Elemental souls, p.6
Elemental Souls, page 6
“You ok? I’m really sorry. Usually I don’t lose control like that, but since I have been living on my own, I’ve had my guard up a bit more.”
Greta smiled, waving her hand in front of her, “Water under the bridge.” She turned to Kai. “I think we all need to get some rest tonight. I know I said we’d talk, but I can barely keep my eyes open. Maybe we take a sick day and start fresh in the morning?”
Phoenix nodded and Kai smiled. Sick day meant no school. He was always good with that.
The morning brought questions and answers. Few people were as gifted at making others feel welcome as Greta. She managed to get up before the boys and fill the house with the amazing scent of fresh waffles.
“How did everyone sleep?”
Phoenix smiled, “Great. How’s your hand?”
Again, Greta brushed his question away, “Fine. Enough about me, let’s talk about you two.” She cut a piece of waffle and Kai noticed her wince with the pressure of the fork in her hand. “Kai, take off your shirt.” Kai rolled his eyes. Something about this game was getting old, but he complied anyway. Greta pointed out the marks, explaining them to Phoenix as she had to Beth. Finally, after show and tell, Kai put his shirt back on.
“So, I don’t get it.”
“What don’t you get dear?”
“Well, I get he has some gifts,” he looked at Kai, “Nice move with the wind last night,” his eyes returned to Greta, “but what is the point? I mean why?”
Kai’s entire body grew tense. He and his mother didn’t agree on parts of this. His fork trembled under the shear pressure he inflicted on the metal utensil.
Greta smiled sweetly, “It is a long story, but to sum it up, we are defenders against darkness.”
Phoenix laughed, “Like superheroes right?”
Kai smiled crookedly, “Yeah just like the X-Men.”
“Cool. Can I be Wolverine?”
“No way man, your name is Phoenix.”
“Yeah but she’s a chick.”
Greta smiled as the boys bantered back and forth.
“So, we defend against darkness. What does that mean exactly?”
Greta became serious. “I think we need to introduce you to Kai’s friend Beth.” She looked over at Kai.
He shrugged. “Yeah, she isn’t really talking to me right now. I kinda pissed her off.”
Greta raised a much arched brow. “Why, pray tell, did you do that?”
His face fell in bewilderment. “Beats me. I still don’t get it.”
“Well you get to make it right. Now. She needs to come over today after school.”
Kai looked at the last drips of syrup remaining on his plate. “I am not so sure she will. I mean it Mom, she’s mad.”
Greta picked up her phone lightly and put it in front of Kai. “Text her for me. Tell her I need to see her.”
“So now what?” Phoenix asked as Kai punched in the letters. “We are special, we defend against the darkness, but no one is running a fancy school. We are modern day X-Men, and it sounds like that chick is special too. So now what do we do? Do we read the paper for the latest crimes and solve them? What?”
Kai paused in between letters. “We protect the balance of the universe.”
Phoenix started laughing loudly. “You guys are funny.” His face regained composure. “You are not serious, are you?” Greta looked out the window, not responding.
“It is a bit more complicated. It isn’t like we are superheroes exactly.” Kai looked at his mother.
“I will explain everything, but can we wait until Beth gets here? She hasn’t heard the whole story and it would be best to tell you both.” Greta headed towards the basement, “I think we should do some lessons in calming first.”
The afternoon finally arrived, bringing a light knock on the door. Greta answered, ushering Beth into the living room.
“Thank you for coming. I have someone I would like you to meet.” She turned toward Phoenix. “Phoenix this is Beth. She is special like you.” Beth looked from the boy to Greta, “So you can hear the wind?”
“No.” Phoenix’s face wrinkled, “Can you?”
Beth didn’t respond, simply shifting her eyes to Kai’s face. “Yes, she can.” Kai answered, never breaking his gaze with Beth.
“That’s cool. So, what does the wind tell you?”
Beth shrugged her shoulders looking back at Phoenix, “I don’t know. It changes all the time.” She nodded in his direction, “What’s your flavor?”
Again, Phoenix looked confused, “My flavor? Flavor of what?”
Beth rolled her eyes plopping down on the sofa, “What’s your gift?” She accented her question with quotation marks in the air.
“Oh. Sorry. I um, I guess I have this thing for fire.”
“That’s cool. Show me.” Beth leaned toward him slightly.
“That’s not a good idea. Phoenix hasn’t learned much control yet. Let’s just say we know he’s very gifted.” Greta smiled sweetly, putting her hands subconsciously behind her back.
“I have seen him blow up an entire building.” Kai looked back at Beth. His eyes continued to search her face for some form of the angry tornado he had seen last.
“Wow. That sure beats the heck out of predicting storms.” She turned away from Kai, focusing instead on the new kid. “So, Phoenix, is it? Where did that come from?”
He looked down at his hands, and then took a seat on the sofa next to Beth. “My grandmother called me Phoenix the moment I was born.” His deep brown eyes grew very dark. “She believed I was an evil thing. She was a powerful Voodoo Queen and wanted to end me the moment I was born. Momma fled with me, later meeting Daddy. They had my sister and,” he looked up at Kai, “you already know the rest.”
“I am so sorry.” Beth reached over to touch Phoenix’s hand. The wind whirled up outside, rattling the windows and then quieted. They looked out the window and then towards each other.
“Ok, this is getting weird.” Phoenix pulled slightly away from Beth.
Greta came around to face the sofa, taking a seat in the adjacent chair. “I wanted you both here today so I could share a story with you. Our story.” She smiled at Kai. “A story we are sure you are now a part of.” All the kids sat back attentively waiting for her to start.
She took a deep breath and began, “When I was young, I began dating a man who loved to tell stories. He told me a tale of the world being at odds with itself. The elements were in battle for power and the gods had played enough games that the entire universe was on the brink of disaster.
Something had to be done to stop the universe from imploding in on itself. A few women, weavers of the largest city, began to meet in secret. They knew that if the elements were in balance, the universe as well would remain intact and prosper. The women devised a plan. Children would be the key. Only pure souls and hearts would be able to change the course of the entire universe. They began to search for children worthy of carrying the gifts of the elements. The first was a child discovered after a tornado, unharmed and cooing happily in a tree. The second child washed up on the shore, the lone survivor of a capsized vessel. The third baby was found beneath a tree, wrapped in leaves for swaddling cloth. The last baby was uncovered sleeping in its bed surrounded by the charred remains of its home.
They would need one more, to keep the four from fighting, one to keep the peace, one to lead. This child would have to be stronger than the others, carrying the burden of spirit, but also empowered with all four elements as well. They kidnapped a child- a demigod. Each woman wove a symbol of protection for the child. Each symbol represented one of the women and carried with it a secret gift she bestowed upon him. The child grew older and they taught him patience. They taught him tolerance and above all they told him their secret. He would keep the universe from self-destruction. He alone would be able to unite the four elemental children and bring harmony again to the world.
Over time, the children found their way to the leader child. Each brought their gift and together, working from pure hearts, they returned balance to the universe. When all was right with the world, the children devised a plan to maintain the harmony throughout the ages. Each brought a piece of their element and together they forged a crystal. The crystal was magnificent. The color was blue like the ocean, it weighed nothing like air, it was harder than the deepest diamond, and contained heat like a volcano. The crystal would be the key to unite and activate the power of the five elemental children, if the universe ever was in need of rebalancing again.
They entrusted the brother of the youngest weaver to carry the crystal, protecting it from harm, for the children still were not sure of its power if it fell into the wrong hands. The brother carried the crystal, passing it on to his children.
When Kai was born, I knew right away what he was. I knew the story, as it was told to me by that storyteller, my husband, on our wedding night. So, this brings us full circle.” Greta sat up slightly in her chair.
“Wait, so we are going to like... get together and hold hands and save the universe? From what?” Phoenix’s eyes were filled with doubt.
“We don’t know how much of the story is myth, but we do know there is some truth to it.”
“And how do we know that exactly? I mean sure, Air and I are like that,” she twisted her fingers together, “and obviously Fireboy can burn down the house, but it is still just a story.”
“No, it isn’t.” Greta pulled from her shirt a long chain that suspended an ancient blue stone.
“Is that the crystal?”
“Yes.” Kai looked down at the large pendant. “It is exactly as the story describes.”
“That is wickedly freaky.” Phoenix’s voice hissed in awe. “How does it work? Will it tell us where the other two are?”
“It isn’t GPS, Phoenix. It’s a magical ancient crystal. The others will be found, they can’t be far, not with all of us here now. They’ll be pulled to us whether they want to be or not.” Kai looked to Beth. “Now that you know, we need to work together. We can’t fight, we can’t bicker. This –well whatever it is- it’s bigger than any teenage issue.” He shifted his eyes to Phoenix, “Staying in control of our self and our emotions is also key. We don’t want to risk being found before we can set things right.”
“Why?” Phoenix’s dark blackish red hair fell un-kept over his eyes, “I mean not to be rude, but what does it matter? We are trying to balance the universe, why wouldn’t we want everyone to know.”
“There are men out there who believe the crystal is just as powerful in their hands as in ours. They believe they could gain great fortunes and control by stealing the crystal, let alone controlling one of you.” Greta shook her head, “No, Kai is right; this needs to stay between us.”
“I wonder every day why the wind told me to sit by you that day.” Beth’s eyes looked up at Kai’s, “I am still not sure I should’ve listened.”
They broke for dinner, asking simple questions about friends or family being involved. After the plates were cleared and they had moved onto safer subjects, Phoenix spoke up. “What are we going to tell people about me at school?”
Kai looked at Greta. He assumed she had a plan, she always did. She smiled sweetly, “Phoenix, your mother had to leave the country on business. Your father of course passed away, so you are staying with us indefinitely.”
“And you think they are going to believe you?”
“Why wouldn’t they? I have a proper letter from your mother and all the official documents stating I am now your legal guardian.” Kai marveled. His mom had been busy. “I hope you don’t mind.”
He shrugged, stunned at her resourcefulness. “Fine with me.”
“Excellent. We will get you registered tomorrow morning. Speaking of which, it is time we all start thinking about going to bed. I am sure we could all use some sleep.” She stood up, and the entire room followed. Phoenix headed to the bathroom, and Kai walked Beth to the door.
“So, are we ok?” Kai asked as soon as he was sure they were alone.
Beth looked up at him and shrugged. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” and walked out the door. He shut it, wondering what that was supposed to mean. Did she mean a shrug yes or a shrug no? He shook his head. Yep, girls were mentally unstable.
Phoenix had a couple of classes with Kai, but mostly had to make it on his own. Kai felt sorry for him in a new school, wearing unfamiliar clothes.
Lunch came and with it, the familiar tree. Beth had already begun eating when the boys joined her. “So how is school so far?” She turned her shoulder away from Kai, facing Phoenix square on. Kai took her shoulder as a continuation of her silent treatment, resigning to eat in solitude.
After school, Beth invited Phoenix to watch the marching band practice. Music seemed to be the reason for the after-school rendezvous. So, with his schedule wide open, Kai decided to head back to the used bookstore, feeling the cold shoulder from Beth may keep his schedule open indefinitely.
Walking in, the store smelled different. The air had a new scent today. The books felt the same, even the music hadn’t changed. Any normal person would’ve never noticed the slight shift.
He meandered back towards the corner, deciding to scout today before settling on his usual section. The back corner felt cooler, almost damp as he grew closer. His arm remained unchanged, his chest searching out any emotions. Someone was there, of that he was certain, but who? He carefully rounded the corner to see a girl sitting in the corner, her back against the large wooden timber ceiling support, her feet bare, pressed against the opposing brick wall. Her golden sheets of hair waved like wheat in a field. Small chubby toes kneading against the red bricks seemed to be following the rhythm of a silent song. Then he heard her laugh. The sound echoed off the bricks toward him filling his head with notes and sounds of joy and happiness.
He inhaled quickly, taking in the earthen scent filling the air; mint fields at harvest, mountains in the morning, with a hint of roses at full bloom. He noted her frozen form, feeling the scents dissipate. “I am sorry, did I frighten you?” He stepped forward at the same time she turned to look at him, “It’s you!”
She blinked her doe eyes at him. “Do I know you?”
“Um, no, well yeah,” he stumbled. “We met a couple of days ago, do you remember?”
She cocked her head to the side, making Kai think of a puppy hearing a new sound. “Oh, yes. You tried to hit on me.”
Her candid words tossed Kai for a loop, “I wasn’t... well I mean...” He blushed deeply.
“Hi again.” She smiled parting her perfect lips to reveal even more perfect teeth. Kai couldn’t stop looking at her. It was as if she was exactly symmetrical. Every feature answered with an equal and exact duplicate of the first. “Are you going to say anything?”
Kai blushed again, caught in his ogling. “I am sorry. I – My name is Kai.”
“Kai?”
“Yeah, it's German.”
She raised her brows. “Hello German Kai, I am Alice Lee.”
“And you made a face at Kai?”
“Alice Lee is a very respectable name.”
“Yeah, if you were born in 1800 maybe.” Kai turned the corner of his mouth up, enjoying his opportunity to make her blush.
“I’ll have you know I am named after Alice Roosevelt, the very intelligent daughter of Theodore Roosevelt. She was quite progressive for her day.” Alice’s little nose went up at the end of the explanation.
“Well now, there you have it,” he mocked again. “Remind me to thank your mother for giving you such a respectable name.” Kai’s smile faded as he took in Alice’s crumbled expression. “I’m sorry, is it something I said?”
Alice shook her head, “No. I have to go.” She headed to the front of the store, taking with her the intoxicating fragrances.
“Wait, please?” She glanced back but didn’t stop. “Come on, give me five minutes.”
Alice slowed, looking back over her shoulder, “For what exactly?”
“Look I just want to apologize. Obviously, I made you angry. I didn’t mean to. Your name’s fine, really.”
“I am not mad. It’s just you brought up a painful subject for me. You said you would tell my mom," she paused looking down. “You can’t tell my mom. She is dead.”
A chill ran down Kai’s back. He had heard this before. “I am so sorry to hear that. When?”
“Six months, two weeks and four days.” She smiled feebly.
“That must be so hard. I am sorry. Really, I am.”
She shrugged. “It is ok. I am doing better now.”
“So how is your dad?”
“Oh, he had been gone for years before Mom died. He was in the military, died in active duty.”
“Wow that sucks.” Kai looked down. “My dad died before I was born. So, who do you live with?”
“I live with my grandmother. She’s pretty cool.”
“And you home school?”
“Yeah, Mom and I always preferred it, so Grandma is letting me keep going. I can’t imagine going to regular school.” She shuttered, “It would be so awkward.”
Kai grinned, thinking of the school changes he had been through. Yep, awkward sounded about right. “Hey, Alice?”
“Yeah?”
“When I saw you last, you said you were working on a report on mining?”
“Yeah?”
“So, I wondered how it went.”
She shrugged, “Fine, I guess. I send my essays to a teacher in another state. I haven’t gotten the grade back on it yet. Why? Are you doing one too?”
Kai shook his head, “No, I just wondered. Did you choose the subject or was it assigned?”
“I chose it, why?”
“I don’t know,” Kai stumbled, trying to come up with a way to ask about an earth connection. It didn’t feel right to come out and ask. “Hey, do you want to hang out sometime?”
Alice smiled, “I thought you weren’t hitting on me?”
“I’m not. Not really anyway. I...” He what? Wanted to see if she could make the ground shake, the flowers bloom? Not likely. “Never mind, I shouldn’t have bothered you.” Kai looked toward the door, “I gotta bounce. I have someplace to be.”
