The Elementals

~*~ Chapter Ten ~*~

~*~ Chapter Ten ~*~

     It was Gale's idea to bring food to Cooper after school the next day. Strangely, he had asked us to bring his homework.

     "Why would you want that?" Aqua had asked him, "You don't really seem like the 'perfect school boy' type."

     "I just don't want to fall behind. IIf I do, It'll be my second time repeating sophomore year."

     "Wait, how old are you?" Amber asked Cooper.

     "Eighteen." Cooper had told her, "I think."

     "You think? How could you not know how old you are?" Gale said, stunned.

     "When's your birthday, Cooper?" I asked him.

     "October fifth." Cooper had said.

     "What year?" I had asked persisting.

     "See, that's the problem," Cooper had said, refusing to make eye contact, "before my mom died last year, she used to move my sister and me around a lot. Like a new school every three weeks a lot."

     "How'd your mom die?" Amber wasn't very sensitive about anything.

     "She got breast cancer," Cooper had told her, "after her diagnosis, she didn't last a month." It was extremely rare for a banished Elemental to not only have two Subbie children, but for that banished Elemental to die of unnaturral causes.

     "I'm sorry." Gale had said.

     "Yeah, me too." Cooper said, looking up at Gale at last.

     Now I was home, preparing for school. I slipped the piece of receipt paper Cooper had given me with his locker number on it into my pocket. Since my first day in human school, I hadn't had anymore incidences quite like the one with Cooper that day in the bathroom.

     On the way to school, I told my friends that I would be bringing Cooper his supplies by myself.

     "The duffle I packed is pretty heavy, Lily, I'm not sure if you can even lift it." Gale protested. Ever since we were pups Gale had been protective of me. He knew he couldn't be my mate, but I still appreciated the gesture. The mating protocaol for Elementals was complicated. Either a male or a female has to venture out to a different pack and pick someone else who is searching for a mate. Also, if two different types of Elemental from the same pack have kids (for example, an Air and Earth Elemental), the parents will be immediately banished and the child killed by the pack matriarchs. A "disgrace to the Elemental species" they called it when they taught us the Elemental Moral Law in school.

     "I'll be fine, just help me get the thing on my sholder." I told Gale.

     "Okay, meet me in my garage tonight and I'll help you." he said.

          At the end of the day, I headed for Cooper's locker. I turned the dial until I heard the click of it unlocking and opened it. To my surprise, there were only two books in Cooper's locker. Beginner's Geometry and Elemental Moral Law. A Subbie or banished Elemental having a copy of our ancient law was unspeakable. I opened the book to see that the entire thing was hand written in calligraphy.

     I slammed the book shut as the girl, Claudia, I had talked to the day before about the picture she had taken of Cooper walked up behind me and said, "So where's my gift card to Dairy Queen?" 

     Crap. I had forgotten about that. "Sorry, I forgot."

     "Not an excuse." she said, tapping her fingernails against the lockers dramatically.

     "I did tell you I'd bring it either today or Wednesday." I said, getting irritated.

     "Ever heard of charging interest?" Claudia said.

     "Whatever, since you're such a - Such a -" I started.

     "Say it!" Claudia spat.

     "Since you're such a bitch I'm not paying you anything!"

     Instead of waiting for her to reply and ruin my already nonexistant social life, I stomped on her foot and left her shrieking in background.