us what happened last night. Are you okay?”

  “Yes, I am fine.”

  “I’m glad. Can you tell me your side of what happened?”

  “Sure, if it will get you to leave me alone.” He smirked at my statement. “I was walking back to my room from the library when two guys tried to drag me into the woods. I pushed them away and ran to my dorm. Chase caught up with me and gave me my backpack that I had dropped. The end.”

  “So you just pushed two grown men away from you and ran?”

  “Yep, that about sums it up.”

  Bryce narrowed his eyes and said, “There is more to this than you are saying. How did you really get away from them?”

  “I just told you. I pushed away from them and ran.”

  “Chase said he saw them fly through the air and then get knocked out against a tree. Can you explain that?”

  I hadn’t been sure Chase was close enough to see that, but apparently he had been. I had no idea how to explain it, so I lied, “Chase must have been hallucinating, because there is no way I could have done that. I really just want to put this behind me, so can you please drop it?”

  “Breanna, please be honest with me. Trust me when I say I will understand. We have more in common than you think.”

  “I really don’t know what else to tell you. What I told you is what happened.” I was starting to get really nervous. I could tell he knew I wasn’t giving him the whole story. I had hoped things like this would stop happening since I moved across the country, but I guess I wasn’t that lucky. Sadly, I would always be the weird girl.

  “Breanna, I really need you to be honest with me. I can tell you are scared, but I can help you. There is something different about you, isn’t there? And you have no idea what it is? Am I right so far?”

  “I have no idea what you are talking about. I am a regular girl trying to get through her first year of college.”

  “You are more than that and you know it,” Bryce said with accusing eyes. “Chase saw you throw two adult men about twenty feet, knocking them out completely.”

  Blushing, I looked up at him, “Again, I don’t know what you are talking about.”

  “Yes, you do. I don’t know why you are lying about it. We are Elementals and know about the supernatural world.”

  WHAT? Elementals? What in the world is that? I was about to start freaking out.

  “Relax. Let me explain,” Bryce said as he placed his hand on my arm. “Elementals are similar to humans, but we have gifts that they do not. There are earth, air, water, fire, and animal Elementals.”

  “So you are saying you’re not human?” I whispered. This guy is off his rocker! Wow, his hand is so warm on my arm. It’s really soothing. He has such strong hands. Focus, Bre!

  “Yes, that is exactly what I am saying. This is not the place to discuss it, though, with so many human ears around. I guess you weren’t raised in a supernatural environment, huh? I will tell you everything, but not here. Come to our house tonight and I will answer all of your questions.”

 
“I am not going to your house alone! You really are crazy if you think I’ll do that!”

  “Well, then I guess you will never know how you can throw grown men through the air and many of the other unexplainable things that have probably happened in your life,” Bryce said while shrugging. He had my attention and he knew it.

  “I don’t have a car, so there is no way for me to get there anyway,” I explained.

  “Don’t worry. Between the five of us, we have seven cars. One of us can drive you,” Bryce countered. “I promise that you will not be harmed in any way. You will be able to leave whenever you want and we will answer any questions you have. If we wanted to kidnap or harm you, we could have earlier today. Aside from Harrison grabbing your arm and Chase being a royal asshole, no one did anything to hurt you. We will be on our best behavior, I promise,” Bryce said while holding up three fingers.

  “You were in the boy scouts?”

  “Ha ha! After my heartfelt promise and telling you that you are not human, you focus on me holding my fingers up. You crack me up!” Bryce said while laughing hysterically.

  “It’s not that funny.” I fake-glared at him. “I guess I am just used to being different, so while the whole supernatural thing is a surprise, it’s not totally out of my realm of possibilities and that is frightening.”

  “Come to the house and let us explain. We can help you,” Bryce pleaded.

  He had such an earnest look on his face that it made me want to trust him. And, he was right about the fact that they could have taken me plenty of times over the last twenty-four hours. What do I have to lose? I need to know what is going on with me. “Okay, I will come to your house, but you will not manhandle me or yell at me.”

  “Deal!” Bryce said enthusiastically. “You are done with classes for today, right?”

  “How do you know that?” I asked accusingly.

  “Chase investigated you last night after meeting you. As I will explain later, we can sense other Elementals and Chase couldn’t sense you. He thought you might be a demon. Any time we have encountered one of them, they have attacked and tried to kill us.”

  “You can sense Elementals? What does that even mean? And is demons a euphemism for something?”

  He looked directly in my eyes and said in a really serious voice, “No, it’s not.”

  A chill ran down my spine, because I could sense he was telling the truth. “Oh, okay,” I said, sounding more normal than I felt right then. “Yes, that was my last class of the day.”

  “Great! Do you want to come over now? I have my car here and can drive you,” Bryce stated.

  “Sure, I guess.” My head was telling me I should be more nervous than I was at that moment, but everything else about him made me feel safe. There was something about him that felt right. Maybe I was losing my mind.

  “Follow me.” We headed toward the parking lot and I was curious about what kind of car he had. I believed what kind of car you drove said a lot about you. We continued walking through the parking lot until he stopped at the passenger door of a silver 2016 Aston Martin V8 Vantage.

  “Holy shit! This is one of the most beautiful cars in the world. I have always wanted to ride in one of these,” I almost screamed at him.

  Bryce just chuckled and said, “I guess you get your wish today!” He closed my door after I got in, walked around the car, and ducked in.

  “Well, if I am getting kidnapped or killed today, at least I’ll be doing it in style!” I said jokingly.

  “There you go, looking at the bright side! There is hope for you yet!” Bryce said, showing those damn dimples again.

  Chapter 3

  We arrived at what could only be described as a mansion. The two-story, gray limestone house looked like a small castle. The entryway was gated, with a circular cobblestone driveway surrounding a beautiful fountain just past the gate. Off to the right was an enormous garage that looked like it could hold ten cars. I guess with seven cars between them, they needed the space. Bryce parked in the third bay of the garage and got out. I followed his lead and walked with him toward the house. As we entered the two-story foyer with light gray marble floors, I was shocked by the grandeur of the house. In the back of the foyer, there was a stunning wooden staircase that led up to curved balconies on either side. There was a crystal chandelier that had to be at least fifteen feet tall. I would hate to be the one to clean that!

  We veered off to the left and around a corner into the kitchen. It was a chef’s delight. There were white marble countertops with dark hardwood floors and beige cabinets. The island had to be at least ten feet long and four feet wide. The room looked massive, but felt cozy. Once I lifted my jaw off of the floor, I noticed that all of the guys were sitting around a large round kitchen table. Chase gave his usual glare before walking out of the room. I looked to the others and noticed that they looked intrigued and confused, but not menacing. Even the scary one, Harrison, I think it was, looked somewhat approachable. Well, as approachable as a hot, scary biker guy can look.

  Bryce led me over to one of the chairs and I sat down. All of them were staring at me with strange looks on their faces. “Uh, hi again,” I mumbled.

  Bryce started the discussion. “I guess Chase is not going to join us. Breanna, I am going to tell you some things that will sound crazy, but everything I say is true, okay?”

  “I’m listening.” My heart was about to beat out of my chest. I wasn’t sure if it was because I was afraid of what Bryce was about to say, or because I was surrounded by four really hot guys.

  “As I told you before, we are Elementals. I am an Earth Elemental and can manipulate the earth. I can do little things like making plants grow larger up to creating small earthquakes. Mason is a Water Elemental, which means he can manipulate water. He is able to make the water do whatever he wants. Harrison is a Fire Elemental and Chase is an Air Elemental. Carter is an Animal Elemental. He is able to connect with animals and take on some traits of his spirit animal. We have a community of Elementals that is ruled by our King and his council called the Elders. Elementals have regular human jobs, like police officers, that help keep us hidden. We also have some in the government to keep an eye on things. All Elementals are trained at a young age to protect our people. Demons attack our community to steal our gifts and we fight them. Going to college and acting like normal humans helps us blend in. We thought you were an Air Elemental like Chase, but we can sense other Elementals and we cannot sense you. So that most likely makes you a witch or a demon.”

  “A demon?” I yelled. “I am out of here. Bryce, please take me home. You are the hottest and craziest guys I have ever met.”

  “Just wait a second,” Bryce said while laughing at me.

  “It’s not funny. You guys are talking about controlling the elements, and demons and witches. You are insane. Please just take me home,” I pleaded.

  “Calm down. Part of being an Earth Elemental means that I can sense dark magic and you do not have any inside of you, so you are not a demon. That would leave you being a witch, but witches are taught magic and usually have to do spells. You couldn’t have done what you did without someone teaching it to you or conducting a spell. So I don’t think you are a witch either. Have other unexplainable things happened before?” Bryce asked.

  “Maybe,” I said, reluctant to elaborate. They all looked at me expectantly. “Fine! Things like that happen to me all the time. I remember one time when I was really young, I was swimming in the lake and I started to sink. I was sure I was going to drown, but all of a sudden I was pushed to the surface. I looked all around to see who saved me, but there was no one close to me. My dad was frantically swimming toward me, but he wasn’t near enough to get to me,” I admitted. “Another time, I got lost in the woods and it felt like the forest showed me the way back. I just figured I had a really great sense of direction, but if that was the case, I wouldn’t have gotten lost in the first place.”

  “I have an idea, but I think we should test it out before
I tell you,” Bryce said, looking like he was deep in thought.

  “What do you mean ‘test it out’?” I asked warily.

  “Just trust me. We won’t do anything that would harm you. I just want you to try a few things. This could tell us what you are. Mason, get a glass of water and show her what you can do.” Mason looked at him like he was crazy, but he proceeded to get up and get a glass. When he came back to the table, he looked at me and smiled. All of a sudden, Mason’s eyes seemed to glow and the water in the glass started to rise. The water rose out of the glass and hovered above it. It formed into a heart shape, then, just as quickly as it had risen, it sunk back down into the glass. At the same time, his eyes turned back to their normal ice-blue color.

  “Wow! That is incredible and a little freaky,” I said.

  “Thanks, Breanna! You should see what I can do with a pond or lake full of water!” Mason said proudly.

  “I would love to see that someday. But please call me Bre. Breanna is only used when I am in trouble,” I said, smiling. Seeing Mason do something so amazing was wonderful. I couldn’t remember the last time I really smiled.

  “Now you try it,” Bryce said. The others, including myself, looked at him like he was crazy.

  “Bryce, you know only bonded Elementals can have more than one gift,” Carter interjected.

  “What is a bonded Elemental?” I asked, curious.

  “Bonded Elementals are Elementals that have bonded to each other and can now share gifts. Unlike human relationships, we usually have more than one life partner. Most of the bonded are groups of three, but I’ve heard of others that consisted of four or five members. I’m not sure if there are really five members, though. It could just be a myth,” Bryce said.

  Shocked and probably a nice shade of red, I asked, “Are some of you guys bonded to each other then?” Hysterical laughter boomed throughout the room as each of the four guys started laughing so hard they cried. “Did I say something wrong?”