The Elementals

The File Room

"Oh my god." I stare at the kitchen. "What the heck happened in here? A nuclear war?"

The whole room is wrecked. All the drawers are open, the contents scattered in various places on the floor. Most everything has scorch marks, pieces of broken glass and pottery are everywhere, and the entire fridge is lying face down on the floor.

"Did you kill him or something?" I poke Coal in the chest, pushing him back a step.

"I wish I did." Coal mutters in response, the scene bringing back bad memories.

"Well, the stove is destroyed so it looks like you're cooking breakfast." I grab his hand and start down the stairs to the pantry.

Audrey wasn't kidding when she said a decade's worth of food. The entire fourth level is mainly taken up by a huge warehouse type room dedicated to food. Cans, boxes, giant fridges filled with milk and eggs.

I walk over to a shelf with pancake mix on it. It's as if Izila literally lifted a grocery store and dropped it here. Pulling down the package, I turn and come face to face with Coal. I back up, startled. His hands are on either side of my shoulders, boxing me in.

"Can I...help...you?" I ask, voice faltering at the end.

His eyes search mine, cataloging every single detail. He's not smiling - not even a smirk - but not frowning either. His expression is thoughtful, scouring my face for something.

My heart is pounding, hard thumps against my ribcage. I have to look up to meet his eyes; otherwise I'm just staring at his chest. I feel so small like this, compared to him. I never feel small. I intake a sharp breath as he leans closer, still silent.

"Coal?" I grimace as my voice squeaks in nervousness. "What do you want?"

He holds my gaze for a few more seconds and then pushes away, shaking his head. "Nothing, I'm good."

I catch the breath I didn't realize I was holding, and then chase after him. "Hey! That's not fair! You can't just...just do that!" I shake the pancake box for emphasis.

"Do what?" Coal asks, never breaking his stride. I have to jog to keep up with him.

"You know!" I struggle to put it into words. "You can't almost..." I wave my hand, not willing to say it. "And then not! It isn't fair. Stop it."

"I can't stop it unless you tell me what I'm doing." Coal points out calmly, enjoying this thoroughly.

I clench my fists, stalking all the way up to the kitchen in silence. I only like this game we're playing with each other if I'm winning.

Upon reaching the demolished kitchen, I recover a dented bowl, a half broken spoon, and a pan with numerous scratches running along it. I tear open the pancake box and dump the entire thing into the bowl, not caring if I spill some. Next are the eggs, which I crack harder than is absolutely necessary, then I splash the milk into the mix chaotically. I take the spoon and stir the batter angrily, going faster as Coal just smiles.

I take a spoonful of batter, yank the pan over and flick it off onto the black surface with a loud smack. I shove the pan at Coal expectantly, refusing to ask for a favor.

"Well someone's ticked off." Coal remarks idly.

I grip the spoon handle till the wood creaks ominously. Turning to him slowly, I see the smirk and give a low growl.

"There are over a million words in the English language." I say softly, voice strung with tension. I stalk over to him, getting as close as I possibly can so I can glare straight up at him. I hate myself, but the gold flecks in his eyes start to distract me. I have to focus to remember what I was saying. I keep going, though my voice cuts out for a second. "Over a million words and none of them describe how much I want to kiss you -"