"Maybe on the flipside you could catch me again"
(Six months earlier)
Mornings were Meo's favorite time of day, simply for the fact that everything was quiet and still, or just beginning to stir from a deep slumber. It was still early enough in the year that the morning was a bit hazy and cool, making a cold rush run over her skin as she stepped outside. It seemed to make the necklace feel even colder and heavier on her collarbone. She stood outside her door for a few moments, fingering the necklace thoughtfully. She hadn't heard from Foxfire in two days, and the necklace was only reminding Meo of her and making her wonder what was wrong. It was unlike her friend to never get back in touch if she missed a phone call or text message. She hoped it was nothing drastic. If it went on for much longer, she decided she'd drop by Foxfire's to see what was up.
She took in a deep breath of the cold air and started on her walk. She normally walked around the block on the weekends, having nothing better to do and enjoying the slight form of exercise. She watched as her ragged, black, Converse High-tops stepped one in front of the other on the pale cement of the sidewalk, making no noise as she made her way along. She looked back up and ran her fingers over the side of the small, waist-high brick wall that seemed to border most of the yards in her neighborhood. She figured it was to serve the purpose of what a wooden fence would, except matching the décor of colonial-style homes better. The rusty color of the brick was bright in the gray morning, and the cool smoothness underneath her fingers reminded her of marble.
Meo zipped up her jacket, feeling inexplicably cold—but she didn't mind. She preferred winter over summer anyways. It was almost as if the pendant hanging around her neck was sending a sort of chill throughout her—for no matter how long she wore it, it never seemed to retain her body heat and remained chilly to the touch. She didn't think too much on it, not believing in too many superstitions anyways. Besides, it was a beautiful gift that she cherished from her friend, so of course she was going to wear it.
As she circled around the block and started to head back home after about half an hour, she came up upon one of her neighbors, sitting on the brick wall as most of the people her age did in the neighborhood. She slowed to a stop to speak to this odd man, for even though he was keenly quiet, he was kind and to the point. He had a strange air about him that was mysterious yet dignified. Meo couldn't quite name what it was about him that was so captivating in the way anyone would want to listen to any word he had to say.
"Hello Draco," she greeted quietly, smiling slightly as his dark eyes met hers.
"Hello, Meo." He returned, taking his headphones out of his ears to be polite.
She sat up on the wall next to him. They had talked plenty of times before—well, her mostly; he just kind of sat and listened to what everyone else had to say. She had only gotten to slightly know him, since he wasn't all that antisocial and did take interest in what was going on with everybody. Meo envied his hair- it was long, reaching to his waist, perfectly straight and raven black.
"Is that a new necklace?" his sudden question brought her out of her thoughts.
She looked to see he was staring intently at the pendant hanging around her neck. She almost blushed at being so closely inspected, but then realized that with the odd symbol it had, anyone would stare and question it. But his eyes seemed almost knowing, like he recognized it. It was hard to tell, for he hid his emotions quite well.
She reached up and touched it lightly. "Yes, my friend gave it to me."
He hesitated, and then nodded slowly. His mouth was set in a blank, tight line, as if he just received disappointing news. "Do you mind me asking who? I mean, that's a peculiar symbol and all."
Meo shook her head. "Foxfire. And yeah, I know, it's weird . . . but I guess she's always had some sort of fascination with odd symbols."
"Odd symbols?" he repeated, looking at her with blankly guarded eyes.
She nodded, smiling slightly. "Like this one," she fingered the necklace again before letting it fall back against her neck and shoving her cold hand into her pocket.
"Foxfire, huh."
"Have you met her?" Meo looked to him again, only to see that strange look about his face, like he recognized the name.
"Don't think so." Draco mumbled, looking away and staring down at the black asphalt of the street.
Meo began to swing her legs back and forth, smiling to herself. Draco had always been a bit of an oddball, asking questions that were normally overlooked by others. She had known him for a few years now; he had only moved in by himself not overly long ago. He seemed pretty young to be out on his own, but was obviously well off, according to the fact that the neighborhood was a bit on the pricier side and he had a black Audi of the newer models sitting in his driveway.
She had only been in his house a few times, hanging out with a small group of friends they commonly shared and for the one Halloween party that one of the neighbors convinced him to host. It was a nice place, almost unfitting to his character. Meo wondered if he had a really good job or a really good inheritance from his parents, but it wasn't any of her business, and so she had never asked.
Draco had a built but slim frame and was tall, but had the foreign look of someone from a distant country. His skin didn't seem to give any particular race away, but held a tan like someone from a very cold place had. He didn't have an accent either, and so Meo had just assumed his parents were foreign and he was born there—although, she had never met them or heard them mentioned either. But that was alright; he was a quiet man that kept to his business and stayed out of others', and so Meo didn't go nosing into the details he left out. She knew enough about his character, and that was just fine with her.
~
As the next week passed, Meo began taking more walks outside, finding it hard to focus on much with her worry over Foxfire plaguing her mind. She hadn't heard from or seen the girl and it was deeply starting to concern her. Contrary to her prior consideration of going to visit her, Meo became more nervous with the thought, being paranoid over something deathly having happened. But of course, that was a ridiculous notion. There would've been news or something should Foxfire have somehow perished or gotten involved in something drastic. And her mother would've told Meo's parents—they all knew how close the two girls were.
If there was one thing Meo didn't like, it was having a secret hidden from her. Not that she was accusing her best friend of doing such, it was just highly unusual for Fox to become entirely reclusive, without a single word to Meo—or anyone for that matter. She hadn't come to school and none of their instructors could provide or get information on her. Apparently her mother had told them of her absence ahead of time. Some of their mutual friends had even asked Meo about Fox, but the girl could only shrug with the same feeling of concern and helplessness.
She hadn't dared ask her parents if they had heard anything—she didn't want them to start worrying and fussing over the issue. Besides, it wasn't such a smart thing to do when she didn't know anything herself. Meo sighed, somewhat glad that it wasn't as cold as the previous week had been. Summer was hardly starting, yet the heat was already making its presence known, rapidly too.
Meo made her way down the street on her normal route, and found it as no surprise when she saw Draco sitting on the wall in front of his house. That day, however, there was a girl sitting next to him, her face framed by the white hoodie she had pulled up over her head. To obscure even more of her face, long, black bangs covered the right side, leaving a single green eye the color of an ocean tide to gaze upon her as she neared. Her hands were shoved into her pockets and Meo took note of the strange circle on the face of the hood. It had many intersecting lines within it, looking like an ancient symbol of magic or some sort.
Meo continued, slowing as she watched Draco hopping off the wall and standing to face her. By the look on his face, it seemed as if he had been waiting for her—that, and something was obviously bothering him. He watched her with a steady gaze until she came to a stop before him, glancing again at the girl sitting on the wall and then back.
"Meo," he greeted. His voice seemed to hide a bit of urgency.
"Hi," she returned, already feeling the tension. She didn't like the way concern was plastered all over his face, and she didn't like the way the girl stared at the necklace around her neck. It was obvious the girl was shocked by it, for whatever reason, and wasn't hiding it very well. Meo avoided her gaze, trying to interpret how disconcerted Draco looked.
"I really hate to nose into your business, but I really must ask you an important question."
"Alright," she edged, cautiously hiding her worry.
"Where's your friend Foxfire?"
Meo hesitated. She didn't bother to hold back the funny look she gave him. It was an odd question that she had been hearing all week, and was well used to, but not from this particular person. What was it to him anyways? Didn't he say he didn't even know her?
"I understand your hesitation," he quickly continued. "But this is direly urgent. I had lied to you the other day, and I apologize for that. I do in fact know who Foxfire is."
"But why did you say you didn't?"
"There are certain reasons. Tell me, Meo, have you ever heard of the Elements?"
She thought for a moment. Of course, there was elements found in chemistry that she had learned thoroughly when it came to learning about chemical reactions, but it didn't seem as if that's what he meant. She had once taken a mythology in literature class, and the topic of special people who wielded powers made from sources commonly found around them, like water or air, had come up but even so, the term seemed to strike a familiar, forgotten note with her. She nodded her head in an unsure manner.
That seemed to make him sigh in relief. He looked even more urgent then. "Ok, look. I'm looking for Foxfire because she's done something very drastic. You're the last non-Elemental person she contacted."
Non-Elemental? What on Earth was this man going on about?
"What do you know about them?" he asked in a rush, his eyes flicking quickly back and forth. Meo was beginning to worry. She had never seen him in such a frantic state, or talk so much.
She shook her head in confusion. "It's mythology; powers belonging to humans made from things found around them . . . I think."
Draco almost smirked. "Well, no it isn't mythology. It's very, very real. You might think it's ridiculous, but that very necklace around your neck can prove me right."
Meo's hand flew to the cold pendant.
"Now, where's Fox? I have to know where she is."
"I'm sorry," she spoke cautiously. "But I don't know where she is." She wasn't lying, and even if she did know, she'd probably only dance around the truth. She continued to avoid the gaze of the other girl, who seemed to be scrutinizing her, like she couldn't figure out a very important piece of a puzzle. She didn't like being under her mystic stare, and Draco's questions were making her further uncomfortable. Draco, however, seemed like he was solving whatever puzzle the other girl was trying to figure out, almost giddy with energy. "She hasn't talked to me at all for over a week."
"Damn," he swore. "She didn't say where she was going at all?"
"I wasn't aware she was leaving."
He paused for a moment, rubbing the side of his face and sighing exasperatedly. Meo began to get almost antsy, already wanting to demand answers from him and his strange behavior. And if that girl didn't stop staring, she was going to push her off the wall. Ok, maybe not something so immature, but she'd think of something.
"Alright," he mumbled. He looked to the girl. "Kiriaki . . . text Dakedei. And Alleghany." The girl nodded, pulling out a sleek phone from her pocket. He turned back to Meo, watching her with those dark orbs of eyes. "That necklace you're wearing is a key part to this. You see, as you know, Fox is missing—but it's more like she's gone AWOL."
"From what?" Meo asked, clutching the pendant around her hand. No longer did her body respond with shivers at the cold metal, instead, it seemed to welcome it, to warm the pendant like it couldn't have a week earlier. She had noticed a strange change about it; it seemed the more she wore it, the more in tune she became to colder objects. Where the pendant had once chilled her hand as she held it, it then warmed her hand, a drastic difference from when she first got it.
"From us—I don't want to freak you out when I say this, but that's an emblem for an Element."
She shook her head, a reaction he expected.
"Foxfire gave it to you to get rid of it, so she could therefore flee. We only have a slight reason as to why she might've left."
This was entirely bizarre to Meo. She still wasn't entirely clear on what Elements were, but apparently from what she could gather from Draco, it was somehow related to Foxfire . . . and the necklace. Either this was an elaborate prank, or something was deadly wrong. Meo didn't like the idea of pranks, especially because he didn't seem to have that sort of sense of humor, and his face, action and words were too dramatically anxious for it to be some menial issue. But if he could tell her more about Foxfire's connection to these Elements, then perhaps she'd understand better. After all, they were just a myth—one she didn't even really remember or had heard mentioned much.
"What I need from you is something equally important." He continued. "With Foxfire gone, I can't let that necklace out of my sight." He shook his head, sucking in breath. He was gazing coolly at it around her collarbone, seemingly having more going on in his head than he was letting out.
"What does Foxfire have to do with it?"
"I told you Elements weren't a myth. Foxfire held the Element of Ice—and that's the emblem for it. The very power is held within that necklace. The fact that she gave it to you is a very bad sign about her."
Meo's heart stopped. Did that mean Fox was in danger? That seemed ridiculous. Foxfire was always a very levelheaded person, who thought before she acted and took all consequences into consideration. If this was such a big deal, why hadn't Foxfire told her? It almost hurt to think that her best friend had kept such a deadly secret from her. It was apparent that Fox knew perfectly well about the emblem, yet had given it to Meo as a gift and gave no further explanation.
"I'm saying that we need to take care of it." Draco placed his hands on his waist. "I've given careful consideration to this, and seeing that Foxfire's trusted you to bestow the emblem, I think you'd worthy of its power—"
Meo gave a nervous laugh at the absurdity of it all. He wasn't serious, was he? She tried to suppress the grin that formed on her lips, but she couldn't hold it back. Kiriaki glanced at Draco nervously, but he seemed to ignore her grin. He looked to have been expecting it. Meo struggled to regain a blank face and gently cleared her throat.
"You don't believe a word I'm saying do you?" He gave her a skeptic look.
She shook her head honestly. To her surprise, he grinned tightly. She watched cautiously as he pulled back his jacket sleeve just a bit. He held his palm upwards in an almost cupping gesture, and she waited with a cocked eyebrow.
"I'm going to show you." he concentrated on his hand for a few seconds and then looked up to watch Meo's reaction. He figured the best way to convince her of just what that necklace contained was to show her. He flexed his fingers and let the familiar burning sensation flow through his veins down his arm. He gathered together just a bit of the Ice power from within, using his mind to concentrate on summoning it about from the air around his hand and from the emblem hanging from Meo's neck.
Her eyes widened as she watched a small, pale blue flicker suddenly appear within the middle of his palm, growing and stretching into a vast blue orb no bigger than a baseball. The ball of the misty substance condensed into visible shards of Ice, swirling into each other and around the sphere in a slow, rotating motion. Small puffs of frozen air swirled around it like smoke and Meo nearly took a step backwards.
An odd tugging sensation pulled at her neck, and the emblem seemed to grow viciously warm against her skin. A spark seemed to fly throughout her blood, filling her veins with a warm, energetic sensation. She couldn't drag her eyes away from the ball of levitating Ice in Draco's hand, yet she knew both he and the girl called Kiriaki were watching her curiously, waiting for a response.
She began to reach out from impulse, the orb seemingly calling to her to touch it. She hesitated, looking at Draco for approval. He took her outstretched hand and twisted it so that her palm was like his. He then grasped the sphere and laid it onto her palm gently. Meo marveled. It was solid, and it was most definitely real ice. Strangely enough, it didn't seem to be cold to her at all, and her hands were heating up rapidly for some unexplainable reason. The emblem seemed to respond in the same manner.
Her mouth gaped. "This is . . . real! I mean, you . . . ." she didn't know how to explain it, other than him conjuring it seemingly out of thin air. She examined it, the clear crystals all condensed to a catacomb of frozen water. She was amazed that this was even possible for a human being to produce—and that human being was trying to convince her she could do the same!
So Meo stood, grasping the sphere of Ice with both her palms, trying to wrap her mind around how such a thing was possible. Foxfire had been in possession of such ability, and she had never once hinted at such a supernatural thing. How was it possible?
"I need you to control this, Meo." Draco said, a grave undertone to his voice evident.
She shook her head. "Control it? I don't even know where to begin."
"That's why I want you to meet others. There are other Elementals, like me and Kiriaki here." He gestured to the quiet girl. "Every Element is unique, as is their holder. We live together as a family to hone and sharpen these skills."
Meo's eyes flickered up to him, skeptic once more. But she had no more reason to doubt. She had witnessed with her own eyes the creation of the ball in her hands, and the funny feelings correlating with the emblem made sense to what he was saying. Then she glanced to the Hmong girl. "What do you do?"
"Alchemy," she answered, pointing to the strange symbol Meo had been gazing at earlier. "Drag here controls Spirit—he's the head of the Element family."
"Drag?" her face scrunched in concentration.
"Dragonov." Draco answered. "It's my real name. People usually can't pronounce it so they end up giving me whatever is closest and it just sticks."
Meo only stared. In any other case, she would've calmly walked away and stayed inside for a few days. This wasn't any sort of ordinary proposition. The Ice in her hands wasn't even melting, and it didn't feel the slightest bit wet like how any other ball of ice would. It still felt chilling (yet warm to Meo's hands), was perfectly solid and clear. Was he asking her to live with this family? It seemed like such a big and sudden change—and she had no ideas as to what to do about it. She couldn't just up and leave; her home was here, with her real family.
"We can't let Ice go to waste—especially because it's one of the most powerful sub-Elements." Draco—or rather, Dragonov, spoke with a firm air, exuding his position as authoritative and being the leader. "Since Foxfire has abandoned the emblem and us, it means that you're now in control of it."
"I have to control it?"
He nodded. "You're free to do whatever once you have it under control, so long as you don't copy Foxfire's actions. But for now, I'll need you to practice with it. If you don't want it- then that's fine. But you can't just get rid of it like she did. It takes a very long time- perhaps a year or more."
"Don't feel too much pressure," Kiriaki added, seeing Meo's nervousness. "We won't force you to stay."
"Stay? With this family?" She asked, still doubting the whole idea. It just seemed too unrealistic despite the very object of truth in her hands.
They both nodded, watching and waiting for her response. There was a lot to be involved if she accepted this proposition. Perhaps she could just hand the necklace back and politely decline. If they were that keen on keeping this Ice Element under control, surely they'd find someone else more suitable, and a year was plenty of time to find said someone. It was a lot for Meo to ingest at once, and so she had shyly agreed to think it over for a day, as well as have a discussion between her parents and Dragonov. She didn't know how she was going to deal with it essentially, but she had plenty of time to think it over, and already, she could feel a major change and shift taking place.
~
Dragonov, upon returning home to his Elemental family that night for the first time in a few months, immediately alerted the family as a whole to what was going on. He discussed with them all calmly and collectively about Foxfire's confirmed status of MIA and her abandonment of the Ice emblem. He explained in full who Meo was and hoped for the best. She had seemed somewhat intrigued by the part where it concerned Foxfire, yet cautious to the whole ordeal. To his eyes, it was a fast sign of progression, especially since he had given her no warning when he had first noticed the emblem around her neck. It was bad luck with the way things had been going for the Ice Element; he was skeptically anxious about Meo taking its place so soon already after Gallissy.
Before Gallissy, her older brother had kept the Element alive for only a year before a personal family dispute made him quit and disclaim his entire family, save his little sister. Gallissy had managed her Element for three years before it was handed to Fox, and then it was another two years too soon that the Element was moving yet again. Dragonov didn't like the rapid decline that the Element was in, drifting from holder to holder for every reason under the sun. He had high hopes that hardly surfaced all of his doubt for the new Elemental-to-be; hopefully she'd stick around far longer than all other Ice holders had. But first, she had to accept his proposition.
What surprised him the most was her willingness to believe him about Fox and the Elements. He had suspected her to call him crazy and leave; but she hadn't—she had even asked questions, looking only slightly confused. But of course, he always had a backup plan. If Meo refused, well then he'd have to get the emblem back from her. That wasn't going to be a big a problem as finding a new Elemental for Ice was. Gallissy's family had been badly torn apart—and most of the members had already passed the emblem down, which meant it couldn't be returned to them. She had only one brother, and he had given up on Elements entirely. That meant for the first time in a few generations, Ice was just going to have to belong to someone outside of her family and bloodline. If Dragonov could've found his brother . . . but no, he doubted he'd ever even get to speak to him, much less get him to agree to take on an Element. They had already disputed nearly twelve years ago, when Drag was only ten, over the fact that he was picked to control Spirit. It was a long, harsh argument that ended in him never seeing his brother again.
But this was something desperate. Drag shook his head in frustration, watching his family around him chatter happily about the new arrival to be as they ate dinner. He remained silent, trying to calm himself over the possibility of Meo declining. She wouldn't do that—he just had a feeling she wouldn't. The second part would be getting her used to the family. Living with seventeen (eighteen including himself) other people wasn't easy, and she seemed like the shy type. It would take her awhile to get used to the oddities in the family- like Alleghany's eyes or Ryu's single mutant wing protruding from his left shoulder, but hopefully it wouldn't be too drastic for her to handle.
After all, he had gathered together every single person sitting at that table, one by one, and not a single one had doubted the family's capability with each other. Of course, some had more trouble getting acquainted than others, like the withdrawn Nitrous- who was the Elemental of Fire- but even he had adapted and come to love the family as his own. It was an entirely odd combination of people, but they were a family nonetheless, even if only two members were related by blood.
~
Meo had a long discussion with her parents that night. To her surprise, they knew a lot about Elements—and even a little about this Dragonov. Dragonov Dracolomuel, his name was, and true to his word, he was indeed a holder of Spirit- the most powerful Element. Even though they didn't know much, she hung onto their every word, almost in disbelief that something she and others had thought to be a mere myth was more than real; it was involving her. Dragonov wanted her to be a part of this Element family. She patiently explained everything, from the emblem to Foxfire's flee, to her parents. They regarded her with elated surprise, urging her to take the offer Drag had made. They agreed that they would speak to Dragonov the next day to get things settled.
But Meo's curiosity wasn't satisfied. That night after taking a shower and dressing down, she opened the shared laptop, wanting to do some research. She hadn't fully agreed with the proposition yet, but so far she couldn't find any reason to say no. After all, how many times did this happen to an ordinary, everyday girl? Or anyone for that matter? She opened up her favorite browser and search engine, and typed 'Elements'.
The results weren't very satisfying. She had to browse carefully through several links pertaining to chemistry elements or elements of literature, but not what she was looking for. She sighed and paused for a second, and then tried 'Elementals'. That was a word she had heard both Dragonov and her parents use. That time, far more results popped up in relevancy to what she wanted to know. She clicked on the first good-looking link and began to read.
"Elements are the key substances that make up the world around us. Eons ago, far back within ancient times, humans began to harness and control these substances for their own use or for general good. Old stories have listed uses for some of the oldest known Elements, like Fire, Water and Air, for simple things like starting warming fires during winter or providing enough water during droughts for plants, animals and humans alike. Other, more recent stories tell of their uses in social justice, like catching criminals or preventing riots. As the generations have passed, more Elements have been discovered, as well as their uses and how to control them. There are nineteen known Elements (five main, three "tier" (this includes one of the main Elements), and twelve sub-Elements), according to all the scriptures saved from the ancestors, and these nineteen Elemental holders are typically found to live together.
"There has become less use for the Elements' powers, considering our modern day technology and resources, so it is slowly becoming forgotten by new generations. There are, however, still starkly outstanding Elementals, known for their impact on societies or et cetera. Elementals are not entirely unknown by the general public, but they have become less of a hot topic over the years. The current Element family is unknown as to where they reside, as well as their relatives from past Elemental families. It is known that Elements are passed down through blood, in a simple system of parents to child. There is a more complex set of rules that Elementals seem to follow, but those seem to only be known by them—like when it comes to twins or two Elemental parents.
"It has been found, however, that anyone can possess a small sliver of an Element's power, even if they are not blood relation. All Elements seem to go hand-in-hand, not being limited to any one Elemental holder. There are even non-blood-related Elemental holders found all throughout Elemental history. Means for transiting the powers are unknown to general public.
"Dragonov Dracolomuel, the president, CFO and CEO of the Filter Star Byrin Company after his father—the founder, is thought to be an Elemental holder for the odd insignia inscribed upon a ring he often wears. The symbol looks exactly like the known Spirit symbol—the most powerful Element, according to the ancestral books. It has yet to be proven, however, for Dracolomuel does not take interviews and his father resides in an unknown residence to the public."
Here Meo paused, quietly gasping to herself. There was a small picture underneath the text of Dragonov and a close-up of a ring she hadn't seen before. It looked like a class ring for a college would, except there was no large gemstone; just a flat, silver top inscribed with an odd emblem. The symbol was then compared to a picture from what looked to be an old book, and they looked exactly the same. She had never seen the ring personally, nor did she have any clue as to his status. He didn't seem like the typical rich-kid business owner held up by his father's wallet. In fact, he looked exactly the opposite. He had never mentioned such a thing either, and she wondered if it'd be a safe bet to ask him such. She knew he had money, but not that type of money.
She then looked up Filter Star Byrin Company, curious as to what they created. Meo's eyebrows rose. It was a basic monopoly of managing business franchising and entrepreneur branches as well as corporal information brokers. This corporation was big, and hauling in millions by the minute. She shook her head. How did such a powerful Element end up with such a person? There was definitely more to him than his quiet, laid back posterior. She sat back in her chair, staring at the screen before her without reading any more. She read all she had wanted to know and then some. Besides, she felt that if she accepted, she'd be taught everything she needed to know anyways.
So what was there to lose? It was obvious this family knew more about Foxfire than she did, her parents were urging her to do it, and she could possibly find out what happened to her best friend. She was already done with high school and had graduated—just a few days before, so the only possible thing that would get in the way was college; but she wasn't going to let that become an issue. Surely Dragonov would understand. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to put it off for a semester, just to see how things went. She wasn't sure what career she wanted to go into anyways.
Meo closed the laptop, and prepared to sleep. She had a long day that would start as soon as she woke up.
~
"Please, Nitrous, just watch over her for me."
Those crystal-like, clear, pale blue eyes pierced into hers with a dark undertone to them. He obviously didn't like what she was doing, but he was her last resort for making sure Meo was ok. There was no one quieter that she could rely on. There was no way to tell Laex without Alleghany finding out, and so the second quietest person was her only option. It was a blank stare he was giving her, like he always gave, but underneath it Foxfire could see his hesitation, his curiosity.
"You're the only one I can trust," she continued in a frantic whisper, her eyes pleading for him to reason with her, not withdraw into his normal, stubborn self. "You have to promise that—and that you won't tell anyone, not even Meo, that I was here."
He only gave a small nod, a frown tugging at his pierced lips.
Foxfire sighed and rubbed her forehead.
"Why'd you give it up?" He asked, equally quiet, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets. He was regarding her with unsure confusion, knowing perfectly how well his empowering gaze could hold a sense of penetration over her. He could present such an air around anyone without even trying, sometimes without even realizing it.
Fox bit her lip for a slight second. She was expecting to face this question several times, and it wasn't going to be one she could avoid forever. But she couldn't tell Nitrous—not any member of the family for that matter. There was only one person she'd trust with the answer, but she had to find her first. "I just . . . I don't have time to explain," she mumbled, avoiding his gaze. It was shameful, even to her, what she was doing, but she had to. She knew she could do it. Then her head snapped up towards an unseen direction of the house. "They're here," she stated with an almost panicked voice. "I must go. Please, Nite." She looked back to him.
He remained silent.
"For me, for Gallissy."
He grimaced, but then nodded slightly again. "Alright. But I'm not going to like it." He heard the front door opening, even from his room, and the excited voices below.
She sighed in relief. "Thank you, Nite. I owe you—don't let me forget that. I have to leave, now."
He didn't respond or try to even stop her as she left his room silently, leaving the house by means he didn't know and didn't want to find out. He didn't like having to have such a deadly secret ride on his shoulders, especially when the family was so frantic about finding Foxfire. He wasn't sure why this Meo needed to be watched so carefully, but in a sense, he did trust Fox. The girl was supposed to arrive that day anyways, and normally he could've cared less.
But considering Foxfire was so frantic about this girl, his curiosity got the best of him, and he edged out of his room and down the hallway. Even being on the third floor, he could hear something was going on downstairs, and so he descended them until he came to the very top. He stood, waiting and taking in the sight before him with a blank stare.
"—This is the ground-or first- floor," Dakedei was stating as he and the new arrival headed towards the staircase. He and Drag both were already getting the girl acquainted with the place, and so it was inevitable that they'd eventually meet. Damn Foxfire . . . Nitrous was indifferent to meeting the third Ice replacement. The excitement for him had worn off at Gallissy's arrival. "There are two floors above us and the basement is below. There are a few rooms down there, but yours is on the third—the top floor."
"There might still be a few of Foxfire's belongings she left behind," Dragonov added as they started towards the black, deco staircase. "So you might—oh, hello Nitrous."
The silent grouch, who had been watching from atop the staircase since Meo came into the main room, stared at the long-haired girl. He left his expression blank, like usual, and wondered silently to himself about why Foxfire wanted to protect this girl. She didn't seem to be anyone extraordinary, with plain, waist-length hair and hazel eyes. She was returning his gaze nervously, and the three stopped and waited for his response.
"Aren't you going to introduce yourself?" Dragonov's voice carried up to him.
Nitrous stared at Meo until she blushed and looked down. He knew he was immaturely making her nervous, but his curiosity got the better of him, especially with seeing the Ice emblem hanging around her neck. He waited until she glanced back up and then, without a word, turned to head up the second staircase. He disappeared noiselessly, presumably into his own room to stay until dinner that night.
Meo bit her lip, feeling really intrusive then.
"Excuse his rudeness," Dragonov had an agitated look about him, as if he were expecting his family to behave better. "He's a bit—"
"Antisocial." Dakedei finished for him and shrugged. They continued back up the stairs, going the way Nitrous had. "Don't worry 'bout it; he'll warm up eventually."
Nitrous listened to their faint voices from the floor below. He scowled to himself, grimacing deeply. If only they knew.