The Elementals: The Dawn of New Abilities

Chapter 8

Chapter eight

I stood in front of the mirror and sighed as I brushed my fingers through my hair. The Healers had been able to heal the burns and scars from the fire that patterned over my skin but they weren’t able to do anything for my hair. Since my once waist-long hair had been burnt, the healers had no choice but to cut the singed ends and now my hair reached just below my shoulders.

“You still look beautiful” Derrek soothed me. He had been saying that ever since I found out how much had been burnt off but I knew on the inside he was probably rolling his eyes thinking ‘it’s just hair, it’ll grow’.

“I know what you’re thinking Sparky. I know it’s just hair... but it just sucks that it got burnt off. I mean, I can still smell the scent of burning hair” I pulled a face and tied my hair up in a messy bun. “Come on, let’s go get the others before heading over to Mr Obsidian’s office”

He grabbed my hand and we left the infirmary walking towards the apartments. We walked in comfortable silence with the echoing of our footsteps being the only sound to accompany us as we walked through the maze of hallways. We rode the elevator up to our floor and the first stop was at Derrek’s apartment. With the click of metal against metal, he unlocked the door and we walked inside hoping to find Blake in there but when we found his apartment silent and void of anyone we figured he was with the other Elementals.

“I’m sure Helena’s in our apartment, she very rarely goes out since the grounds are still all covered in snow” I mentioned. With that, we tried my apartment and, as I thought, I found Helena sitting in her meadow. She had her head bent as she sat against the trunk of the tree and had a little crease between her eyebrows as she read through her history book.  At the sound of our entrance she looked up and her lips turned into a bright smile.

“Val! You’re okay! Thank God you’re awake, I was down at the infirmary for hours when Derrek brought you down but the nurse made me leave after a while” she scrunched her nose in distaste. “How are you feeling?”

I shrugged my shoulders, “Fine. I’m a little angry about my hair being burnt short but other than the left over tingles that being healed leaves I’m completely back to normal”

It was true. I’d only started my second year at Abled University but I’d had my share of being healed and the sensation that lingered afterwards was a mixture of pins and needles and that numb feeling when someone sits on their ass for hours. It didn’t hurt, but it wasn’t as comfortable I thought it would be.

“Oh, I bet you look great with short hair, don’t worry”

I rolled my eyes and remembered why I came back here in the first place, “Oh Helena, you need to come with us. We’re about to round up the Elementals because Mr Obsidian says he needs to see us urgently about some assignment... do you know anything about it?”

Her eyebrow quirked and she tilted her head slightly, “No idea... but I guess it must be serious” She shut her book quickly and the air that flew out from between the pages made the flowers around her sway and bend before standing upright again.

She grabbed a jacket and we all headed back out again and walked down towards the Elementals apartments. To make things easier they were all sitting in Sophia and Bree’s apartment studying together. After explaining ourselves and where we were supposed to meet Mr Obsidian we all began to make our way to see the dean. It was already late and I hadn’t seen any other students out and about. We turned up Mr Obsidian’s staircase that led up to his office and knocked. It was flung open and a grim faced dean met us at the door.

“Good, good you’re all here” He said as he ushered us to several chairs that had already been set up for us. “Have a seat everyone. Now there is no time for polite chit chat, so I will just get straight to the point. I have been notified of a ‘strange passing’, as I was told, in a small town several hours away from here. It was noted that the group that passed through had been made up of close to fifty people all wearing hoods and one who wore a maroon cloak”