We left the shop with our hands full of shopping bags, so we could barely open and close doors as we went. In the end, Adrian had been wrong too. We'd spent five and a half hours in the shop, and no, we didn't regret a minute of it.
Chapter 17
Elemenitas Eve had come faster than we expected it. I was sitting on the floor in the living room, going through old family pictures on my phone. Lily's techs had been kind enough to return the phone without deleting anything. I especially didn't want to lose those rare images I'd transferred in a hurry from my old phone. A smell of cookies came from the kitchen, making my stomach rumble. Paula had taken over the kitchen and promised us all a perfect dinner. Apparently, she'd spent hours on the phone talking to her grandma to get the recipe.
Adrian sat down next to me, and I quickly turned off my phone and stuffed it in the pocket of my sweatpants. He raised an eyebrow at me, and I shook my head. I didn't feel like talking about my family's Elemenitas traditions. When I opened my mouth to say something, I realized Adrian was holding his hand behind his back as if he were hiding it.
"What do you have there?" I tried to peer over his shoulder, but he blocked my view.
"Something I absolutely have no clue what to do with." He revealed a big, empty crystal ball, the corners of his lips quirking up. I snatched the ball from his grip, lifting it up and looking through it.
"Wait, you don't know what to do with it?" I frowned, and he just shrugged. "Oh. There weren't any back at the university, right? We only had a party for those of us who stayed, and I can't even remember it."
"It was a lame party anyway since most of the people went home." Adrian grimaced. "Don't even remind me of it, nor the previous one."
"I wasn't there, so I can't remind you of that." Who knew with whom had Adrian spent Elemenitas during his first year at the university. I had still been in high school back then. Good God. Time was flying like crazy and it seemed to go faster and faster. "Didn't Alan celebrate Elemenitas?"
"No."
"He must have thought the balls could be a problem because of your disease." Only Adrian had developed the disease much later, and I doubted there were Elemenitas parties in the labs, so I was surprised that Adrian hadn't seen the balls while he was living with Alan. I almost asked him about his parents, but I caught myself in time. His parents hadn't had an element like he did, so there was no one to fill the balls with an element. "Do you think the balls could bother us if we fill them?"
"We'll see." Adrian put his arm around me and I leaned into him. "Show me how it's done."
"Look." I let the ball rest in my palm, searching for an opening. Since the ball was new and shiny, it was hard to find the thin lines which marked the tiny passage for magic. I felt the rough edge and lightly pressed the surface around it, forcing a bit of my element into it. The ball made a popping sound, and an opening the size of my fingernail appeared, the crystal embedded in magic bending inward.
"Interesting," Adrian murmured. "I was wondering how you could break into a crystal ball."
"Each has a special part which isn't made from crystal, but from a mix of earth, fire, air and water magic. That part can bend in and hold the energy of the element inside." Now that the ball was open, I concentrated on my fire and shoved a bit of it inside the crystal. The ball lit up, an orange glow filling it completely.
"Wow," Adrian said, taking the ball from me and inspecting it. The small opening sealed itself shut, trapping the energy of my element inside.
"Do you have another one? I want you to try. I haven't seen anyone try to light the ball with a sub-element." I was curious to find out if the ball could hold sub-elements too. My father thought sub-elements were only weak elements, but after seeing what Adrian could do with ice, I doubted sub-elements were anything other than strong. Adrian got up and found another ball in the box hidden behind the couch.
"I have no idea what I'm doing." Adrian ran his fingers up and down the ball, holding it as if it were a mouse. A dead mouse.
"Just relax and concentrate." I had to stifle a laugh as he gave me a murderous look. The ball popped open right at the moment I was sure Adrian would try to bang it against the floor. "That poor ball is going to be traumatized."
"Let's hope it doesn't shatter." The sudden coldness in the air told me Adrian was pouring his element into the ball. An icicle formed inside of the ball, mist covering the crystal surface. Adrian set the ball on the ground, and we waited to see what would happen. I gasped when the ball started glowing, a beautiful bluish light spreading from the icicle inside of it.
"You did it!" I threw myself into Adrian's arms, giving him a kiss.
"What's all the fuss?" Paula came into the living room, wiping her hands on her apron. She froze when she saw the glowing balls, her mouth wide open. "Whoa. Nice."
"You should fill one too." Adrian went for the box, taking out another crystal ball.
"Will you two be ok?" Paula bit her lip, clearly excited, but also afraid her element would bother Adrian and me.
"Well, our messed up, diseased elements don't bother us, so we should see if healthy ones do," I said, and Adrian handed her the ball.
"Alright." With her expert touch, Paula had the ball open in a second. The air tingled with her element, the ball glowing bright white. "Done!"
I got up and walked over to her, trying to feel the piece of her element in the ball. "I don't feel anything. I guess the magic that keeps the element alive in the ball blocks the feel of it too."
"Good for us," Adrian said. "When do they stop glowing?"
"Usually a couple of days after Elemenitas," I said, just as Michael entered the living room, a surprised look on his face.
"Michael!" Paula's lips spread into a wide smile. "Why don't you fill one Elemenitas ball too?"
"You have Elemenitas balls?" Michael's face brightened.
"Here." Paula took one from the box and handed it to him.
"Thanks." Michael weighed the ball in his hand, a boyish grin on his face. "My grandma would freak if she could see me. She always believed only the oldest member of the family has the right to light up the ball."
"I guess we twisted all the traditions this year," Paula said. "But I don't mind."
Michael let his element flow into the ball, and I licked my suddenly dry lips. Would I ever stop craving the elements I already had? A bluish green color filled the ball, reminding me of a lake. Michael watched the ball closing, a satisfied smirk on his face.
"I dedicate this one to my grandma." He lifted the ball in the air.
Paula raised her ball too. "I dedicate mine to my family. I wish I could be with them, but I hope that will be possible once we solve the carrier drama."
Adrian held his ball in the air, his gray-blue eyes warm and sad. "I dedicate this to my parents... and all magic disease carriers, dead and alive."
I reached for my ball as everyone's looks focused on me. Great. What the hell was I supposed to say? My parents and I weren't on great terms, and the rest of the family obviously couldn't be bothered enough because they hadn't even called to check on me. I sighed, watching the small flame burn inside of the ball. "I dedicate this to all of you here. Thank you for sticking around."
We placed the balls in the middle of the table, putting them together. The colors swirled inside of them, bright and steady. Was I strong enough to survive the party? Maybe God of Magic would let me have one perfect night to celebrate the day he gave an element to the first four humans. Or God didn't care for abominations such as me?
"Can you give me a hand?" Paula called from the bathroom, and I hurried to see what she needed. We'd literally kicked the boys out of the apartment so we could get ready in peace. Paula lifted her curly blond hair up, waiting for me to zip up her dress.
"Wow, look at you," I said. "I told you the dress was perfect. You're beautiful."
"Thanks." Paula blushed. "You look beautiful too."
I gave her a smile. "Anything else you need?"
"Which ne
cklace should I wear?" She lifted two different pieces of jewelry for me to inspect. "The topaz is some junk I bought two years ago and the silver one is my grandma's gift."
"Umm, how about no necklace? It doesn't fit with the dress." Actually, the silver one was perfect, but losing such a precious necklace in the club would be horrible.
"Ok, no necklace then." Paula grabbed the brush from the shelf and started brushing her hair. "Will you wear any jewelry?"
I looked down at my dress, which was tight, black and came to my knees. The top was covered in lace in the shape of flowers, and the skirt had a few sequins all over it. "I don't think I need anything. My shoes and dress are already glittery enough."
"You know what would fit perfectly?" Paula said, turning to me.
"No, what?"
"That necklace Adrian had given you."
"I can't wear it." That necklace definitely wasn't an Elemenitas party necklace. I'd stopped wearing it as soon as I left Earthwind. "I don't want to lose it."
"Ok. Can I braid your hair?" She put away the brush and clapped her hands together.
"Of course." I turned around and let her do magic on my hair. Ok, not real magic, but the hairstyles Paula made for me were usually awesome. A few minutes later, I had a gorgeous fishtail braid, which fell over my left shoulder.
"You are the most amazing person in the world!" I gave her a hug, careful of our dresses. As I checked myself in the mirror, I realized my dress didn't have any pockets.
"Why are you frowning?" Paula asked curiously.
"Nothing. I just noticed I wouldn't be able to carry any money or my phone with me."
"Won't we carry our purses with us?" She picked up her perfume and sprayed it in the air, then walked through the scented cloud.
"No. We won't have where to leave them and I don't want to hold my purse all the time while I'm dancing. Besides, that club isn't elite enough, so we can't trust them to keep our stuff safe." The coats would be more or less safe, but I didn't trust anyone with my phone. "We have to be cautious. Someone could recognize us and steal our things."
"Right. The boys are going to be our wallet, then." Paula laughed. "You can always give your phone to Adrian. I'm sure he has tons of pockets on his jeans."
"Well, what are boys for if not for paying our drinks?" I wondered if someone could be looking for me tonight. Maybe I should have my phone with me just in case. "It's not a bad idea to bring my phone. I'll give it to Adrian."
"Is everything ok between you two?" Paula's blue-green eyes regarded me with interest.
"Yeah. We're sort of officially dating."
"Did he tell you he loved you?" Her face was blank when she asked, so I couldn't tell how she felt.
"No. Not in those words, anyway."
"But he does," she said. "Love you, I mean."
"We're going to be late," I said, going for the door and glancing at the clock down the hall. Paula checked herself out in the mirror again, removing the excess of cherry lip-gloss off her lips. When she was satisfied with her look, she turned off the light in the bathroom and followed me down the hall. As we put on our coats, I mulled over Paula's words.
I believed Adrian loved me too. The biggest problem was that we had both cheated on someone else to be together. I couldn't be completely sure he wouldn't cheat on me just like he couldn't be sure I wouldn't do the same to him. It shouldn't surprise me, though. Mistakes usually came with high prices. But I trusted Adrian, and if he decided to rip my heart out one day, I'd deal with it.
"Finally," Adrian said when Paula and I walked out of the building. "We were turning into skeletons here."
Paula looked from Adrian to Michael, who was leaning on the fence. "You're both breathing. Great!"
"Barely," Adrian muttered under his breath. He looked me up and down as I descended the last stair, his lips slightly parted. "You look... irresistible."
"Thank you." I grinned at him, letting him take my hand. "You're irresistible yourself." And he totally was. I slipped my phone into the pocket of his dark blue jeans and he raised an eyebrow at me.
"I need my phone and don't have anywhere safe to put it." His black leather jacket would probably stay somewhere on the hanger, and the pocket on his white dress shirt wasn't big enough.
"And you consider my jeans to be a safe place?" He gave me an 'are you insane' look.
"Shut up." I tried to maintain a serious face but ended up choking on laughter anyway. "If your phone survives, then mine will too."
"I hope you have a warranty," he said. "Because I'm not responsible for anything that might happen to it."
"It will be fine." I rolled my eyes. If the phone got damaged, Lily and Oliver would buy me another one, but I'd lose all the pictures that I wouldn't be able to transfer from my old phone again. I hoped Adrian would be more careful with it than he pretended to be.
Chapter 18
The club was called Amour and it was actually better than I'd expected. It wasn't big, but there was enough room to dance and drink. People danced in the rhythm with the fast beat music, already drunk and sweaty. The good thing was that the colorful lights were small and sparse, so the chances of someone recognizing us were minimal. Not to mention that none of these people knew us and probably couldn't care less some president's daughter was here. They would freak out if they recognized Adrian, but as far as they knew, he was in a completely another town. Besides, most young people were more interested in having fun, rather than reading the news and thinking about magic disease carriers.
Paula tried to tell me something, but I could only see her lips moving. The music was way too loud, so I started moving with the beat and shook my head at her. She waved toward the other part of the room, then pointed at herself. I nodded, hoping she meant she'd go on her own.
Adrian let go of my hand, his lips brushing my ear. "I'm going to get us some drinks."
I gave him a smile to show that I understood, and continued dancing, hoping the numerous elements wouldn't bother me immediately. He'd probably decided it was safe to leave me alone since the party was just beginning. I hadn't even noticed where Michael had gone, but I supposed he was somewhere around the bar too.
Adrian came a moment later, two tall glasses in his hands. I accepted the glass for him, sniffing the yellow liquid. I raised an eyebrow and pointed at the glass.
"Vodka and lemon," Adrian yelled, taking a gulp of his drink. I cautiously took a sip, and closed my eyes as cold, tasty liquid poured down my throat.
"I like it," I said, taking another sip. We put the glasses on the nearby table where everyone else's drinks were. Adrian placed his arms around me, pulling me close. I looked up into his gray-blue eyes, my hands going lower down his back until I could slip my hands into the back pockets of his jeans. He planted a soft kiss on my neck, sending shivers down my spine. When his lips found mine, I let my hands roam again until my fingers wound up in his hair, tugging at the black strands.
As the song changed into a faster one, he spun me around, pressing himself against me, his hips moving in sync with mine.
"Do you want to do something fun?" His breath tickled the back of my neck. I nodded, surprised when he broke contact, so I turned around to face him.
"We're going to walk through the room and check out which elements people have." He reached for his drink and emptied the glass in a couple of rapid gulps. I finished my drink too, but it took me a bit longer than him. My mind was fuzzy for a moment, but then Adrian pulled me back into his arms.
"Are you sure you want to do this? It could be dangerous, but I'll be there to catch you if something goes wrong," he said into my ear.
"Yeah, I'm sure." I trusted Adrian to stop me from going for someone's element. His control of his disease was admirable, but he'd had much more practice in keeping it in check and didn't have any extra elements to make him unstable.
We moved through the crowd, shaking our bodies in the rhythm of the music, concentrating on couples and small groups. People with the same el
ement were clustered together, but there were a few groups of people with different elements. It was getting harder to breathe and my head was swimming, so I extended my hand to Adrian and he quieted the elements for me.
"That couple is playing with fire," he said, nodding toward a girl with air and a guy with earth who were kissing passionately in the corner.
"Their family won't approve." I laughed. "Can we feel sub-elements too? Or are they too weak to spot in such a big crowd of normal elements?" I could usually feel sub-elements when the person was alone, but in here it was hard to tell.
Adrian spun me around so I was facing a girl sitting at the bar. "Her element is dust." He let go of me so I could see too. Tracing the girl's element and trying hard to ignore the others, I saw an image of bare, dusty land in my mind, but I would have said her element was earth, not dust. I wondered whether she knew her element wasn't a weak earth, but a strong sub-element. Of course, if she tried using it like earth, she'd be disappointed, but dust probably had its hidden advantages. Not that my foggy brain could think of any.
Suddenly Adrian grabbed me and pulled me close, his voice urgent. "Can you feel the element of that guy on our left?"
"What?" He let go of me before I could understand what was going on, and I glanced to the left to see what he was talking about. Surely enough, there was a tall, blond guy who had his back turned to us, and I couldn't feel any elemental energy coming from him. Other people's elements were interfering, but I was sure none of those came from the guy.
I turned to Adrian in panic. "What do we do now?"
He took me by the arm and led me to the other side of the room, keeping the blond guy in view. "We need to find out who he is."
"How are we going to do that?" I yelled into his ear, glancing nervously in the guy's direction. "He mustn't see us or he'll know who we are." Maybe he wouldn't actually recognize us, but he'd know we had the disease. I didn't want to leave an impression on someone who could recognize me later.
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