The Elementals

“Is that-” I don’t finish, instead start sprinting to the water, Terra and Coal on my heels.

About twenty feet out is the floating form of a body. I can’t discern who it is, but I’m already diving into the waves, ignoring the calls of warning from Stella and Audrey.

Dread twists my insides as I approach the form. They look very much on the deceased side. And then my stomach drops.

It’s Caelum.

I reach out and grab his arm automatically, and then cry out as a pain courses through my body like lightning.

“Tide?”

I look back to see Coal and Terra already waist deep, following me worriedly.

“I’m fine.” I choke out, the pain fading, and start to drag Caelum back to shore.

”Caelum!” Terra gasps. “Is he-?”

I don’t reply; just pull his immobile form up onto the sand.

“Stella!” I call but she’s already kneeling there next to me, feeling for a pulse. I watch her intently, heart pumping, insides rolling.

Stella pauses before looking me in the eye grimly.

“No.” I shake my head.

“Tide-”

“No!” I cry. “He can’t be dead! There’s got to be something we can do!”

There’s no answer, and Stella reaches for my arm but I yank myself away.

“I’ll pull the water out of his chest!” I say, concentrating and watching as the water comes out Caelum’s mouth. He still doesn’t move, take a breath, anything.

“There’s got to be a way!” I plead with Stella.

“There is nothing-”

“Sparky could try.”

I look up and see Coal, jaw set, arms crossed, but he’s remaining calm. He meets my eyes levelly. “Sparky is electric, so we could try and make a defibrillator.”

“Sparky!” I jump at the suggestion. I see his blonde head peek from behind Audrey. “Sparky, come here.” I beckon and he walks hesitantly forward. I take both his hands, trying to seem in control. “I’m gonna need you to take your hands, and make them electric, and then zap Caelum here for me, okay?”

“Zap him?” Sparky repeats, eyes wide and scared.

“Yes. Yes, Sparky.” I try to smile. “Please? You won’t hurt him, we’re trying to save him.”

Sparky nods uncertainly, and I guide his hands to Caelum’s chest.

“Ready?” I ask, and Sparky nods again. I let go and then shocks ripple from Sparky’s small fingers to Caelum’s torso. I forgot he was wet, and the shocks travel over his entire body, making it tremble with energy.

I jump as Caelum jerks, yelping, and then starts to cough. Sparky backs up into me and his fingers find mine nervously.

“It’s okay,” I soothe him. “You did a great job. Look, you saved his life!”

Caelum has flipped onto his hands and knees, gulping in breaths. “Where am I?” He gasps out, and then looks at me. He squints in confusion. “Princess?”

I can tell this is making everyone tense. “You’re alive. Congratulations.” I reply coldly. “Are Izila and Shylock too?”

His gaze returns to the ground. “God I hope not.”

I narrow my eyes. “How’d you survive?”

“Well I was smart enough to jump off the boat myself before I got blown off. Then I floated here and abracadabra,” he replies dryly. “I’m alive.”

“Caroline?” I ask.

“He’s telling the truth.” She says.

I still regard him with apprehension, standing and attempting to flick the water off my clothes. Instead, it feels like a herd of elephants has decided to stomp on my shoulders. My eyes widen with the sudden weight and I sway forward.

Caelum, who’s stood up by now as well, reaches towards me, concerned. I look past his hand to the ground and see the grains of sand rising as I straighten. Mind suddenly spinning, I stumble back from Caelum’s touch.

“U-um…” I try to appear calm. “You.” I growl at Caelum. “Don’t do anything evil. And you,” I look at everyone else. “Make sure he doesn’t do anything evil. I need to – check something.”

I walk away and break into a jog that grows into a panicked sprint for the orphanage as I see the sand lifting next to my feet.

As I reach the porch and race up the stairs, I nearly knock Jensen over as he comes out the door.

“Whoa!” he steps back in surprise. “Where’s the fi – Tide?”

I dash past him, desperate to get somewhere no one can see me. I’ve already hid on the roof before, so this time I go under, pushing out the front door and crawling under the house. It’s cramped and dark, the only light coming through the crisscross fencing covering the raised foundation.

My breaths are shallow, heart stuttering against my chest. What is happening?

The rocks and dirt around me start to lift from the ground, floating as shadows in front of my eyelids. I start to hyperventilate, and shove my face into my knees. What’s happening, what’s happening, what’s happening to me?

“Hey.”

I look up sharply to see Jensen’s shadowed face watching me from a couple feet away. He came in the same way I did, through the hole under the front porch.

“You’re taking all my hiding spots.” Jensen teases me gently.

I try to even my breathing but it doesn’t work and immediately Jensen crawls forward and pulls my hands out so we look like we’re in a séance.

“Hey, whoa, slow down.” He says. “In…out…like that weird yoga Pilates stuff.”

I swallow, nodding, and Jensen smiles. He waits patiently as I calm down enough to meet his eyes.

“Good. Now, I have to ask,” he starts, and I cringe. “Who’s the new kid that Coal won’t stop glaring at?”

Not expecting that to be the question, I laugh. “That’s Caelum.”

“I’m guessing you two have history?”

“How’d you know?” I reply dryly.

He shrugs. “Coal doesn’t look like he’s going to murder just anyone…Actually, he does.” Jensen corrects himself and I snicker. “But I had a hunch. Anyway, if this Caelum is the reason you’ve decided to become a gopher and burrow under the house, then I’m afraid I won’t be much help.”

I pause, considering, and then shrug. “The problem is related to Caelum, but not like that.”

“Well then,” Jensen settles down in front of me. “I might actually be of use. What’s up?”

“This.” I lift my hand and with much more violence than I anticipated the rocks and dirt around me fly up and slam into the house above. I wince and the rocks shake with my movement.

I glance back at Jensen to see his eyes wide. “Ooookay.” He says, striving to sound casual. “Yep, that’s a bit of a problem.”

I nod again, and the rocks drop to the ground like lead. I jump and then the panic starts to come back. Jensen’s eyes widen even farther and he takes my hands again as I begin to hyperventilate.

“Okay, Tide, hey! Hey…chill…it’s cool.” He says soothingly. “Yoga, remember?”

“Yoga.” I repeat weakly and he smiles.

“Now I’m not an Ele-magic-thing,” Jensen says. “So it might help if you explain to me what an Ele-magic-thing is exactly.”

I nod, calming down enough to tell him about our less than normal origins. When I’m done, Jensen narrows his eyes, thinking.

“So,” he starts. “Technically…you’re Russian.”

“Jensen!” I roll my eyes but his idiocy has successfully cheered me up.

He raises his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay. Now, what’s up with this Caelum guy?”

“The currents pulled him to shore from the aircraft carrier and Sparky had to electrocute him back to life.”

“So you’re Russian, and he’s Frankenstein’s –”

I punch him before he can finish.

“Alright, alright.” Jensen rubs his arm, pouting even though I didn’t hit him that hard. “You are quite violent.”

“That seems like more of a problem for you than for me.”

“You know, I thought Mushu liked you ’cause you were nice and peaceful, but nooooo, you’re just as hostile as him.”

“Jensen, can we get back to the point?”

He grins. “Sure. Where was I-? My theory! That’s right.” He lifts a finger importantly, pointing to me. “You pulled Caelum out of the water, correct?”

“Yeah.”

“And he was, at the time, deceased, correct?”

“Just spit it out Jensen.”

He glares at me. “Well, I think, since he was in fact deceased at the time of your lifeguard rescue, that this – er – virus thing flipped out and transferred to the nearest host body –”

“Which was me.” I breathe out, the pieces fitting into place.

“You just have to take everything from me, don’t you?” Jensen mutters indignantly.

I stare at my hands. “But that means I have my powers, and Caelum’s.”

“We established that.” Jensen says dryly. “Now can we please come out from under the house? Personally, I do not enjoy being in cramped dark places for excessive amounts of time.”

I sigh, using all my self-control not to punch him again as we crawl out from under the house. I stand, brushing the dirt off, and then look up to see Coal peering at me.

“Are you okay?” he asks.

“Aren’t you wondering why I was under the house?”

“Yes, but I’m not sure I want to know. Now, are you okay?”

I go to answer but Jensen gets there first.

“Your girlfriend has inadvertently absorbed Caelum’s magic virus powers.” He says casually, brushing the dirt on his hands off on his jeans.

“She...what?”

“Well,” Jensen starts dramatically, walking in circles around us. “Caelum, at the time, was dead when Tide hauled him out of the Pacific. Therefore,” he stops pacing for effect. “The virus moved from his dead body to Tide’s nice living one. So, she is now…bi-elemental.”

“You came up with that yourself?” I ask, mocking.

He sticks his tongue out at me. I return the favor with an added horrifying face and Coal sighs. “And you call me immature.” He mutters. “So you can do it? Control gravity?”

Jensen snorts. “Control wouldn’t exactly be the first word that comes to mind…”

“I’d like to see you control two elements.” I challenge.

He grins. “I would gladly abuse my power and take over the world.”

“Cretin.”

“You’re calling me a cretin but you decided to date him.” Jensen points to Coal, shrugging with a wicked grin.

“You two are giving me a headache.” Coal mutters.

“You’re welcome.” Both Jensen and I chorus, then – pretend animosity forgotten – high five.

Coal glares at us flatly. I smile widely back, thoroughly enjoying irritating him. Suddenly, both Coal and Jensen start lifting from the ground. My smile drops abruptly and my eyes widen as the two float higher.

“Why am I suddenly not attached to Earth anymore?” Jensen asks anxiously, pedaling his feet as if that will help.

“I – I didn’t do anything!” I hold my hands out but they go higher. Jensen latches onto a tree branch, while Coal tries to help me.

“Flippers, just relax –”

“I am relaxed!” I snap, and then grimace. “Sorry.

Coal nods as he starts to flip upside down. “It’s okay, it’s okay.”

“It’s really not.” Jensen interrupts. He’s wrapped his arms around the tree branch, desperately clinging to it as the rest of him floats up. “I’d prefer not to drift out of the atmosphere if that’s alright with you.”

“You’re not helping.” Coal says, and then focuses back on me. “Just think about heavy things.”

I concentrate, thinking about bricks and lead and metal and –

“Not working!” Jensen yelps, losing hold on the bark.

“Sorry!” I shout and then Jensen lets out another yell as he falls, snapping the branch. Both Coal and he drop to the ground in heaps.

While Jensen whines and Coal tries to see straight for the second time this morning, I hear footsteps approaching and turn to see Caroline, followed by everyone else, including a very confused Caelum.

She doesn’t waste a second, and immediately demands, “Does that mean the last one of us to survive will have all the elements?”

“Can you ask that again and not make it sound like you’re plotting to kill everyone?” I reply.

Caroline sighs deeply, and in that time Owen steps in and asks colorfully what’s going on. I skip through the under the house ordeal, and give them the basics.

“But I’m alive now.” Caelum says, and then shrinks back a bit from the ferocious glares he gets. “I mean, shouldn’t the virus switch back?”

Oh’Rian shakes her head. “It’s settled into Tide. Well, enough, anyway.” She corrects as the rocks around my feet start floating.

“Well, I want it out.” I say.

Oh’Rian grimaces. “That’s probably impossible.”

I’m about to demand why but she’s way ahead of me.

“We don’t have the equipment, or the knowledge. You could die if we tried using doctor’s supplies. You’ll just have to learn to control both of the elements.”

I scoff. “We could try taking it out–”

“No.” is the resounding answer.

By now Jensen and Coal have stood, covered in dirt and twigs from their fall, and both of them shake their heads at me too. Assuming the decision is final, Oh’Rian nods and the others begin to disperse. I’m too busy staring at Coal, something occurring to me.

My powers were stronger this morning when I used them. As if I gained another dosage of the virus. As if my clone died, and I got her powers. Coal tilts his head in question at me, noticing my gaze.

“Have…have your powers felt…different? Stronger?” I ask him, thoughts churning.

“No,” he says, shrugging. “Why?”

I don’t answer, feeling suddenly sick. Because if Coal’s clone survived…

Who else did?