by Debbie Kump
Unless I could make Skye mad.
My eyes narrowed. In my sternest voice, I goaded, “And this is all your fault.”
Skye turned on me, a fierce stormy look in her silvery eyes. She pulled away from my protective embrace. “What are you talking about? It was your dumb idea to come here.” Her voice rose, piercing the calm following the rainstorm. “Some hiding spot you chose. Like a couple of hanging vines make a good cover.” The wind stirred, rusting the tree branches.
“This is definitely the place,” I heard Gaia tell Hydros. Entering the mouth of the cave, a sly grin crept across her face.
Keep it up, Jordan, I encouraged myself, thinking up more stinging words to rile Skye.
“I wish I never met you,” I continued, my voice low and harsh.
Skye’s face drooped into a deep, saddened frown that brimmed with hurt. Outside, the wind gathered in strength. I heard it whistle through the treetops, prepared to burst in at any moment.
My plan worked. Just one more comment, then I’d channel her fury at Gaia and Hydros. They wouldn’t stand a chance.
What devastating remark could I say to set her off? The same thing that drove me over the edge. Something about her family—her mom, in particular. How Skye had caused her death, much like my whole family had perished…inadvertently…
Because of me.
“You want to know why your mom died in childbirth?” I sounded like a nasty child taunting a dog with a bone.
Skye whipped her head around. Her wet fair blond hair stuck to her cheeks. She studied me incredulously, expecting the truth.
The corner of my mouth turned up in a cruel, calculating way. “It’s because of you. You and your freakish powers. You were the one who killed her.”
There. That should cover it. I congratulated myself for successfully enraging Skye. Now to harness that energy and direct it against Gaia and Hydros.
Skye paled, shaking her head in disbelief. She backed away from me. “You’re lying,” she breathed through her quivering lower lip. A sudden roar of wind burst through the cave entrance and unsuspectingly flattened the other two Elementals.
“Excellent,” I snickered, bracing myself against one wall as a precaution. I aimed my hands at Gaia’s startled face. The wind swirled in strong gusts and suffocated the fire with a sudden swoosh. Served her right for taking my family and Lucius from me. A broad grin filled my face when I saw Gaia lying helplessly upon the ground.
This would prove easier than I imagined.
“Now hit them again,” I told Skye while I summoned a fireball to send their way to finish them off. They couldn’t hurt anyone else I loved.
Ever.
Only Skye glowered at me, her face registering the hurt I had caused. Before I realized her intention, she raised her hand and aimed her palm at my heart. Her eyes glimmered like quicksilver. A sudden blast of straight-line winds nailed me against the rocky cave wall. My head whipped backward, smacking a protrusion at incredible speed. Bolts of pain shot through my skull and neck before I crumbled to the ground in a heap.
“I hate you,” Skye spat. She pointed a finger at my skull and a second blast of wind tore through the cave, crushing my face against the rock once more. Blood oozed from fresh wounds on my cheek.
“Not me, you idiot,” I exclaimed through the rushing wind. “Get them. They’re the ones who want to hurt you.”
Skye blinked, her face torn with confusion. The wind outside died in her puzzled state. Gaia and Hydros scraped themselves off the ground and seized the opportunity to strike.
“I never meant to hurt you,” I shouted, pressing one hand to my cheek to stop the bleeding, desperate for Skye to see my point of view.
Skye shook her head, biting her quavering lip to control the tears.
I wanted to tell her I lied, that her powers hadn’t caused her mother’s death. But time was unkind.
Regaining her strength, Gaia rose to her feet, stomping her foot on the cave floor. Around us, the ground trembled. Loose rocks tumbled down the slope outside and blocked part of the entrance.
“Skye, do it again,” I shouted. “Call the wind.”
But Skye continued to shake her head, dropping to her knees in defeat. Hydros neared her side and placed a slender hand upon the girl’s shoulder.
“Don’t take her!” I screamed at Gaia and struggled to my feet. Blood dripped from my wounds. “She’s mine.”
Gaia’s eyes gleamed. “Not anymore, my dear. You’ve done more than we ever could have asked for.”
“What do you mean?” I snarled. “I’d never help you and you know it.”
“Oh, but you have. You’ve done a wonderful job of helping us turn Skye against you.”
Oh, my God. I did.
The blood drained from my face. “Skye, don’t listen to her!” I shrieked in desperation. “I just needed you to help me fight them. You’re powerful when you’re angry. So that’s what I had to do. Make you angry.”
But at this point, it didn’t matter what I said. Skye didn’t believe me. Not anymore.
Reading my face, Gaia cackled an evil, chilling laugh that sent a shudder down my spine.
I’d lost this battle. And possibly the war.
So it didn’t really surprise me that the air outside remained calm and still when Hydros wrapped her spindly fingers around Skye’s arms and led her from the cave. Instead of using Skye’s power to confront Gaia and Hydros and guarantee our safety, I’d effectively crushed her spirit and relinquished her trust.
Then Gaia grabbed my arms, pinning them behind my back. She directed me toward the mouth of the cave. Stepping over the loose rocks that littered the entrance, she pushed me after Hydros and Skye. For a safeguard, Hydros split the sky with another drenching downpour, ensuring my fire could cause them no harm. At that precise moment, I realized Gaia had trained Hydros well already, while I did nothing to prepare Skye for this day.
They led us down the forested trail in silence. The rain pelted our skin like painful shards of glass. Then they dumped us in separate pits, each at least ten feet deep. The smell of damp earth filled my nostrils. I scanned the walls, searching for a handhold or a root to aid in my escape.
Unfortunately, I found none.
I sank to the floor and buried my bloody face in my hands, regretful for saying all those horrible things. I spent a sleepless night shivering in a growing pool while my blood congealed into a jagged scab across my cheekbone. Meanwhile, the torrential rain continued. I wondered when phase two of their torture would begin.
When the morning light touched the valley floor, the water level in my pit had already reached mid-thigh. Above, I detected a pair of footsteps that signaled Gaia and Hydros’s return. Next to me, I heard a splash in Skye’s pit followed by a frightened scream. Perhaps now she’d realize my true intentions. I glanced up to see Hydros’s lithe form perched at the edge of my pit. She dumped a basket over the side while a sinister grin lit her gaunt face.
I edged toward one wall. My eyes scanned the water, uncertain of what exactly had entered the pit. In the dim light, I spotted a slithering form that undulated through the water. It neared the surface and I caught a glimpse of its black and white stripes before it ducked beneath the dark water again. I swallowed hard, recognizing the shape and coloration in an instant.
The deadly sea krait.
If I held perfectly still, perhaps the snake wouldn’t strike. Don’t move, don’t move. I willed my body to remain calm.
Skye screamed again. Judging by her tone, she’d also discovered the identity of our new companions.
“Jordan!” she screamed, begging for help.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t even help myself. I held my breath while the krait slithered toward me, wrapping its cold scaly body around my calf. Afraid to exhale, I gritted my teeth with fear and wondered what they planned for us next. If I survived that long.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
“Jordan?”
Subconsciously, I touched a finger to m
y cheek, remembering the pain when Skye had slammed me into the rocky cave wall.
“Jordan?”
Funny. I didn’t remember her calling my name more than twice.
“Jordan!”
Maybe because this voice didn’t belong to Skye. Instead, it sounded male. And familiar.
I blinked, letting my eyes focus through the sheet of rain as a white Toyota Corolla stopped by the curb. Inside, I recognized the baseball cap turned backward and the wide, infectious grin.
I gave Sully a small wave.
“Thought you had Driver’s Ed?” he said.
I shrugged, unsure of how he knew my schedule, unless Micah had told him. Which again made me wonder how much they talked about me.
“I did,” I replied. “Until today.”
His brow crinkled. “Huh?”
Wiping the rain from my face, I approached his car. Not like anyone else could overhear, though I still felt embarrassed to admit, “I flunked out.”
“Seriously?” He hooted. But his laughter instantly faded. “I’m sorry,” he said, struggling to keep a straight face. “So what happened?”
I shrugged again. Raindrops slid down my face. “They dropped me off here. I told them I’d walk home. Only—”
“—you haven’t made it too far,” he finished for me. “Get in. I’ll give you a lift.”
Dripping wet, I climbed in, my clothes clinging to my skin. I sank into the passenger side.
“Here. Take this—you’re soaked,” he offered, passing me a dry jacket from behind his seat.
Slipping out of my soggy hoodie, I slid my arms into his jacket sleeves, wrapping it tightly around my chilled core. His jacket smelled like laundry softener, fresh and clean…with an added hint of Sully. I inhaled a deep breath and then dragged my fingers through my wet hair. “No motorcycle today?”
Sully shook his head. “My parents won’t let me drive it in the rain. They’re afraid I’ll do something reckless, I guess.”
“No. Not you,” I said, feigning surprise.
Sully laughed. “Wouldn’t you think they’d know their own son by now? I don’t know what I ever did to get such a bad rap.”
Sully headed out of the school parking lot. Instead of turning down the residential street to take me home, he continued into town. I glanced at him in confusion. Was this another one of his detours?
Pulling into the strip mall, he parked in front of the Old Chicago Towne Pizzeria. A sign hung in its front window, its neon lights spelling Open.
“What’s this?” I blinked at the idea of him…and me…sitting down to eat. Inside my head, I couldn’t help but think this had “date” written all over it.
“You hungry?”
I nodded. Sure, I felt hungry, but a part of me didn’t really object to the whole date thing, either.
He held the door for me when we walked inside, then asked, “So what would you like?”
“Anything—as long as it’s hot.”
While Sully stepped up to the counter to order pizza and drinks, I crossed my arms over my chest, shivering from the cold when I noticed something familiar about the restaurant’s décor. Sepia-tinted photos of scenes from old Chicago town suddenly drove up powerful memories. I stretched one hand toward the wall, reaching out to touch the side of a church’s steeple. The very same one I passed as the chestnut mare and I fled down the street.
I couldn’t help but think back to what I read in Mr. Tabor’s class, about how I had unintentionally destroyed it all.
A shudder traveled down my spine. My face paled as I bit my lip, remembering that ill-fated night.
Holding two drinks, Sully appeared by my side. “Something bothering you?”
“No. I’m good,” I fibbed, pushing the images to the back of my mind.
Sully blinked. “Are you sure? ‘Cause you look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
I shook my head, snapping my thoughts to the present. “Sorry, just tired, I guess. You were saying?”
He handed me a soda. “They’re all out of coffee.”
“This is fine.” I smiled and took a long swig off the straw. The soda’s sugar, caffeine, and carbonation traveled straight to my brain.
Finding a small booth in the corner, Sully sat across from me and perched the number placard for our pizza order on the edge of the table. Then he stared me straight in the eye, biting his tongue to keep from laughing. “So how exactly did you flunk out of Mr. Mendoza’s class?”
He didn’t help me feel much better.
“I take it this doesn’t happen very often,” I muttered.
Sully shook his head, letting a confined guffaw escape. “Are you kidding? He’s got a reputation of being the softest teacher at school.”
Wringing my hands in my lap, I admitted, “Let’s just say I kinda freaked out.”
Sully cocked one eyebrow high on his forehead. “This doesn’t have to do with the storm you saw on the news?”
I looked away.
“About the Four Elements?”
“Elementals,” I corrected him. “And it was just one.”
Sully placed his hands on the top of his ball cap and leaned backward against the booth’s burgundy padding. With a sympathetic grin, he added, “I’m all ears.”
I sighed. I shouldn’t do this but he had heard it before. Plus he hadn’t believed me then, so he probably wouldn’t now either. If nothing else, it would help get things off my chest. Give me a new perspective.
At least I told myself it would.
So I explained about Skye up on the hill, her hair flapping wildly in the breeze. Then I related what happened afterward…how my reckless driving and running a red light caused multiple accidents until Mr. Mendoza stopped the car and took over.
Sully stared at me, speechless, his jaw reaching the floor. Only this time, he didn’t laugh. “That’s it? You saw a person standing on the hillside?”
“Yes—with her arms raised, like she was shaping the air to her whim.”
Sully’s face relaxed. “Lots of people go up on the sea cliffs to practice yoga or Tai Chi.”
“In the rain?”
He shrugged. “This is California. Haven’t you heard it called, ‘The Land of Fruits and Nuts’ before?”
I couldn’t help but chuckle. I must fit right in.
Just then, our hot, steaming pizza arrived, topped with pepperoni and sausage smothered in piles of melted cheese. I dug in, never realizing how starved I felt. Maybe Sully was right. Maybe I had imagined the whole thing. How could something as little as a momentary dip in the ocean guarantee they found me already?
Sully downed his first piece in about three bites. Reaching for a second slice, he asked, “How’s the pizza?”
“Really good.” And I meant it. Somehow, the food and his reassurances made the whole Driver’s Ed fiasco seem insignificant in the grand scheme of life.
We ate our food, never once mentioning the weather or the Elementals again. I wished I could stay there forever, nestled inside our little booth, laughing at Sully’s stories, and forgetting everything else that went on in my life. After finishing three-quarters of the pie and boxing up the rest, Sully paid the bill and tip and drove me home.
When I entered the house, I found Celia waiting at the kitchen table, livid. “Where have you been? I’ve called everywhere. You had me worried sick.”
Sully stepped in. “It’s my bad, Mrs. T. I saw her in the rain, so I gave her a ride home. But she was so cold, I took her out for pizza, y’know. To warm her up first.”
Celia narrowed her eyes. “Sully, I understand you were trying to help. But still—”
“I know,” he interjected. “I should’ve called. I’m sorry. Really. I totally forgot.”
Will someone please explain to me what just happened? Did Sully just voluntarily help me out again?
Celia released a heavy sigh. “Next time, Sully, promise me you’ll call.”
“Sure thing.” He turned to leave, giving me a knowing wink. “See you, C
elia. See ya, Jordan,” he called on his way out the door.
Suddenly, I found myself seeing him in a whole new light.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Before I went to bed, I caught a part of the late-night news where the TV meteorologist likened this unrelenting storm to the Winter Super storm of 1861 that dumped ten feet of rain in the Central Valley over a period of forty-five days.
When I crawled under my covers, I couldn’t help but think the whole thing would end abruptly—with my inevitable capture.
It wouldn’t be the first time. I remembered the three days I spent in that pit back in Bora Bora, staring up at pinpricks of light that dotted the black velvety sky, wishing for a different existence. The sea krait skirted threateningly close to my legs and Hydros’s addition of blood-sucking leeches feasted on my flesh. Three days spent listening to Skye’s muffled screams as Gaia and Hydros subjected her to various types of torture, each more hideous than the previous one. Her will finally broken, she begged for mercy. So when they offered her the chance to escape her loathsome hole by joining them in their insatiable quest for power, she succumbed.
On that same night, Gaia ordered a couple of island men to throw down a rope and drag me out of the pit. In the light of their torches, she surveyed me with my sunken eyes, my wrinkled and sallow skin, and my jagged scab of dried blood across my cheek. In my weakened, passive state, I no longer seemed a threat. Perhaps with rest and recovery, I could prove a valuable ally.
Then Hydros had the audacity to offer me the same option as Skye—join them or else.
I glanced over at Skye, more terrified and pale than ever. Wet and cold, she shivered on the ground, clutching her trembling legs. This is all my fault. Pity filled my heart. Maybe I could still help. Something I could say to make her change her mind.
“Skye—it’s Jordan. Remember me? Your best friend?”
Skye didn’t look up. She simply rocked back and forth.
