Countervail

Chapter 2

"Life is a velvet crowbar, hitting you over the head"

Meo blankly took in the hallway around her, trying to get her attention off her jumpy stomach. She had never seen a house quite like this before; she was in a long, plain, beige hallway (with various décor that each member placed about to suit their own tastes) with seven doors scattered between the two walls. There was a small window at the far end of the hallway where she stood, and from out the window, she could hear cheerful clatter coming from the backyard. If she descended the second staircase, she'd find that the second floor looked similar to the third, save what the floor's occupants had decorated it with.

The windowsill she stood at was crowded with small pots of various plants, some herbs and struggling violets amongst thickets of ivy, all fighting for the best position for gathering sunlight. It seemed a lot quieter there on the top floor, which was what Meo preferred anyways. She shoved her hands into her pockets, the chilly air unaffecting her, yet it was a habit from before she ever received the Ice emblem and Element. She glanced out over the backyard, noticing the cooling autumn air wasn't affecting her "family" either. Kiriaki, sitting cross-legged on the sidewalk, had her face buried in her Alchemy book while Ryu, her longtime rival, friend and more sat beside her, playing his Gameboy like usual.

The two had always been seemingly joined at the waist, doing just about everything together. They had what Dragonov called "Pseudo Elements", which meant while their Elements were just as powerful as the others, they were intangible and were of higher skill and on a higher plane than regular ones. Kiriaki also had what Drag told Meo was a part of the "tier" Elements: Alchemy, Balance and Spirit. Dragonov possessed Spirit and Kiriaki had the Element of Alchemy. Drag had told her it was an odd Element, for it wasn't an Element at all in context. Rather, it was made of all other Elements combined, and its power derived from their essences. That was why she had to constantly practice drawing Alchemy circles and why she had to practice with every Element in turn. They all had to practice regularly, which consisted of using their Elements and others', self-defense (which Meo didn't understand the need of) and basic understanding of Elements in general.

She sighed, watching as the black-haired boy below her cheered, causing Kiri to jump before resuming her reading. Ryu was one of the more peculiar members of the family, simply due to the single black, feathery wing protruding from his left shoulder. She had been told that it was some odd mutation that had occurred in his family decades ago, most likely due to some Elemental accident. He was bizarrely human, and incapable of flight. Meo had quickly learned however, that he was far more agile than the average Elemental when he had her pinned in one of their practices in less than six seconds. If she hadn't known the two, she could've seen him and Kiriaki as siblings- for they both had long, black hair reaching to their shoulder blades and deep green eyes. But they had no relation at all—none of the Elementals did, save the twins Kazuna and Jay. Ryu controlled Time.

Meo flicked her eyes over the rest of the yard, spotting Dakedei watching over the energetic Judas and Ogilhinn's- or Mitchell, as he liked to be called, hand-to-hand spar, it being more of a game for them than actual practice. They had what were called Intangible Elements, Light and Gravity, but weren't to be underestimated any less. She had quickly come to know these two as the jokesters of the family and learned just as quickly to avoid any sort of prank they may have set up. She had also learned how fast Mitchell despised his native name and would snap at anyone who used it. They were eclectic in every way, from their hair to music tastes, but were more similar to Meo than the other members save perhaps Jay—the punk Water Elemental—and Starfire, the Gas Elemental and the tech specialist. It had taken her forever to get used to everyone around her, there being eighteen other members under the same roof, and then some to learn all their names and Elements. She had, at first, doubted being able to withstand living with so many other people, but it had turned out that it wasn't as crowded as it seemed.