The Elementals

“Coal!” I leap up from the chair and dash out of the room. “Coal!” I stop screaming because I don’t want to be found. I duck around a corner, breathing hard.

That wasn’t Coal. It looked like Coal, sounded like Coal, and even acted enough like Coal to make my heart race, but it wasn’t. I know it wasn’t.

She did it, I think to myself. She really did it. Izila cloned him. I creep down the hallway, and to another bend. I stiffen as I hear a voice. My voice to be exact.

“One noise and you’re dead, kapish?” It growls.

I step lightly over to the edge of the wall and peek around. My breath leaves me as I see myself in a doorway. Izila cloned me too, the evil demon spawn. Oh, and one other thing. The clone is pointing a gun at whoever is inside. It has to be Coal.

Oh, god what now? I hop from foot to foot in nervousness. Then I come to a snap decision as I hear a click. I run out and slam into the clone, sending us to the floor and the gun skittering away. I scramble to the weapon and furiously try to take it apart, like Owen had showed me once, but my fingers are shaking. Half-way through I give up and rush over to Coal. His hands have been handcuffed to a chair.

“What do I do, what do I do, what do I do?” I mutter unhelpfully.

Take the tape off his mouth, right, right, that would be useful.

“Duck,” he commands as soon as he can speak.

Without hesitation, I crouch and hear a piece of gun whistle over my head and smash into the wall. I see the firing pin on the ground and grab it, trying to pick the locks on the handcuffs. I get the parts attached to the chair off first, then the one on his right, because I know that’s the hand he favors, while Coal dodges more flying pieces of weaponry.

Suddenly, there’s a sharp clack and I’m roughly shoved back to the floor. I twist around to see the Coal clone. He has a satisfactory bruise on his jaw, but he’s grinning evilly at me. I look down at my left hand and see the other part of the cuff locked onto my wrist. Now Coal and I are stuck together.

Well, isn’t that just perfect.

One look at each other and we both take off running. We race around a corner and then Coal yanks me into a closet. I close the door hurriedly behind us, even though the cramped space isn’t big enough. I’m squished on top of Coal, forced to press my back against his chest so neither of us has to break their arm.

“Why does it look like he got punched in the face?” Coal asks quietly, right next to my ear.

“Probably because I punched him in the face.” I reply.

“What if that was me, like, the real me?”

“It wasn’t.”

“How could you tell?”

“I just could, okay?” I snap, cheeks heating. “How could you tell it wasn’t me?”

“Well, I started to figure it out when she pointed a gun at my face.”

“Oh yeah, how did that happen?” I ask, teasing him. “Because it sure looked like a girl had you beat until I came along.”

“She had a gun.” He says tersely. Apparently I’ve hit a nerve.

“Did you figure that out before or after she flirted with you?” I continue to bother him.

“How did you know that?”

I smirk, though he can’t see it in the dark. “I didn’t.”

“Well-”

“Shhh!” I hiss, shoving myself roughly into his chest to keep him quiet. I hear pounding footsteps running past, though how they’ve missed the classic ‘duck into the nearest closet’ technique is beyond me.

“I think just the ‘shhh’ would’ve been enough.” Coal complains as I stop pushing on him.

“You poor thing,” I reply sarcastically, not feeling the slightest bit of sympathy. “We should get out.”

“Hold up,” Coal says, “I want to know what the other guy did to you.”

“Nothing.” I insist impatiently, reaching for the door handle.

Coal grabs my hand. “He flirted with you too!” He finally fits the pieces together.

“No!” I deny, trying to squirm out of his grasp.

“What did he say?” Coal demands as I struggle harder. It doesn’t really help that our hands are cuffed together.

"Nothing." I say, accenting each syllable. Coal doesn’t let go and I realize fighting him is a lost cause. “It wasn’t anything you’d say yourself, that’s why I punched him.” I mutter.

“Well then, what was it?”

“He said I was pretty!” I snap, breaking free and shoving the door open. I drag Coal out behind me as I stomp angrily out of the closet.

“-she punched him in the face!” My voice says loudly. “We cuffed them together, and managed to get out of them that Izila’s in the Himalayas, but then they ran.” It’s the clone, talking to someone.

Or someones. I freeze, face dropping. How could I be so stupid? The others must have gotten back already, and the clones took their chance.

“We should find them.” It’s Audrey, sounding definitive.

“This is bad,” I whisper. “This is very, very, bad.”

“We need to leave,” Coal says.

“Yeah,” I stay rooted to the spot. We need to go, now, but something won’t let me. Who knows where the clones will take them? To their deaths probably. Or worse.

“Hi Tide!”

I jump and spin to see Sparky beaming at me, with what I hope is chocolate ice cream on his hands. He must not have heard the lie the clones are telling the others yet. Unfortunately, his exclamation was extremely loud, and the others certainly did hear that. Pounding footsteps get closer, and I see Terra and Steel rounding the corner.

“Terra-” I stop trying to explain myself as soon as the two clones skid to a stop next to them.

There’s a silence as we stare each other down. My voice won’t work for some reason. My fists clench and I feel my nails digging into skin.

“Sparky,” Terra says slowly, low and firm. “Come here, now.”

I turn, and see Sparky’s wide, questioning eyes looking at me. I try to smile, but it’s wobbly.

“Sparky,” I say quietly, hoping he might be able to tell who’s the real Tide. “Sparky, it’s me, Tide.”

He takes a step to me, and I open my arms, but suddenly the ground splits under my feet. A large gash of broken rock is coming from Terra’s foot.

“Don’t touch him.” She growls to me.

The ground shudders, and I step away from the crack. Unfortunately, Coal steps in the opposite direction at the same time, and I’m jerked back by the chain.

“What’s-” Audrey stops as she sees me. Her eyes narrow and I wilt. Can no one tell that we’re the real ones?

The ground shakes again and I almost fall on my face. “But,” my voice shakes with every shudder, ”we’re the originals! They’re the clones!” I point a finger at Tide3000 and her accomplice.

“You expect us to believe that?” Tide3000 scoffs, though her eyes gleam with triumph.

I shoot a death glare at her, and then back to the side of the hallway, letting a very frightened Sparky through. “See?” I put my hands up in surrender. “Would an evil clone do that?”

“You just want us alive to take to Izila!” Tide3000 says.

“We need to go, Tide.” Coal says quietly.

I stay put. “No! I will not take you to Izila, because I’m not the clone!”

“Tide, they don’t believe you,” Coal continues.

“I was just in a room and he comes in and then I punched him-” I wave wildly at the Coal clone, taking a few steps forward, pulling the real Coal behind me.

“She admits it!” Tide3000 shouts, tilting her head innocently at my scowl.

“I only punched him because he’s a clone!" I reply, trying desperately to convince them. I’m closer to them now, and advancing angrily.

“Tide,” Coal becomes more insistent. “We need to go.”

I don’t pay attention to him. ”They are the ones you should be saving Sparky-” My sentence is cut off short as Coal yanks me down, under a blast of fire from the other Coal.

“Do you want to be toast?” Coal asks me, and then I follow him as we start running down the hall. We’re slowed by the handcuffs, because one of us has to cross our arm over to keep from getting tangled up.

I take a sharp left and pound down another passage, then swear and skid to a stop. It’s a dead end, only one open door to a small room. I try to double back, but Tide3000 has already cut off the only escape route. In anger, I stalk down to come face to face with her.

“I will take you down,” I hiss, but she just smiles sadistically.

“Hard to do when you’re on fire,” She says and ducks out of the way suddenly and I see the Coal clone behind her.

Again, I’m shoved down, and I feel a surge of heat. I cringe automatically, but nothing burns me. Coal is standing protectively in front of me, blocking the attack. I can only shield my eyes from the bright light helplessly. The heat gets stronger, and I cry out as I feel it start to sting my skin. Quickly, Coal steps back, allowing me to crawl away. But the clone keeps advancing, and I scramble away as fast as I can. Coal glances at me, and then lifts me up, pushing me down the hall and into the room.

He slams the door, the tongues of flame disappearing behind the heavy steel, and then stoops down next to me. “Are you alright?”

I nod, but flinch away from his touch. His hand is hot. I look up and see the hurt in his eyes, but I can still see the flames dancing before me.

“Fine,” I cough out hoarsely. “I’m fine. We should-”

There’s a click.

I stand, walking forward hesitantly because I know what happened, but don’t want it to be true. I touch the handle, still warm from the fire. I slowly push down on it, but it refuses to turn, locked. My fist clenches tightly.

I slammed my free hand on the door. “What are you doing?" I shout suddenly. “You’re going to die!" There’s no response. “We are not the clones! Why won’t you just listen to me?”

I pound on the door incessantly until it’s clear they left to follow the clones into a death trap. I sink down to the floor, energy gone. Coal settles down next to me, though it’s not like he has a choice.

“Sorry.” I mumble, staring at the floor.

“It’s okay.” He shrugs. “You should get some sleep.”

The sky is dark, the moonlight filtering from the window barely illuminating the room. “I can’t.” I mutter, even though I’m exhausted, shifting restlessly, eyes refusing to close. “They others are leaving with some clones, probably to a trap, and you and I are stuck-”

“Stop,” he chides slowly. “Deal with it in the morning.”

“No!” I say, sitting up. “I’m such a failure! I let the clones take the others! What am I going to do?”

Coal pulls me back. ”We are going to go to sleep, and we are going to figure it out in the morning.” He says with finality, and a touch of irritation.

And even though the clones have the others, I’m trapped in a room handcuffed to Coal; the ′we’ makes me feel better. I close my eyes wearily, and fall into a troubled sleep.