The Elementalist

by Melissa J. Cunningham

  The frustration of her situation mounted. She had only wanted a spirit to control, whose power she could harness. Not this! Whatever this was. She had become a host… and it wasn’t supposed to be this way. But now, this vulnerability…

  Pure terror surged through her, and sweat began to bead along her upper lip as her heart rate accelerated. She had to get out of here! Not caring who these people were, or what kind of class this was, she stood up and grabbed the familiar backpack that sat at her feet. She ran from the room with all eyes staring, the expression on her face mirroring the horror she felt inside.

  ***

  Back in the safety of her bedroom, Claire docked her iPod and turned up the volume, drowning out the voices in her mind so she could concentrate. There was something inside her, and it was able to take over at a whim, which would explain the constant confusion, trying to figure out where she was. It must be sleeping now. That was the only explanation that made sense, but this other being was stronger than she was.

  There had to be a way to communicate with it. But how? Sitting on her bed, her legs folded beneath her, she placed her hands on her knees, palms up, in a receiving pose. Opening her mind, she slowed her breathing, but continued to take deep, cleansing breaths. Just when she felt like something had opened inside her mind, a hard pounding sounded on her bedroom door.

  She screamed out her annoyance and gritted her teeth. “What!”

  The door opened a crack and her friend, Jamie, peeked in. “Hey.”

  With an irritated sigh, she unfolded her legs and told him to come in.

  “I saw you the other day, trying to start your car. Why didn’t you come get me?” he asked.

  With a frown, she bit down the sarcastic remark that sat on the tip of her tongue. “What?”

  “You know. When your car wouldn’t start.” Jamie walked non-nonchalantly around her room, picking up a little knickknack and then a piece of jewelry that lay on her dresser, examining each item with disinterest. He finally came to rest on the bed beside her.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said.

  Now it was his turn to frown. “Whatever. If you don’t want to tell me, it’s no big deal.”

  She shook her head and stood up, putting things back where they were before he’d disturbed them. “It’s not that. I honestly can’t remember that happening. I’ve had some… um… weird stuff going on.”

  Jamie studied her face and folded his arms over his chest, which had become very well developed since he’d been on the swim team. Claire had noticed, but she hadn’t said anything about it. She didn’t want him getting the wrong idea. He was her friend, and she cared about him—depended on him even—but she did not feel anything romantic toward him.

  “What weird stuff?” he asked.

  “Well.” She turned to face him, her feet once again tucked beneath her on the bed. “You remember our ceremony?”

  He frowned and cocked his head like he was trying to remember. It annoyed her to no end, because she knew he couldn’t have forgotten that fast.

  “Oh, yeah. Right.” He nodded and looked away, a new tension in his expression.

  “Um… so, you know it didn’t work, right? Well, I did it again by myself later that day. And… it kind of worked.”

  “I’m still not sure what you’re trying to say here. What worked? What happened?”

  “I harnessed a spirit.”

  Jamie stared at her, his face a blank canvas, and then he shrugged, obviously still confused.

  “I thought I could control a spirit, use its power to cast spells, talk to my grandmother, and stuff like that. You wouldn’t understand.”

  “I would if you told me more.” Jamie reached out, but before he could touch her, Claire backed away, and his expression fell. “Claire…”

  “No, Jamie. I can’t. We’ve been best friends for too long to let romance ruin things.” They had spent every day growing up together. There was no one she trusted more. Granted, she’d be lying if she admitted not noticing how attractive he’d grown, but she had other things on her mind that were more important than romance.

  They sat in silence, watching each other, and Claire had no idea what to say or how to repair this.

  “Well,” he said. “I guess I’ll go.”

  Giving him an appeasing smile, she nodded. “Yeah. I’ll talk to you later.”

  Jamie stood and walked to the door. With one hand on the knob, he said, “One of these days, you’re gonna need me and you’ll realize what we had, but I won’t be around.”

  She stared back, shocked at his direct statement. “Wait.”

  His eyes were filled with a sadness Claire had never seen before. This was real. He was walking out of her life… maybe forever.

  “Wait,” she said again, getting to her feet. “I don’t want you to leave. Could you stay a little while longer?”

  Hope blossomed in his eyes, stabbing Claire through the heart. She wasn’t ready for a relationship. She didn’t have time for one, but she didn’t want to lose him either, and she knew in her heart that he was done unless something more happened between them. She didn’t want to give him false hope, and knew it would be stringing him on, but she couldn’t bear to end it. Not yet.

  They sat back down on her bed, smiling shyly at one another.

  21

  ~First Kiss~

  Alisa

  I awoke with a start, startled I’d fallen asleep in the first place… in my creative writing class… except I wasn’t in my writing class anymore. I was lying on my bed… and a boy was lying next to me, sound asleep. A boy I didn’t know!

  I got up carefully so as not to wake him, and then took a moment to study his face, because obviously, he was someone important to Claire. Did her mother know she slept—literally—with boys? My mom would freak.

  The boy rolled over, and I saw him more clearly. It was the boy from the séance. The swimmer. I couldn’t remember his name. He was attractive, with rosy cheeks, sandy-blond hair, and perfectly curved lips. Totally cute, and if I weren’t completely devoted to Brecken, I could take an interest.

  I wasn’t sure what to do now though. Pretend he wasn’t here? Wake him up and continue where Claire left off? I glanced at the clock, realizing it was almost eight-thirty in the evening. The curtains were drawn, so I pulled them back. It was still light outside. Barely. What was Claire doing with this guy? We both still had all our clothes on. Had they been studying? I didn’t see any schoolbooks lying around.

  Not wanting to officially meet him for the first time in the privacy of Claire’s bedroom—because how awkward would that be—I tiptoed over to the door, determined to escape unseen, but the door creaked when I pulled it open. I glanced back at the bed and, sure enough, his eyes were open, watching me.

  “Uh…” My mind drew a blank.

  “You’re leaving?”

  He sounded hurt and looked so rejected that I hurried back to the bed to sit beside him. “No, of course not. I was just going downstairs to get a drink. That’s all.” I placed my hand over his, forgetting it didn’t work to do that anymore. I wouldn’t be able to get a read on him just by touching him. At least, the way I intended to.

  He smiled and sat up, swinging his legs off the bed. He was a few inches taller than Claire, maybe an inch or two taller than Brecken, with broad shoulders and a well-muscled chest. Why hadn’t he been over before now? It would have been nice to know that Claire had a boyfriend. I certainly didn’t want to ruin it for her, but I was also not going to… do whatever, with him.

  Not knowing how to ask him his name or if he lived close by, I asked the safest thing I could. “You hungry?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, come on then, I’m sure Claire’s mom has something—um… I meant I’m sure my mom has something to eat in the fridge.”

  He stood there staring at me with a strange expression, his eyebrows pulled down in confusion. But instead of following me into the hall, in a split-second response,
he grabbed my hand and pulled me back into the room, closed the door, and held me close, cradling my face in his huge hands. And I mean huge. Wow. His long fingers cupped my cheeks as he stared into my eyes.

  “I’m tired of waiting, Claire,” he said. “I’m tired of arguing, and I’m tired of hiding how I feel.” He leaned close and his lips pressed against mine, tentative, soft, and warm. I was almost lulled away by the romance of the moment, but just as I was about to push him away, I remembered it was Claire he thought he was kissing and it did feel wonderful.

  Did I want to ruin this for her? Maybe she was totally into this guy. Maybe she’d had a crush on him forever, and he’d finally come around. Could I destroy that? Not that I should care about what she wanted, but I did.

  I kissed him back. I let go of all my reservations and gave to this boy what I figured Claire would give him. Unabashed affection. I let my arms tighten around his neck, and then his arms pulled me closer, the heat of our embrace building. In that moment I realized how dangerous this was, and he was not the boy I wanted to be kissing. I pulled away gently.

  He planted another feather-light kiss on my lips before dropping his hands. He looked at me with such love and hope in his eyes, and… that kiss had been amazing!

  “Is this the first time—?” I stupidly said out loud, thinking it might have been their first kiss, because he looked so nervous. He took it a different way.

  His eyes widened, grief stricken. “That I’ve kissed someone? Was it that bad?” He looked like he might shatter into a million pieces right before me.

  “No, no! It’s not that. I meant…” I sounded so stupid. Was this his first kiss? What boy wants to be asked a question like that? I had no idea what kind of past these two had together, but I could easily make it worse if I didn’t just shut up.

  “That memorable, huh?” He shook his head and walked to the window, ready to escape.

  “Wait…” I wanted to call him by name, but I couldn’t remember what it was. “I’m sorry, but… that was one of the best kisses I’ve ever had. Ever.” I couldn’t say it was the best, because it wasn’t. Nobody kissed better than Brecken. No one. But I wanted to leave this guy happy, with hope for a future with Claire… unless I was in her body for the rest of her life. In that case, Sayonara, good-lookin’.

  His smile beamed radiantly, like sunshine. In two quick steps, he was back, his arms wrapped around me so tightly I could hardly breathe, his lips pressed to mine again, except this time, he was more eager, more demanding. My lips parted beneath his—to cry out in protest—but he took it as an invitation and deepened his kiss.

  I couldn’t do this, no matter how good it felt. I pushed him away gently… again.

  “Claire…” His eyes shined, and his chest heaved with each breath he took. Mine did the same, but it was time to put the beast back in its cage. I held this really cute guy at arm’s length, my hands pressed against his ripped and well-defined chest. Man, was I loyal.

  “You should probably go,” I said, having forgotten how powerful these kinds of feelings were in a real body. The heat, the pull, and the temptation to feel them again… it was overwhelming, but he was not the guy I loved.

  He nodded and climbed out the window with a smile, but when he left, instead of heading to the driveway to get into his car, he strutted across the street and walked straight into the house facing Claire’s.

  “Oh.”

  He lived across the street.

  22

  ~First Contact~

  Alisa

  There had to be a way to communicate with Claire since we shared a body. But if she was asleep while I was awake and vice versa, I wasn’t sure how to accomplish that. It was high time I figured it out though. One of the things Raphael had drilled into me was that I had power—immeasurable power, if I only learned how to harness it. All people had this ability, he claimed, and all we had to do was tap into that reservoir. Well, I was going to start tapping.

  Down in the basement—because I’d finally figured out it was the only quiet place in Claire’s house where I wouldn’t be disturbed—I sat on a pile of blankets with candles lit all around me. Not because I wanted a hauntingly cool ambiance, but because I wanted as much light as possible down here in this dismal room. I hated the dark. Ergo… lots of lights.

  I sat with my knees tucked beneath me, my hands clasped together. I was about to call Claire—metaphysically speaking—and all she had to do was pick up the other line, if that was possible. Closing my eyes, I took slow, deep breaths, saying Claire’s name softly, over and over. I imagined she was hiding out inside our head, her mind deeply asleep, but not unreachable.

  “Claire,” I whispered. “Wake up. You need to wake up. Claire, wake up.”

  After a moment, I stopped, waiting to detect her inside me. Nothing. I did it again, this time imagining a sharp stick in my hand. I walked through this dark maze of her, poking and prodding, hoping one of the hunched shadows I imagined, was her.

  Nothing.

  In frustration, I opened my eyes and stared at the wall. How should I do this? Taking another deep breath, I closed my eyes again and waited. At that moment, pain sliced through my head, like an axe being driven through my skull, over my left ear. I grabbed my head and fell moaning to the blankets, my eyes scrunched against a light that seemed too bright. I couldn’t stop the pain or the constant heat drilling through my head.

  I didn’t know how long I lay there, tears seeping from my eyes, but slowly, my agony lessened to a dull throb, and then I sensed someone else in the room with me. They were quiet, not making a sound, not even breathing, but their presence was so strong I forced myself to sit up and look around. I stared in confusion at the empty room, frowning. I felt them so powerfully. I knew they were there. Hiding?

  “Hello?” I heard a weak voice ask. “Who’s there?”

  I stayed quiet, waiting, scared. It was another spirit, but I couldn’t see them. This terrified me more than anything, not knowing who I was up against.

  Again, the voice called out, stronger the second time. “Hello? Are you there?”

  They must be talking to me, so I answered. “I’m here.”

  I heard a sigh of relief. “Who are you?”

  This time, I didn’t hesitate. “Alisa Callahan,” I answered. “Come out, so I can see you.” I was sure it was a spirit now. I felt the energy of another soul surrounding me so powerfully that it couldn’t be denied. They could probably see me even though I couldn’t see them. That was how it usually worked. Maybe it was a guardian sent to help me.

  “I… I’m not sure where I am,” the voice said. “Keep talking so I can find you.”

  “I’m in the center of the room,” I said, turning in a slow circle, waiting, searching.

  “So am I… I think.”

  It was quiet for a moment, and then I heard the voice say, “Hey. You said your name was Alisa? Alisa Callahan?”

  I paused. “Ye—es.”

  “You’re in my body!” the voice screamed with rage. It echoed inside my mind, and the throbbing pain began again.

  “Claire?” I gasped, holding my aching head.

  “Yes, I’m Claire! And you’re in my body!”

  “I know,” I answered, in terrible pain, but I was relieved to be in contact at last. “I don’t know how it happened, but… but maybe if you try to get back in your body, I’ll be kicked out, and then everything will go back to normal.”

  “I can’t get in,” she said. “I’m already in. I’ve been here all along. You would have known that if you were an intelligent spirit. You’ve taken over my body, but don’t worry. I will kick you out. You weren’t supposed to do this. You weren’t supposed to take possession of me.”

  “I didn’t. I don’t know what happened.” I didn’t have a good feeling anymore, nor was I excited to be stuck in this body with her. She was furious and felt very strong.

  “I know just what to do with you,” she said.

  “You do?”

 
; “Oh, yes,” she answered with a growl. “I’m an Elementalist. I know who and what you are, and I know how to get you out… so get ready. This is going to hurt.”

  23

  ~Failed Experiment~

  Alisa

  It only took Claire a moment to seize control, and I was too surprised to stop her. Within moments, I could do nothing physically, but she could. She stood, and like a floppy doll, I bounced around inside of her.

  In the back corner of the basement, she slid a wood panel back, exposing a hole in the brick wall. No one would ever notice such a spot if you weren’t looking for it, which made me wonder if Claire’s mom knew it was there.

  Claire reached in and pulled out a crate of vials, chemistry burners, and all sorts of weird science stuff. She carried the crate to the area of the room where I’d been sitting, moving a bunch of candles out of the way.

  “What are you doing?” I asked inside our head. I suspected she was the only one who could hear me since her mouth didn’t move when I spoke. Like I said, zero control. “What is all this stuff?”

  She ignored me, just stood and walked up the stairs, locking the door from our side.

  “You know, it isn’t safe to have the door locked. What if there were an emergency?”

  Again, she didn’t answer.

  Proceeding to set a burner on the bench, she lit it. She had little handles that clamped around the beaker so her fingers wouldn’t burn. She began to add all sorts of things to the beaker: purified water, tinctures, and herbs, some of which had a very distasteful odor. When all was complete, she sat back and inhaled deeply, her eyes closed.

  When she started to chant, I got worried, trying to decide if I should continue hiding behind the curtain. This didn’t feel right. If she wanted to cast me out of her body, that was fine, because at this point, I was happy to leave, but I didn’t think we had the same idea of how to make that happen.