Around The Clock

CHAPTER 4

"Oh," Ryder said stupidly as he stood in front of a massive food war going on in the corner of the dining hall.

"Yeah," she elbowed him in the side. "Come on." He followed her over and right in the middle of the war was a boy in the blood red coloured fire elemental robes, wrestling with someone wearing a black leather jacket.

Naomi stood silently until the elemental noticed her – and he only did so one he had grabbed a fistful of the other boy's hair and was getting ready to whack him with a chicken drumstick.

She raised an eyebrow and the other boy finally turned his head, sheepishly grinning up at her even though his hair was still in the elemental's grasp. "Hey! Naomi! Uh... how have you been?"

"Fine," she growled heatedly. She jerked her head to the side roughly and the fire elemental clambered off him, returning to his meal like nothing had ever happened.

"So, what brings you here? To see me, I mean? I bet you're not here to see Caleb – downright asshole, he –" a chicken drumstick hit him in the side of the face. He roared and launched himself at the snickering fire elemental, but the table suddenly changed shape – coiling out towards him and grabbing him around the waist and lowering him to the ground – screaming and kicking – so he never even touched the boy.

Ryder gave Naomi and awed look and she quickly averted her eyes and he was surprised to see she went a little pink.

"I'll fucking get you one day," he yelled at the boy, pointing menacingly.

"Sure," he snickered back and the boy waved a fist at him angrily.

"Children, children," Naomi sighed and the boy gave her a look so offended that Ryder otherwise would have guessed she's insulted his fashion sense. "Anyway I'm not here to stay – I've brought you a friend." She nudged Ryder in the shoulder – hard – and he tumbled towards the boy.

"What? I don't even know him!" They both cried in unison.

"Ainsley – Ryder. Ryder – Ainsley." She then smiled and walked away, calling over her shoulder: "Ask Una where I am if you need me!"

"Jerk," the boy whined and Ryder couldn't help but chuckle, stuffing his hands in his pockets. The boy grinned. "So, Ryder, what are you?"

"Uh... Human??" he muttered, still unsure what he really was and the boy's eyes lit up.

"Oh, you're Ryder! Like – Ryder, Ryder. The Ryder. Right?"

"That's me?" he said with a shrug and the boy pumped his fist in the air with an excited whoop.

"Man, we are going to have so much fun – what's your room number?"

"Two five nine – no idea where that is though."

"No way – I'm two five three! How come I never saw you?" He shrugged.

"I've been here and there lately – spent most of the time in the elemental medical room with Naomi."

"What? Why?" his eyes widened. "Oh my god did you get her pregnant?"

"What!? No! I barely know her!!" He sighed in relief.

"Oh thank god – sorry, it's just they never send humans in there unless they're related to the reason an elemental needs to be there." He suddenly frowned at him suspiciously. "Why were you there then?"

"I had a fever and I didn't know where the human medical room was, so I just wandered in and Zachary treated me." It wasn't a lie – just missing some very important truths.