Restless (Element Preservers, #4)

by Linwood, Alycia

  "Other options?" My eyebrows shot up. "Like dating a guy who I can't touch because I might kill him and take his element? A guy who might expose me to the world if he saw I had the symptoms of the disease? A guy who might have been sent by my enemies?"

  "Ok, ok!" Paula defensively put her hands up. "Ethan is also a bad choice, but if we get you the fourth element..."

  "Is April here somewhere? I'd like to meet her," I interrupted, and Paula licked her lips.

  "Are you sure that's a good idea? It might affect your decision to accept the donated element."

  "That's exactly why I want to meet her." Paula's reaction only made me more certain there was something important about April that Paula didn't want me to know.

  "Alright, but I can't go with you. I don't want to make her condition worse. She's just down the hall in the protected area. Her name is written on her room, so you can't miss it." Paula patted me on the shoulder. "Just be glad you don't have to be isolated like she is." The look in Paula's eyes indicated that she thought I could end up as April very soon if we didn't find a solution for my condition.

  "I'll be right back." I flashed her a smile and strode down the hall, fighting the uneasiness in my stomach. It wasn't hard to find April's room because her name was written in huge pink letters on the steel door. I knocked once and pushed the door open. A pair of big green eyes looked up at me, full of curiosity. My breath hitched in my throat as I realized April couldn't be older than fourteen.

  "Hi. Are you April?" I asked, closing the door behind me. The girl nodded, her long black curls jumping around her tiny shoulders.

  "I know you," she exclaimed, getting up from the bed. The small room was full of sunshine thanks to the huge window that looked on the endless meadow. A desk and a chair stood in the corner, covered in toys and flowers. One of the walls was completely filled with pictures of famous actors and singers.

  "You're Ria Milanez!" Her eyes widened as she approached me. "They told me you were just like me. I mean, they told me we had the same elements."

  "Yeah, that's me."

  April smiled and put her arms around me. "I can't believe you came to see me! I never thought I'd meet anyone famous."

  "Well, I'm not that famous." I stepped back and nodded in the direction of the posters where real celebrities were.

  "Yes, you are. All carriers know about you." She straightened her purple dress. "Come sit with me."

  "Sure." April led me to the bed and we sat down, our shoulders nearly touching.

  "I still can't believe you're here. They told me you were too busy." She pouted. "But I did hope you might come."

  "Who told you that?" I had no idea who 'they' were, but maybe April could enlighten me.

  "Mark and Sasha, my doctors." Her face lost a bit of its cheerfulness. "I wish more people would be allowed to visit me, but I don't want to hurt them."

  "I don't know your doctors, but I hope they're taking good care of you. How are you feeling?" I'd freaked out when I was alone in a whole house with a city nearby. I couldn't imagine what April was going through here, trapped forever in a small room with a huge window that showed her what she couldn't have. I thought I was going to be sick.

  "I'm fine, but I can't be around people with elements." A frown line appeared on her forehead. "Are you ok? You look pale."

  "Don't worry about me." I tried to smile, but I could bet it looked more like a grimace. "How long have you been here?"

  "A couple of months." She shrugged. "At least no one ties me down in here."

  I swallowed the bile that was rising in my throat. No, I couldn't take away this girl's chance to have a normal life. What were Paula and the others thinking? How the fuck could I be the priority? I was the one living at a university full of people with elements and I could do whatever I wanted. If April didn't get an earth element soon, God knew how long she'd have to stay in this room. She needed that element more than me.

  "Did they tell you there is a person who could donate his element to you?" I said, staring at my hands in my lap.

  "Yeah," she said slowly. "But you need that element, so I guess I'll have to wait a bit longer."

  "No, I won't let that happen. You are the one who needs that element the most, not me." I met her surprised eyes.

  "But..." She started to protest, shaking her head.

  "No buts." I took her hands in mine, squeezing lightly. "Promise me you will take that element for yourself when the time comes."

  She stared at me for a full minute, confusion and indecision crossing her delicate features. "I... I promise."

  "Good." I bit my lip to push back the tears that pooled in my eyes. "You're going to be fine, April. You'll get out of here and then we'll go shopping together. What do you say?"

  "Deal!" April squealed in delight, throwing herself in my arms. I pressed her to myself, closing my eyes. Even if I fell apart and completely lost control, no one could make me take the earth element before April.

  I waved goodbye to April, a broad smile on my face. She grinned back at me as I closed the door. I’d made only a couple of steps out in the hall when tears flooded my eyes. I let myself slide down the wall and pulled my knees up, hugging myself. There were so many carriers who would continue to suffer simply because we couldn't do anything for them. I had to do something, but I wasn't sure what.

  "Who do we have here?" a familiar voice said. "You're going to get your skirt dirty."

  "Michael." I roughly wiped away my tears and looked up at him. He looked good as usual, his brown hair messy, his green eyes warm.

  "Did you get tired of playing the president?" He crossed his arms.

  "Of course not." I scowled. "But if you'd like to take my place, go ahead. I'm not sure how you could do it under the current system, so I'm really sorry that I'll have to keep my position of the president so that someone with anti-carrier feelings doesn't substitute me."

  Michael sighed. "I'm sorry. I forget that you don't have such an easy job. It is so easy to hate you."

  "I'm glad to hear you moved on." I rose from the floor and brushed the dust off my skirt. Obviously everyone was too busy with researching to clean up the halls. "Although dating Adrian's crazy ex..."

  "Really, Ria?" He shook his head in disapproval.

  "Yeah, ok. Who am I to judge? You're right about that." I ran a hand through my hair, wondering whether my makeup was smeared. Asking Michael about it was out of the question, though. Even if my hair looked like a bunch of squirrels had had a fight in it, I'd have to wait until I found a mirror to fix it.

  "I'm glad we agree about something." He glanced down the hall and back at me. "Were you visiting someone?"

  "Yeah, April." Judging by a troubled look on Michael's face, he knew who April was, but hadn't expected me to go anywhere near her. "She seems like a nice girl." A girl who should be in school with her friends, who should be able to swim in the sea, who should be riding her bike and worry about grades, boys or whatever she liked.

  "That's cold. Even for you, Ria." He glared at me. "How can you go visit her when you know she'll have to stay here because of you?"

  "I'm not going to take the damn element," I said angrily. "Apparently, everyone wants me to take it, but I can't do it."

  "Would you take it if April was older than you?"

  "I don't know." Was there actually a real reason why I deserved the element before someone else? Maybe there was, but April wasn't an adult.

  "Lily and Paula will fight you on this. You are the only one who can be the president that is pro-carrier. You just told me that yourself a minute ago." His face softened.

  "Not you too." I groaned. "Yes, I understand that we're in a delicate situation, but I think I can hold on a bit longer. If Paula hadn't come up with the idea of donations, we wouldn't even be discussing this."

  "And if you end up in April's place?" His green eyes bored into mine.

  "Then I'll end up in her place."

  "Am I interrupting something?" I peered into the r
oom where Paula and Ryan were talking about something in hushed voices.

  Paula turned around, nearly knocking a book off the table. "No, of course not." Ryan only grinned at me.

  "Right." I'd left Michael in the hall because he was waiting for Amaya, and I didn't want to go anywhere near her, but maybe I shouldn't have come to see Paula instead. She looked positively busy with Ryan.

  "Ryan was just telling me how he'd like to help me with my research," Paula said, nudging him in the ribs. "Right?"

  "Yeah, totally," he said, placing his hand over the spot that she'd hit. "I'd gladly offer myself to you in the name of science."

  I burst out laughing. "I don't think you can refuse this kind offer, Paula."

  "Shut up. Both of you." Her mouth twitched. "Ria, how did it go with April?"

  "She was happy to see me. Actually, she was happy that someone other than the doctors visited her." My good humor faded. "I think you can guess what I decided to do. I can't believe you didn't tell me she was so young!"

  "Ria..." Paula lowered her eyes, taking off the white gloves that she had used for some experiment. "It's horrible what's happening to April and I'd do anything to help her, but you need that element too. We can't sacrifice thousands so one can live in peace. We'll find another donor soon. I'm sure of it, so it's better you take the first element."

  "Since when am I thousands of people?" I couldn't understand her logic. If she was sure there'd be another donor soon, then I could wait for him. "I'm the one who can wait."

  "The future of thousands of carriers is in your hands. It is possible that you will be able to wait, but we can't risk that something goes wrong." Paula threw the gloves into the trash can.

  "I can't change the world, Paula." I chewed on the insides of my mouth.

  "No, but you can try." She shot me an annoyed look. "Stop thinking only of yourself and what you want. There's a bigger picture you're not seeing. The decision to take the element or not is yours, though."

  "Great. Then we can stop having endless conversations about this." I wasn't going to take the element no matter what. I only hoped that my decision wasn't the wrong one.

  Chapter 08

  I'd been overjoyed when I heard my idea for a reality TV show had been accepted, but my joy quickly disappeared when they told me I'd be the first guest on the show. It would be beyond awesome if I lost control on live TV. Too bad I'd come up with a show where people actually had to use their elements and I was only limited to fire. If any of my other elements popped up... I didn't even want to think what would happen.

  Lily was outraged when she heard, but the TV house wouldn't accept any of my excuses. When I insisted I was busy, they simply said they'd reschedule the show. I wouldn't be surprised if the government had its fingers in it. If I did something to embarrass myself on the national TV, my already lame influence would diminish even more.

  My hands were shaking as I made my way to the main studio where the show would take place. Unfortunately, every single person except for my two new bodyguards had an element, so I had to calm myself because it was unlikely my bodyguards would be able to reach me in time to stop the catastrophe. The only good thing in the whole situation was that there weren't any hidden carriers in the audience. It would be complicated to explain why a carrier couldn't feel my element while I was using it. In public, I could always say I was using an element-blocking bracelet, but not here.

  I took a seat on the large black couch, opposite from the host, who was a middle-aged man with vivid dark blue eyes. His element was water and I could barely feel it. At least there was someone who wasn't having a breakdown because the show would go live in a couple of minutes. I offered him a shy smile, unsure what to do with my hands, so I folded them in my lap. Paula had made two braids on each side of my head to keep my hair out of my face, so I didn't have to worry about any stray strands ending up in my eyes. The dress I had chosen was black with silver flowers on the top. I could only pray I wouldn't ruin my perfect attire with my crazy elements.

  "It's going to be alright, Ria," the host said, amusement flickering in his eyes. I was about to say something when someone tapped me on the shoulder, startling me. Turning my head, I saw a brunette who offered me an earpiece. I took it, confused, and the woman came around the couch and removed my microphone.

  "Private call," she said. "From the president of the country."

  Shit. I put the earpiece into my ear, watching the woman retreat. What could the president want now?

  "I hope you can hear me clearly, Ria, my dear," the president said, and I noticed the cameraman turning in my direction, the red light on his camera blinking steadily. The president was watching me at this very moment. Fucking great. I nodded, since I doubted he could hear me even if I said something. It didn't seem like he wanted to hear my opinion on anything.

  "Good. Now listen. Your boyfriend is in the backstage." I flinched, panic rising inside of me. What did he mean my boyfriend was here? "I know you were trying to avoid the press and have some privacy, but we think this is a perfect moment to reveal you have a boyfriend. You don't have to bother denying Ethan's your boyfriend because he admitted it already. Anyway, your relationship will be all over the news and that's exactly the distraction we need so we can pass a certain law without too many people noticing. Thank you for your cooperation. Now enjoy the show and make us proud."

  The link went dead in my ear and I took it out. What the fuck was Ethan thinking? Just because we went on a coffee didn't mean he was my boyfriend. And what law did the president plan to pass? I started to get up, but the brunette returned and took the earpiece from me, reattaching the microphone to my dress.

  "Sit down, please. We're going live in 35 seconds," she said and scurried off the stage. I briefly closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. I could do this.

  The host faced the camera with a big grin. "Hello, my name is Adam Corbin. Welcome to our newest reality show, The Best Elemental!"

  I groaned inwardly at the name of the show. Could they have chosen a more idiotic name? Probably not, because more idiotic ones were taken. Adam went on to introduce the show to the viewers. Apparently, the TV house planned to bring new contestants every week and choose those who could complete the tasks with their element in the best way. The winners of each week would then participate in a big event where the most skillful person with the strongest element would win and get a million dollar check.

  Ten minutes and one block of commercials later, Adam turned to me. "We have Ria Milanez, the president of the Element Preservers, as our first guest!"

  I waved to the camera, licking my dry lips. Thank God my red lipstick wasn't so easy to remove.

  "Ria will help us demonstrate what the participants on our show will be doing. But let's not forget Ria brought someone special with her to help her. Please welcome on the stage, Ethan Marlau!"

  It was torture to keep the smile on my face. That law better be something good. The audience applauded as Ethan came on the stage, his lips spread into a charming smile. He looked incredibly handsome in his black tuxedo. I fought the urge to scoot over as he took a seat next to me and reached for my hand. His dark brown eyes met mine and I had a feeling he was trying to tell me I should go with whatever he planned. Hell, I wasn't even sure if he planned something or the government did. Maybe I shouldn't blame Ethan for being the government's puppet, especially when I was in nearly the same position.

  "Hi, Ethan. Let's chat a bit first. I heard your element is fire," Adam said and narrowed his eyes at me. "President, does this mean the genetic manipulation doesn't work as well as you promote it?"

  "Love cannot be ruled by elements or politics," Ethan said before I could open my mouth. "Everyone should be able to have a family with the person they love, regardless of their element. Genetic manipulation can help us achieve that, isn't that right, sweetie?"

  "Yeah." My fingers twitched because I was seriously considering to strangle Ethan with my own hands. Sweetie? Really? He was enjoying hi
mself way too much in his role. "Genetic manipulation has been perfected recently so the child can have an element only from one parent. If the parent has a pure element, the child will have a pure element too. However, if the parent has a weaker element, the child's element will be stronger because our scientists discovered a way to eliminate some of the bad genes that make an element weaker."

  "Wow, impressive." Adam turned to the audience and raised his hand, which caused a wave of applause to break out. "Do you want to win a million dollars? You can do it, but you need to sway the jury with your elemental skills! If your element is strong enough, I'm sure you can get far in our competition. If not, you might want to increase your child's chances and choose his element because I’m sure this show will be on air for years to come. Now let me show you what exactly we're going to do here!"

  I wasn't sure the show would promote the pureness of elements as much as it would get younger generations to take an interest in elements. If people saw all the cool things we could do with our elements, maybe they'd decide to keep them and stop thinking of them as a burden. Ethan got up and pulled me out of my thoughts, offering his hand to me.

  "Please come here." Adam was standing in the middle of the stage and pointing at the spot next to him. Ethan and I joined him, and I bit my lip when Ethan's hand brushed against my lower back. "Ria, your first task is to create as many fireballs as you can." We were in a secure part of the studio, so our elements couldn't get to the audience or to the cameras even if something went wrong. I wished they had made the protection two-way so I couldn't feel the elements from the other side, but no such luck.

  I stepped away from Ethan and concentrated on my fire. Warmth rose inside of me and fire erupted in the air above my head, balls of fire forming in quick succession one after another. I wasn't sure how many of them there were, but the audience was clapping their hands.

  "Hold them right there, Ria," Adam said. "Ethan, you do the same. Let's light up the studio!"