A War of Gems

CHAPTER TWO

For the next couple of days, I found myself returning to a stream that rested on the outskirts of our village. It was filled with only a foot or less of water. I sat criss cross, parallel to the stillness, as I imagined the chaos that ensued in my bedroom the other night.

My taleni was controlling water.

Could that be right? I've been around tons of water my entire life. I've never manipulated it. I've never connected with it. And sitting here next to the stream, I still didn't feel it.

I placed the pads of my fingertips on the top of the crystal surface. Slowly, I drew circles in the water, attempting to make sense of the mystery in front of me. I watched as some tadpoles darted away from my movements. I let out a sigh.

"So this is where you've been." Thomas spoke in an accusatory tone, forcing me to rip my fingers out of the stream. "You know, I thought you would be happy that you finally identified your taleni." He continued, crossing his arms and squinting his eyes at me.

"It just doesn't make sense." I replied, standing up from the stream. I turned my back to water, hoping not to reveal my disappointment.

"It's only been 3 days, Gemma." He squinted past me, fixated on the stirring blue that painted the soil. "I've known I could fly since birth, yet I still haven't figured out how to get off the ground." His tone dropped with discontent. He flexed his unsteady wings, wiggling his back, trying to make the situation a little less uncomfortable.

"I guess you're right." I agreed, in order to make Thomas feel more justified in his own shortcomings. He nodded at me slightly, an acknowledgement of our changing potential.

"I have an idea." Thomas spoke proudly, flashing his handsome smile as he took a step closer to me. Before I could react, I felt Thomas' two strong hands grasping my shoulders. In one swift movement, he used his momentum to thrust my entire body down into the stream behind me. When my body connected with the water, I instinctively pointed my palms at Thomas, who was chuckling like a little school boy. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to yield a connection to the earth. I wanted so badly to recreate the events that took place in my bedroom. Feeling half angry, and half ridiculous, I smiled, and dropped my hands back into the water.

"What the hell was that for?" I spoke childishly as I grabbed a fistfull of my hair and squeezed out the flood.

"You didn't feel anything?" Thomas asked, holding back his continuous laughter.

"Just some stones piercing my behind." I laughed as I splashed some of the stream water at my brother's feet. He reached out his hand, gesturing for me to grab on.

"It was worth a shot." He spoke, finally calming down from his foolish prank. He pulled me out of the water, my boots squeaking like a duck as I fought to stand upright. My clothes now soaked in blue, seemingly weighed me down.

"That wasn't my actual idea though-" My brother began as he wiped his wet hand on his thigh. "Gem, we truly don't know anything about our abilities. If we're going to pursue training, then we need help."

I snorted as I began walking towards a spot of sunshine a couple feet away. "Who's going to help us? Certainly not our parents. Our mother can't bear her own inadequacy. And father won't rebel against mother." I stripped the top layer of my clothing off, dropping my saturated jacket into the warm grass below me. I closed my eyes, resting my hands on my hips, and embraced the sun on my skin. It was a welcomed distraction from the disagreeable reality that our own mother couldn't stand her children anymore. Jealousy was reserved for petty girls who desired your dress; not for a mother who loathes the strength of her progeny. That was exactly why three days ago, I decided not to tell my parents about my water-bending discovery.