by Rain, J. R.
“Figuratively.”
“Lord help me.”
“As I was saying, Max. You are not just another elemental … you are the Elemental.”
“I’m not following. Any of this. Literally. I feel like I’m drowning over here.”
“Relax, Max. Breathe. Good, good. Every so often Nature must right a wrong.”
“And I’m the wrong?”
“No, Max. You’re the right. You are, as I said, Nature’s tool. Or, more accurately, Nature’s assassin.”
“This isn’t happening.”
“But it is, Max. And I need you to stay in focus.”
“And I need you to get to the point.”
“Darkness walks the land, Max. Abominations. Those which are not natural.”
“I’m not following.”
“Vampires, Max. I’m talking about vampires.”
I would have said his words hung in the air, except that the Archangel Michael whispered them for my ears only. Not to mention, there was only one other couple sitting near the front. For all intents and purposes, we were alone in the coffee shop.
“You have got to be kidding—”
“Max, need I remind you that your hand passed through me just minutes ago? Need I remind you that you can conjure windstorms at will?”
“But vampires… .”
“They’ve been whispered about for centuries. This town has a history of animal attacks. Are vampires really so hard to believe?”
I opened my mouth to speak, but he was right.
“So, vampires are … real?”
Michael looked at me long and hard. His bald head caught some of the halogen lighting above. His eyes were unlike anything I had ever seen. Simultaneously penetrating and analytical, they were also kind and filled with something close to love.
“Yes, Max. Vampires are real. And so are angels and Elementals, and other things that go bump in the night. But let’s take it slowly. No need to overwhelm you.”
I nodded. I concurred about the not-overwhelming-me part.
“So, I’m what, Nature’s weapon, as you called it?”
“Secret weapon for now. But soon enough, not so secret.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means the vamps will know about you shortly, Max. And they will want to kill you. It’s why I’m here. To keep you alive … and to teach you how to fight back.”
I swallowed hard then downed the rest of my coffee, nearly burning my tongue in the process. “Why … why don’t you do it? Why me?”
“Good question, Max. It’s because I’m not part of Nature.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I’m beyond Nature, Max. Technically, I’m not of your world. But you are.”
“Why me? I mean, I’m no one. I’m not even a real cop. I follow cheating spouses all night, and that’s only if I can find work. Most of the time, I’m sleeping in my office, or playing solitaire.”
“Or drunk?”
“Sometimes, yes. So what?”
“I’m not judging you, Max. You needed an outlet for what you knew was coming.”
“Trust me, I had no clue this was coming.”
“Not on a conscious level, Max. However, your body was aware. You could say it was waiting.”
“For the meteor?”
“In your case, yes. The meteor’s passing was necessary to fully awaken your body. Or, more accurately, to fully activate it.”
“You sound crazy, you know that?”
“We’ve been over this before, Max. Would you like for me to continue? Or would you prefer to face the vampires on your own?”
I stared at Michael for a long moment. He stared back, his impenetrable eyes alternately shining with warmth and strength. “Please go on,” I said.
He nodded. “You were not chosen for this job, Max. You volunteered.”
“I think I would remember volunteering to be an Elemental who battles vampires.”
Michael smiled. “Your decision to be here, in this place, at this time, occurred before your birth.”
“I hate it when I do that.”
“Make no mistake, Max … you knew full well what you were getting yourself into.”
“Why would I volunteer for this?”
“Because you are stronger than you think, Max. Much stronger. Come, I think a short demonstration is in order.”
Dear Bloody Diary,
I spent this evening at the Mystic Grill, but there’s no sign of this elusive detective, either in his office or the apartment upstairs. I did detect a camera pointing at his office door, which opens out onto Washington Street. Had he been watching me? Did he know I was looking for him? Did I even care?
Actually, yes. I very much care. If there is even a chance … the slightest modicum of possibility, that I could be stronger than Klaus and his gang of Original pricks, then I am going to pursue it. The detective, so far, is my best lead. Which sounds ironic as I write this.
I’ve been doing more research, scouring our vast collection of ancient texts here at the boardinghouse … and have so far found only one mention of Elementals. They were likened as Earth spirits. More importantly, the book, which is here by my bedside, has indicated that Nature will use Elementals as it sees fit, to restore balance.
Yes, I’d already suspected this. Vampires are an abomination of nature, a cancerous, blood-sucking plague. Hell, Mother Earth has been doing her best to get rid of us for centuries.
Well, she can keep trying, because I have no intention of going anywhere … especially if I can get my hands on this detective.
I have ways of making him talk. Oh, yes.
D. Salvatore
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
* * *
We were walking down a side street in the process of taking me from an agnostic to a believer … in my power over Nature, in the existence of vampires, and that an archangel was apparently going to teach me how to fight evil.
It was a quiet evening and surreal, too. I was buzzing a little from the caffeine. My every sense seemed to be heightened, so much so that I was beginning to doubt that it was from the effects of the mocha latte.
“You’re tuning into Nature, Max,” said Michael easily. We were strolling side by side—and this could be further proof of my disintegrating psychosis—but Michael seemed somehow taller.
Yeah, I’m going nuts.
“What, exactly, does that mean?” I asked. “Tuning in with Nature?”
“Max, think of yourself as an extension of Nature … a very important extension. And think of yourself as having woken up from a very long sleep—”
“Well, I feel like I’m dreaming now.”
“On the contrary, Max. You have been sleepwalking through life, until now.”
“Until the meteor’s arrival.”
“The meteor is only another instrument, Max. In this case, an instrument to awaken you from your deep slumber.”
“I’m just a private eye, and not a very good one. My career peaked long ago. And my appeal peaked even longer ago with the ladies, if the truth be known.”
“You are so much more than all that, Max. But most important, you are an honest man. A good man. And a humble man. Walk this way.”
I blinked, slightly startled. I had been unaware that we had left behind the residential street and were now standing alongside a field just outside of town. An old shack sat in the field, silhouetted against the twilight sky. Michael stepped away from the roadside and began crossing the field. “Hurry along, Max.”
Except … I didn’t hurry along. I stood there, debating. For some reason, I had a very strong precognition that should I follow Michael across the field and toward the shack my life would forever change.
For better or worse, I hadn’t a clue which way to turn.
Michael stopped and turned and waited for me, his eyes expectant and patient. A warm wind swept down the road. It swept over me and my body tingled from head to toe. That old feeling of longing returned, that feeling
that I was separated, somehow. That I was missing something.
“You are missing something no longer, Max. You are home now.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You will, Max.”
And, as the wind continued blowing over me, surrounding me, enveloping me, I took in a lot of air, nodded to myself, and then crossed the field … and I followed Michael to the abandoned shack.
We stood before the dilapidated structure.
“And why are we here?” I asked.
“To begin your training.”
“What do I do?”
“For now, I just want you to close your eyes.”
“Close my eyes?”
“Yes. Easy, right? Don’t be so nervous, Max. You are among friends.”
“Friends?”
He swept his arm before him, the breadth of which encompassed the entire field and the tree line to the forest beyond. “All of nature is your friend, Max. It always has been.”
“This is weird.”
“Weird can be good. In this case, weird is very, very good. Now, close your eyes, Max, … and relax.”
I took in a lot of air and, feeling stupid, closed my eyes as instructed. I hoped I was better at this than I was at yoga.
“Good, Max. Good. Now breathe deeply a few times. Focus on your breath only, clear your mind.”
I did as I was told, breathing deeply, except I couldn’t clear my mind. It kept going back to the word “vampires.” God, was this really happening?
“Clear your mind, Max. Focus on your breathing. It is a trick that all great masters use. The focusing on breath triggers a deeper realization; it quiets the troubled mind.”
“Well, my mind is damned troubled.”
Michael chuckled quietly, and I took in some more air, determined this time to focus on my breathing. I noticed the way the air felt moving over my lips, the way it flowed down into my lungs, the way it seemed to complete me—and, interestingly, the way it seemed to connect me with Nature itself.
“We are all connected,” came Michael’s soothing voice, seemingly far away. “The air we breathe is one such way we are connected.”
“But I thought you are not of this earth.”
“The connection reaches further than the physical, Max. Further than you can even imagine. Now breathe and relax.”
I did as I was told, and, as I continued breathing and relaxing, I began hearing something in the not-far distance. Voices. No, whispers. The whispers were so faint that I could have been imagining them. Try as I might, I could not make out the words.
“Keep trying, Max. Someday, you will.”
“What is that?” I asked. My eyes were still closed, I still breathed evenly. I felt deeply relaxed, standing there in the middle of the field, next to the shack.
“It is Nature’s chorus.”
“I don’t understand.”
“It is all of life that surrounds you, from the blades of grass beneath your feet, to the great oaks that stand outside this clearing. It is the smaller insects that crawl, to the bigger cats that prowl.”
I thought about this, tried to digest it all … but just couldn’t wrap my head around it.
“It’s okay, Max. I do not expect you to understand everything at once. Just know what you are hearing is real and loving: the voice of the wind, of the animals, of the plants themselves. And all are here to aid you.”
“To help me fight the vampires?”
“In a nutshell, yes.”
“Because they are an abomination to Nature.”
“The easy answer is yes.”
I opened my eyes and the whispering stopped. “And I’m here to kill them?”
“No, Max. You are here to restore balance.”
“I’m just one man,” I said.
“One man who has Nature on his side. Now, close your eyes and breathe, Max. Good, good.”
Dear Bloody Diary,
Stefan is acting strange. Well, stranger than usual. The events at the Grill had sparked something within him, I can tell. Or did he know something that I didn’t? No, I doubt it. The only mention of the Four Elements is in the grimoire that I now possess. Unless, of course …
Hellfire!
I’ve searched everywhere for the grimoire. It is gone. Blast! Blast! Blast!
My brother, of course is gone—and I should assume he has read this very diary.
Think, Damon … think.
What has Stefan done? Who has he gone to?
Bonnie, perhaps. Mention of the Four Elementals was, after all, in one of her relatives’ grimoires.
Yes, he went there … I’m sure of it, and I shall, too.
But first … a better hiding place for this damn diary… .
D. Salvatore
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
* * *
The night wore on.
I worked closely with Michael, and he showed me many wondrous things. In particular, he showed me how to summon fire and water—which was why we were here at the old shack. I alternately set it on fire—and then doused it with water. More than once, I found myself laughing nearly hysterically. That I was doing all of this from powers inside of me was beyond anything I could imagine. Just a few days ago, I had been living a peaceful, quiet life. Perhaps even a boring life.
And now, as I raised my hand and made it into a fist, as fire lanced down from the heavens to explode across the shack’s roof … my life was far from boring.
As the fire spread rapidly through the old structure, I opened my hand and lowered it, and a sheet of rain washed over the building, directed precisely by my thoughts. Within moments, the fire was out.
“Good,” said Michael. “Again.”
I did it again and again, until I mastered all forms of creating fire, from smaller flames that could light a cigarette, to fiery brimstone that could level forests or buildings.
When I had finally burned the shack to the ground, Michael and I sat back and watched a rainstorm of my creation put out the fire. I turned to Michael and said, “I’m not dreaming?”
“No, Max.”
“This is really happening?”
“Yes.”
“How do you know I won’t use these gifts for evil?”
Michael turned to me and, yes, I was certain now that he was much taller. And had more hair, too. “I don’t, Max, but you would do well to remember that Nature always—always—balances herself.”
“So, if I abuse this power …”
“You can expect a reckoning.”
“That sounds frightful as an equalizer.”
“You have been given great gifts, Max. Use them wisely.”
“But how do I use them? You said to restore balance … what does that mean?”
“There is no easy answer, Max,” said Michael, as the isolated rainstorm continued drenching the burned-out shack. “You will have to use great care and wisdom.”
“Does Nature realize that I’m just a normal guy?”
“Normal guys are part of nature, too, Max.”
“Am I normal to kill vampires?”
“You are to restore order, as best you can.”
“And if I choose not to?”
“Then you choose not to. But I will say this: You very much wanted to be here, in this place and time, to restore order, to do what you can to right a great wrong.”
“And vampires are a great wrong?”
“They are … unnatural.”
“What if I ignore these gifts?”
“Nature cannot be ignored, Max. You can hear it now. You will always hear it, feel it, and be moved by it. Not to mention… .”
“What?”
“There is something else you need to know.”
I raised my hand, and the mini-storm stopped. Sounds of water dripping from charred wood intermixed with the whisperings of Nature that I was hearing. “What?” I asked.
“You could say that something was put into place to force your hand.”
“You mean force me to
cooperate?”
“Yes, Max. You see, the very thing that you seek to destroy is seeking you out.”
“I don’t understand. Why would vampires seek me out?”
“Because feeding on you, the Elemental, will give them eternal life.”
“But I thought vampires were already immortal.”
“Not truly. Your blood changes that. It is why I am with you now. To warn you and guide you.”
“So, even if I choose to ignore my gifts… .”
“The vampires will be coming for you, Max.”
“Well, that’s just great. There are always strings attached, aren’t there?”
“Perhaps I should tell you a thing or two about vampires,” said Michael; he did, speaking well into the night.
Dear Bloody Diary,
Tonight was wild, even for the Salvatore brothers.
I found Stefan at Elena’s, of course. Apparently, he, Elena and Bonnie were having a private pow-wow. They stopped talking, of course, as soon as I arrived. I couldn’t help but notice Stefan’s hand on Elena’s hip. God, that’s a dagger to the heart. Even now, hours later, as I write these words in this blasted diary, I’m wounded by that one small thing.
Okay, I’m calm… .
(And Stefan, if you are reading this, I’d like to point out that you are a dick for invading my privacy. And, also, just a dick in general.)
Anyway, I digress… .
“So, what does the witch say about the Elemental?” I asked, stepping into the kitchen and surveying all of them.
“The witch,” said Bonnie, turning and facing me, “doesn’t appreciate your stealing her personal belongings.”
“It was just a book.”
“Grimoires are never just books.”
“Fine. Point made. I assume my dear brother came running over here to tell you all about what he’d discovered in my personal journal—”
“You mean diary,” said Stefan with that Cheshire cat grin. Elena smiled, too.
I ignored them both and looked at the pretty Bennett witch. “Anyway, I assume Stefan has told you all about my interest in the Elemental.”
