by K. Gorman
“Sounds droll.” Jo paused and gave Aiden a onceover. “I’m guessing you didn’t win.”
“Ha ha.” Aiden sank against the backrest and puffed out his cheeks. He did that a lot when he was thinking.
“Did you see the Phoenix?”
Mieshka nodded.
“Did it look any different?”
“Redder,” she said. “It’s not as big as before. Way smaller.”
“That’s not surprising, given its recent death. It’ll grow. This time, it’ll grow with you. Now, back to this glowing eye thing.”
Was ‘glowing eye thing’ the technical term for it now? Mieshka cycled back through her memories.
“This was the first time I really felt the Phoenix. The first two times, it was just… warmth, I guess? I barely noticed. It—”
“First two times?” Aiden asked. “So this has happened three times now?”
“Yeah—well, four, technically, but the first was before, so I’m not sure it counts. Since the Phoenix came back, it’s happened three times. First with Roger, second with Michael, third with Gobardon.”
“Yeah, let’s not count before. You were kind of crazy, then. And Roger’s messing up the common denominator on those others,” Jo commented. “Didn’t you see him just before…?”
“Before Michael attacked me?” Mieshka asked. “Yes. And Michael was there with him, that time.”
“Hmm.” Aiden puffed out his cheeks again, studying the ceiling tiles. “Could be a defense mechanism on the Phoenix’s part. Maybe we should step up your training. Try to replicate it.”
“When?”
“Tomorrow. I’ll make time, and we can go hide ourselves away and make things burn.”
Oooh. That sounded fun.
“Not my crutch,” she said.
“Not your crutch,” Aiden agreed. “Maybe we’ll get you a metal crutch.”
“It’ll interfere with her bandages,” Jo said. “Best to stick with the shitty wooden one.”
“Cool.” Mieshka pushed herself up. Hair stuck to her cheek. “What now?”
“Now, I go burn my presidential orders to maintain the shield, blame it on you, and go maintain the shield.”
“Will that get me in trouble?”
“No.” Aiden rocked himself up off the couch. Smoke curled up from the files in his hand. “Loose fireballs are a part of a Fire Elemental’s training. Ask anyone.”
Flame engulfed the papers.
Mieshka eyed the combustion. She hoped that wasn’t her chances of a normal life burning up. The paper blackened and curled around Aiden’s hand, covered in orange fire. He flicked it to the ground and turned toward the door.
“What should I do?” she asked.
He waved dismissively. “Go home. Get sleep. Relax. Try not to burn anything.”
Chapter 18
When Ketan got back, Rain wasn’t alone. Leloni, Carson, and one other person—a skinny blond boy he didn’t recognize—shared the first couch. Smoke curled up from the blond's bong, and the skunky smell of marijuana intermixed with the old scent of cooked vegetables.
Ketan thumped the water jug onto the floor. Rain, seated in the second couch that Ketan had slept on earlier, pointed at a bowl on the table.
“Ehhh, water boy.” Carson sprawled on the cushion, Leloni’s legs bent over his lap. A half-empty bottle of cheap beer glinted in his hand—his fifth, if the empties on the floor were any evidence.
Ketan ignored him. Without a word, he claimed the still-warm bowl on the table as his prize.
The Underground was bigger than he’d originally thought. More vacant than he’d expected. Instead of cramped, concrete, cave-like rooms, he’d found entire streets of sound, empty apartments. Sure, most of them were, like this place, ‘fixer-uppers,’ but they’d do in a pinch. And, from what he’d heard, they were fair game.
The only trouble was electricity and plumbing. As he understood it, the Society had refitted the excavated city with new pipes. Mostly. In the Core, they’d simply shot new pipes through the old if they could, keeping the infrastructure underneath the street. Each building had its own style, depending on the lodger’s bank account.
In the outskirts? Well, two sets of rudimentary pipes ran through the wall of Leloni’s place to the bathroom in the next room, and it didn’t take a genius to guess the function of either.
Electricity was somewhat less tricky, albeit more unstable. It was hard to see the wires that ran through the houses, but they were there. Dangerous, in places. Prone to blackouts. Now that he knew to look, he spotted the black cable in the corner of the room.
Any idiot with a pair of clippers and a death wish could take out the power.
He joined Rain on the couch, who had a computer on his lap and a social media site open on the browser.
Across the room, Leloni drew circles on Carson’s jeans with her fingernail. “You go out?”
“Yeah.” The bok choy had cooled. He swallowed it down. “Thought I’d get a feel for the place.”
“Did you find Meese?” Rain asked.
“She’s in the hospital, apparently. But they’ll tell her I was asking for her.”
“You know Meese?” The new kid, the blond, stared at him.
“Oh—right.” Leloni sat up straighter. “Forgot. Riley, meet Ketan. Ketan, Riley.”
“You know Meese?”
“No, he doesn’t,” Carson sneered. The bottle in his hand was now mostly empty. “He’s just pretending.”
“What? Why?”
“I don’t know Meese, I’m looking for Meese,” Ketan explained. His fork clinked as he lifted the bowl, examining its bottom. Microwaveable, it said. Well, maybe it could withstand a little Fire Element.
“Why are you looking for Meese?”
“Because he’s a Fire Elemental.” Leloni giggled as Carson’s hand snaked around her waist, tugging her close. “Why’s Meese in the hospital?”
“Lost a fight with the Earth Mage, I'm told.” What had motivated her to pick a fight with him in the first place? He couldn’t imagine fighting an Earth Elemental underground. Let alone a Mage. “Is he a big bad around here?”
“I hear he’s an asshole,” Riley said. “I had a friend who worked for him once. You know, housekeeping? Treated her like a slave.”
“Fucker.” Leloni lay her head on Carson’s shoulder.
The room settled back into silence. The bowl heated between Ketan’s fingers. Soon, a curl of steam rose from the vegetables.
Perfect.
He ate in silence.
A little while later, Carson stirred.
“Fuck. Let’s do something.”
*
They ended up in a shopping mall.
Ketan stared. The place was enormous. Cavernous. Even Terremain didn’t have malls this big. Leloni, Riley, and Carson all had flashlights, although Carson’s swayed somewhat erratically. Rain had stayed behind, citing an early shift.
Dust and debris covered the old linoleum, making it slick and unstable under his feet. Everywhere, glass storefronts dimly reflected the lights. Some of the windows had been smashed, and broken glass glinted on the floor. Shelves, clothes racks, and old, outdated advertisements jumbled together inside.
His eyes lingered on the dates. The thirties? This place was over seventy years old.
Leloni giggled at his side. Her hand snuck around the crook of his arm. “Neat, huh? I love this place.”
By the smell of her breath, he could tell she’d indulged in some of Carson’s liquor.
“Yeah, neat.” Ketan glanced around for Carson. He was far ahead, with Riley. Their flashlights faced forward.
“There’re lots of cool places down here,” she said. “Fun places. I could show you, if you like?”
She giggled again, and he could feel it vibrate through her body. She felt like a bird at his side. He moved forward, and she tugged along beside him.
An old escalator forced them into single-file, and she fell in behind him. Their shoes made m
etallic clicks against the steps. On either side, the mall dropped off into dim shadows. Distant guardrails glinted in their flashlights. Dusty, scratched Plexiglas blocked their fall.
Carson tripped on the last step, and the bottle dropped from his hand, hitting hard against the floor. It skidded, bumped over a chunk of concrete debris, and rolled in a wide arc.
Leloni darted forth, pushed Ketan out of the way, and grabbed it. Giggling, she winged it over the edge. A flashlight caught it as it arced down to the next floor.
A few seconds later, it crashed in the darkness.
“Hey, what the fuck?” Carson said. “What’d you do that for?”
“You can’t hold your liquor,” she said. “I’m taking away your keys.”
He straightened, fists clenched. Riley’s light caught the white of Carson’s stained muscle shirt. His black baseball cap, pierced with rings in the brim, slanted sideways off his head. In the light, his skin looked redder than usual.
“I wasn’t done with that one,” he said.
“It was almost empty.”
“Fuck off. You owe me another, cunt.”
“Hey,” Ketan stepped forward. “Don’t call her that.”
Carson’s lip curled. His eyes, their pale blue washed out in the glare of the flashlight, slid over him. “What’s it to you?”
“She’s my friend.”
“She threw my fucking beer off the fucking ledge.”
“It’s just a beer, man. She’s drunk.”
Leloni crept into the light, shoulders hunched, hands wringing together. She slid them around Carson’s abdomen, pressed her head to his chest. “I’m sorry, Carson. I’ll get you another one.”
Over her head, Carson sized him up. Ketan met his stare.
Then, the man jerked away.
“Fuck off.”
After that, Ketan walked with Riley. They moved slowly through the mall, the light catching on the remnants of storefront displays and shop kiosks. A vending machine lay on its side, its inventory long gone.
The boy didn’t talk much, but maybe there was another reason for that. He kept glancing at Ketan. After the fourth or fifth time, Ketan glanced back.
“What?”
Riley’s eyes widened. He stuttered. “Sorry. It’s just—”
“Just what?”
He bit his lip, looked away. After a second, he looked back.
“Are you really a Fire Elemental?”
Ketan sighed. What was this—the third time?
Without a word, he lifted his hand. Fire slipped over his fingertips.
Riley’s breath caught. “Whoa. That’s so cool. How’d you… get that?”
Ketan snuffed the fire out. Smoke curled into the air. “Luck of the draw, I guess. Just woke up with it one day.”
“Were you born with it?”
“No. It happened a few years ago.”
“Huh. I didn’t know that could happen.”
He shrugged. “I’m not the only one.”
And Fire wasn’t the only Element. Back in Terremain, there’d been a girl who could manipulate shadows. That had been freaky.
And then, of course, there was Kitty.
But he knew where Riley’s mind was going.
“It’s really rare,” he explained. “But it happens. Maybe one in a hundred thousand? I dunno. I want to find out more.”
“Is that why you want to find Meese?”
“Yeah. It sucks not knowing anything.”
“Maybe she'll teach you something new. You gonna stay around?”
Ketan shrugged. “Dunno. Depends. I don’t really have a plan.”
“Well, if you are, I know a guy who—”
“Hey, Fire Boy!” Up ahead, Carson and Leloni had stopped at the top of the next escalator. A flashlight beam glared into Ketan’s face. “Let’s see what you got. Found some friends your size that you can fight.”
Tension prickled over his skin. Friends? Great. He’d already been in one fight today.
But as he watched Carson pull Leloni closer to him, a hand sliding over her hip, he suddenly felt the urge to punch someone.
He rolled his shoulders, flexed his fingers. His Element stirred with his thoughts.
Riley spoke quickly. “They’re dolls.”
Ketan stopped. “What?”
“Mannequins. Taken from the stores. Not real people.”
“Dolls?”
“Yeah. Just behind them, on the floor above. About a hundred of them.”
Ketan narrowed his eyes.
At the top of the escalator, Carson’s smile grew. “What’s wrong? You scared?”
“Anyone else up there, you think?” he asked Riley.
“Not likely. Carson doesn’t have any friends. And we’re well out of the way, down here.”
Ketan smiled, stepped forward. This’d be risky, but incredibly satisfying. It had been a while since he’d been able to play—fully play—with his Element.
His feet tapped on the escalator. Carson held his ground, though he swayed a bit. Drunk.
The first mannequins came into view as Ketan drew level with the next floor.
“I didn’t know you played with dolls, Carson. Explains a lot.”
Fire crackled between his thoughts. A shadow of heat warped the air in front of him.
“They’re for you,” Carson said. “Your type of fighter.”
“What—all white plastic and no brains? Seems more like you, anglo.” Ketan held his stare.
In the backsplash of the flashlight, Leloni’s eyes widened. Her hands dug into Carson’s shirt, as if to hold him back.
Ketan stepped forward, fingers sliding over the old, dusty black vinyl of the railing. He pushed past Carson and got a better look at these dolls.
Riley was right. There had to be over a hundred of them. More, probably. Carson’s light flashed across the first row, revealing pale white faces, bodies of varying sizes and genders. The men ranged from athletes with well-defined muscles to more normal-sized mannequins with a smooth, rounded finish. Some of the women had large breasts with detailed nipples, slim waistlines, a subtle tone of muscle, while others barely had an A-cup.
He stepped up to a man about Carson’s height and burned its face off.
Heat hit his skin. Black smoke coiled into the air, vanishing into the shadows. The fire crackled a deep orange, spreading to the rest of the doll’s body. Plastic blackened, melted.
“You know,” he said, rotating slowly, well aware of Carson watching him. “Thank you, Carson. I hardly ever get a chance to open up.”
The five mannequins surrounding him erupted into flames. The smell of burning plastic singed the air. He stepped between them, ignoring the fire that licked his sleeve, clung to his shoe, blasted his face. It was his fire. It wouldn’t hurt him.
Dolls combusted in his wake.
The scene looked apocalyptic. Red, angry flames snapped higher, leaping up to the next level. The fire overpowered what scant light their flashlights had provided, rendering them moot. Heat singed his clothes, his hair, kissed his neck. The linoleum crinkled, bubbled, buckled.
Plastic. Everything was plastic. That much hadn’t changed in the last seventy years.
Ketan extended his powers, feeling the Element race inside of him, and he lit every mannequin on the floor.
Orange light licked the ceiling. The fire roared.
He turned and met Carson’s stare across the hall. Riley had joined them. Orange lit their faces. Carson’s had lost the smug, drunk look from earlier. His stare seemed more serious. Deadly. Hateful.
Ketan returned it in kind.
Chapter 19
“The deal’s off.”
Robin looked up from a physics quiz. Her mother stood at the end of her room, framed by the doorway, arms crossed in front of her. The light from the living room caught the stray hairs around her ponytail. Shadows pooled in bags under her eyes.
It was four a.m., and she’d just gotten off shift.
“What?” Robin
asked. “What do you mean?”
“The deal’s off. I don’t want you outside.”
Her eyes widened. “What? But I’m almost done!”
“I don’t care. You’re not going outside.”
Her mom turned to leave.
“Wait—” Robin shoved her desk chair back, stood up. The room spun at the sudden movement, but she ignored it. “Why?”
Mom’s shoes squeaked as she walked into the kitchen. A vitamin drink and a pre-cooked meal sat on the counter.
She lifted an eyebrow at Robin. “Haven’t you heard the news? Terremain fell.”
Robin stopped in her tracks. “Fell? When?”
“Yesterday.” Light spilled across the floor as she opened the fridge door. “Your brother will arrive tomorrow—” She glanced at the clock. “Wednesday, that is. And you are not going out.”
“But…” Robin gripped the edge of the counter. Terremain had fallen. What did that mean? Was the war coming here?
“There will be soldiers in town. Heavy military. And they’re not all as nice as your brother. I don’t want you wandering the streets.” She brushed a loose piece of hair behind her ear. “Besides, the hospital’s already bumped up hours. I won’t have time to deal with your shi—stuff.”
Shit. Mom was going to say shit. A lump formed in her throat. Great to know what she felt.
“Right, so I should just stop studying?”
“I didn’t say you should stop studying.”
“But what’s the point? I’m grounded either way.”
Her mom rummaged around the cupboard. “Maybe you should stop thinking about instant gratification for once and start thinking long-term. You’re just about done with high school. What about your future? College? University?”
Robin’s lips twisted into a grim smile. “Maybe I’ll be a soldier, like Nathan. Bet there’s gonna be a huge demand for them.”
Her mom put a cup down on the counter a little too hard. Her eyes flashed.
“Don’t.”
“Don’t what, Mom?”
“You know what. Cram the attitude.”
“Or what, you’ll ground me? Fuck.”
“Language.”
Robin rolled her eyes. “Fuck, shit, piss, dick, damn.”
Her mom lifted an arm and pointed with one finger. “Room. Now.”
