The Four - Book 1

Chapter 1

Lana

I wake up groggily on spiky green grass. I lift my head and look around, realizing I'm in the middle of nowhere. I stand up, searching for anything that looks familiar. Am I close to home?

Wait, no. What happened?

The white room.

That's the first thing that comes clearly in my mind. I'm out of the white room.

Did they let me go?

I doubt it, but then why am I here, outside? Is someone still watching?

I decide to get up and start to walk. That's all I can do. I look around, searching for any sign of other people, but I see no one. I walk, not exactly having a plan. I do search for any sight of a camera, though. Maybe I am free. Maybe that strange man helped me escape?

Like hell he did.

Water. He said water before I went unconscious. Why? Surely there cant be someone else here with a different...

"Ouch!" I say, covering my forehead with my hand. I stare at the woods in front of me, but I raise my hand in front of me, and it rests on cool glass. I move it up and down, pressing against the invisible glass. What is this? I walk to my right, my hand still sliding across the glass. It's some sort of...dome or something.

Keeping me in.

Maybe I'm not alone.

I follow the perimeter, staying as quiet as I possibly can.

But then I spot the most muscular, good looking teenage boy I've ever seen in my life.

I hide behind tall grass, watching him trying to kick the glass, trying to break it...

He's stuck in here too.

I stand back up, playfully squirting water in his direction. "Hey!"

And I almost scream when I see sparks of fire fly at me. I hit the ground. My minds a blur, smoke all around me.

What the hell?

"Who are you?" I hear the boy ask, his voice low and mesmerizing, but I can't stay here. I need to run, as far away from him as possible.

Because he's fire. And I'm water.

We're different elements.

I stand up, sprinting the opposite direction. I hear him holler at me, but I keep running. I run for my life. Questions race in my mind, but all I know is that I can't be with a different element, it just doesn't work. I run through the woods, skimming the dome. I don't hear anyone behind me, so I assumed he left. I slow down to a stop, catching my breath.

But then I'm shoved, my back slams into the dome so hard my back cracks. I cry out, my eyes blurry for a second. But when I can see, the boy stands in front of me, his hands gripping my wrists against the dome. I stare at his face, which is actually handsome. Thick dark brown hair covers his scalp. He's tan, his face a perfect shape. His jaw is clenched, and I bet I would cut my finger if I touched it.

But it's those eyes.

A mixture of orange and red, which is the color everyone has if they come from the fire element. Mine are dark blue, and I can tell he's looking at them right now. We take a minute to observe each until, until he finally speaks.

"Who are you?" He hisses, squeezing my wrists so hard it hurts.

"Lana." I spit out. I see his arm muscles stick out, a vein bulging from his neck. "Will you let me go, fire boy?"

I cry out when I feel the burn on my wrists. I see smoke coming out of the boy, and I realize he could burn me to ashes at any moment. "Where did you come from?" He growls, his eyes turning into more of a red. Maybe that means he angry? I'd say yes.

Where did I come from? Where the water element people live. That's true, but I don't think he's asking that. So I tell him, not really knowing if I should or not.

"A white room."

His hands immediately pry off my wrists, and I see red marks on them. I look up at the boy, who's taller than me. And I thought I was tall. I am, but he's got me by a good inch.

"A white room?" He asks, and I stare up and nod.

"It was white, real fucking white. I don't even know what happened. I was taken away and sent there and now I'm here," I explain. The boy turns around, searching the area.

"Who are you?" I ask.

"We should split up now." Is all he says.

"What? No, we can't do that."

"We are different elements. We shouldn't be together," he spits out flatly. I grown in irritation, but I know he's right. I watch as he walks the other way.

"Wait!" I shout, desperate for him to stay. He stops, turning his head to me.

"You never told me who you are," I say.

"Paytah." He says.

I smile and walk up to him. "Payton?"

"Paytah." He spits out, angry.

"You sure you got your own name right?" I joke, but I see Paytah lift up his hand, fire surrounding it. I take a step back, surrendering but also in awe at his power. I've never seen a real fire element before. He keeps walking, but I keep following.

"Did you come from the white room?"

"Yes."

"Do you know why they took us?"

"No."

"Well, you get straight to the point," I say. Again, I see his hand full of fire, smoke coming out from it. He looks at me with piercing red eyes. "Get the fuck out of here." He mumbles.

"Well, I wanted to go this way too. Maybe you should get the fuck out of here?" I say, maybe a little too confident. But then I raise my own hand in defense, water dripping from it. Paytah stares, but doesn't move, doesn't say anything. Maybe he's intrigued with my power too. But I'm angry for some reason, so angry I let out a splash of water at him. He avoids most of it, but I'm already running away, back to the open. But I hear him following this time. I stop, turning around and seeing a huge fire ball coming at my face. I scream and duck, just missing it.

Holy shit.

I look back up and see him standing there, ready for me to make a move.

Fire and water. I think. Total opposites. And now, we're fighting.

••••••

Hello!! So this is finally chapter one after those character chapters.

So, what do you think so far? Sorry it really didn't get anywhere this chapter. Now all the characters need to meet!

But how do you like Lana and Paytah so far? Who do you think will win the fight? Please comment and vote!!

Shoutout to animalsjam1 for the aesthetic!

Thank you 💜😊