The Elementals

Chapter 4: The Journey Begins

Brandon and Alexis returned to the Inn and went up to their rooms for the night about a minute after the conversation the other four had had without them. Like Elizabeth said, she woke before everyone else and got them up. They dressed and hooked on their gear, putting on the cloaks to cover their weapons. Downstairs they ate a small breakfast and gave their thanks to Nienna and Ireth, then departed from the Inn and started to the next town; Aston. The distance between the two towns wasn't nearly as large as their first trek, and they arrived there in less than two hours. With plenty of energy left to burn and daylight to kill, the six pushed on to Wanborne, the next town over. They stayed at a calm speed, comfortable enough with each other that they walked closer to one another. Elizabeth was in the lead still and, unlike before, Kyle was in the back.

"Why didn't we just stay in the other town?? I don't think my legs will last much longer," Alexis complained, dragging her feet. Brandon, who was at her side, looked down at her and chuckled.

"It's only been a good thirty minutes since we left Aston. Yesterday you walked for almost three hours and didn't seem bothered," he said.

"It's probably all the food you ate, plus what you had yesterday," Noah said as he took off his cloak and pushed his blonde hair back. Alexis groaned and stopped walking, looking up at the sky. Kyle passed her and patted her back as he went.

"You don't wanna get left behind," he said over his shoulder. The short girl pouted and crossed her arms, staring at the five as they continued walking. She examined her surroundings, looking at the healthy grass and trees of the forest they were going through. The well-worn, dirt path they walked on had little to no shade on it for them to stay cool if even for a second.

Sighing, she stuck her hands out in front of her and fell forward, a gust of air catching her. Leading her left arm around it as she sat up to keep it steady, she brought both arms in front of her and connected the limbs. Swinging them back behind her, she made a full circle around the width of her body so the air beneath her was shaped into a perfect sphere. Sitting with crossed legs atop it, she put an elbow on her left knee and rested her chin in her hand, leaning forward to make the ball go. Catching back up with the others, she rode between Brandon and Candice.

The girl brought her bag in front of her, resting it in her lap. The air beneath her held her cloak open and made it float, showing that she was wearing shorts, a dark grey tank-top, and black combat boots. She opened her bag and took out something wrapped in plastic resting on top of everything else she had. It was a type of pastry, the top covered in chocolate and a white cream leaking out the tip. Tearing its packaging, she licked it off happily and bit into it.

"Alexis..." Elizabeth said threateningly, stopping in her tracks. The short girl's gaze rested on the one that called her and her ball of air stopped taking her forward. "I swear, if you're eating AGAIN after we just ate thirty minutes ago, I'm gonna take that bag and throw it into a river."

"I'm not..." she mumbled, eating what she already had in her mouth, then opening her bag and putting the treat back after covering it with the plastic. Elizabeth looked over her shoulder at her, then continued walking.

"Good answer," she said. Candice and Brandon laughed as Alexis sighed, putting her bag back on her back. She grabbed her ankles and leaned back, looking up at the sky and watching the white clouds fly across their blue land.

"I'm thirsty," she muttered, looking innocently towards Noah. The older boy glanced at her but didn't say a word. "Noooaaahhhh!" she whined, leaning forward. The air that carried her suddenly sped ahead and she yelped in surprise, going back quickly.

"You should be paying attention to what you're doing instead of groaning," Noah mocked. "And if you're thirsty you should have bought something to drink back in town instead of concentrating on junk food."

"But can't you just wiggle your fingers and make water pop up?? That's much easier than buying it," she said, making the gesture with her hands and forming a small tornado at her fingertips. The boy rolled his eyes but a smile formed on his lips, his blue eyes watching her in amusement.

"I can, but it's such a hot day that I wouldn't be able to get anything."

"Elizabeth," she whimpered, "can we take a small break? I want to go look for a stream or something since our waterboy is broken."

"There's no need for you to call me names. It's not my fault that the air is dry," he said. Alexis let out a dramatic gasp and jumped off of her ball of air, throwing out her arms in a childish way and splitting her orb in half. She pointed to Noah and the masses of air launched to his sides. The intentionally weak action barely made him move from his spot.

"Girls, girls," Kyle said as he held out his arms, "you're both pretty so calm down." Elizabeth sighed and closed her eyes as she rubbed her temple.

"I'm surrounded by idiots," she mumbled. Alexis giggled and stuck out her tongue at Noah, taking off her cloak and throwing it at Brandon.

"Hold that for me, 'kay?" she said to him as she laid her bag on the ground against the trunk of a tree, then unhooked the daggers from around her thighs. "I don't want to get it caught on anything. Now, I'm gonna go really fast to find some water and get a quick drink."

"You don't want to take one of the boys?" Candice asked.

"I'm a big girl; I can go by myself," she said with a smile.

"Then make it quick. I don't want to be out here for much longer," Elizabeth said, sitting down on a large rock that was on the side of the path they were on. Alexis nodded and turned around, walking off of the path and into the forest.

Leaves and small twigs snapped under her black boots as she walked farther away from the group. She hummed a small tune to herself and smiled softly; she was beginning to like everyone more and more. After a few minutes of walking, she came across a small, clear stream, too small to get a proper drink. Following it down a short distance and going through a few bushes, she saw it ran off into a mass of water. Going down to its edge, she got on her knees and cupped her hands together, putting them down into the water and bringing them up to her lips. She drank and sighed with relief, going for another handful. A small splash sounded not too far in front of her and she looked up quickly. Two orange eyes caught her attention, staring straight at her from under the water. Alexis froze and a chill ran up her spine as the eyes came closer to her, but once they were close enough she saw the orbs were connected to a person. They broke through the surface of the water and swam to the edge she was kneeling on; a cute boy that looked to be around her age.

"Hello," he greeted, resting his arms on the ground in front of her. He shook his white hair free of water and smiled, his eyes gliding down her body. He gently pushed her back so that she was sitting and grabbed her at the bends of her knees, pulling her forward. Sliding his hands farther down her legs, he took off her shoes and socks and placed her feet into the water. "What's your name?"

"Alexis," she said, her eyes locked with his. He started to lift himself out of the water and, halfway up, it was revealed that he didn't have legs but a tail; a beautiful light blue that sparkled when the sun hit it. He came fully out of the water and carefully laid on his back, resting his head on her lap to look up at her. Flicking his tail in the air, he reached up to her face and lightly caressed her cheek, gliding his fingers down her jaw and rubbing her bottom lip with his thumb.

"That's a nice name," he said, his eyes looking over her features. "Human skin is so soft..." he mumbled, sitting up and leaning in close to her face as he lifted her chin up with a bent finger. His eyes narrowed as he felt her hair with his other hand and smelled it, then lightly pressed his lips to the soft strands. "Are you alone out here?"