The Elementals

~*~ Chapter Sixteen ~*~

~*~ Chapter Sixteen ~*~

     Instead of having the Subbies stay in the tree outside my window like Cooper, Cooper made them a house of metal in the woods. I covered it in leaves to make it look like brush.

     "Thanks." Aiden had told me. It's strange, being thanked by someone you were supposed to hate.

     "Life goes on." I told him, and went home.

     Now, Cooper, Gale, Aqua, Amber and I were in my room. We were thinking about what we would do if our idea didn't work.

     "Well," Amber said, "our best bet so far is to leave."

     "They can track us." Gale said.

     "Not unless we get Crystal to make it snow over our tracks, or I can rain them out." Aqua said.

     "That's an idea," I said, writing it in my notebook, "or we could somehow get to an airport and a plane."

     "The nearest airport to here is 50 miles." Cooper said.

     "I think our best bet is Aqua's idea." I said.

     "Then we'll think of that as our escape route." Cooper said.

     The next day was Monday, which meant we had to go to school and act like we weren't planning a revolt. In Chemistry, there was an incident. Our Chemistry teacher, Ms. McKay, asked Amber and her human lab partner, Dean, to conduct an experiment using a Bunsen burner. See, there wouldn't have been a problem if Amber wasn't a Fire Elemental. Being one, if her hand or any other part of her body is caught in a fire, she too will catch on fire. Aqua describes it as if Amber's skin was coated with gasoline.

     "Miss La Feu, why aren't you working?" Ms. McKay asked, giving a tight smile.

     "I'm not really comfortable with fire." Amber said. That could win the biggest overstatement of the year award. If Amber weren't comfortable with fire, she'd be dead!

     "Well then you can wash off the tools that Dean has used in the sink."  Ms. McKay said, picking up a pile of dirty tools and pointing towards a sink in the back of the room,

     "Ms. McKay, I can't." Amber said. 

     "And why can't you?" she asked, obviously irritated

     "I'm not good with water, either."

     "Give me a break, La Feu!" Ms. McKay yelled. She must not know Amber's first name, "You can either play with the fiire or the water. Your choice."

     "Do you wanna know why I can't 'play with fire', you old bat?" Amber yelled back.

     Before I could stop her, Amber swept her hand through the flame of the Bunsen burner and her entire arm ignited.

     Before I had even finished comprehending what had happened, Ms. McKay was on the phone saying, "Hello? 911? Yes, we have an emergency at Paramount High School. A student has caught on fire and can't go out!" 

     I heard Amber screaming as three students put her arm under the running faucet.

     "What the hell?" Dean asked. As I approached the sink, Amber's arm was completely underwater and it was still burning.

     "Amber, I'm gonna kill you." I whispered in her ear.

     Instead of a sarcastic reply like she would give me any other time, she just nodded.

     I picked her up on my sholders, and we headed out of the classroom hearing most of the students yelling, "Freaks!"

     Are you ok? I asked Amber when we were finally in the woods.

     I'm cold, she replied through our thoughts.

     The fact that Amber was cold meant trouble. Well, at least your name makes scense now, I thought, trying to lighten the mood. Instead of the eternal flames that made up Amber's wolf body, she was made of a black coal-looking substance with only a handfull of tiny flames and sparkling ambers left.

     I don't know how to warm up, she thought, and I can't go ask my parents because they'll know something happened.

     Why did you do it, Amber? I asked.

     Because I was tired of hiding, she said honestly.

     We sat for a long time with our heads on our paws, thinking thoughts not meant to be shared. I didn't know I had fallen asleep until I had woken up to the sounds of three wolves howling.

     Amber, I thought, nudging her with my snout.

    Yeah? I guess she was pretending to sleep.

     Are those the Subbies? she asked.

     That's what I was gonna ask you, I said.

     Hello? a familiar voice whispered through our minds.

     Aiden, who are you talking to? Luna's voice joined in.

     Luna, you know he likes to talk to himself, Crystal told her. Truthfully it wasn't a lie. Aiden did talk to himself more than anyone I've met.

     Shh! Listen... Aiden said.

     I think our Subbie friends are out there, Lil, Amber said.

     Hey guys, I thought.

     See? I told you two I heard someone! Aiden said as a hello.

     Hey, Crystal and Luna said.

      I guess you're not as crazy as we originally thought, Aiden, Amber thought, flames being reborn just a tiny bit.

     Jeez, what happened to you? Aiden asked as the approached us.

     We had to work with Bunsen burners today in Chemistry, I thought.

    Yeah, I kinda got caught on fire and when the other students saw me they completely drenched my arm in water, Amber thought.

     At least you didn't shift, Crystal thought.

     I almost wanna say that would have been better, Amber thought, Because now I'm really weak from all of the water.

     Hold on, I said. I could hear my phone ringing in my backpack which I had sat on the forest floor.

     "Hello?" I asked.

     "Lily?" Gale's voice whispered from the other line, "What happened?"

     "Amber caught on fire in Chemistry via Bunsen burner," I said, "What's wrong? Why are you whispering?"

     I heard shuffling on the other line.

     "Gale?" I asked.

     "The entire school is under lockdown. No one is aloud in or out and the SWAT team is here," Gale said. I was in shock, "Lily, the police want to interrogate Aqua and me."

     The phone cut off.