The Elementalists

Chapter 17

Chapter 17

“Wake up, Jason.”

It had sounded like a persistent mosquito at first, before Jason realized it was someone’s voice. He stirred slowly in his bed. It couldn't possibly be time to get up yet.

“Jason.”

Why was it continuing to interrupt his sleep? He turned to the other side, trying to evade the annoying voice. Something whacked him on the back of the head. “Ouch! Geez, what's your damn problem?”

His sleep having broken, he grudgingly turned to lie facing upwards. Heath's face appeared in his line of sight, without its usual happy expression. “We're leaving.”

Jason frowned as Heath whipped out a large duffel bag. He tossed it onto the bed. “Pack what you need for two weeks. Mr. Paul said that's how long we have.”

Jason wiped the sleep out of his eyes, still feeling groggy. “Have for what?”

Heath shrugged, and walked out of the room. Jason glanced at the alarm clock. It was a minute past one. He cursed under his breath and got up to go take a quick shower. “Unless of course what they woke me up at one in the damn morning for is so urgent that I can't have a shower,” he muttered, grabbing a towel.

*

“Well, you took your sweet time,” Brett said.

Jason shrugged as he walked into the common room. “The water called to me.”

Brett scoffed. “Bring me a rubber ducky next time, won't you?”

“Brett!” Asuka exclaimed. “What is your problem?”

“What?” Brett shrugged. “He was taking forever; it's already half past.”

“Keep it down, you guys,” Heath interjected. “It’s midnight and we’re not asleep, so we’re all cranky. Okay? Now, where are we going anyway?”

Lexi walked into the common room. “Mr. Paul's on his way, so I guess we're about to find out.”

The door swung open, and the foreboding Mr. Paul walked in. “Good morning.”

“Hilarious,” Jason droned. “Now, mind telling us why we're up so damn early?”

“I shall explain on the way,” he said, grabbing a sword and scabbard from a hook on the wall.

Heath frowned. “Has that always been there?”