The Elementals; Fire

Chapter 9

"So?" To be honest, I didn't see why me only getting my power recently was such a bad thing. If I'd have had my ability from when I were born, imagine how many houses and neighbourhood I would've burnt down during my terrible twos phase.

"That must have been why it was so hard to find you, you weren't developed yet" Luka was speaking more to himself, rather than to me. Talia and Roman both looked to be in thought, most likely also thinking of explanations as to why I could be a late bloomer. I would have paid closer attention and joined in the thought process, if it wasn't for something that I saw at the corner of my eye and distracted me. Turning my head towards some trees, I saw a black mist, similar to the trio's that lightly floated around them, seeping out amongst the ground. Curious, as always, I started walking towards it and it was second when I heard the chatter stop behind me, and Talia's voice rung out.

"Layla? Where are you going?" I didn't reply, so instead of waiting where they were, they hurriedly started walking behind me. By the time they had caught up with me, I was already looking around to try and find the source of the most. The night had began to descend, meaning it started to get dark, but I could still see the blackness, like a pool, surrounding the ground. Trying to think back to where I had seen this before, I realised that this was the same as the one I had seen surrounding the body of the girl in the bathroom, albeit that was pale and dim, unlike now.

"Layla, whats wrong? What are you looking for?" I shushed Roman, fear and frustration trying to seek its way into my body. Refusing to let it, I had another quick glance around and I saw that the most of the mist was coming from a bush to my right, so much it was spilling out like a fog machine. Only taking a small step towards it, I waved my hand near the black mist, and wasn't surprised to see that it moved around, like smoke. What I was surprised at though, was to see a foot sticking out when the blackness had drifted away from the result of my hand movements. I heard collected gasps and a couple of swear words behind me, but all I could focus on was the foot.

"Layla, come back here" I felt Luka try to grab me, but I shrugged out of his hold, and instead grabbed the ankle of the body, pulling it fully out of the bushes.

"Layla, stop it!"

"How about you be quiet, and let me have a minute to think" I snapped at Luka whilst trying to calm the fire snaking it's way up inside me, but he was really testing my patience this time. Taking a good look at the person, it was a boy,  who seemed to be around my age. I looked at all his features, that were marred by the black mist lingering closely around his body. He didn't look like he was dead, no blood stains on his clothes, no scratches or wounds on skin, it just looked like he was sleeping. I tried wafting away more of the blackness, but on his body, it wouldn't budge.

"Come on, move"

"Layla, look, he's not breathing, he's dead, we have to call someone" Romans voice wasn't his usual breezy self, but nor was it serious, just upset.

"Just wit a minute, I'm thinking Why won't the black mist won't move from his body" I answered Roman and asked myself at the same time, my thoughts running wildly trying to think of answer for myself. I turned around to ask the trio, just in time to see them looking at each other, and the fire I was trying to calm earlier erupted quicker than I thought.

"What? Why are you looking like that?" Talia looked nervous, but was the one to answer.

"There isn't any black mist, there isn't anything, he's just dead, probably induced from something he's taken or natural causes" I felt my body start to do its usual burning.

"You think I'm lying?" The question sounded funny, on the account of how hard I was gritting my teeth together to avoid showing my anger, however I don't think I was doing a very good job.

"I don't think you're lying, I just think that you've had a lot to take in lately, and that you need to go home and rest" the heat intensified.

"What, so I can see normal colours floating about your bodies, but as soon as I see something other than them, all of a sudden I'm delusional?" I turned my back to them, focusing on the boy and the black mist, my frustration growing at it not moving when I'm wanting it to.

"Layla, this is obviously too much for you to handle at the moment, the fact that you're freaking at us for simple things isn't helping. To be honest, you're being a bit of a head case" that one did it, if those words would have came out of Talias mouth, in a much nicer way, I might not have made the dinosaur screech that came out of my mouth when Luka had finished speaking, but they weren't Talias words, they were Lukas, in a non sympathetic voice, about my personality that he didn't even know. I felt the fire rush through my veins, and with one last waft at the annoying mist, I accidentally connect with the boys bare arm. Except instead of pulling my arm back, as soon as I made contact, I felt the fire inside rush to my finger tips, and I was unable to pull away. Physically and mentally, mentally being I was captivated by the way the black smoke started to burn away, slowly, but clearly. Looking at my hand, I pushed it further into the boys arm, and the process started to speed up.

"Layl-"

"Luka, shut up bro" this, surprisingly, came from Roman. I could see why he'd told him to be quiet though, as now that a majority of the black mist had cleared, the boy started to regain colour, and after several more seconds in silence, he took his first big breath, that turned into gasps. It wasn't until that last shred of blackness had burnt away, did his eyes snap open and he shot up into a sitting position. I think all four of us jumped back in surprise, but the biggest surge of emotion was on the boys face.

"Jesus Christ. Wait, I'm not dead. I'm not dead, am I?" He frantically turned towards me and the panic in his eyes made me snap out of whatever trance I was in and comfort him.

"You're alright, everything is alright" I saw Talia kneel besides me, a quick glance made me see the boys were still trying to recover, that or they don't know how to sympathise.

"What's your name?" Talia asked in a soothing voice, a voice i'd heard her use on me once, when we first met, after she hummed that calming tune.

"Aron" He looked a bit calmer than before, and I realised Talia must be doing something.

"and what happened Aron? " A look of thought  came onto his face, whilst he was trying to think back on what happened.

"I, I don't know. I was just walking through the park to go and meet some friends, and then all of a sudden I just kind of, collapsed. I felt like my soul was being sucked from my body, like it felt that my heart and lungs were physically being ripped out of me, but I could see no one was there" Me and Talia exchanged glances, but there was a look I didn't like on her face.

"and then what?" Aron was quiet for a second, thinking, and I waited in anticipation, partly ashamed because I always loved a good story.

"then it was blackness, but I could still feel a faint pulling from inside my body. It wasn't until I felt like fire was burning through my body, did my mind start to process things again, that's probably why I was able to wake up". Talia looked straight at me when he said the word burning, and I sat back on my heels. Had I saved him? But how?

"Is there anything else you remember?" No more remnants of death lingered on him, in fact he seemed to be perfectly healthy, his breathing and his speaking were fine, yet there was fear laced in his voice, understandably from from the experience he'd just told us. Aron cleared his throat, in a way that made me believe he had just made a mental decision on something, but with what he said, I'm glad he decided to tell us.

"I do, I remember seeing something" He hesitated, but continued.

"I remember seeing a thick, black mist."