Face the Elements

Chapter 2

2. Elektra

I let Ariel pull me back to where she parked her car, her stupid radish earrings bobbing wildly. I giggle at them, and then immediately roll my eyes when she looks at me like I'm a psychopath. Yes, I had just lit someone on fire. No, I didn't feel bad about it. But that didn't make me a psychopath. Maybe a sociopath? High-functioning sociopath? I had heard that somewhere and thought that it had a nice ring to it.

"Lex! I'm talking to you!"

Apparently my twin was talking to me.

"Get in the car."

I sigh melodramatically and get in.

"Are we gonna talk about this?" her voice is up an octave than normal, and I can't help feeling a little guilty that I was the reason for her stress.

"What is there to say? He hurt you. That's not allowed."

"Christ, Lex. I just have a skinned knee. You lit. him. on. fire," she punctuates each word for effect as she speeds us back to the house.

"Superficially," I twirl some of my hair around my finger, letting her know that I'm bored with this conversation. I know she hates when I get all apathetic, but it's hard for me to care about things sometimes. I only truly care about my family--which includes Rhett and Clayton as far as I'm concerned--but my twin above all else.

"What?" she shrills.

"He's barely singed. It was more bark than bite."

"More bark than bite..." she mumbles under her breath, "You are a piece of work."

"Of course, he's hairless from the neck up now, but hair grows."

We had stopped outside of the house. She glances over at me and our eyes lock. Simultaneously we burst into laughter, then she sobers.

"You know what this means, though, don't you? I'm going to have to tell the Guardians, if they don't know already. We're going to have to move again."

I roll my eyes. She was prone to overreacting. Even if she wasn't, I don't care. I wasn't sorry about what I did, and I had a distinct feeling the Guardians wouldn't be too mad at me either. Ariel's safety always came first to them--to us all.

"Take this seriously, Lex! It's not as bad as the last time," she gulps nervously, "but you know they won't take any chances."

"Last time..." my voice trails off, not wanting to upset her. It hadn't been me to make us move last time--it had been her.

Ariel and I climb out of the car and walk hand-in-hand up the walkway to the front door. We are much too old for hand-holding, but somehow that never matters to us. I'm never weak by myself, but we are both stronger together.

As she hesitates by the front door, she takes a deep breath.

"It's going to be fine, twin," I encourage her, because that's what I always do.

I end up being the one to actually reach for the doorknob, but it was in vain because the door swings open before I could get to it. I look up into the slate gray eyes of not just one, but both of the Guardians. Well damn. They never just come to be with us. They come for training, and if we need them, but they never just come around to hang out.

"Hello Guardians. To what do we owe this pleasure of your magnanimous company?" Maybe if I play dumb everything would be fine. Who knows--they could simply be over for a nice cup of tea.

"Get inside," it's almost a growl.

Well, the cup of tea idea was a little far-fetched anyway.

Ariel pulls me inside and then immediately into the living room, where Clayton and Rhett already are seated on one end of the sectional couch. Actually, it looked as if they had never left. There are even two video game controllers on the coffee table. Clay's attention immediately goes to Ariel and he smiles his little puppy-dog smile that he always gives her. He's so into her, and she's so into him, but neither one will make the first move. It's beyond frustrating.