I woke fairly early the next morning and made my way straight to the labs. I'd done hardly any of my coursework, and the deadlines were beginning to creep up on me quicker than I would have hoped. I dropped Kate a quick text to say I was here, although I doubted that she was even awake at this time of the morning.
The air was still fresh when I went outside, but it was nice. The cool air pricked my cheeks, playfully, in a way I'd never really felt before. I was feeling the element of the air welcome me, to let me know that it was there.
Of course, when I went into the lab, it was practically empty save for a couple of students near the back. I collected all the equipment, set it up, and then began where I'd left off the last time I was here.
It'd been two hours before my phone buzzed.
Will be there ASAP. Kate had text me, although I knew ASAP would probably mean at least another hour.
Then, I felt a light tap on my shoulder. I turned, and saw a tall girl standing there, a shy smile on her face. She had tanned skin, and long brown hair tied in a plait that reached her hip bones. I wondered how long it would reach if it was let down. Her brown eyes hesitated for a moment.
"Hi, sorry." She said. "I don't suppose you're doing Peter's coursework, are you?"
I smiled. "Yeah, I am." I said.
"Are you up to task six yet?" She asked.
I peered back at my work, having lost track of what task I was currently working on. "Yeah, I just finished it. Took me ages to get it." I sighed.
"I was wondering if you could help me out a little? There's just a small bit that I can't get my head around." She laughed nervously, but seemed nice.
"Yeah, sure." I got up and followed her over to her work.
"My name's Sanita." She said.
"Millie." I smiled. Sanita then sat down at one of the computers and proceeded to tell me which bit she didn't understand, and so I set about giving her as many hints as I could without actually handing her the answer.
"Oh!" She suddenly exclaimed. "I get it!" She quickly did some typing, in case she should suddenly forget, before sighing with relief. "Thank you so much. You're a life saver."
I laughed. "Ah, it was nothing. Just let me know if you need anymore help."
"Thanks, Millie." Sanita said, and so I went back to continue with my own work.
When I got back to my computer, I noticed that Kate had arrived and was just logging onto the computer next to mine. "Oh, hey Kate." I said, sitting down.
"Hey, Mills." She said. "How long have you been here?"
I looked at my watch. "Nearly three hours."
"Damn, girl. Where you up to?"
"Task seven." I said. "Finally managed to get through task six at long last."
Kate furrowed her brows. "Is it really bad?" She asked.
I shrugged. "Apparently it's the worst one."
"Shit." She whimpered. "I've only just started task five."
"You'll get there." I encouraged her. "I didn't think I'd ever make it, but here I am." I grinned.
"Okay." Kate said, determined as she set up her equipment and plugged her earphones in.
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Another three hours passed, before I was beginning to feel the strain on my eyes from the computers, and the heaviness in the room as the labs filled up. It always got really hot in here, no matter what time of year, and would get especially loud as the day went on. I liked to listen to music, however I wasn't the kind of person who could work and listen to it at the same time. I'd always get too distracted by the lyrics and make mistakes.
I patted Kate on the shoulder, and she took out her headphones.
"I'm gonna head back home." I said. "I'm getting tired, and it's too loud in here."
"Okay, hun." Kate said. "I'll probably stay a little longer."
"Alright." I said. "See you tomorrow." I grabbed my bag, handed the equipment back, and left the lab.
"Millie!" I heard someone call my name as I was walking down the stairs, and turned back to see Sanita coming down after me.
"Oh, hey." I smiled. "How's it going?"
Sanita came and walked with me. "Not too bad, thanks. How about you?"
"It's alright." I said. "I find it hard to work in there at this time of day."
"Yeah, I know what you mean." She said. "You fancy getting a coffee? I think I owe you for your help."
I waved a hand. "Oh, you don't have to do that." I said.
"I insist." She said, and right about now, I wouldn't say no to a hot chocolate with cream and extra marshmallows.
"Oh, okay then." I said.
Sanita grinned, and I realised she might have taken offence if I'd declined her offer.
We'd just stepped outside the building when I stopped. Something didn't feel right. There wasn't a single person in sight, and I could feel a sort of static fill the air around me, making the hairs on my arms stand on end. I looked around, not quite sure what I was looking for, just as a bolt of lightning seemed to strike the ground a couple of metres in front of Sanita and I. Where the lightning had struck, there stood a man who was all too familiar to me.
I looked at Sanita, half expecting her to be running in the opposite direction right about now, but she wasn't. In fact, she didn't even looked phased by the fact that someone had just appeared out of a lightning bolt before her eyes.
Haydn had a wicked smile playing on his lips. "Ah, my two favourite people." He snarled, looking between Sanita and I. Did Sanita know Haydn? How?
I began to feel the prick of my own power begin to tingle at my fingertips, ready.
"What do you want, Haydn?" I asked, trying to force as much confidence into my voice as possible. I had to say, I surprised even myself.
Haydn put his hands up and looked at me. "I'm not here to fight. Only to let you know that I'm ready when you are."
I frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Just two more elements to go, right Millie?" He asked.
How did he know? In fact, if he knew that, then why wasn't he trying to do whatever he could to get the darkness?
"Where is my sister?" Sanita had stepped forward, her eyes full of hatred. Enough hatred to have built up over a lifetime. Whatever Sanita and Haydn had, it was old. They knew each other from long ago, I could tell.
"Oh, your sister is doing just fine." Haydn said, blatantly lying. "For now, anyway." He chuckled.
Sanita sprung into action then, leaping forward, arms outstretched as she ran into Haydn. Or, tried to. Haydn effortlessly slipped out of the way, as Sanita stumbled forward.
"Sanita!" I called, wanting her to stop. I ran forward, to try and help her, but she ignored me. She tried to run at Haydn again, but this time he didn't step out the way. Fire sparked in his closed fists, and he fired. But, Sanita had her own tricks. Lightning seemed to accumulate around her hands, and when she thrust them forward, a big bolt exploded towards Haydn. Their shots met in the middle, trying to force against one another- but it was Haydn who was winning. His combination of fire and lightning outweighed that of Sanita's single bolt of lightning, as the sizzling ball of flame edged closer and closer to her.
I had to do something. I stepped forward, next to Sanita, and conjured up my ice- it was the strongest element I had, and would surely work against Haydn's fire. I threw my hands forward, a pale blue stream of coldness exploding out of my palms right into the ball of flame and sparks, and pushed with whatever strength I had. I took a quick glance at Sanita, who's forehead was coated with a gleaming layer of sweat. She was struggling, and wouldn't be able to continue for much longer.
Then, amongst the anger I had for Haydn and my will to stop him, I felt it. That dark, tingling sensation at the pit of my stomach. Realising I'd been holding back from using my most dangerous weapon, I smiled a little. Then, still firing my ice, I let it out.
The black, smokey element cut through my stream of ice, sliced through the ball of icy, flaming sparks in the middle, and hit Haydn.
Immediately, the fighting stopped. I saw Haydn get thrown backwards, before Sanita collapsed onto her knees next to me. I knelt down to her, holding her back so she wouldn't fall backwards, as Haydn managed to scrape himself up from the floor.
If I thought he looked angry before, then holy shit, did he look pissed now. The look he gave us was enough to send me cold. "You two have just made a terrible mistake." He said, before he vanished. And I don't mean vanished in a bolt of lightning- I mean, he vanished like Ronan does.
Like a Dreamwalker.
But, for the time being, I ignored that. Sanita was struggling to stand, but I managed to throw her arm over my shoulder and pull her up.
Then, in perfect timing, David walked round the corner of the building. The moment he saw me and the situation, he ran over to us with a worried look on his face.
"What happened?" He asked urgently, holding onto Sanita's other arm.
"We should probably go to your office." I said. "In case anyone sees anything." I realised that people started walking past, whereas before, there had been nobody. When Haydn had struck down, I hadn't seen a single person.
David just nodded, helping me half carry Sanita into the building and to the elevator. Luckily, no one was waiting to come out, so we managed to sneak through the corridors to David's office undetected.
David was just unlocking the door when Sanita unravelled her arm from round my neck. She seemed tired, but able to hold herself up. She stepped into David's office and took a seat on the cushioned chair, as David set about making everyone a cup of tea.
By the time he came over, he was expecting an explanation.
"What happened?" He asked, for the second time today.
"Haydn was here." I said. I then looked at Sanita. "And he knew Sanita."
She pursed her lips together as both David and I tried to read her expression.
"He has my sister." She said.
David frowned. "Do you know why?" He asked.
Sanita bowed her head. "He said it's for old times' sake. I stopped Haydn doing something a long time ago, and he wants revenge for it. My sister is the only family I have left, and he took her." She paused, and looked at me. "I'd heard rumours of a new Argent with powers over all the elements, destined to bring Haydn to his knees and stop whatever he was planning next. I figured that if this were true, they could help me."
"I promise I'll do what I can to help, but everything is a little more complicated than that." I said, and so continued to explain my recent life events. I told her about Haydn wanting the darkness, and it somehow going wrong and coming to me instead. I told her about the prophecy, and that I had two elements left to manifest before I could release the darkness and stop Haydn from getting it.
Sanita frowned a little, confused. "But, why hasn't Haydn come to you earlier to get the darkness? Why has he waited? You're just growing more and more powerful the longer he waits."
"I don't know." I said. "It's what I'm trying to figure out."
"Haydn isn't an idiot." Sanita said. "Far from it. He's probably the smartest person I know."
"How do you know Haydn, exactly?" I asked, the question having played on my mind since Sanita shot a bolt of lightning out her hands.
"Haydn blamed my parents for killing his parents."
I suddenly remembered the story Stella had told me about Haydn, about how his parents had been killed in a tragic accident and that he'd wanted revenge.
"You're one of the sisters." I whispered in realisation. "The Argent sister who Haydn tried to kill to avenge his parents?"
"I mean, to an extent." Sanita said. "There was a lot more to it, though. You see, Haydn had tracked my family down to kill them, but then when he came to my house, he didn't do it straight away. I was the one who answered the door, and before he'd even had chance to tell me his intentions, we fell for each other. Whatever Haydn had planned, he put it on hold. We got talking, and things just escalated from there. But it was all lies for him. I'd poured my heart out, and it was then that he told me the real reason he was here. To kill my parents.
"The anger in his eyes was too much." Sanita continued. "I tried to stop him, but I was too late. By the time he'd told me, he'd already done it. He'd electrocuted my parents and then set their house on fire. My sister was out, but when she came home, she was distraught. As was I. But Haydn was still hungry for more. He tried to take my sister, but I wouldn't let him. We fought, and eventually I managed to knock him unconscious. I grabbed my sister's hand, and ran. We didn't look back." A tear made its way down Sanita's cheek, but she quickly wiped it away. "A few years after, I heard rumours from other Argents that Haydn had killed his Dreamwalker. I almost didn't believe it, but Haydn has haunted my dreams ever since. I knew he must have acquired the powers of his Dreamwalker, so knew my sister and I were no longer safe. We kept running and running, but eventually he found us. I wasn't there to save my sister this time, and so he took her. I haven't seen her since, but for some reason he's kept her alive."
"How long ago did he take her?" I asked.
"Two weeks ago." She said, and sipped the tea David had given her.
I sighed, trying to think. Then, Ronan appeared in the room.
"Sanita?" He said, shocked and clearly recognising her. He ran over to her. "What are you doing here? Are you okay?"
"I'm okay." She said. "But Haydn has Emily."
I assumed Emily was her sister.
"What?" He didn't know what to say, and then looked between David and I. "What happened?"
I filled Ronan in on the recent events, and he stayed silent until I had finished.
"Why is Haydn waiting for you?" He asked, more to himself than to any of us.
I shrugged. "I really don't know. But I pissed him off earlier because I used the darkness against him. It was the only way of stopping him."
"Haydn is stronger than ever." Sanita said. "He not only has his elements, but the powers of a Dreamwalker as well."
"And he knew I only had two elements to go." I said. "It's like he wants me to manifest all the elements. But I don't understand why."
Ronan looked at me then. "We are running out of time." He said. "First thing tomorrow, we need to manifest those other elements. Otherwise, I don't know what's going to happen. Haydn clearly has something up his sleeve, and none of us know what he's planning next. He has Emily, and clearly wants Sanita, too. But that's not the real reason he's here. He wants that darkness, and I have no doubt that he will do whatever it takes to get it."
I knew Ronan was right. I knew that we needed to manifest the elements as soon as possible. Perhaps, if we could figure it out quick enough, then it would become too late for Haydn to do anything. If the darkness is long gone by the time we finish, then maybe this can all be over.
I nodded.
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