Elementals II: Prophecies (DISCONTINUED)

~ Chapter 13 ~

We stare at each other. I am tempted to serve him some more of my element, but I refuse to budge for his amusement. I fight with everything I have to hold back. "You know, I could kill you too if I had the orders to do it. What seems to be the case is that our bosses know, as well as I do, that all of this is way bigger than just you and me." He answers as he once again turns his back towards me. "We had her kill him...Blaze. She killed Senior Pool." He stops for a moment and turns his head towards me. "Who's to say we won't have her kill you too?"

He smiles weakly. "Elemental Blaze for some reason doesn't like me very much. I'd say her thoughts on killing me wouldn't necessarily have to come from you or the Grand Master. Why go through the effort? It seems unnecessary." He answers with a foolish grin on his face as he suddenly disappears again with a blur. I look back on the locker, not opening it. There is nothing there to be examined as the Martian so well pointed out earlier. He grabbed it before I had a chance at getting a closer look. Something did look familiar about it though. I need to confer with the Grand Master before I can be too sure.

Rain:
I jolt awake for what is probably the hundredth time in the last couple of days. I saw it again, just as I did ten minutes ago, just as I did twenty minutes ago and so on. The Grand Master and Master Storm are standing over Breeze's body grinning to themselves. Breeze lies dead on the ground and I am unable to bring him back. I can't stand to look at his body for too long, but always when I realize that it's actually him, I wake up cold and covered in sweat. I am an Elemental of water so it shouldn't be a weird thing, but because of the dream, it just gets to me in a way it hasn't in the past. How can it not?

What is even more disturbing to me right now is that he doesn't seem to realize how close to the edge he is actually standing. Whether they intend on making it look like an accident, or worse, have Blaze kill him without her knowing, they are going to get him out of the picture the more he gets involved with them and Blaze. Something for sure is going to happen to her, but nobody knows what it is. Actually, to me it doesn't matter what it is. It is getting Breeze in trouble but somehow he can miraculously sleep like a baby. Good for him I guess. I don't stand a chance.

I would usually sleep in that big room with all the other Elementals, but tonight I sneak into the hospital-area where Breeze is resting. I'm not comfortable letting him be on his own even though I know that Senior Fall hasn't decided to sleep on the job any time soon. The matter is I am Breeze's older brother. I have to watch over him. Plus, I don't want Ember to catch me waking up and start asking questions. She pretends to be sleeping, but I know she isn't. I don't really know what's going on with her. She's just watching me, waiting for me to spill something.

I'm sitting here, fighting to keep my eyes open as I straighten up in the chair. Breeze has covered himself with the hospital blanket. I suppose he needs the rest. I look back and forth and try to imagine how our lives would've been if neither one of us had elements. Not all humans are guaranteed to develop their elemental powers to fight the war. Some are never even picked up by the academies, meaning there could be many untrained Elementals back on earth. I wonder what our lives would've been like if we were like that, free and untrained. At least I wouldn't be worrying about his life like I am now.

I suddenly hear footsteps behind me. They're coming closer and closer. I get up from the chair and hide behind Breeze's bed when I see the set of feet on the ground. I immediately recognize them before I rise back up and see Ember with a weak flame in her hand. "Ember? What are you doing here in the middle of the night?" I ask, walking back to the chair right next to her. "The same reason as you, Rain. Couldn't sleep." She answers. "That's not an easy thing to achieve these days...for some of us." I add at the end, looking at Breeze.

"Why are you not sleeping?" Ember asks as she takes the liberty of grabbing another chair and sits down next to me. I try to avoid her gaze, but something makes it harder than it used to be. I could ignore her looks without problem before, but now, it's almost like I want her to look at me and I want to look back. "I've heard you wake up every single time, you know? I'm even sure that you know that yourself. What's terrorizing you?" I look at her for a moment before I turn my head away. I want to respond, but Ember steals the words before I can say them. "Let me guess: nothing." She says. I don't even have to look at her to hear the sarcasm in her voice. "That's not the truth though, is it?"

I take a deep, shaky breath. Ember seems to figure out everything without me even having to say a word. She can read me like an open book, which sometimes makes me wonder how she hasn't figured out everything else yet. "It's about Breeze, isn't it? Your baby-brother being here scares the crap out of you." I turn my head, wanting to ask her how she knows, but I hold the words back. Ember has always had a way of learning things. "Good thing you don't ask me how I know. I've known you for the best part of ten years. To be honest, I almost think I know you better than you know me."

There's that tone in her voice. I've heard it before, but never been able to put my finger on it. I've been hearing that particular tone a lot lately. I turn my head towards her, trying to analyze the emotions on her face, but I fail. I always fail. These are the moments where I always fail to say the right thing...or feel. Sometimes when she looks at me, I pick out the tiniest of details from the features on her face that nobody else will think highly of. I don't even know why I, but I just do and for some reason I feel conflicted about it. "You are probably right." I give in. "You do know me better than I know you."

I look down on my hands for a moment. The silence is retaking its position in the room as I watch over Breeze. I try not to let Ember in on any of the other secrets inside my head. Like the reasons why I fear for my little brother's safety, or how she makes me feel conflicted. For now, it all remains a secret, but knowing her, it won't be long before she forces them out of me.