sorry for the wait. here's a pretty long update, but it's mostly background information.
hope you enjoy!
"Hey, Nerida, wake up. We're here," someone said as they shook me awake.
"Huh? We're where?" I answered groggily.
"Our place," the person said and I recognized the voice belong to Gale.
"Oh," was all I replied.
I stepped out of the car and in front of me stood a massive apartment building. Across the road was an outdoor shopping center full of stores and various restaurants and more construction was going around the apartment complex. It was definitely what I had expected.
"I expecting something a lot more secluded," I said as I followed the other three into the building.
"Exactly," Blaze replied simply.
Gale went on to explain. "You would expect us to be somewhere in the middle of nowhere. We didn’t want to live somewhere too busy and crowded so we decided on a growing community. They're less likely to look for us here."
I remained quiet after that. We took the elevator up to the fourth floor where the apartment was. We all stayed quiet as we walked the door with the number 403 on it. Rose was quick to unlock the door and storm off to what I assumed to be her room and slam the door behind her.
"Ignore her. She's going to go mess with the plants she keeps in her room, maybe play in some dirt, maybe plan your murder," Gale said jokingly but I couldn’t help notice the seriousness laced in his voice. He wanted me to know that she was dangerous and that I shouldn’t remain on her bad side.
"Oh," I replied.
I stood near the door and looked at what would become my new home. When you walked into the apartment you were greeted with a couch, a love seat, coffee table, and a decent sized TV. Off to the right was the kitchen with all of the appliances you would expect and a decent sized round dinner table. To the left of the living room was a balcony with a table, two chairs, and several potted plants. Off of the living room was a hallway with three doors which I assumed were two bedrooms and a bathroom. It was a nice sized apartment, but it was pretty cramped for four people and only made me hope Rose and I could end up getting along or else this would be awful.
"So what do you think? Nice place, huh?" Gale said taking me away from my own thoughts.
I simply nodded in reply.
"Nerida, can I talk to you outside, please?" Blaze said as he stood next to the sliding glass door that led outside to the balcony.
"Sure, I answered and followed him out.
We each took a seat in one of the chairs before Blaze said, "So what do you want to know?"
I took a moment to gather my thoughts together. "Start from the beginning. How did each of you guys discover your abilities."
A small frown graced his face before he looked out at the view of trees that hadn't been touched by the construction and development.
"I was the first one to discover my abilities and recognize them as something strange. I accidently lit my house on fire when I was 5 after a temper tantrum. I was angry that my parents hadn't let me have a cookie before dinner. I started yelling and crying and then everything burst into flames. My parents died in the fire."
My eyes widened in shock at the revelation, and I was left speechless.
Blaze quickly picked up his story after sparing a quick glance at me. "I met Rose at the orphanage we were put in. Her parents were hit by a drunk driver. Their car flipped a couple times before it hit a tree and stopped. I kept my abilities a secret, but I still practiced. Late at night and whenever I was alone I would create a small fire in my palm and make it grow in shrink. One night when we were thirteen Rose caught me. I was scared that she would tell someone or ask me a bunch of questions. Instead she cupped her hands and made a flower appeared out of thin air and then mumbled 'I was the one who made the tree grow so the car would stop flipping.' The I told her that I killed my parents in the fire. We cried together that night."
Blaze paused for a bit and allowed everything that he had said to soak in before he continued. "We met Gale on the first day of freshman year. The three of us had the same first period. When role was called he kept looking at Rose and I. After he heard our names he had this stupid grin on his face. He knew who we were just by our names and appearances. During class change he pulled us into an empty office and started questioning us about who we were and started asking us if we were like him."
Blaze smiled at the memory and couldn’t help but shake his head. "He has always been a tornado of energy and questions."
Blaze gave a light chuckle before continuing. "Anyway, Gale's grandfather knew who and what we were, more importantly what we're supposed to do. He told us of this secret government group called the EEB, or the Exterminators of Elemental Beings. There have been Elementals for all of time. When the government heard about us the saw us as a threat that needed to be eliminated. And thus the EEB was born. They will stop at nothing to kill us. That's who showed up at your school today."
His eyebrows creased in confusion. "Somehow they knew who you were before we did which should be impossible because the moment you used your abilities a bond formed between the four of us, it's how we were able to find you."
I thought about it for a moment. "I'm a pretty good swimmer. Maybe they heard about me through swim."
"Yeah maybe," Blaze muttered.
A silence filled the air for a couple minutes. My mind was somewhat clearer now. I knew a good bit about the others' past.
"Is there anything else I should know?"
Blaze smirked. "You are different than all of us. You keep me in check and balance out my fire. Without you Rose wouldn’t have her plants and Gale wouldn’t be able to create a super storm. We rely on you more than anyone else, yet you don't really need us. You are the extreme variable. Without you we are completely screwed when the time comes to face the EEB. Gale's grandfather is slightly psychic. He told us that he as seen two outcomes of the great fight. One where we are victorious and peace follows. The second is where we all die and the world becomes doomed. He told us that the difference had to do with you."
For the first time Blaze locked eyes with me and really looked at me. "You have the power to save us all and bring upon our doom. Please don’t kill us yet."
