Of Fire, of Water, of Wind, and of Earth: Holders-In-Training

Chapter Three

"Yeah," Veronica says, and waves at her parents and brother. "Over here!"

Her family comes over. "Mom, dad, Alex, these are my friends Emerald, Droplet, and Monica."

"Hi," we say.

"Hello," reply Veronica's parents, but Alexander only says shyly, "hi" in a tiny voice. Veronica rolls her eyes. "Don't mind him."

"Veronica, be nice!" Veronica's mum says.

"Well, it would be nice if Alex was a bit louder sometimes..." Veronica's dad says, but her mom shoots him a look. "Honey!"

Veronica makes a face at us. I make a face back at her.

"Anyways, Roni, could you and your friends show Alex around please? Thanks. Nice meeting you, girls! Have fun, Alex, Roni. Bye!" Veronica's mom says, and she and her husband depart.

"Well, come on, guys," Veronica says grudgingly. "Let's show my little brother around this darned palace of a school."

I grin at her and punch her lightly in the arm. "It won't be that bad showing Alexander around. Hopefully. Brothers can be a pain."

"How would you know?" Droplet asks.

I grin at her. "James almost IS my brother, even if he is only my friend and next-door neighbor."

"Good enough," agrees Monica, and I ask Veronica, "What Element is he?"

"An Earth. Almost everyone else in my family is a Wind; me, my mom, my dad, three of my aunts and two of my uncles, my grandpa, both my grandmas, and 16 of my cousins. And everyone else is a Fire or a Water. But Alex is an EARTH."

"What's wrong with being an Earth?" I ask, offended. Veronica looks at my face and flinches, like saying "don't hurt me!"

"Uh, nothing."

"Uh-huh." I say, and this time sock her on the arm. Lightly. But unfortunately for me, I have no idea how much I'm hurting someone, because my skin is really tough and the only spot I really feel pain in is my knees. So I never really know whether or not I'm actually punching or hitting or doing anything like that lightly, even if I try.

"OW!" Veronica says, rubbing her arm. "That HURT."

"Sorry," I shrug. "I don't know how light I'm being, ya know."

"WE KNOW!" Veronica, Monica, and Droplet say together. I uncharacteristically giggle. "OK girls, let's show the poor little puppy around."

"Puppy," Veronica snorts, taking Alex by the hand. "Where to first, captain dog?"

I snarl and leap at her. My nails scratch at her arms and face and my feet, in steel-tipped boots, pummel her stomach and legs. I slowly shape-shift into a growling, dark grey wolf. My teeth and nails are the first to change, transforming into long, yellowing fangs dripping with drool and longer, sharper claws that are also yellowing. Exactly how I always imagined a wolf's teeth and claws.

Then the rest of me changes. Droplet and Monica are exchanging glances now, instead of just watching with poker faces. Veronica's little brother is shouting worriedly, not used to girls turning into wolves and trying to rip his sister to shreds.

He shouts at kids walking past. They spare us a glance and then stride away hurriedly. They can tell it's me. The eyes are a dead give-away. Plus they really don't want to deal with the girl who is currently a snarling wolf and who also is one of the best fighters in the school. They'd rather ignore the situation.

"OK, I'm sorry!" Veronica says finally. I jump up and stop sitting on her, pinning her to the floor, and sit again, licking my ruffled fur demurely.

"Stuff it, Emerald," Droplet laughs. I look up at her with big, innocent blue crystal eyes like I've done nothing wrong. "Yeah yeah, you're completely innocent." I nod my great shaggy head, still looking at her.

Then Alex, not being able to stay silent after this half-spoken conversation, starts screaming. "You horrible- you horrible- you horrible MONSTER!" he shouts, and start sobbing. "You hurt my SISTER!!!"

"It's OK, Alex!" Veronica assures him as I shapeshift back into my actual form. "I'm not hurt!"

"Yes you are! You're badly hurt!"

I look at my friends, mystified, and they look back, looking just as confused as I feel. "She isn't badly hurt." I say slowly, looking at the bleeding cuts all over Veronica. They aren't bleeding badly, just trickling slowly.

"Yes she is!"

"No, I'm not," Veronica tells him, shaking her head. "This is what happens whenever one of the three of us or our two other friends gets in a fight with Emerald. It's fine! It doesn't even hurt. They'll stop bleeding any second now and in a few days you won't be able to tell the scratches were there!"

"What about the scrapes and bruises?" Alex sniffles.

"Same with the scrapes and the bruises will only take a little while longer to go away, you know that. I've gotten hurt before."

Alex slowly stops crying. "Well I'm NOT being in the same Element as HER!" he says, jerking a finger in my direction.

"You can't change your Element." Droplet tells him. We all nod. "It'll be OK, we promise. She isn't in fighting mode all the time."

"Just most of the time," Monica mutters so quietly that Veronica's little brother can't hear her, but I can. I bare my teeth at her and she rolls her eyes.

"Let's start the tour, children," Droplet says, and I slap her as gently as I can on the arm. Then we start the tour.