by Jamie Gray
Once Lexi had rolled inside and dropped down onto the wood-panelled floor, she let out a loud exhale, giving her body a chance to relax and press against the cold floor. She threw her torso to sit up and swept her feet beneath her as she got to her feet. Before her, was the bedroom wall she and Brooke had splattered green paint all over, when they first moved it. They had never had the heart to fix it, as the rest of the room had been painted a light grey colour, and instead came to call it a masterpiece in disguise. The two of them shared the small room with a pair of bunk beds against the wall behind her. Brooke had claimed the top bunk when they were kids, and Lexi ended up being stuck on the boring bottom ever since. However, at this point, she would be happy to sleep on the floor. Her entire body ached as her migraine grew with every smashing pulse that vibrated her entire skull.
She turned around, but froze as her gaze fell on a small girl sitting on the edge of the bottom bunk. Everything about her was tiny. Her entire body was thin like a stick, and she couldn't have been any taller than five feet. Her skin was a rich black and her turquoise hair was separated into two tiny pigtails that grazed the top of her shoulders. She wore a pair of dark green baggy shorts with an attached pair of thin suspenders made of the same material. And beneath, she wore a neon green t-shirt that made Lexi's migraine worse just looking at. Instead she looked into the girls eyes, they were grey. Like hers. Like Daymian, Kadence, and Adrian. "What the hell?" She would have screamed if her head didn't feel like I had just been bashed against a steel beam.
The girl's open jaw quickly shifted up into an energized, open smile. "No way. You have to be kidding me, right?" Her voice high and cheerful as she pronounced her words with an almost Australian accent.
"Excuse me?"
"A Light Element right before my eyes," the girl gawked, replacing all of her I's with O sounds.
This kid knew what she was. How could she possibly know. Why was she here, in her house? What did she want? Lexi knew she couldn’t scream and yell at her, not that she really wanted to, with her migraine, but she wouldn’t risk anyone else hearing. Brooke and her parents knew nothing about her Elemental abilities and she wanted to keep it that way. Neither party was ready to discuss such things. As her expression narrowed, her voice darkened dangerously as she demanded answers in a hushed tone. "Who are you, and how do you know what I am?"
The girl's expression loosened fearfully. "I'm with your sister. You have nothing to worry about."
"You're with my sister?"
"Oh, what? No! With her?" Her voice wobbled as she threw her hand to point back to the closed door. She shrunk in embarrassment. "Why? Did she say something?" the girl asked in a curious tone, zipping her hand back to rest in her lap. Silence filled the room for a short moment, but the small girl was quick to bounce back. "Oh, gosh. Where are my manners? G' day," she grinned, with newfound energy as she extended her hand up to her. "I'm Lanie. I assume you're Lexi."
She wasted no time as she lunged at the girl, forcing her down to lie on her back. "What do you know about me? What did you tell my sister?! Brooke doesn't know about any of this?" She effortlessly held the skinny girl against the bedsheets with her elbow pressed down at her chest. "Who are you? And what do you want from me?"
She could feel Lanie's heart pulsing wildly against her forearm "Like I said, I'm Lanie," she repeated shakenly, speaking quicker this time as she matched her low volume. Lexi pressed down harder, considering that if she pushed much more she'd break Lanies bones, "You have nothing to fear, I'm from Arespea too."
"Yeah, I know. My question is, why are you here?"
Lanie quieted for a moment, swallowing hard as her head tilted to the side. "Oh, you know. See the sights, meet new people," she replied with a shaky voice, shrugging her shoulders as best she could with being pressed so hard against the bedsheets.
"How do you know who I am?"
Lanie’s eyes brightened as she appeared to forget she was ever afraid to begin with. "Oh, well, anyone with half a brain could tell who you are. Not to mention your Nuto on your wrist gives it away," she explained, with a nod down to Lexi's right wrist that wasn't pressed up against her chest.
"My what?" She whipped her head down as she twisted her arm to investigate. She saw nothing but the triangular marking on the inside of her wrist.
"Your Nuto. The marking on your wrist," Lanie clarified.
My what? The mark was oddly shaped, sure, but it wasn’t incredibly prominent against her pale skin tone as it was lightly shaded. But she always figured it was some weird scar or burn. Kids often made fun of her for it, but no one ever really knew what it was. "You mean THIS marking?" She held up her wrist to give Lanie a better look.
She nodded with a bright smile. "Yes. I have one too, but it's obviously much different."
Lexi eased off of her so that she could pull her hand up to show her. She was right. Her mark had the same bending colour to her skin colour, and looked like it could be a healed scar of some kind. Lanies mark looked like a square, but without the pointed edges. It was four disconnected lines, quite strange and intriguing to look at. It sent chills down her spine. She had seen this ‘Nuto’ everyday of her life, and only now she was recognizing this mark that was trying to tell her the truth her whole life. A silent symbol looking back at her everyday, representing all that she’d been robbed off, and all that she was destined to discover. It angered her, but it also left her speechless. She found herself unable to speak without giving an immense amount of effort to do so. She was too exhausted to think. Too exhausted to pry. All she could do was listen.
"Everyone from Arespea has one. Didn't you know that?"
"No," Lexi mumbled, leaning off of Lanie completely as she quietly stepped away.
"Really?" she asked, moving to sit back up on the bed. "I would think someone like you would want to keep such easily identifiable things hidden from view."
Lexi quieted for a moment, thinking as she stared down at her wrist. After everything that Daymian had told her, she still didn’t know it all. For so long, she had been kept from the truth. But why? Why would she want to keep her mark protected? Should she start hiding it? Who should she be hiding it from? She looked Lanie up and down before meeting her gaze again. "If you're really from Arespea, then what Element are you? You're not a Dark Element, because I can touch you, and you're certainly not a Light Element."
"I'm just a Universe Element. Nothing as special as you. You're elegant and powerful, and incredibly unheard of nowadays," she praised, wrapping her arms around her own torso. "I mean, I still can't believe you're standing right in front of me, talking to me. If I didn't know any better, I would say you were probably the last of your kind."
Lexi's heart dropped into her stomach. "I'm sorry?" Daymian had told her that he would take her to find her birth parents, but if there weren't many Light Elements left…
"Oh, it's nothing to be ashamed of. I assume that's why you came here. To have a chance at life."
Her head was pounding. She couldn't think, and her body ached every time she moved. All she wanted was to go to bed, and revisit all of this craziness in the morning. "Um, could I get your number so we can talk more later? I just don't want Brooke or my parents to overhear… and I'm really tired right now,"
"Yeah, sure thing," Lanie chirped with a nod. "Only problem, I don't have one of those phones. Could you maybe get me one?" she asked, innocently.
"Um, no," Lexi replied bluntly. This girl definitely did not know how phones worked.
Lanie shrugged, her smile still just as prominent. "All right then, no worries. I'll find you," she chuckled. "That's not creepy," she quickly added, her face dropping to a worried expression as she reassured her.
Suddenly, the door to the room swung open, and there, in its entrance, was Brooke, probably returning from a trip to the washroom. Lexi and Lanie were quick to zip their mouths shut.
"Lexi,” Brooke sighed, pressing her lips together as her eyes darted to the side uncomfortably. “I didn'
t hear you walk in," Brooke mumbled, crossing her arms as her shoulder began to creep towards her ears. Her gaze flickered to Lanie, clearing her throat with realization. "Um, this is Lanie,” she went on in a brighter tone, as though she had suddenly remembered Lanie was still there, watching. “I met her earlier today and asked if she wanted to come over." Brooke's gaze had wandered back to Lexi, her face angrily heated as she stepped deeper into the room as she moved to stand next to Lanie at the bunk bed.
"Yeah, we've met.” She put on a smile to help brighten Brooke's mood. Afterall, it was her fault Brooke was acting like this. She ditched her at the cafe with Kadence and Adrian. Lexi felt bad for leaving her, but there was no way she was going to sit in close proximity with Kadence or Adrian after their fight. Perhaps if she acted like it wasn’t a big deal, Brooke would stop caring and come to forget about it. “That's great, Brooke."
The room fell silent, as the tension thickened the air suffocatingly. "Well, I would love to stay, but I really should get going," Lanie exclaimed, leaping from the bed as she turned to face Brooke, looking anxious to get out of there.
Brooke's face slumped even more as her shoulders dropped sadly. "Oh, really? Okay, I'll come to see your show tomorrow," she replied, hugging Lanie as she passed by her and walked out towards the door.
The moment the door to their room shut, Lexi's head whipped back to Brooke. "Show? She has a show?" That was the last thing she expected to hear.
“She’s a street performer,” Brooke sighed, keeping her gaze glued to the ground. “She’s actually pretty good.” A smile pressed across her face as she went on. “She blew me away when I saw her on my way home today. Her bright eyes, quirky personality, and she is so talented." Her cheeks had turned pink as her smile only grew the more she spoke about Lanie. "I'm so proud of myself. I mean, usually, I just hang out with you and your friends all the time, but I've actually found a friend who I can connect with all on my own.”
“So you brought her home,” Lexi replied cheekily.
Brooke broke out into an abrupt uncomfortable laugh, blushing slightly as she looked down. "It's not like that," she mumbled to the floor. “And I’m still mad at you,” she grumbled, crossing her arms.
“Then let me make it up to you. I’ll come watch Lanie’s performance with you tomorrow, okay?” Not only did Lexi want to make it up to her, but she wanted to know more about this Lanie girl, and she figured that a show displaying her talents was just the place to do it.
Brooke was so innocent to everything that was going on. Oblivious to the evident feelings she appeared to bear for this girl. She wanted to chuckle at how smitten her sister was acting. She could read it all over her face. Her brightened excitement when she saw her, the disappointment she felt when she had to leave. It both warmed her heart, and sent icey chills down her spine. She had no idea what this girl truly wanted. She knew who she was, meaning she could easily know how close she was to Brooke. What if Lanie was trying to use Brooke to get to her somehow. Her head hurt, so many thoughts and worries had filled her mind. She just wanted a break.
“Okay, but give her a chance. Please.”
Lexi wasn’t going to argue, as every word she spoke only worsened her condition. She waved a drowsy goodnight to Brooke and slowly allowed herself to collapse down onto her bed, resting her pulsing head on a fresh soft pillow as she drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 10
Lexi woke up but saw nothing as her eyes peeled apart. All that met her sight was endless darkness. Nothing could be seen in any direction. Darkness wrapped tightly around her like a cold blanket. Even with her eyes wide open, it was just as dark as when she closed them. It didn't take her long to notice that her hands were bound above her head, and her feet couldn't touch the floor. The throbbing pain in her shoulders and across her lower back spread like wildfire, quickly becoming unbearable. The metal-bound around her wrists began to rub and cut into her skin; the more she struggled to free herself. She wanted to scream for help, but she somehow knew that she was alone... no one was around to hear her. There was no hope. As she started in panic, her breathing had become laboured and painful. She clasped her bound hands together and tried to hoist herself up, pressing her bruised wrists against the cold metal. But her ankles were held down by heavyweights she couldn't feel before, grounding her. She hopelessly let herself fall, dangling and swinging from side to side.
Her nostrils were overwhelmed by a sickening smell of rotting flesh. She looked around in confusion and found herself suddenly grateful that her vision was covered by a black canvas. Endless darkness wherever she turned, shielding her from seeing whatever the source of that foul stench was. With every second that passed, the sickening smell became more cumbersome, making her gag as she could practically taste it at this point.
Terror invaded her mind as she felt the tickle of a rising liquid rush up to her toes, and completely submerged her feet. Her nostrils were so clogged up from before, that the scent evaded her. It was very thin, like only water. However, this put little ease to her speeding heart rate. She began breathing heavily, quickly inhaling incredible amounts of oxygen as if trying to store it in her lungs. The water continued to rise, drowning her legs and stomach as it inched closer and closer to her head. She knew that there was no hope for her. She shut her eyes, wanting to burst out into a cowardly shriek. Suddenly, a variety of high pitched screams and cries sounded against her ears, making them bleed. She wasn't alone. Where are the screams coming from? She asked herself, thinking silently as her head whipped around, scanning for any sign of movement. But her vision was still aggravatingly blocked by darkness. She felt as though she had been hanging there, tortured by ear-bleeding screams, threatened by a rising liquid, and surrounded by a haunting stench, for hours. What is happening? What am I going to do? These questions burned through her thoughts, echoing louder than the screams while the water reached her neck. She wanted to scream for help but knew that none would come. Those around her had to be as scared as she was, and were surely locked up just the same. There was nothing anyone could do to save her. She squeezed her eyes shut as the water submerged above her head, and she gave in to her fear. The screams started to take her over, shaking her body and invading her mind like a virus.
∞∞∞
Lexi awoke with her body still trembling. It was like her mind had woken up, but her body was still trapped in the dream. She recognized that she was back in her room, lying on the bottom bunk of her and Brookes stacked beds. Her chest was tight and sore, and she still hadn't fully returned all of the necessary air to her lungs. Her limbs were shaking, and her back was drenched with hot sweat. She never wanted to fall asleep again, never wanted to experience another nightmare like that again. This had been the second night in a row. She prayed this wouldn't become consistent. She could hear Brooke snoring from the top bunk, still sound asleep, most likely dreaming of something bright and happy. She wasn't resentful, only thankful that Brooke didn't have to worry about enduring such horrors each night.
She slowly peeled herself from the bed and got to her feet. Her head was still throbbing from the night before, as it didn’t feel much better. She slowly pulled back the shade covering the small window next to her bed and saw that it was still quite dark out, most likely still the middle of the night. The sun had long set, and the black-coated sky had been re-illuminated by the brilliant crescent moon. The neighbourhood was silent. Many people's lights were out, but the street lights kept the road illuminated as they created small pools of light all down the road. Across the street from her stood Kadence and Adrian’s house, and to her surprise Kadence and Adrian were sitting on their porch. They were talking, but what about? She wondered. Why were they sitting out there in the middle of the night? They had to be discussing something important. Something secretive. She needed to know what it was. She turned on her toes and silently walked across the room, being sure not to step on any of the creaky panels she’d noted over the years. She slowly gripped and turned the metal door ha
ndle to cautiously open the door. Everyone in her house was asleep, and she wanted to keep it that way. In slow motion she stepped out the door and into the hallway, not bothering to go through the strenuous process of shutting her bedroom door. She peaked both ways down the hallway. All but the bathroom door was shut, and everyone of the lights had been shut off. As she deemed it safe to continue, she slowly made her way towards the stairs at the end of the hall. She had snuck out enough times to make the journey to and down the stairs seamless, but she knew better than to go out the front door. Not only would Kadence and Adrian see her, but it was also the loudest door in the house. So instead she quickly made her way to the side door, sliding along the floor with her white socks, on the balls of her feet. The side door was located between the kitchen and the living room, as she didn’t have to go very far from the stairs. When she reached the door, the golden knob was turned for it to be locked. Before touching it, she took one last look around. No one was awake. No creeks, no lights, no sounds of any kind inside the house. She turned back, twisting the doorknob as she slowly opened the door. The cold air pressed against her skin and flew up her bare arms and chest. The tank top and loose fitting shorts she was wearing were thin, making it much chillier to be outside with no warming sun. Regardless, she stepped outside, softly closing the door behind her and bolted along the side of her house. She stopped before she reached the end, crouching next to the wall once Kadence and Adrian came into view. The cold air played with her hair as the grass kept her feet warm while dirting the soles of her white socks. With no cars around, and only the faint buzzing of street lights, she could hear their conversation almost perfectly.
"I just don’t understand why we couldn’t have just told her sooner,” Adrian nagged, nodding his head to Kadence, his elbows resting on his knees as his back hunched.
Kadence shook her head at him. “It’s not that simple Adrian. There were endless variables to consider, not to mention the danger we would have been putting her in.”
