Fire & Water & Earth & Air

14: Earth

Annabel

          I walk away from Robert and the stranger from last period, happy I've got a friend in the world. Especially when the times ask for it, like when you're being investigated for a murder you had nothing to do with.

           After a while, I feel like I'm being watched. I try to shake it off as paranoia, but the feeling keeps getting stronger. When I make it onto a main street, the feeling still hasn't left me. I quicken my pace and try to console myself in the fact that there are cars and people all around me. If something were to happen, there would be witnesses.

           I keep repeating this mantra: there's witnesses, don't worry, there's witnesses, don't worry, there's witnesses....

           But then everyone, every single person and every single car, scatter. It's like a switch is thrown and the darkness dissipates. There weren't many people to begin with, maybe six. And cars were even fewer, maybe one was parked and two were driving slowly by.

           Still, it was a sight to see, especially with the murder this morning and my uneasiness. When everyone runs -literally runs- away from my general area, I stop in my tracks, heart pounding.

           I look around, trying to find what caused the sudden panic, when I hear a low chuckle behind me. I'm about to turn around but two arms grab me, one over my mouth and the other slides over my waist and arms. "I'm just here for your money, darling."

           I pull my head a bit higher and bite down on his hand. At the same time, I stomp on his foot and manage to elbow him somewhere around his ribs. I step away from him and swing with all my might at his side, but end up punching his shoulder. Pain bursts through my arm and there's a horrible pulsing where my thumb connects with my hand. The mugger takes a step back then says, with pity in his voice, "Oh, you shouldn't have done that." And then he laughs.

           Next thing I know, there's a blinding white light coming my way, headed for my heart.

           It's just a split second that I feel the jolt, but after that, it's nothing. I feel the wood covering my torso, and I see the shocked face of the mugger, but I'm still too petrified to say or do anything.

           The mugger takes a step back, looking at the wood, then looks back at me. "You little-!" Then every light bulb around us pops. Glass comes down like rain, cutting my arm in several places. I hiss as I hold the torn flesh to my wooden chest. When I look back up, my eyes are stabbed by the bright light.

           With a loud yell, the mugger sends the ball of electricity towards me. I cover my entire body with a wooden shield without giving it any thought, like breathing.

           "What the hell?" The mugger sounds confused. I take this opportunity to smash him in the face with the shield. My senses are met with a satisfying crack!, cursing, and blood. I turn fast and run until my lungs threaten to pop if I don't give them a break.

          When I finally slow down to a fast-paced walk, I'm two houses away from my own.

           My entire body is still tingly from the electricity that almost killed me moment earlier. I try to shake it off as I flail my limbs, but no cigar. It's an unwanted rush in my blood. Unwanted, unwelcome, unneeded. My fingertips begin to get tingly and I try to take deep breaths.

           "It's over," I mumble. I reach home and go inside, glad that I found the door open.

           With the adrenaline gone, the pain in my thumb joint has returened, along with swelling and redness. "Ouch," I breathe out. The house is quiet and I can already imagine that everyone was happy with the fact that I was gone.

           I find my way to the kitchen and grab some ice then wrap it in my leaves. I hold it to my thumb with nothing more than a wince. I walk to my room and lay on my bed, face up, staring at the bumps in the ceiling until I see faces and landscapes and stories. The ice is numbing and comforting, almost like fixing the woods during winter.

           The woods! Robert! I need to tell him about the assailant. Robert will know what to do.

           I throw the ice on the floor and scramble to get up. Unfortunately, my legs get tied together and I fall on the floor with a loud, horrible noise. "Erica! Erica, is that you? What's with the raucous?" I don't answer my mother's questions. I just make my way to the front door, grab the doorknob, and tur-

           "Anne?" I hear right behind me. So close. "Yes?" I turn to face my parents. They have red eyes and tears streaked faces.

           "Where is your sister?" Mother looks like she's about to lose it. I just shrug, because I had no idea Erica was even missing. When they see I have no answer for them, my parents react dramatically. My mother falls on her knees and screams, "Nooo!" to the heavens, probably swallowing a gallon of tears in the process. My father looks at me with dissapointment, like I should keep tabs on my older sister's whereabouts.

           He crouches down next to my wailing mother and hugs her. Then he looks back up at me. "Go. Haven't you done enough here? Just go to wherever you dissapear every evening. And don't come back until you have your sister with you. You have shamed me."

           Wow.

           I bite the inside of my cheek and breathe. Eighty-five, eighty-six, eighty-seven.... I do the math in my head and come to a single conclusion as I open the door and exit my house.

           The mugger didn't have enough time to get me and Erica, which means my sister is safe. From that specific mugger, I mean. And this just means I'm going on an adventure. On a find-the-lost-sister type adventure.

            Oh, boy.

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