Element Guardians *To-Be-Edited*

22 ~ Danger

Time is fading . . . hasten your steps and –

“WAKE UP!”

I jumped, I rolled, my heart beat erratically and suddenly I had landed with something edged digging into my side, my face colliding with a smooth surface.

“Ow,” I mumbled, my arms and legs sore and numb.

“See what you did?” Cale hissed disapprovingly in the background.

It was still dark . . . obviously because my eyelids were shut but I couldn’t sense any sunlight filtering into the room.

“Come on Rose,” Cale muttered, hauling me back onto the bed. “Wake up.” Warm skin pat my cheek repeatedly until my head started to spin while I stared off into the darkness of my eyelids.

“I’m up!” I yelled, forcing my heavy eyelids open and groaned. “What?”

“We’re leaving soon!” Felix announced, sounding somewhat concerned. “You need to get dressed in something formal because we’re leaving in ten minutes.”

That triggered a panicky feeling in me.

Bolting off the bed, I scrambled for my drawers and flung them open. “CALE! Help me pick something!”

“Rose, just pick a dress or a skirt,” Cale groaned lazily. “Felix and I are just as tired as you are from today!”

“Yeah? Who was the one that drowned?” I snapped, trying desperately to ignore the strained feeling of my muscles. I placed a hand on the back of my neck and flicked it only to hear several clicks. “God, that feels crappy.”

“No duh,” Felix growled, leaning against the edge of my bed.

I felt them watch me rummage through my drawers, trying to pick out something formal enough to wear. “Nothing! I can’t wear a skirt!”

“Then wear a dress!” Mum appeared in the doorway with a wry smile on her face. “At the rate you were sleeping at, I was sure you were in a coma!”

“Mum I have nothing to wear!” I shouted, panicked.

“Calm down; you’re only going to be eating at this place anyways,” Mum reassured me with a grin on her face.

I quickly noticed she was wearing a pretty ruffled skirt and a matching blouse over top; simple and formal.

Why didn’t I have anything like that?

In fact . . . why was I even freaking out over something I wore?

My movements slowed as my mother somehow managed to find a nice warm summer dress which I could wear leggings under.

“Good,” I said with a nod and turned to the boys. “Out! Out while I change!”

Why I was jittery, puzzled me to no end.

My leg was shaking while I sat in the backseat of the car, the seatbelt seeming to restrict me with every stop light we paused at.

Why?

Oh yes that’s right; I was going to see my dad after a week!

It had been a week right? I mean with all the Realm magic stuff, Hunter and Guardian business being so hectic lately, I couldn’t really keep track of it.

I snorted, catching sight of Felix from the corner of my eye in the darkness of the small car.

Mum had always taken pride in presentation, especially when it came to dinners with anybody outside of our family or friends. She had taken it upon herself to neatly comb my brother’s and Felix’s hair into place so that it didn’t look like they had been skateboarding for the past few hours. She had also dressed them in smart looking jeans and shirt with shoes of their own choice.