Elemental

by Debbie Kump

  I felt extremely confused. Plasma cannons? Already dead? Why did this sound more like a scene from my life?

  “What are you playing?” I asked again, thinking maybe they hadn’t heard me the first time.

  “Zombie Dominion,” Micah grunted without looking at me, as if those two little words explained everything. He picked up his controller and aimed it at the screen again.

  “Zombie Dominion?” I repeated, more bewildered than ever.

  “It just came out last week,” Sully added, leaning forward to get closer to the screen. He aimed his controller, pushing buttons at a frantic pace. “You’ve got legions of the undead that you have to—”

  Undead? Well, that explained the ugly, green creatures in various states of decay that rose out of the ground and limped toward the incoming attackers.

  “Have to what?” I wondered aloud.

  “Prepare for battling the boss…oh, crap!” He stabbed the buttons harder now. “Get that one, Micah.”

  “I’m trying,” Micah snipped.

  “Well, try harder.”

  “I am, Sullivan,” he muttered through clenched teeth.

  Hang on. I thought Micah called him “Sully.”

  “Sully Sullivan?” I asked, a puzzled look crossing my face.

  Sully’s mouth turned up in half a smirk. “My real name’s Shayne but everyone calls me by my nickname, Sully. Even my teach—”.

  I blinked, waiting for Sully to continue, but he focused all his attention on the screen instead. His tongue wedged out one corner of his mouth.

  “Sweet!” he exclaimed. “Five hundred points for that one, baby. Beat that!”

  I rolled my eyes. With Micah and Sully so absorbed in their game, I probably wouldn’t get much of a response out of either of them. Nor would I get much sleep, even with the door closed. So I settled into the couch, watching them farm more zombies up from the graveyard to send off into battle against the incoming gang of pirates—while their bantering continued.

  “Aw, c’mon,” Micah groaned after losing another life. “Why can’t you pull your own weight?”

  “Puh-lease,” Sully replied. “Like you could do better.”

  Micah’s fingers frantically pushed a series of buttons on the controller. “I can do better. Maybe that’s why you’re like making me do everything here.”

  “Okay, you want some help? How’s this?” Sully touched a button that shot a laser from his zombie’s eyes, effectively destroying two pirates at the same time.

  “Really, Sully?” Micah said. Then I heard a buzzing noise. Micah whipped the flat black object from his pocket—the same one he used in the emergency room. A smile filled his face when he read its lighted screen.

  Sully glanced over at Micah, clearly irritated. “A little help?”

  “Gimme a sec. I’m just texting Tessa back.”

  Sully groaned. “Well, put down your phone and hurry up. I’m getting destroyed here.”

  Micah didn’t look at the game. His thumbs flew across the object Sully called a phone, its surface covered with tiny letters and numbers.

  “Oh, come on,” Sully grumbled. “Are you texting a novel?”

  “Fine,” Micah consented and placed it on the table to pick up his controller again. A few seconds later, the phone buzzed again.

  Despite Micah’s phone repeatedly humming when another half dozen texts arrived in a matter of minutes, he and Sully soon defeated the pirates, celebrating with whoops of glee and congratulatory hand slaps as their points racked up on the screen. I assumed their game had finished so I could finally get some rest when the screen announced Level 2. Micah and Sully readied themselves and prepared to launch troops against the tougher Viking clan.

  I rolled my eyes again and settled deeper into the soft leather of the couch.

  After about an hour of listening to them bemoan each other’s failures, I felt confident I had mastered the skills needed to carry on a believable conversation—at least for antagonizing another teenage boy. But if I’d only see Micah and Sully down here in the basement waging zombie war, then I figured I knew enough for now.

  Their army slowly dwindled, making Micah increasingly agitated. Sully let a few expletives slip off his tongue as one zombie after another succumbed to the powerful Viking horde. Eventually they lost their entire army.

  “That really sucked,” Sully muttered as he removed his hat to wipe his brow on the sleeve of his charcoal gray shirt.

  “You said it,” Micah agreed. He folded his arms over his chest with a sigh of annoyance.

  “Well,” Sully said, placing his controller on the table and letting out a big yawn. “Guess I should probably get home now. Mom’ll be pissed I haven’t finished my math homework yet.”

  “Yeah. Mine, too.”

  Sully rose off the couch and stretched again. His arms reached so high I could see his belly button and striped boxer shorts sticking out of his jeans. “See ya, Micah,” he said and grabbed a set of keys off the table.

  “Yup.”

  “Hey, Jordan,” he paused, catching my eye. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, too.” He jammed his keys in his jeans pocket and then flashed me a quick smile.

  I couldn’t help but smile back. “Okay,” I agreed from my spot on the couch.

  Sully headed upstairs and Micah glanced over at my side of the couch, as if he noticed me for the first time. He blinked, his face turning a fast shade of pink. But the color quickly drained from his cheeks.

  He said coolly, “Like Sully said, I’ve gotta go finish my math.” Reaching for a different controller on the table, he pushed a button to turn off the light on the large screen. “You didn’t want to watch TV, did you?” he asked gruffly.

  I shook my head, afraid to irritate him more than I had already.

  Without another word, he stuffed his hands into the front pocket of his hoodie and plodded up the stairs, his feet heavy on each step.

  I wrapped my arms over my chest and released a deep sigh. I knew I’d figure out all these new words and inventions soon enough. But how would I ever manage to survive the six weeks until my cast comes off with someone who despised me? Maybe I should scope out a new place in the morning. Somewhere safe.

  And far away from Micah.

  With another sigh, I climbed off the couch and headed to my room. I changed into Micah’s old flannel pajama pants and T-shirt that Celia had arranged on the futon, crawled under the sheets, and pulled the covers tight around my chin. Rolling over on one side, I squirmed until I found a comfortable position to rest my cast. The light of the full moon filtered through the small basement window, casting an eerie glow around the room. Shadows lurked in every corner. I shivered beneath the covers, partially from the cold and partially out of fear.

  Though exhausted from the strain of my escape, it took forever for sleep to find me. And when it finally did, it was anything but restful.

  Halfway through the night, I woke to an unusual sound of scratching and clawing at the grassy yard outside. Suddenly, my eyes fluttered open with newfound terror.

  Where’s that noise coming from? I wondered, sliding from under the covers. Hesitantly, I stood on the futon and peered out the window.

  In the light of the full moon, a partially decaying hand broke up through the lawn. It emerged from the ground like a grotesque blossom that unfurled its petals under the chilling moonlit sky. A shiver of fright raced down my spine. I watched the hole widen enough for a spindly arm encrusted with dirt and rotten flesh to follow.

  I gasped, cupping both hands over my mouth to stifle my scream. Memories instantly flooded my mind. I remembered the howling winds that whisked my flames from one rooftop to another while the fire raged down the cobbled street.

  I recognized that arm. It belonged to Skye.

  Soon, another hand clawed free of the confining earth, dragging the rest of its decomposing body behind. I watched in horror as zombified versions of Skye, Gaia, and Hydros crawled from the ground, shaking their gruesome heads
to rid their hair of mud and filth.

  I scooted down on the mattress away from the window and bit my nails, wondering how to escape this time. Outside, I heard the shuffle of legs dragging limply behind as they traversed the driveway and neared my room.

  It’s now or never.

  I rose, intending to flee up the stairs, when the windowpane shattered. Shards of glass flew across the room. Screaming, I shielded myself from the rain of debris. But before I could leap off the bed, bony hands grasped my shoulder.

  “Aaaaahhhhhh!” I wailed, struggling against their grip. One hand after another grabbed at anything they could reach. Their rotting fingers clenched my shirt, my arms, and my hair. Skeletal fingers wrapped around my naked throat. I yelped in pain, gasping for a decent breath, when they yanked me up through the window. The jagged windowsill of broken glass lacerated my back and thighs. Then they dragged me away from the protection of my new, temporary room. My legs flailed wildly and I tried to wiggle free of their clutches, but I could not escape from their inhumanly strong grasps.

  Leaving a trail of blood across the freshly cut lawn, I kicked and screamed, constantly battling my monstrous captors. I raised my good arm toward Gaia’s head and gritted my teeth. Bolts of pain shot down my forearm until a glowing ball of fire rested in my palm. I aimed the fireball at her torso, but it missed, hitting one of Celia’s cedars instead and transforming the tree into an instant tower of flames. Focusing my energy, I launched a second fireball at her skull. It hit directly and ignited her moldy hair, but could not slow her progress. I screamed again, louder this time and aimed painful jets of fire at all their decomposing bodies with little effect.

  How could Celia and Micah not hear me? And why hadn’t anyone come to my aid yet?

  Before I could raise my hand again to unleash a more powerful plasma blast, the zombies halted. Bony fingers encircled my wrists and ankles to lift me clear off the ground. My back and thighs stung from the dirt ground into my open wounds. I howled and thrashed, unable to loosen their grip before they tossed me into a deep, fresh grave.

  Far above, Hydros laughed wickedly. Gaia raised one hand toward the hillside, commanding a shower of rocks and debris to tumble upon me.

  “No!” I screamed and cowered in my pit. My arms futilely shielded my head.

  Hydros’s unnerving cackle drowned when the rocks piled higher and smothered my screams.

  Suddenly I flew up in bed. Sweat poured down my brow. My pajamas clung to my cold, damp skin. Struggling for a breath of air, I glanced around the room, wondering how I managed to get out of that grave and end up here in the house. Early morning sunlight streamed in through the pane, illuminating the room with its cheery glow. Surprisingly, the window still appeared intact, with no signs of blood, broken glass, or moldy earth anywhere.

  I took a deep breath to settle my racing heart.

  Why did I need to have such graphic nightmares? Wasn’t there already enough horror in my life without inventing more?

  That settled it. No more video games for me.

  Dragging the fingers of my good hand through my hair, I took another calming breath. Relax, Jordan. You’re safe. No one can find you here.

  That’s right. I remained safe, nestled deep within this house. And while I stayed here, protected and unseen, they couldn’t trace my location. As the sun rose higher, my stomach released an unhappy gurgle. So I headed upstairs to scrounge up something for breakfast, my hair a tangled mess from disrupted sleep.

  “Why aren’t you dressed?” Celia asked the second she saw me. Her voice rose an octave with exasperation.

  “Huh?” I said, studying the boxes with pictures of huge bowls containing flakes of corn and wheat doused in milk. In all that had happened since yesterday, I never realized the extent of my hunger until now. But which to try first? I wondered when I noticed Celia staring at me with an open mouth.

  “I thought I asked Micah to wake you up to get ready,” she exclaimed.

  “Get ready?” My brow knitted. “For what?”

  “School,” she said. “You have to leave in ten minutes!”

  “School?” I repeated. My face paled. What about my plan of staying safely concealed in the basement? Or finding a new spot to hide, far away from Micah?

  “Micah,” Celia snapped. “I thought you said you’d wake her up for me?”

  “Oops,” he replied in a flat tone. “Guess I forgot.” His gaze never left his half-eaten bowl.

  I rolled my eyes, wondering what I ever did to deserve this attitude from him. Wasn’t he the one who injured me? Shouldn’t I be mad at him instead?

  “Well, go on,” Celia said, shuffling me back down the stairs. “Get dressed and I’ll toast you a bagel to eat on the way.”

  I struggled into the same set of Micah’s old clothes I wore yesterday, still not used to the bulky cast weighing down my arm. After dragging a comb through my hair, brushing my teeth, and splashing water over my face, I headed back upstairs to find Micah and Cam already waiting in the car. “And don’t forget your backpack,” Celia said. She passed me a bag and breakfast and then dashed out the door.

  She started the car, adding, “I normally don’t drive Micah to school, but since it’s your first day and he’s grounded from car privileges for a while, I figured, why not?”

  Yeah. Why not? I frowned. So much for my plans of hiding out.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  I swallowed hard when we pulled up in front of a long brick building set up on the hill, exponentially larger than any one-room schoolhouse I’d ever seen. I climbed out of the car with the backpack full of supplies Celia had assembled sometime last night. Shutting the door behind me, my gaze automatically fell on the ocean where gentle waves rolled toward the shore and lapped at the sandy beach. I turned toward the school, flooded with conversing teens checking their phones as they headed through the bottlenecking double-wide doors.

  My stomach churned. Even with the threat of Hydros pinpointing my location the moment I stepped in the water, I’d choose the beach over this school in a heartbeat.

  “Jordan, first stop in the office to pick up your schedule. And I hope you both have a great day!” Celia warbled. She gave a friendly wave and drove off.

  I turned to Micah, “Where’s the office?”

  He glared back at me in stony silence, and then headed toward the front doors. But he only made it a few paces before a girl excitedly shuffled up to him, wearing white leather sandals, tight jeans rolled up to her knees, and a short jacket. She pulled her long blond hair back in a ponytail accentuating her widow’s peak and painted her fingernails and toenails in bright blue polish. And like everyone else I saw, she had a phone poking out of the back pocket of her pants.

  “Hey, Tessa.” Micah’s grimace instantly faded. She laced her fingers through his and animatedly talked the rest of the way into the building.

  I looked down at Micah’s old baggy jeans, hoodie, and sneakers (according to Celia who’d dug an old pair out of the closet this morning). I noticed my painted nails sticking out from my conspicuous pink cast and ran my fingers through my short, black hair.

  Heaving a heavy sigh, I glanced back at the beach wistfully, then slung my backpack over one shoulder and followed Micah up to the building. Suddenly, an unfamiliar rumble pierced the sky. I peeked up, startled to see a metallic winged object soaring above the clouds. Watching with bewilderment, I tripped over my feet and stumbled across the road. I picked myself up before anyone noticed, then closed my eyes and took a deep breath to regain composure. You must blend in, I scolded myself, hoping I could do a better job of masking my surprise in the future.

  When I stepped through the double doors to enter the school, the conversations around me amplified. I saw no sign of Micah or Tessa, though I doubted I’d spot them in the massive sea of passing bodies. Still, I restrained the urge to swivel my head and soak in the new surroundings, navigating the crowded hallway. Instead, I concentrated on catching bits and pieces of student dialogues. My brai
n acted like a sponge to absorb patterns of speech and mannerisms with astonishing speed, ready to mimic and repeat, digest and regurgitate.

  Assimilate or perish. There were no other options.

  After picking up my schedule from someone called my “guidance counselor” in the office and following her directions to my first period Environmental Studies class with Mr. Horowitz, I settled into my seat, watching the other kids around me pull out paper and pens from their bags. I reached inside my backpack, looking for similar supplies.

  The girl sitting in front of me was dressed much like Tessa but with shorter, curlier blond hair. She turned around to gawk at me with sudden interest. When I caught her eye, she whispered in disbelief, “Is it true?”

  I glanced over my shoulder, assuming she meant someone in the row behind me. But no one else responded.

  Pointing at my chest, I raised my eyebrows and mouthed, “Me?”

  She rolled her eyes and nodded. “So is it?”

  “Is it…?”

  “True?” she finished for me. “That you live with Micah Trudeau?” Her voice ended her question about two octaves higher than where it began.

  I shrugged. “Yeah.” For some bizarre reason, I felt like she put me on the defensive. Did Micah have issues that I didn’t know about, aside from the fact that he couldn’t stand to see me in the same room as him? “Is that a problem?”

  A smile played across her face. “Only if you want to be on the hate list of Tessa Bradshaw and every girl at school.”

  “Hate list?” I thought, what’s that? But I said, “Why’s that?”

  “Oh, I dunno…” She tucked a curly lock of hair behind her ear. “Except for the fact he’s got half the girls in the junior class in love with him.”

  Including you, I guessed. A deep frown crept across my face. Just great. And here I was, trying to lay low. Now I’d unwittingly drawn more unwanted attention upon myself. And to think after all those narrow escapes from The Three, I found myself suddenly intimidated by a bunch of gossiping high school girls.

  “You are so lucky,” she added, the blush rising in her cheeks. “He’s like the nicest guy.”