Face the Elements

Chapter 3

3. Ariel

 

We are all loaded into the SUV, the guardians up front. For some reason Elektra climbed into the far back with Clay, leaving me next to Rhett. It’s not like I mind, exactly. It’s actually less nerve-racking than being wedged up against Clay. I can never seem to think straight. As I look back at my twin, she winks at me, and I realize that was exactly why she was back there with him--so I could be comfortable.

Gerald starts the engine and pulls onto the street. I look back at the little house I used to call home, and couldn’t help thinking of the last time we had to move, almost four years ago when Lex and I had been thirteen. I had been a complete wreck. I hated myself--still hate myself a little bit--for what I did to Peter. I had completely lost control and almost killed him--a thirteen year old boy with a family who loved him, to miss him if he was gone.

I shake my head to clear the memories, and force myself to smile when I see Lex narrowing her eyes at me. She’s so annoying. When it comes to anyone else, she could care less about their feelings, but me... Ugh. She would never let me be even when I just wanted to be left alone.

Like last time. We were in a different SUV then, of course, and I was sobbing. Bawling uncontrollably, making everyone uncomfortable, especially the boys who looked comically helpless. Lex took it upon herself to lighten the mood, suggesting we pick our new names. Gretchen had told us earlier that we would be getting completely new identities, and that we could pick our own names if we liked. As I was wallowing in my misery, the others had decided that we would choose each other’s names, and have to stick with them no matter what. We were annoying little thirteen year olds.

“You’re up,” Lex had commanded Rhett. She had bossed him around even then.

He eyed the boy in the seat next to him, “I dub thee...” he paused for dramatic effect, “Clay!”

The other boy had not been impressed, “Clay? Because of the whole Earth thing? C’mon, dude!”

Lex’s eyes had lit up, and she turned their full focus onto me, biting down a smile, and I suddenly got very nervous, wondering what she was planning for my own name. Then I realized that I had stopped crying. I was distracted from my misery. My twin always got her way.

Rhett answered without skipping a beat, “Yeah, dude. Themed names would be awesome. It would be our very own inside joke.”

“But Clay?”

There was a big sigh, “Fine. Clayton. That’s a little more normal. And we agreed--you have to keep whatever I say! That was the rule.”

Clay nodded, unhappy, but then he smirked, “And you, henceforth, shall be known as Rhett. As in the main dude from Gone with the WIND!”

Clay obviously had expected his best friend to be upset with the name, but Rhett just cracked up. The guy was just good natured about everything. We had all had a Civil War unit in history class and had to watch that movie--with parental permission of course. We had gotten the guardians to sign our slips and everything.

Rhett, still with a smile on his face, couldn’t help turning to look at Lex to see her opinion. When she simply smirked at him he laughed again.

He leaned over the back of the middle seat where he and Clay were seated and called, “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn.”

Lex gave him a bigger smile before turning her orange orbs on me, and I got nervous again. This was it--what I would be called for possibly the rest of my life. If I had no more accidents. The thought made me frown. Big mistake. My twin’s eyes narrowed again, then flashed.

“You, sister dear, will be Ariel, the mermaid princess,” she basically sang the words, so pleased with her choice.

I almost choked on my laugh, “You’re joking, right?” Please let her be joking.

All I got was a head shake. Nope. Of course she wasn’t joking. The boys were dying in the seat in front of us. Rhett even thought it would be helpful to sing a bit of one of the Disney songs. I couldn’t be sure but I think that even stoic Gerald, driving, was smiling slightly. Finally, I couldn’t help but join in, giggling myself. At my laughter, my twin finally relaxed back into her seat, her job complete.

I followed her lead, “And you, dear twin, will be Elektra. It means bright, shining, and radiant--just like the fire within you.”

She didn’t say anything, didn’t show any emotion. Well, what had I expected? She had made the rule that everyone had to accept the name given to them, she wouldn’t complain about it.

Clayton chuckled, “Isn’t that a superhero?”

Rhett quickly had chimed in, “I like it.”

~

“Earth to Ariel,” I’m snapped back into real time, where Rhett is poking me lightly in the shoulder from the seat beside me.

“Sorry, I was taking a walk down memory lane, thinking of our names.”

“Yeah, that’s what we’re talking about now,” Clay was leaning forward, “Lex says she gets to pick all of our names, which I don’t think is exactly fair...”

Elektra laughs, “No, no. I got this. We’re going all out this time. Clay, you will be Mighty Oak,” Clay looks horrified, “Rhett, you will be Tempest,” he grins widely, “And you, twin, will be Tsunami.”

“Are we going to have comic books?” I giggle. My sister did know how to lighten the mood. The others all laugh.

“Mighty Oak?” Clay was not happy.

Lex reaches over to him and places her hand lightly on his cheek, “Shh,” she coos, teasing, “Just accept it. It’s better than Twig,” she sticks out her pinky finger and wiggles it in his face. Rhett guffaws and I can’t hide my giggle.

Clay pushes her hand away, but laughs anyway, ignoring the slight to his masculinity.

“Wait, babe, what are you gonna be called?” Rhett, of course, is totally on board with whatever the heck his girlfriend wants. Must be nice.

“Um, definitely not ‘babe’,” she grimaces at him quickly then her face is back to smooth, “You three can pick. But make it good.”

“Sparky,” suggests Clay immediately, wanting payback for Mighty Oak.

“Wildfire,” Rhett throws in, wagging his eyebrows up and down.

After a second, I give my own vote, “Inferno.”

Rhett makes an “Ooooh” noise before adding, “Yeah, I change my vote to that one. Two against one, Clay, er, Mighty Oak.”

“We are not going to have names like Tsunami and Tempest, man. What the hell?” Clay fumes.

Lex just throws her head back laughing, and I know she is loving this. Discord is her favorite thing. She thrives in chaos.

Gretchen turns around in the passenger seat, “We are trying to stay under the radar, and your names stick out already without all that flash. And settle down, Clayton,” she reproves in that bland voice of hers, “We will only be changing last names. There were no solid witnesses to what happened. They all blamed the cigarette.”

Clay gives out a huge sigh of relief, and I can’t help but join him. I’m ninety-nine percent positive that Lex was joking this whole time about the names. I giggle to myself. Still, that would’ve been just the way to start a new school--Hello, my name is Tsunami and I control the element water. Are you thirsty?

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