MADE

Naive

I wanted to laugh, and I almost did. My fingers covered my mouth as I watched Alaric's head roll back into the sofa again. "So that's why you're here?" I asked pulling my fingers back into my lap. "On some fools run to bring back some imaginary daughters of governess on a magical island I have never heard of?"

Alaric sat up straight. "No," he said sourly. "We are here to train a pompous twit of a daughter to a friend from a very real island that if you knew about we wouldn't be having this conversation."

Elijah signed and leaned back into his elbows covering his eyes with his hands.

"So, why isn't my sister here listening to you two sprout bullshit like you just ate it for lunch?" I asked, a fake sweetness in my voice.

Elijah pulled his fingers down his face, stretching his eyes into a funny expression. "Rayne is mortal. We don't know why or how it happens, but she wasn't born with any affinition to an element or a guard duty."

"Do you seriously expect me to believe all this?" I said flatly. I kept my voice even and dead-panned.

"I knew this wasn't going to go over well," Alaric grinned.

Elijah ignored him.

"Mari, please don't dismiss this just yet," Elijah stated.

I stared at them for a while.

"How do you know my parents?" I asked quickly, studying my fingernails like they were the most fascinating thing I had ever seen.

"Alaric is a guard for your father's sector which is fire, and I for your mother's - water."

"And you said you were here to train me or retrieve me or whatever. Correct?"

Alaric looked at me. "Can't have you walking into a war with nothing to watch your ass except for that smart mouth of yours." His grey eyes sparked with anger.

"Well, if my parents are immortal, that makes me immortal. So, I can't die," I stated smugly. At least that would explain why I didn't die when I was frozen to the fucking concrete in a pile of my own blood.

Alaric showed his teeth in a smile. "Oh yeah you can, princess. I could show ya."

Elijah shoved him to the side, hard. "Quit being an ass."

Alaric grumbled at him but shut up at least. "So, you can light candles," I said looking at Alaric's grumpy face with a big pile of sarcasm in my voice. "And you play an excellent game of water polo."

It was Elijah's turn to look annoyed. "No. Alaric and I are guards. We don't play with elements." He shook his head at me snottily.

"Whatever," I snapped, waving him away. "So, what am I then? Candle maker or fish extraordinaire?"

"We don't know," Elijah said, "you never declared one as a baby."

Suddenly all the anger left my body, replaced by exhaustion. "I need to take a minute," I said suddenly standing. I began to walk away from the couch and the piercing eyes when a hand gingerly touched my elbow.

Soft and calloused at the same time, and a flash went through my mind. A dark meadow, a set of those eyes watching me.

"Marielle, don't dismiss this just yet," Elijah said starring his green eyes right into mine.

I freed my arm and left the room going out the back door and heading to the side of the lake. The sun was just about to start dipping below the treetops, casting the lake in hues in orange and pink.

I tried to understand all they had said, but I couldn't place my body in that world - their world. I was a nobody who couldn't even defend herself from a measly fist, let alone a race of magic-wielding creatures. It just wasn't logical. They had the wrong girl.

I stood watching the water ripple for a long while. So long that the sky had darkened into a deep red of sunset and my stomach growled.

Turning on my heels, I was surprised when I saw Alaric walking my way, his black hair swaying across his forehead in the breeze casting his grey eyes into a metallic glimmer.

I turned my back to him, hoping he would take the hint and leave me. But I could hear his footsteps continue in my direction, and he was at my side in the next moment. His gaze was turned out onto the water as well.

"The water is calm tonight," he whispered as we watched the sunset.

"No shit," I mumbled.

He ignored my comment as he looked at me. "Mari, you can't honestly tell me you haven't ever felt a connection to the water," he said glaring. "Don't try to deny it." A smirk fell was his face as his eyes turned out to look over the water again.

"Don't you have something better to do?" I glared at him. I wasn't in the mood for this anymore.

"No," he said smiling. Sarcasm rolled off of him in waves. "Now, how about you answer my question." He turned to face me.

"How about you leave me alone, Alaric," I snapped walking away. This was too much to handle in one day.

"Mari, wait," he said grabbing ahold of my wrist. His fingers were cool, and a shiver darted to the back of my neck. "Just let me show you what you can do," he whispered. I turned to face him, and his expression startled me.

"Why do you want me to accept this so badly? Does Alaric actually care about something?" I spat. "Or is this just a cover for something else?"

His face turned into a scowl, and he dropped my wrist. He began to walk around me, and I followed his movements with my gaze. He was storming back to the house but paused mid-stride to yell back at me.

"We start tomorrow whether you like it or not," he spat at me and then turned to continue his walk. "And you better pray its Elijah who does the teaching."

I grumbled at him and turned back towards the water refusing to walk in the same direction he had went.

I knew something about him just wasn't right. Alaric wasn't all he put out to be. His shell was as thick as molasses and I'm guessing that whoever got under it, wouldn't be able to get out. He was sticky, and I don't like sticky.

I leaned my back against my tree and slid down on to the sand. Today was too much, and the thought made my eyes fluttered closed. All I wanted to do was sleep.

I couldn't get close to these two, friends or otherwise. It would only be a matter of time before my dark past crept up, and scared them away. I was damaged and I knew it. My trust level was about as big as an ant. If they couldn't see the yellowish bruises on my face for what they were, then they were naiver then I would have thought.

I wasn't some soldier to play in their war of make-believe. I was a sister and a coward, and that is all I cared to be.