The Touch Reader (#1 of the Elemental Originals Series)

Prologue

The children cried as their parents rushed to leave, trying so hard to save them. The poor Dragon couldn't support this much weight, but she would if it meant that she could save her Rider's hatchlings.

The young woman with hair blazing like flames glanced behind them, desperate as she held one of her daughters to her chest. "Please, Storm, we have to go faster! You can help your Dragon speed up!"

Storm shook his head grimly, another little girl wrapped in one of his arms as he held onto his Dragon with the other arm. "I can't, Ember. We can't risk losing our balance and dropping one of the girls. They have to be protected above all else."

Ember looked at the little girl in her arms, the one that looked like her husband. Pure, fluffy white hair puffed out of her head, dazzling sapphire eyes looking at her mother with childish confusion in them. "Mama! Was happning?"

The woman shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut as she tried so hard to rid herself of his memory. He wasn't the boy she had fallen for back at the Academy, not anymore. He was something far worse now.

Storm glanced down at his daughter, softening even in this tense state. His daughter who looked like his wife. Matching her twin in every way except for the hair. Flaming hair instead of frost.

She held onto her father tightly, her eyes shut as she seemed to mumble numbers under her breath, trying to calm herself down. 

The little girl had always been more mature than her twin. Always serious while her younger, icier sister would laugh and get into trouble. Even now, she was trying to keep herself calm and not panic her parents. They were with enough stress already.

Storm blinked as he saw something, something that made him straighten. "Ember! I can see it!"

His wife's head snapped to look in front of them, terrified hope in her emerald gaze. "I hope they'll take them in."

It was all she could do now. Hope that her sister would take them in. Hope that they would survive to see their children grow up. Hope that Ethan wouldn't get his hands on them.

"Why couldn't we have just taken them to Lilliana? Or to Howard? He would definitely take them in."

She shook her head in frustration. "Howard is royalty, now. He can't be the one to raise them. And as for Lilliana, I have a feeling about Jayden and Veranix. It wouldn't be good to let them be raised as siblings when there might be more in the future."

Storm stiffened. "What? Jayden isn't getting his grubby little hands anywhere near our daughter!" 

Ember had to laugh at that. Even in the face of death, it would of course be Storm who gets upset thinking about his daughter in a relationship.

They landed, the lean, four-winged Dragon lashing her tail in agitation. They had to do this quickly.

When they knocked on the door, it was a few seconds before a woman with auburn hair opened the door, green eyes widening. "Ember?"

"Hello, sister. Please, can we talk?"

By the end of the explanation, Flame shook her head in disbelief as Jacob sat down in shock. "I don't understand. Ethan was-"

"He was wonderful. I know. I was with him for a long time, but he's changed. He wanted to do something that he will never be able to do."

"What do you mean? How can finding the Originals be impossible? It will be hard, sure, but not entirely out of the question."

"Not finding them. Harnessing their powers. You don't understand; I doubt many do. They don't know the price those Dragons had to pay for us to live the way that we do."

Cryptic words and phrases that were so like her sister, but Flame still pushed. "I don't-"

"Flame," Storm said quietly, making her look at him with narrowed eyes. "I know we didn't get along, but please believe me when I tell you that you have to take care of our girls. I will get on my knees if you wish me to, but you have to raise them if we cannot. I know that you'll do a good job."

She studied him. He wasn't lying. He would really get on his knees and beg is that's what it would take. "Fine. But I will be waiting for you to take your children back."

The couple nodded. "Of course. I love you, sister. Thank you for doing this."

She huffed but hugged her, looking at the two girls curiously as they looked at their aunt in confusion.

Ember knelt, agitated but forcing herself to relax because she knew that children could pick up on those things. "Sweeties, I need to tell you something."

~~

As they flew away from their children, their hearts tearing in their chests, they knew what they had to do. They knew what this meant.

It meant war.

A/N

Hii! I hope you liked this little prologue (and I put in a character page before this so you know what the main characters look like).

Just as a little reminder, this is a remake of a book i had already written but not finished because I realized I was going completely off plot and had to rewrite it. I think that it's better, but bear with me! I started this when I was a bit younger and not as good at writing as I am now, and I think this book shows that transition. I still have to edit, but this is much better than the first book, in my opinion.

Don't be afraid to comment about inconsistencies or grammar or other things like that because I really do appreciate anything that helps my book. I hope you enjoy!