Elemental Reality (19 page)

“Oli, did you see that? I absorbed fire,” I yelled and flailed my arms excitedly.

He ran over to me and grabbed my palm to examine it, then looked into my eyes. They were dilated, angry—probably because I lied—but the more he glared the softer his eyes became until the beautiful emerald green I’d grown to love shone through. “That was amazing, Kitten. No. Wait. That was beyond amazing.” He laughed, wrapped his arms around my waist, and picked me up. I threw my arms around his neck as he twirled us around. When we stopped, he placed me back on the ground and cupped my face. “You are more remarkable than I ever imagined, Callie Pierce.”

My name falling from his lips made heat creep up my neck. “You know, you say amazing a lot.”

He chuckled. “I can’t help it if my mental thesaurus doesn’t have that many alternatives for the word.”

“You’re too much for me,” I laughed.

“I’d say the same. I can’t believe you tricked me into throwing a fireball at you, but . . . you’re the perfect amount for me.”

He leaned down and placed his lips on mine. It was a sweet and innocent kiss, but I grew hungry for more. From the way his lips moved against mine, I knew his hunger was rising too. His arms, still coiled around me, squished me to him. My hands went to his hair as I tried desperately to pull him closer. His hands moved to my bottom as he lifted me up so I could wrap my legs around him, our kiss never breaking. My wings expanded, and a strong breeze pushed me upward. Intense heat flooded from us both. I wanted him, needed him, craved him with every fiber of my being. We were stuck in such an extreme and passionate moment, it felt as if we were just floating on thin air. If our kiss went any deeper, we’d be thrown into a situation that should not happen in an open area. As if Oli could read my thoughts, he gradually lessened our kiss until we were nothing but panting messes lightly brushing our lips together.

I regained my breath. “I take back what I said before,” I whispered against his lips. “You’re not too much for me, you’re just right.”

He kissed my lips one more time and smiled. “I don’t want to alarm you, Kitten, but we’re hovering.” I pivoted my head to look down, but he stopped me. “Don’t look down because it might startle you, and we’ll fall. Just stay relaxed and try to lower us. You can do this.”

The strong breeze that whirled around us slowly died down as we lowered to the ground, his feet finally touching down. I was on a permanent high. This was one drug I wanted to get addicted to. I unwrapped my legs from around Oli and stepped away from him, grinning, and twirled around with my arms outstretched. I was alive for the first time in my life. Nothing could break the tender embrace of my elements as they consumed me.

Oli stood before me with his muscled arms crossed over his chest and laughed gleefully at my excitement.

“Do you want to train more, or are you bushed?” he asked. “Absorbing an element must have taken a lot of energy.”

“I’m full of energy. Like I can do anything,” I said joyfully.

He gave me a crooked smile. “Anything, huh?”

I nodded.

“Prove it.”

The elements streamed throughout my body. They were much stronger too, as if absorbing an element and kissing Oli brought them to life. I bent my knees as if to jump and worked my wing muscles to get them ready for flight. I felt the wind preparing to announce itself, so I jumped in the air and fluttered my wings harder and faster. My wings stretched to their full width and height as the air swooped under them and lifted me higher. Houston, we have liftoff. The five element colors swirled around me as I flew. I bet I was a breathtaking site to see from far away. I wondered if I looked like a moving rainbow. I was so energized I played around in the sky doing summersaults and corkscrews and just laughing away at the happiness inside. Was this what actual happiness felt like? I had been deprived of it for so long. I saw Oli leisurely outstretched in the grass as he watched me intently. Though I couldn’t see his expression, I knew he had a smile on his face.

I swooped over him and called out, “It’s a bird . . . It’s a plane . . . It’s Callie Pierce, Alkuaine Faerie.”

His infectious laughter rang out and tickled my funny bone. In seconds I was laughing along with him. “Faster than a speeding bullet.” I shot into the sky doing a corkscrew pattern. If you don’t stop now, you’re going to be sick, I thought. I didn’t care. I was finally having fun. But it died quickly when something about being up there felt off.

The sky darkened. Patches of lightning flashed through the clouds. I stopped mid-flight and hovered there instead of flying back to the ground. I searched below me but didn’t see anyone besides Oli. I should have gotten out of there when I first saw the change, but witnessing something like lightning in the clouds firsthand put a whole new perspective on it, and I loved how beautiful the streaks of light made everything. I was an idiot. A bolt flew out of the clouds directly at me. Luckily I sensed it so I had time to duck out of the way. My heart beat rapidly in my chest as fear devoured my entire being. The bolts came faster though, and it became harder to avoid them. I dodged one just in time but crossed the path of another one instead. My heart was erratic as it slammed into my ribcage. The bolt stabbed right into my gut like a sword, and I swore it came out the other side. Pain ripped through my abdomen. It knocked me backward, and I started to fall. Fear picked me raw like a vulture. My wings refused to work. Anger reared its ugly head as panic clouded my concentration. I was going to die.

24

Paralyzed

My mind wouldn’t cooperate because I was paralyzed with fear. My wings were no help and remained motionless. I tried pumping my muscles, but they were frozen. Electrocuted maybe? What was the point of having wings if the electricity affected them in that way? Think Callie. Think. Pretend you’re a bird. What would you do?
Eat worms.
Smartass. I turned myself over, hoping it would help my wings move, but it didn’t. I watched, frozen in horror, as I catapulted toward the ground. Tears cascaded down my cheeks; I couldn’t hold them in any longer. My arms and legs flailed. I was at a loss for ideas. Why was this happening to me? Was that Oli screaming? Everything I saw or heard was a blur except for the ground that grew closer. I couldn’t hold in my horror anymore.

“No! No, no, no!” I screamed and crossed my arms over my face as I waited for impact. It never came. The air that whooshed around me halted. My downward motion toward the ground stopped. Did I hit so hard that I died instantly? Should I look? Slowly, I moved my arms to peek. The ground was right below me, yet I wasn’t touching it. I moved my arms and tried my wings again. This time they worked. I fluttered them to right myself and put my feet on the ground.

Oli rushed over, terror twisted on his face, and slammed into me, crushing me to him in a tight embrace. “For a moment I thought I had lost you, Kitten. I yelled to you when I saw the storm begin, but you must not have heard me. I couldn’t do anything, and I was stuck watching you fall from the sky.” He pulled me closer. I couldn’t breathe.

“Oli . . . can’t . . . breathe,” I said in gasps. But in all honesty, I was elated to know I wasn’t dead.

“Sorry.” He loosened his grip and stepped back, checking me from head to toe. “How did you do that?”

Ignoring his question, I asked, “What caused the storm? Did you see anyone?”

“Uh, n-no,” he said nervously and immediately changed the subject. “How did you stop yourself from hitting the ground?”

That question stopped me from pressing the previous subject. “I did? I have no idea. I didn’t even realize I was stopped until I looked.”

“Really? You didn’t do anything?” he pressed.

“I felt myself falling; that’s it. What did you see?”

“I saw you get hit by that bolt of lightning. Then you started falling. I tried to stop your fall, but the storm overpowered me. You screamed and covered your face then started glowing. Right before you hit the ground you stopped and just hovered there. I think your elements stopped you.”

“What? No way. Not possible. Is it?” No. It couldn’t be.

“Of course it is,” he said sincerely. “You’re unlike anyone else.”

“And let me guess: this has never happened before.”

He shook his head.

“Wonderful.” I was aggravated now. I wished someone knew something about Alkuaine Faeries so they could explain things. Why couldn’t we go all Hermione Granger and research this in some Faerie library? Did they even have a library? “What caused the lightning because—” I glanced up “—the sky is perfectly clear now. I want the truth, because I could tell you were hiding something.”

He looked nervous, and his eyes shifted.

“Oli?” I warned and crossed my arms.

He looked down at the ground, kicked it with the toe of his shoe, and mumbled something.

“Can you repeat that please?”

“It was Lola,” he said to the ground.

“Come again?” I must have heard wrong.

His shoulders stiffened. “Lola was flying too. I saw her in the distance. I guess it was part of her lesson. I thought you spotted her when you stopped, but it seemed like a storm cloud had formed around her. That’s when the lightning started.”

“So you’re saying my sister tried to kill me?” I raised an eyebrow.

His cheek ticked nervously. “I’m just telling you what I saw, Kitten.” He frowned as worry twisted his features.

I spun around and marched out of the field.

“Where are you going?” he called from behind.

“To find Lola.” My voice was practically a growl.

I stomped off, not waiting for Oli to follow. I had one thing on my mind: find Lola. How could my own sister do something like that to me? Maybe she didn’t realize what she did, or maybe
there was some Demon foul play afoot. When I reached the training field, Lola was back on the ground. Her wings were still outstretched as she watched Bri juggle three fireballs.

“Hey. Lola,” I yelled.

She turned around. Her body was stiff and her lip curled into a scowl. “What?” she all but snarled at me. The trainers backed away, fear visible on their faces.

“What the hell was that for?” I said through gritted teeth. If this was a joke Lola was playing, it was the worst one yet.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She placed a hand on her hip as she examined her nails on the other not caring.

“Oh, yes you do. You tried to kill me.”

She stomped over to me until she was inches from my face. “Again, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You struck me with lightning. Does that ring a bell?” I snapped.

As if a light bulb went off in her brain, her face lit up. “Ah, yes. It’s a shame it didn’t kill you.”

She wanted it to kill me? I backed away and stared intently into her eyes, but it wasn’t Lola staring back. Her eyes held something darker. Almost sinister. Her normal grey eyes were replaced with pure black ones, and fire danced in their depths. She was being controlled.

“Leave her alone,” I yelled at the Demon inside Lola.

Lola laughed wickedly, but it was deeper, throatier. Definitely not a Lola laugh. Something flashed on her features as she continued to laugh. Was her face burned? Did I just get a glimpse of the Demon possessing her?

“Quit exposing your ugly self to me.” I stood my ground, though inside I was cowering.

Lola Demon jerked its head and snarled in my face. Oli jumped between us, and I was relieved he followed to protect me. Lola Demon reached around and shoved me sideways with her strong hands. She lunged for my neck and clutched my throat as it unleashed fire and electricity on me. My throat constricted, and my skin crackled and sizzled from its hand. I couldn’t breathe.

“I won’t leave your sister until you’re gone,” it said harshly.

I watched as the trainers and Oli rushed at Lola Demon. Their skin aglow and ready for an attack. Lola Demon whipped her head around and chuckled darkly. “Not today,” Lola snarled. She thrust her other hand out and a gust of hurricane-like wind rushed at them. It knocked them on their butts yards away.

My lungs ached for air. I couldn’t take much more. Why was no one helping me? My elements boiled inside me before I shoved both hands at Lola’s chest and unleashed them. Her grip loosened on my throat before her hands fell away, and she dropped to the ground in a lump. I fell to my knees in front of her as I gasped for air. My vocal cords burned. No one came near us as they assessed the situation.

Oli’s strong arms wrapped around me protectively as he pulled me away from Lola. “Are you okay, Kitten?” he said, worried.

I nodded slowly. “Let me check Lola. I need to make sure she’s okay.” My voice was raspy. Oli and I cautiously approached Lola. We knelt down next to her, and I placed my hand on her cheek. She didn’t stir.

“Is she okay?” he asked, nervous.

I positioned my fingers on her neck until I found a steady pulse. Her heartbeat thrummed against my fingers. I breathed a sigh of relief, relieved Lola was still alive. And relieved she was knocked out and unable to cause anymore harm. “She’s alive,” I said softly. “I think I just knocked her out.”

Oli knelt next to me and rubbed circles into my back. “Why did she attack you?”

“It wasn’t her. I saw darkness in her eyes and a glimpse of a Demon. Keaton, perhaps?” I looked up as the trainers ran toward us.“Oli, stay with Lola. I need to ask them a question.” I went over to them. “Did Lola seem different to any of you before she went flying?”

“Not at all,” Bri answered. “It wasn’t until she came back to the ground that she seemed off. Is she okay?”

“Yeah, she is. Off how?”

“It was her eyes. The color was unusual, darker than normal. I brushed it off at first, thinking it was an energy surge from what she’d done with her powers, but then I noticed something. Her eyes seemed . . . hungry as she watched me use my fire element, and then you showed up.”

“Callie, she reminded me of a Demon,” Jennie whispered.

“I saw a glimpse of the one controlling her. How is that possible?” I asked. Maybe they would know the answers.

“Her connection is weakened. Who is her soul mate?” Kat asked.

“She doesn’t have one,” I answered.

“She hasn’t felt him yet?” Erika asked, shocked.

“Not that I know of.”

“That’s strange. Some are pulled to each other when they’re younger and some in their teens, but she’s nineteen now. No one has ever been without their soul mate past that age,” Bri continued.

“But I didn’t feel the pull to Oli until we were in the same room. And even then it wasn’t strong.”

“It sounds to me like your lack of training growing up has prolonged both of your pulls. If that’s the case, Lola’s soul mate might feel the pull to her since she now has her powers,” Trixie finished for us.

I glanced back at Lola who stirred. I knelt down next to her and gently rubbed my hand over her cheek. “Lola, sweetie?” She groaned. “Sweetie, can you move?”

“I think so,” she croaked, voice rough. “Did I fall from the sky? Where am I?”

“You’re in the training field. You don’t remember what happened?”

She opened her eyes. “No. What happened?”

I glanced at Oli and the girls then back to Lola. “What do you remember?”

She sat up at a snail’s pace, wincing until she was upright. “I started flying until I saw you. I tried to get your attention to show you what I was doing, but I blacked out. Then I woke up. Callie, what happened?” There was panic in her eyes, and I swore her complexion grew paler.

“Well . . . a Demon kind of took you over and . . . tried to . . . kill me.”

“What?” she screeched. “Why me?”

“The trainers think it might have something to do with not having your soul mate yet—”

She cut me off. “Don’t keep rubbing it in, Callista.”

I sighed. “I’m not trying to. It’s just that your connection is weakened without him, but the plus side is that you should feel the pull to him now.”

“That’s great news. But it freakin’ sucks about my connection. Can we please kill all those bastards now?” she fumed.

“You can’t,” Kat spoke up.

Lola snapped her head to the left and glared at Kat. “Why not?” she said through gritted teeth.

“Because they’ll know you’re coming for them, and they’ll be prepared for an attack. It’s too risky to go now.”

“So what do you suggest we do?” Lola asked, her teeth clenched.

“Let them play. I believe they’re trying to get a rise out of you,” Erika explained.

“How do you know?” I asked.

“We were told by the Elders that the Demons enjoy playing with those that are weak. They must know your plans to save your mother. That’s probably why they sent Apryll. This possession is just part of their game,” Erika continued.

“What you’re basically saying is that we let them keep playing with my body until they get bored? I don’t think so. They’re
not
getting away with this,” Lola snapped.

“For now they have to,” Kat said as she shied away.

Lola let out a groan of frustration.

“Just let it go for now,” Bri said with caution in her voice.

That sent Lola over the edge. “Let it go? Let it go! How do you expect me to let it go? It’s easy for you to say that shit when it’s not you they’re controlling.”

Lola was at her boiling point. She belted out an aggravated scream as she jumped to her feet, her wings already on the brink of stretching out. Once they were at their fullest, she rocketed into the sky. The ground trembled at her takeoff. She darted upward, and the trail of light tailing behind her reminded me of an actual rocket. She bolted into a storm cloud she formed. In mere seconds the sky grew dark and lightning flashed in the clouds as they formed a funnel in the sky. She was unleashing her anger as her elements wreaked havoc in the air.

Oli extended his hand to help me up. I gladly accepted. He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me into his side. “Lola really chucked a spaz, eh Kitten?”

I looked at him questioningly.

“She’s really angry.”

“Oh, yeah, she is. I mean, I would be too.”

Lola’s storm refused to cease. The girls grew wearier; their faces showed they were worried and frightened. I had no doubt in my mind all of Tehokas City could see what was going on. Erika ran over to us with the trainers in tow.

“We must be going.”

“Is everything okay?” I asked with concern.