SoulStone

Chapter One

There is a time and place to commit a murder.

Apparently trying to kill your teacher for making you run, isn't one of them. Damn.

"Grace, you're starting to worry me. Slap me, insult me, kick me in the balls... or something."

I look over at my best friend since birth. Archibald Bartholomew Winsted the third, or as I like to call him, Artie the Awesome. The shy, but impeccably well-dressed, kindest boy in the world. You may think I'm exaggerating, but I'm not. He's the type of person that spends his free time saving feral cats from trees and feeding questionable food to homeless people.

"You really want me to kick you in the balls?" Because, honestly, that's all I heard him say. I'm too busy trying to catch my breath after running for what feels like forever. I mean 10 minutes is forever, right?

" No Grace! Not really." He looks exasperated, and that's when I realize this mustn't be his first attempt at trying to grab my attention.

Most days, I loved school. Learning has always been easy for me. I had always managed to fly under the radar.

Until last year that is.

"Seriously, what are you even looking at?" Artie asks cutting into my train of thought. As he turns around, my gaze immediately flies back to my nemesis. Or at least he would be my nemesis if he even knew I existed.

The one and only Kellan Sterling. Model face. Hot body. Pretentious prick and the future king of our mighty kingdom, Aether. What more could a girl ask for? I mean a charming personality was clearly too big of a request.

"Doesn't he own a shirt?" I asked, bending down to retie my shoelaces. "We're in the middle of a lesson, not recasting Baywatch? Isn't there a dress code or something?"

"Unfortunately, I don't think so. He's always running around half-dressed, why do you still get surprised by it?" he groaned. "It's disturbing enough that girls, teachers and the creepy janitor are always drooling over him, please don't tell me you are too? It's disgusting." Disgusting for him. And goodbye ovaries for me. No matter how much I hate myself for thinking it, no one could deny that Kellan is hot.

"Wait a second, are you saying I'm not a girl?"

"Grace please, I'm secure enough in my sexuality to admit you have bigger balls than I do." I know I should be a little mad at what he said. But really if Artie and I were ever stuck in the Hunger Games together then he would so become my bitch.

"Just wait until I get my hands on some poisonous berries." I mutter to myself.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing!" I say a little louder than necessary.

Note to self, make sure the crazy voices in my head don't speak out of my mouth. With what feels like a Herculean effort I drag my gaze from the long lost Hemsworth brother and give my attention back to my bestie.

"Anyway, he's eighteen in a few days, so it won't matter after that. I'm sure his bride, whoever the poor girl may be, will put a stop to his lack of shirt in public." I say, readying myself for another lap of torture on the school field. I mean, who really came up with the idea of running as a sport? A masochist that's who.

"Look, Artie you don't have to keep running with me. I know you need to be practicing your water techniques for the big test." Trying to change the subject, from the bane of my existence.

You see, Aether is a kingdom where only the humans with elemental DNA live. There is a magical veil that covers this place so we can't be found by normal humans. Each person here has come from a long lineage of people with the ability to harness the power of an element. Most come into their element on or around their sixteenth birthday. Why they can control that particular element is like asking someone why their eyes are blue. It's all to do with genetics, me... I'm a big genetic failure whose element hasn't come through. And Kellan, he's possibly the strongest Earth wielder ever known, and in line to be the next king. So yeah, even if he wasn't an ass, he would be way out of my league.