Change [Book 1 of The Elemental Marks]

Chapter 23

A new iratze marked Lina's forearm. She had told Damian she didn't need it, but Alia insisted. She said there would be bruising. Lina was too high to feel any of it.

Back in her room, Lina was stuffing things back into her duffle bag like the past two months had never happened. It hadn't felt like it, but Lina had unpacked most of the bag. She had made a home here.

Lina looked at the iratze again.

Alia had silently pulled out her stele. She drew the Mark quickly and elegantly. Bending training hadn't called for many healing runes. Lina found herself out of practice with it. Alia was still an expert.

"I have something to show you," Lina said under her breath. Alia glanced up at her, and, reading the girl's expression, gave a short nod. "In my room. Read all the notes. You'll know when you see it."

Still not saying anything, Alia let Lina's arm down. Then she gave Lina a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "You'll be fine now. Get packing." Lina stole a sideways glance at Damian, but he seemed to think nothing of the conversation.

"Yeah, I will. Thanks." For everything, Lina tried to convey with only her eyes. She went upstairs and started folding clothes, waiting. After a few minutes, another set of footsteps followed her. They stopped outside her door.

Lina grabbed Charlie's Codex and popped into the hallway just long enough to put it in Alia's hands. The firebender continued walking as if nothing had happened. She shut her door behind her. Lina did the same.

Lina forced herself to let the memory go. She gave Alia the same information Charlie had given her. It was the choice of the firebender to do something about it.

She kept the book of names for herself. It was in her bag, tucked in between sweaters and shorts and hard to immediately find.

Before packing it, the waterbender made her own edit in it. She wrote in Alia Basadrake and Malina Bellewood. Now they were both forever apart of the Institute's history.

Lina's thoughts were interrupted by a knock at her door. Cautiously, Lina opened it.

"Carson?" she asked, surprised. He was nearly the last person she expected to get good bye wishes from.

"Can I come in?" he asked.

If the events of the past day had never transpired, Lina would've been excited by this. He had been in here before, to read and talk and, on one occasion, make out. Now she didn't want him inside her space.

Still, a voice inside her head reminded her that this wasn't hers anymore. She was packed and ready to go. "Sure."

She took a seat on the bed while he leaned against the bookshelf. There was an obvious space between the two. Even when they were dueling, they'd been closer.

"I'm sorry," Carson said after a short silence. "About what Damian made us do out there. I didn't want any part of it."

"Sorry?" Lina echoed. "I made you do it. I should be thanking out. I get to go home now. You could've just mauled me, but you gave me a chance instead."

She thought she caught a twinkle in his eye at the compliment. "The point of that wasn't for you to get mauled. It was to show off your talent, and you really did. Damian never thought you could stand up for yourself, but I knew."

Lina didn't like how he was talking. It sounded nostalgic over a relationship they had barely had. "I appreciate all that," she said, trying to sound professional. "Thank you. Do you need something?"

One word would've made her forget everything and fall back into him, she knew. If he said it, she would find a way to forget all of the lies. She would know that he really did care about her above all else. You. I need you.