Becoming Elemental

by Ryann Elizabeth

  “Calm down, Bre. It’s not what you think. Calm down, she’s just an old friend from primary school,” Chase said while still restraining me. I relaxed a little and the white ball disappeared, but I was still enraged. What is wrong with me? I am not even dating Bryce, but I can’t stop the feelings of possession I have over him. How dare she hug him! I started to get angry again and my hands started to glow white. Then, bam! Chase kissed me, hard.

  He had my face in both of his hands and was kissing me. After the shock wore off, I wrapped my arms around him and kissed him back. His lips felt so soft, but hard at the same time. My entire body felt limp and I struggled to stand on my own. He slowly pulled away and looked at me while still holding my face in his hands. He looked unsure, so I smiled at him and said, “Well, that’s one way to get my mind off of it!”

  Chase smiled and released me, “I thought you might like a distraction.” Mmmm, he can distract me any time. Holy shit! Chase just kissed me. Did he only do it to distract me or did he really want to? It felt real, at least for me.

  “Um, yeah, that works,” I mumbled. I still couldn’t think straight and if I didn’t sit down soon, I thought I might pass out. I walked over to a chair and sat down, waiting for an explanation. “Who is she?”

  “Her name is Alexis Boginskaya. She is originally from Romania, but moved to the States when she was really young and attended school with us. Elemental children attend an all-Elemental school until college. We have known her since kindergarten,” he explained.

  “Why is she here?” I asked. I tried not to sound angry, but I doubted I was pulling it off.

  “She is in the area looking at the college. She is thinking of attending next semester and wanted to see what we thought about it.”

  “How long will she be here?” I asked.

  “Um, well, she said something about hanging out for a couple of weeks to check out the college and catch up with us. Sheaskedifshecouldstaywithus,” he said the last part so quickly that I almost missed it.

  “She is staying here?”

  “Yes, we really didn’t have a choice. If another Elemental asks for your help, it is disrespectful to deny them,” Chase said.

  I was freaking out. She couldn’t find out about me, so I guessed I had to stay at the dorm again. After the first couple weeks of me staying over and displacing the guys from their rooms, they had ordered a bedroom suite for me and put it in one of the empty bedrooms. I had been staying in there for the last few days. I loved my room; they let me pick out everything. I chose a medium-colored wood king sleigh bed with a navy blue and white floral comforter, and we painted the walls a light blue. I had a matching dresser and a navy blue chaise that I loved to read in. There was also a desk with a white fabric chair for studying. I was looking for accessories earlier, but hadn’t quite decided what I wanted. It was starting to feel like my room. Now I would have to go back to the dorm and sleep in that crappy, tiny, hard bed alone. I would probably never sleep again. Ever since I fell asleep in Harrison’s room with him lying next to me, each of the guys had done the same every night. I could fall asleep so much easier when they were there. They never stayed the entire night, but knowing they were there when I drifted off made me feel safe and secure. It was also when I could talk to them privately and get to know them better. It was our special time. I started to feel anxious and began wringing my hands. Chase took my hands and started rubbing circles with his thumbs.

  “Don’t worry, we will get this figured out. We told her Carter had a human girlfriend that lived with us and went to the same school. That way, you can still stay here, but you will have to stay in Carter’s room each night. She will have to stay in your room,” Chase said.

  “What?! I don’t want her in my room!” I yelled.

  “Wow, possessive much?” Chase said, laughing. “It’ll be fine. There is really nowhere else she can stay unless you want her bunking with one of us.”

  “Oh, hell no!”

  “That’s what I thought. So you didn’t like her hugging Bryce, huh?”

  “No, I did not,” I replied.

  “Seems a bit over the top to try to kill her before you even meet her, though. What was up with that?”

  I pressed my forehead into my hands, “I don’t know, I just snapped. I saw her hugging him and my entire body became enraged. I actually might have killed her if you hadn’t dragged me away. I honestly don’t know where that anger came from, but it hit me like a ton of bricks. What is wrong with me, Chase? Bryce and I are just friends. I shouldn’t act like this.”

  “We have been talking and we think we might know what’s going on, but we need to talk to you about it as a group. Once Alexis leaves, we will have a family meeting and figure all of this out. For now, don’t worry about it, but try not to kill our guest.”

  “I can’t promise anything,” I said. “By the way, the reason I was coming to see you guys is because I saw Mea today. She and I bonded.” I looked at my hands and watched them change to claws. “Pretty cool, huh?”

  “Very cool! Your eyes have changed, too. They are glowing white again.”

  Since I was enhanced with Mea’s strengths, I could hear the conversation in the family room. They were talking about old times and how Bryce and “Alex” had been boyfriend and girlfriend in third grade. My hackles started to rise again and I breathed in and out slowly to calm myself. I willed myself back to normal and could no longer hear what they are saying. “Chase, I’m not sure I can do this. I could hear them talking and started getting angry again. We need to figure this out quickly, because I might hurt her.”

  “We don’t want her to know anything about you. She needs to believe you are human. Don’t show her any of your gifts and definitely don’t try to kill her with your ball of power or your claws. That would definitely give you away as not human. We will have to stop training you on your gifts while she is here, but we can continue with martial arts. Girls take that all the time for self-defense. Okay, we need to get in there so you can meet her, are you calm?”

  “As much as I can be. Let’s get this over with. I will just try to stay away from her as much as possible.”

  Chase and I walked into the family room and I saw Alexis sitting next to Bryce, patting his leg as she told him a story about her younger brother. Ugh, Amazon Bitch, yes I had already nicknamed her, better get her claws off of Bryce or she will see mine and I promise mine are sharper. Everyone looked up as we walked in and I sat next to Carter.

  Carter introduced us, “Alexis, this is my girlfriend Breanna. Bre, this is Alexis, our childhood friend. Alexis is in town to check out the university.” I stood and reached out my hand to shake hers and she did the same. Too bad I couldn’t whip out my claws – now that would be the perfect handshake for this intruder. She was beautiful and exotic-looking, the exact opposite of plain ol’ me. She had big, expressive brown eyes and a huge rack. Ugh, I hated her already. I sat back down next to Carter and felt everyone looking at me.

  Bryce broke the silence and asked if everyone wanted to order a pizza. After we decided what to get on the pies, Bryce asked if I would go with him into the kitchen and help him order. It seemed like a silly request, but I followed him into the kitchen. He pulled me to the corner furthest from the family room and whispered, “I’m sorry, Bre. I had no idea she was coming. We will get her out of here as soon as possible. Did Chase explain that you are Carter’s human girlfriend?”

  “Yes, he did. Bryce, you are going to think I am crazy, but I’m not sure I can be around her. I know you saw me create that ball of power and almost try to kill her. Something is not right with me. I can’t stand her touching you. I asked Chase what was wrong with me and he said you guys have an idea, but wanted to discuss it as a family after she leaves. I’m not sure I can make it that long. Maybe I just need to focus on my training and stay away from her.”

  “We do think we know what is going on, but Chase is right. It needs to be a family discussion. Hang in there and we will get her out
of here as soon as possible.” He stepped closer to me and touched my hand. Tingles started to travel from my fingers up my arm. He intertwined our fingers and looked into my eyes. I was lost. We were staring at each other, leaning closer and closer, when a throat cleared.

  “Sorry, I was looking for the bathroom,” Amazon Bitch said. Bryce immediately dropped my hand and walked over to lead her to the hall bath. That bitch was going to be a problem.

  After dinner, I needed to get away from her. I swore she was trying to get a rise out of me, because she kept touching each of the guys, well, except Carter. I saw her playfully hit Mason on the arm when he said something funny and she grabbed Harrison’s hand when he was talking about how hard his sister’s labor was with his nephew. I guess if I wasn’t in the situation I was in, it would have been normal contact, but I’m not normal. After several minutes of the torture, I left to work out. We have a workout room in the basement of the house and it was stocked with everything you could think of. My favorite was the punching bag; it helped me relieve stress and at that moment, I was stressed. I wrapped my hands like Chase taught me and started slow. I pictured Amazon Bitch’s face and I started to hit harder and faster. Chase and I had been working on adding my air gift to my punches to give them more power, but it hurt my hand when I did. However, now I have claws and they were probably tougher than my hands. I tapped into my connection with Mea’s powers and my hands turned into paws. I started punching harder and harder with the panther strength and then I added my air gift. I thought about Amazon Bitch and how she kept touching my guys and I became even angrier. I hit the bag with all of my panther power and my air gift, and it flew through the air, landing in a heap against the far wall.

  “Wow, how did you do that?” Carter asked. I must have really been concentrating if I didn’t even hear him come in.

  I turned to him, still connected to my panther power, and lifted my claws into the air. “I bonded with Mea today and then added a bit of air to the punch. Well, maybe a lot.”

  Carter walked over to me and hugged me. “Bre, that is great! Let me see your paws. Nice! You will be really powerful with these along with your other panther traits.” He looked me in the eyes and said, “Your eyes are glowing white. It’s beautiful.” He stared at me for a little longer and walked over to the bag. “The bag looks fine, but the ceiling will have to be repaired. You ripped the chain right out of the ceiling and took some of the ceiling with it. I have never seen someone do that. Chase is going to be jealous. It’s getting late, do you want to come up?”

  “Yeah, I guess I should now that I don’t have a bag to punch,” I said, smiling. “Can I take a shower in your bathroom since I am staying with you?”

  “Of course.”

  We walked upstairs and into his room. He closed the door behind us and walked over to the closet. “Chase brought all of your things in here. I hope you don’t mind staying with me.”

  “No, I don’t mind at all. I’m actually excited about it,” I said, still smiling. Carter smiled at me and showed me where my clothes were. I grabbed a tank top, sleep shorts, and underwear. “I’ll just take a quick shower.”

  After the shower, I went back into Carter’s room and found him making a pallet on the floor next to the bed. “Why are you doing that?” I asked.

  “It’s where I’m sleeping,” he replied.

  “Oh, don’t be ridiculous. We are sleeping in the bed together. You are my boyfriend after all,” I said cheekily.

  Carter blushed and puts the blankets away. “Are you sure about this, Bre? You don’t have to. Alexis won’t know either way.”

  “Of course I’m sure. You have already laid with me in my room, so what’s the difference?” We got into the bed and turned to face each other like we normally did when he was in my room. I looked at his gold eyes and thought about what a great person he was. He was the most thoughtful of the five and he had an uncanny knack for knowing exactly what I was feeling.

  “Don’t worry about Alexis. The guys want her out of here as soon as possible.” Case in point, he knew I was worried about her and he was trying to make me feel better about it. I just wanted to hug him for always worrying about me and my feelings, so I did. I slid forward and laid my head on the bicep of the arm under his head and put my arm around him. He felt so good. Just like the others, he made me feel safe and cared about. He snuggled closer to me and wrapped his other arm around me. I sighed in contentment. What a perfect end to a crazy day. A girl could get used to this, I thought as I drifted off.

  Chapter 13

  I woke up still surrounded by Carter’s arms and it was perfect. I didn’t understand why the guys never stayed all night with me. They laid in the bed to help me get to sleep, but always left at some point. A girl could get a complex about something like that. I looked up to see him looking at me and smiled. “Good morning, handsome.”

  “Good morning, beautiful.” Carter always knew what to say. “Any plans today, maybe knocking out some walls instead of ceilings?”

  “Ha ha, very funny. I figured I would train some with Harrison and maybe get out of the house to go see a movie. Wonder Woman is out and I am dying to see it,” I said.

  “Mind if I tag along to the movie?”

  “Of course not. I would love if you went with me.” We got up, even though it was really difficult, and got ready for the day. We headed down to the kitchen and inhaled the best smell in the world – bacon. Harrison had been cooking breakfast every morning for all of us. The smell almost made me forget about the intruder – almost, but not quite. She was sitting in “my” chair and twirling her hair at Chase. It made me feel a little better that he was barely paying her any attention. Good grief, was she going to flirt with all of them? Then a horrible thought came to mind. What if she was supposed to bond with one of them or two of them? A shiver ran through my entire body and I felt like I might throw up. I poured a glass of water to keep my hands busy and sat beside Carter.

  “Good morning, Breanna,” Amazon Bitch said.

  “Good morning,” I mumbled. I didn’t even look at her when I spoke.

  “Looks like someone is not a morning person,” she said. I didn’t even acknowledge her comment. I just kept drinking my water with my head down. I was afraid that if I looked up at her, I would punch her in her pretty face.

  “Here you go, Bre,” Harrison said while bringing me a plate of breakfast goodness.

  “Thanks, Harry.”

  “Harry? I thought you hated when people called you that. The last time I remember someone doing it, you didn’t say a word and just punched them in the face,” the intruder said.

  “Well, Bre is special and she can call me whatever she wants,” Harrison replied while winking at me.

  “Hmm. Looks like Carter and Bryce aren’t the only ones that think she is special. You might want to watch out for this one, Carter. Seems you aren’t the only one to catch her eye,” Alexis commented while smirking.

  “What is that supposed to mean?” I questioned.

  “Oh, nothing. It’s just interesting that you are Carter’s girlfriend, but were holding hands with Bryce last night and calling Harrison pet names today. Add that to the fact that you live here and it makes a girl wonder.”

  “Makes a girl wonder what?” I looked directly at her for the first time today. Amazon Bitch wanted her ass kicked today it seemed.

  “Nothing, I’m just messing with you.” She waved a hand in the air, acting like what she said was no big deal. Each of the guys looked at one another with worried looks.

  “Bre is my girlfriend, but is close friends with everyone here. Don’t make it out to be something it’s not, Alexis. You are a guest here and will treat her with respect, or you won’t be a guest here any longer,” Carter said to her through narrowed eyes and a clenched jaw.

  “Oh, Carter, I didn’t mean anything by it. I was just joking with her like us girls do, right, Breanna?” Alexis said.

  “Whatever.” Amazon Bitch. I really wish I co
uld punch her like I did with the bag last night. If we weren’t trying to hide what I am, she would not be standing right now. Breathe, Bre.

  “Well, what are everyone’s plans today?” Bryce said, trying to change the subject.

  “I was hoping Harry could help me brush up on my self-defense technique a little and then Carter and I are going to see Wonder Woman. It’s about time there’s a girl superhero that is the lead in a movie,” I replied.

  “Sure, Bre, I have some time to train today. Wanna get started in about an hour?” Harrison asked.

  “Yes, that sounds great,” I said. After finishing up with breakfast, I went upstairs to change into workout clothes. I then made my way outside to where Harrison preferred to train and saw the intruder, also in workout clothes, talking to Harrison. Oh, shit. She’s going to train with us. How am I going to hide my gifts? I am going to have to act completely like a human…or am I? Then again, this might be fun.

  I walked out smiling and ready to kick some Amazon Bitch ass. Harrison looked at me, smiled, and cocked his head to the side in question. Then he shook his head, realizing why I was so excited. I pretended to not notice and started stretching. She was almost a foot taller than me, but slender. I can take her. He started us out separately, doing drills of basic moves. He continued with this for a while and I was starting to get bored. I was ready to hit something, well, someone. Alexis must have been getting bored, too, because she complained, “Harrison, enough with the drills. Let’s see what she’s got.”

  “Okay, but you asked for it. Bre is pretty good,” Harrison replied. I smirked at him and tried to contain my excitement. I really needed to concentrate and make sure I wasn’t showing any of my gifts, but a little extra oomph in my punches wouldn’t hurt. He faced us off against each other and told us to begin. She struck first with a punch, followed quickly by a kick. I blocked them both. She was pretty quick, but nowhere near as fast as I was, even without my gifts. I aimed a punch at her right side on her ribs and added a tiny bit of air to it. My aim was dead on and she let out a sharp breath, taking a step back. I could see her eyes narrowing and could tell she was pissed. Welcome to the club, bitch.