Dark Fire

by Bethany Wicker

  “But you’d lie to her?” Jeremiah accused.

  “Uh, my head,” I complained as I peeked an eye open.

  Everyone was beside me, including Ben and Finn who’d skipped out on dinner. Remy tried to sit me up, but Mom batted him away and took his place. She was saying something, but it fell on deaf ears. The sword’s words were the only thing audible. As much as I hated it, I knew it was time to fess up.

  Pushing through the echo, I asked, “Jeremiah, did you check out that room behind the tapestry like I wanted?”

  My vision was slightly blurry and it took a few seconds before I was able to fully focus on him. His eyebrows were creased with worry.

  “I looked but there wasn’t a room behind it. It was a solid wall. Why bring this up now?”

  “A room behind a tapestry?” Mom questioned thoughtfully with a hint of surprise. “You don’t mean the tapestry of the black knight, do you?”

  “You know about it?” My eyebrows knitted together with confusion.

  Mom and Dad shared a look before Mom said, “Jeremiah’s mom built that room. It can only be accessed by someone who can wield earth. How could you know about it?”

  “So then I could wield earth back then?” I shouted.

  “My mom built it? Wait, it exists?” Jeremiah exclaimed.

  “How do you know about it too?” Mom inquired, sounding a little anxious.

  “I stumbled upon it and asked him to look into it after I came here. What’s the room for?” I asked.

  “It used to be our hangout when we went to Westville,” Mom replied.

  Okay, next question. What happened to me, Remy?” I turned to look at him

  Remy shrugged his shoulders. “I’m not sure. You passed out saying something about ‘four’ or something like that. Is that related to the amount of elements you can control? Your family is a walking contradiction of everything my dad taught me.”

  “So, you are an elemental. And you can control darkness?” I asked with narrowed eyes.

  Remy scratched the back of his head and shifted a couple inches close to me. “Yep. Sort of an elemental. My parents died a a few years back so it’s just me. I was lucky enough that they raised me in the human society because I was able to fit in without a problem. I was actually always taught that other elementals were terrible people and should be avoided.”

  “What do you mean by sort of an elemental?” I frowned.

  “I’m half-human and half-elemental. My dad was an elemental and my mom was a human.”

  “Oh, I so want more than that,” Mom yelled before sitting on the other side of me. “I’ve never met such an old offspring of a human and an elemental. I have so many questions for you.”

  “I think that should be enough for tonight. My head is pounding, but I want to know why didn’t you tell me the truth?” I cut off Mom’s fangirling.

  “I didn’t trust you. Like I said, I was taught to avoid other elementals. My parents were adamant that nobody was to know about my existence. Not even our own kind. I’ve lived by that warning ever since they died a few years back.”

  “How did they die?” I whispered.

  I didn’t want to bring up bad feelings, but at the same time, I was curious as to what killed them.

  “My parents were bank robbers. They stole money and Dad used his power over darkness to help them. The last bank they tried to break into led to their deaths. They were shot multiple times by the cops when my dad tried to use his darkness. It freaked them out and they fired their guns as a retaliation.”

  “Another darkness user,” I muttered.

  Mom asked hesitantly, “How did you make it that long by yourself?”

  He shrugged his shoulders. “My parents had a lot of human money saved up from the banks and I’ve been living off that. Nobody knows they’re dead around here. They think they’re reclusive. I was worried I was going to be shipped off to foster care if anyone found out.”

  “What’s foster care?” Dad questioned and I was wondering the same thing.

  “Oh, you poor thing,” Mom exclaimed as she jumped up to hug Remy with fresh tears flowing down her face.

  “Wait, how did he go from enemy number one to poor baby?” Jeremiah raised his eyebrows at my mom.

  “This is all too much for one day.” I sighed and sank further into the couch. Remy shot me a pointed look and I rolled my eyes. “I know, I know. I asked for it.”

  “Remy, you’re staying here for the night and we will talk more in the morning,” Mom ordered in her voice that held no room for argument. “Come with me. I’ll show you to your room and Nate will fetch you some clean clothes. Kyler, you and Jeremiah get to sleep because you have a lot of explaining to do tomorrow too. Don’t think I’ve forgotten about your little adventure back in Westville.”

  I swallowed hard. Tomorrow wasn’t going to be a fun day. Jeremiah’s face told me he was thinking the same thing.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven: Remy

  Mr. Yates brought me some clean clothes and directed me to a guest bedroom that had an attached bathroom. Bathing was the last thing I wanted to do, but hopefully it would ease the tension out of my back and shoulders. My chest felt heavy from bringing up those repressed memories of my parents. I was going against everything they taught me about elementals, but my instincts were shouting that it was the correct thing to do. They were probably turning over in their graves at my actions.

  Looking in the mirror, I realized the shower became more of a necessity. Dirt was painted on my skin from when I clambered through the woods. I felt stupid for reacting that way, but I couldn’t help it in the moment. Panic kicked in and it just happened.

  Using the knob, I adjusted the temperature before climbing in. The hot water helped a little, but my muscles still remained taut. No matter how much I liked Kyler, this was still a stranger’s house.

  I scrubbed myself off and tried to relax, but gave up on the shower. I got out and put on Mr. Yates’s clothes. They were a little tight, but at least they were clean and intact. My clothes had rips in them from the branches that Kyler hit me with. I shook the water from my hair and looked into the mirror one more time, but hated the haunted eyes I was met with.

  The clothes were tighter than I thought because I nearly tore out of them when I opened the door to see both Ben and Finn with their arms crossed. They had hard expressions on their faces to let me know they meant business. They both cleared their throats loudly.

  “We came from a bad home life too,” Finn started.

  “So, we know how you feel,” Ben finished.

  “I’m guessing you had to move a lot since your parents were criminals?” Finn asked.

  Why can’t I catch a break tonight?

  “Yeah, we never stayed in one place for long. The only reason I’m where I’m at now is because my darkness allowed me to slip through the cracks.”

  Finn clicked his tongue. “Just know this doesn't change anything.”

  “We’ll still defend those we care about first,” Ben added.

  “I hope you will. Now, can I go to bed?”

  They both glanced at each other briefly before turning back to nod their heads at me. Not wanting to miss my chance at escape, I darted to the room I was assigned and slammed the door. I made sure the lock was clicked into place before sinking into the bed. It was comfy, but I still felt out of place. This wasn’t my house or bed and all of the ears around me were perked up to see if I would ditch this place.

  I knew better than to do that though. If I left, Kyler would probably never want to talk to me again and her family would never trust me enough to allow me to date her. Especially Ben and Finn. They were like two bodyguards that were waiting for me to slip up so they could pound me into the ground. I grimaced at that thought.

  Alice definitely would’ve been the easier, safer choice.

  And why was I suddenly thinking about Alice? There was no chemistry like there was between me and Kyler. It was hard to believe that it was only a couple of days
ago that Alice had confessed her true feelings for me. So much had changed in such a short amount of time and there was no turning back.

  I flipped over on my side and closed my eyes but had no luck. I was too anxious to sleep even though my body was exhausted. My body had shut down, but my brain just drank an energy drink. The wheels kept going and going, so I shifted onto my back to stare at the ceiling.

  I couldn’t believe that Mrs. Yates could assess that Kyler and I were mates that quickly, but Kyler couldn’t see it. That was probably the only reason I wasn’t kicked to the curb. Hopefully, her dad would see me through better eyes when he heard that piece of information. He and Mrs. Yates had to be soulmates. It would explain why she picked up on it so quick.

  My mom wasn’t my dad’s soulmate, but he still loved her anyway. It wasn’t as much as it could’ve been, but they still did everything together when they were alive. It was what got them killed together. I regretted harboring ill feelings towards them for what they put me through as a child, but it wouldn’t just disappear now that they were gone.

  Kyler was lucky and she didn’t even know it. She despised her mom for making her come to a human school, but her mom was trying to do what she thought was best for Kyler. My parents only did what was best for them. I was a mistake and they told me that on more than one occasion when they were around. At least Dad had enough sense to tell me about elementals and the possibility of having a mate.

  The appearance of my element was the only reason they started spending more time with me. I believed they wanted to recruit me into the family business when I was old enough. But even though they were crappy to me, I still loved them deep down. It also showed me how not to be when it came to parenting. I would learn from their mistakes and treat my children the way they should be treated. If things went right, it would be with Kyler at my side.

  It was a good thing her mom made her come here or we would’ve never met. As corny as it was, I believed in fate and for once, it was finally on my side.

  My brain was still going even as the sun came up, but I remained in bed. There was no way I was going to be the first one up. It wasn’t until I heard movement in the kitchen that I made my way down the stairs.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight: Kyler

  Mom woke me up bright and early the next morning. The sun was just coming up which meant I should still be sleeping. It was Saturday after all.

  Dad, Remy, and Jeremiah were already eating breakfast by the time I joined them. The air was thick and nobody spoke or even looked at each other. Mom came out of the kitchen once I sat down. She brought me a plate of pancakes and then preceded to watch me eat.

  I swallowed stiffly. “Yes, Mom?”

  She shook her head. “I’m impatiently waiting for you to finish eating so I can grill you with my questions. So hurry up before I start feeding you.”

  My mouth became dry, so I reached for my glass of orange juice, but her stare was unbearable. “That’s okay. I think I’ve lost my appetite now.”

  “Perfect. You can start by telling me the elements you can control. Is it only four or are there more we don’t know about.”

  Looking around the table, I realized all eyes were now resting on me. “Um… well… there’s only the four. I can control fire, darkness, earth, and now, I’m assuming, air.”

  “Only four? How is it possible for you to even control four elements?” Dad pondered. “I mean, two was shocking enough, but now four?”

  “I’m not sure how, but I think it has something to do with the sword I found.”

  “Sword?” Mom and Dad yelled at the same time and shared a look.

  “Do you have this sword with you?” Mom inquired trying to sound innocent, but she was obviously hiding something.

  Against my better judgement, I fetched the sword from its hiding place for them to see. Mom snatched it from my hands as soon as I’d returned. She examined it with wide eyes and ran her fingers over the three words ‘Death Brings Life’.

  “I hid this in that room so it would remain there until the end of time. How could you have come across it?” Her eyes lifted to look at me again.

  “I know this is going to sound weird, but it called to me,” I replied and instantly felt stupid.

  Like hell they would believe that. It still sounded like nonsense to me even though I knew it was true.

  “Why didn’t you sense it here, Ava?” Dad put a hand on Mom’s shoulder.

  I looked behind them at Jeremiah and Remy. They’d been quiet this whole time, but they were now arguing in hushed voices. By the look on Remy’s face, he was losing the banter and his anger was winning.

  “What’s going on you two?” I interrupted.

  They both glanced at me before returning to glaring at each other.

  “He doesn't think I should be hearing this and wants me to leave,” Remy finally said.

  “I don’t trust him or his intentions,” Jeremiah admitted.

  Before I could say anything, my vision darkened as the sword spoke.

  I am no longer hers to wield take me now before she is harmed.

  “Give it back, Mom,” I demanded and grabbed it from her. I’d moved so quickly that she was lucky not to be cut.

  “What’s your problem?” Mom huffed.

  “It said it was going to hurt you,” I explained.

  “I didn’t hear anything.” Dad narrowed his eyes at me.

  “That’s ridiculous,” Mom chided. “That sword was possessed by your grandfather. Why would he want to hurt me? Besides, he’s gone now. He left the sword after the war.”

  Foolish woman, the sword stated. By the looks of everyone else, it was only talking to me again. All I had to do was show her some images of her grandfather and she actually believed me. I just want to kill. I was created to destroy. To bring death and chaos wherever I go. After all I did for her, I figured she’d keep me at her side. But, no. That little witch locked me inside a dark room and left me there to rust. Thankfully, you found me. Now, I’m yours to wield and you are mine.

  “What are you talking about?” I asked the sword.

  “Who are you talking to?” Jeremiah moved closer to me and the argument with Remy was temporarily forgotten.

  Remy stepped nearer to me too with a worried expression.

  “The sword,” I replied. “It says that it wants to bring death and chaos.”

  Only with death and chaos can a new, better life be born. It’s time to rid ourselves of this wretched one. Your darkness will be your weakness and your strength.

  The breath froze in my lungs, suffocating me as darkness sprang from the sword. It wrapped itself around my throat before entering my nostrils as I was forced to breathe it in. It invaded my body and shut off my senses. I couldn’t hear. I couldn’t see. Nothing but blackness. But then, it cleared and left everything sharper, stronger even. Realizing I’d fallen to the ground, I pushed myself up. Faces surrounded me but I’d forgotten who they were. Their mouths moved with familiarity and fear, but their words were inaudible.

  Energy and power swelled inside of me that forced its way out. It created a shockwave that knocked down the people that were around me. My feet moved of their own accord and took me out the door. They continued through the path in the woods and stopped at the entrance to my school.

  There were no students outside since it was Saturday. They were avoiding this place like the plague, so why was I here?

  You’re here to make a statement. Humans and elementals do not belong together.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine: Remy

  I grasped my head as it pounded from being slammed into the ground. The sticky feeling of blood stained my hands when I pulled them away.

  What the hell just happened?

  It took me a moment to remember where I was and to notice that Kyler was no longer here. The room was wrecked and not a single thing was left unbroken. All the furniture was flipped over and pieces had been chipped off of them. Glass and chunks of wood littered the floor.

 
; “Are you alright?” The sound of Mr. Yates’s panicked voice pulled me from my examination.

  He had his hand on Mrs. Yates’s stomach. She was breathing heavily and started screaming. Her face was scrunched up and she kept saying ‘it hurts’ over and over again. Mr. Yates didn’t look too good either with blood dripping from his right ear.

  “I think she’s in labor. She needs to get to a hospital,” I pointed out.

  I’d never been in this situation but I’d seen some movies of chicks in labor and they were usually acting like Mrs. Yates was.

  “I’ll get our car. It should still fire up even though it’s been a while,” Finn stated hurriedly. His clothes were torn and scratches were visible underneath the fabric.

  “I’ll come with you in case you need me. I know a little bit about cars.” I followed Finn out and Ben tagged along. Ben had a blood-soaked shoulder.

  Those two were never apart from each other, at least from what I could tell. Jeremiah and Mr. Yates were going to start trying to carry Mrs. Yates to the front door while we brought the car around. It was a good thing I went with Finn because the car took a little motivation before it started. Mrs. Yates was sweating and crying by the time we got her in. Mr. Yates got in the back with her and attempted to keep her hand in his throughout the whole process.

  “I’ll drive,” Ben said as he climbed into the driver’s seat.

  “You three make sure she gets to the hospital okay. Jeremiah and I will go after Kyler,” I instructed.

  It appeared that I was the only one not panicking right now. Jeremiah was so white that he looked like a sheet and he had a limp in his left leg. I almost made him go with them because he didn’t seem to be much use at the moment, but I would probably need all the backup I could get.

  Nobody said anything as Ben put the car into drive and took off. Jeremiah and I didn’t speak as we followed the trail of crushed branches that Kyler had left in her wake. We broke through the trees to see the school engulfed in blue flames.

  Kyler was standing in front and was admiring her work. She looked like a beautiful, fiery queen that was watching her masterpiece. She stood close to the school and I knew it would be hot once I tried to grab her.