My mouth went dry and I looked away. I trusted my mom, but I didn’t trust Noah, so why was I even trying to keep his secret? He could betray me before I even had a chance to tell my mom. Maybe he was expecting me to tell her. I ran a shaky hand through my hair and got to my feet.
“Moira?” Suspicion laced my mom’s voice. I went over to the windows and looked outside. When I was sure I couldn’t see anything shimmer, I closed the blinds.
“Mom, don’t freak out, but I had a visitor yesterday.” I took a seat next to her and proceeded to tell her most of what Noah had told me. She didn’t say a word, her face completely expressionless. I had no idea if she was mad at me for not telling her everything immediately. “Mom, please say something.”
“He can turn into air?” Her mouth went slack as she shook her head.
“Yeah. He showed me,” I said, just in case she didn’t believe he’d been telling the truth. “He said only people like me could sense him when he was invisible.”
“Oh my God.” She clasped her hands in front of her lips. “And I can’t ask anyone about this or they might suspect something. I can’t lead the danger to you... Honey, I...”
“It’s okay, Mom. I’m not going anywhere. We can figure this out without anyone’s help, right?” I offered her a smile.
“I wish I could meet that group he mentioned. There are so many possibilities... We could get the equipment here and I could check their DNA, compare it and... We could be on the brink of a new discovery.”
“I like your enthusiasm, but Noah won’t like it that I told you. His group wants to stay as far from scientists as possible. I could try to explain to him that you’re not like the others and that no one will force them to do anything, but I don’t think they’ll believe me.”
“Did he tell you his last name? We can’t be sure that he’s not the enemy. If we verify his identity...”
“No, he didn’t tell me.” How convenient of him. I was sure he knew my last name.
“I have to consult with the others. This is just...” My mom got to her feet, her eyes dazed.
“Mom, please. What if he hears you? Can’t we keep this between us?” I still believed it was safer if my mom knew the whole thing, but I wasn’t sure she should tell anyone else except for my dad. She might trust Ria and Adrian, but this time she didn’t have to tell them everything.
“I’ll figure out a way to tell them without mentioning Noah. Promise.” With a small smile, she rushed through the door. Well, damn. It was time for me to find myself a gun because Noah wasn’t going to like this.
Muffled voices could be heard from the living room when I descended the stairs, so I went in the other direction, to the kitchen. As I opened the drawer to find a suitable weapon, something cold brushed my arm. Grabbing the first gun I could see, I turned around and pointed it at the empty space behind me. But as I squinted at the air, I saw a shimmering cloud floating not far from the table.
“I knew you couldn’t be trusted,” a female voice said and the cloud flew through the open door. I ran after it with the gun raised, but it disappeared from view. “We have an intruder!” I yelled at the top of my lungs as I checked every corner for a cloud of air. She had to get out somehow, but she couldn’t go through the wall. At least I hoped she couldn’t.
After I checked another room, I ran into Adrian, who immediately raised his hands up. “Whoa, Moira. Do you even know what you’re doing with that?”
I looked down at the gun, which was pointed at his chest. “Not really.” I shrugged and lowered the gun. “We have an invisible girl in the house. I’m sure my mom told you about it.”
“Yeah, she might have mentioned it while babbling something about genetics and how wonderful this whole thing was. I didn’t really understand.”
I fought the urge to smile. “Looks like I’m the only one who can see her, so can you check if the windows are closed? If we could cut her way out...” I froze because I had no idea what I’d do if I actually did cut her way out. How would I keep her inside or force her to turn visible? Could she stay invisible forever or did her energy fade with time? I could try holding her down with my element, but I wasn’t sure if my air was strong enough to capture her.
Adrian was already shouting instructions to Ria, who came to help us. Glancing at the gun in my hand, I decided to give it to Adrian. Even though fighting with an element was incredibly unreliable and made it easy to miss the target, I didn’t want to shoot the girl. She wasn’t trying to attack me or hurt anyone.
“Do you see her?” Adrian asked, scanning the room for anything unusual, but I was sure he wouldn’t see a thing.
“Nope.”
“Can she open the window?” Adrian and I looked at each other.
“I don’t know,” I groaned. “It doesn’t matter if she can open it while being a cloud of air, but she can easily turn visible, open it and then get out.” That was probably what she’d done already.
“We found an open window! I don’t think she’s here anymore!” Ria yelled from the room at the end of the hall.
“Great,” I muttered. Now the girl could fly straight to Noah and tell him everything. It wasn’t surprising that she’d gotten away. The house was huge and she could fly really fast. Plenty of windows could be opened when no one was around. “You have cameras outside, right?”
Adrian nodded.
“Do you happen to have one that looks on that window? We could check if she was visible, even if it was for a moment.”
“Most of our cameras focus on the surroundings, not on the house itself, but maybe one of the rotating ones caught her. You can check it on the computer in the living room,” Adrian said.
“Thanks.” I went straight for the living room, hoping the camera had caught her. I wanted to know at least something, no matter how small or insignificant the detail, about the girl who had been watching the house and me. Invisible elementals were seriously starting to annoy me and I could understand that many people would get upset if they found out about this particular ability.
The camera had been turned toward the window, but the only thing I could see was the window opening. The girl was nowhere to be seen and the cloud of air was undetectable. Ria leaned over my shoulder to look at the computer screen.
“What now?” I asked. “If Noah and the others come for me, no one will even notice them.”
“You will,” Ria said confidently. “And when you do, point them out to us. We can use our elements to trap them.”
I let out a heavy sigh, hoping that she was right. But somehow I didn’t believe the elements of magic disease carriers or even pure elements of healthy elementals were enough to stop these new improved elementals. I was one of them, but while my control over my air was fine, my fire couldn’t be trusted. Maybe I should try talking to Noah. Would he be waiting for me in the woods despite what I’d done? I had to wait and see.
Chapter 9
I borrowed one of Ria’s holsters and tucked the gun in it. If I was going to meet Noah in the woods, I wanted to have all the protection I could get. My element-blocking bracelet would have to stay behind too. Noah and the unknown girl used their elements without problems and carriers didn’t come after them. If I was anything like the two of them, I didn’t have to worry that carriers would sense me or try to kill me.
“I should come with you or stay close,” my dad said, rubbing his forearms. “I’m not about to let you go alone to meet some stranger.”
“Dad, you’re the only one who knows what I’m planning to do in case something happens to me and because I know you believe in me.” I offered him a reassuring smile. “Promise me you won’t tell anyone until I’m back.”
“No, I can’t let you do that. That guy is dangerous!”
“If he wants to do something to me, he can find a hole somewhere and come into my room at any time. If I go talk to him willingly, maybe he and I can reach some sort of an agreement.”
My dad pressed his lips together and cast his eyes d
own.
“Please?” I said in my best sweet daughter voice. “Daddy?”
“Alright.” His blue eyes met mine, a frown line creasing his forehead. “But if you are outside for more than fifteen minutes, I’m sending the cavalry to come and get you, even if we have to come up with a whole plan how to take down invisible elementals.”
“Thank you!” I pulled him into a quick hug.
He plastered a kiss on my forehead. “Be careful, honey.”
“I will.” I started to leave, but my dad caught my arm.
“I mean it. The only reason I’m letting you go talk to him is because I believe he needs you for something or he wouldn’t have come after you.” He let go of me. “But if he makes only one wrong move, don’t hesitate to use whatever you’ve got against him.”
I nodded and headed for the door, hoping my dad wouldn’t be following me. Who knew what Noah would do if he spotted my dad nearby? Maybe I should have left a note for my parents instead, but by the time someone found it, many things could have happened. The dawn was almost here and I hoped Noah would show up. I didn’t even know why I expected him to come. Maybe my dad was right. Noah wouldn’t offer me to meet his little group and train with them unless they needed me.
I shivered in the cold morning air, pulling my black coat closer to myself. The gun was safely tucked inside the coat in a place where I could easily reach it. Still, I hoped I wouldn’t have to use it. I didn’t really have practice with shooting. Branches cracked under my boots as I made my way deeper into the woods. Turning around, I couldn’t see much except for endless trees. I tried to listen for any noise that could indicate someone’s movement, but the birds were chirping too loudly.
When I thought I’d gone far enough, I leaned on one of the trees and waited. Noah wasn’t coming, was he? Great. The sun was coming up, but its rays did nothing to warm me. I considered using my fire, but I was in the middle of the woods. How long would it take me to burn down half of Roivenna? I didn’t want to find out.
I was about to go back to the house when I heard multiple feet rushing nearby, crushing the dry leaves and branches under them. Hiding myself behind the trunk, I tried to see who it was. I doubted Noah and his group would risk being seen or walk instead of fly. Could a group of runners come here for a morning jog? But their feet sounded too heavy. Besides, Ria had told me that the whole property was private and no one was allowed to enter. How did they even get past the fence? I hadn’t walked far enough to reach the fence, but I knew it was there. I’d seen it while checking the footage for the invisible girl.
The people were coming closer and I took a step toward them, hoping I could spot them and figure out who they were. Maybe even tell them to go back before Ria decided to shoot them off the property. Someone clasped a hand over my mouth, pulling me into a tight embrace. My heart jumped into my throat, my body going rigid. I tried to kick at my assailant, but I missed.
“Shh. It’s just me. Don’t scream,” Noah whispered into my ear, removing his hand from my mouth.
I ripped myself out of his grip and turned around to face him. “What...”
He put a finger in front of his lips. “Be quiet. You don’t want those men to hear us.”
“Who are they?” I held my hand over my gun.
“I don’t know, but they are not here for a friendly visit.” His blue eyes narrowed at me. “Did you really have to babble everything to your mommy? My leader almost chewed my head off.”
“Your leader?” I chuckled. “I thought you were the leader.”
He gave me an irritated smile. “Now you’re the one avoiding my questions.”
I shrugged. “I’d say I’m sorry, but I’m not. I trust my family more than I trust you. Why do you find that so surprising?”
“All I wanted...”
Gunshots rang through the woods, coming from the direction of the house. Dread spread through me like a lightning bolt. “No!” I gasped, starting toward the sound.
“Moira...” Noah ran after me. I wove through the trees, my blood pulsing in my ears. All I could think of was my family. I had to get to them. I had to help them stop whoever had decided to attack the house. A cloud of air whooshed past me and Noah materialized right in front of me, making me stumble into him.
“Get out of my way!” I yelled. Was Noah trying to distract me for some reason? Was he working with the attackers? It couldn’t be a coincidence that he’d asked me to meet him exactly at the time of the attack. “You’re working with them, aren’t you?” I jabbed a finger into his chest, reaching with my other hand for my gun.
“No, I’m not. You don’t understand...”
I sent a blast of wind at him, pushing him away. His back hit a nearby tree and he slumped to the ground. Before I could run past him, he hit me with a gust of wind so strong that it knocked me off my feet. Panting, I tried to push myself up, but a root shot out from the ground and wound itself around my legs.
An explosion rocked the ground, smoke rising into the air. Either someone had used a bomb or the fight passed from guns to elements. I knew my mom and Ria had an element, but Ria’s wasn’t that strong. I had no clue how strong Adrian’s element was as I hadn’t seen him use it. My dad had to rely on weapons to protect himself. I had to get to him before it was too late. Even with my lack of control, I could still be useful, but my legs were trapped.
“You can’t go there!” Noah got to his feet, his face red with anger. With one flick of his wrist, I was pulled up. “I’m trying to save your life.”
“I need to help my family!” I gritted my teeth, trying to wiggle out of the vines and branches that were surrounding me. Damn Noah for having earth as his second element!
“You’ll get yourself killed. These men are professionals and they’re looking for you.”
“You said you didn’t know who they were,” I bit out. How could he possibly know they were looking for me and that they were professionals?
He blinked and licked his lips. “Moira, I know I’m not giving you reasons to trust me, but we need to get out of here.”
“Will you let me go?” I glanced at my legs. If he released me...
“No. You’d knock me out with your element or try to, and run for the house.”
“How about we make a deal?” I met his blue eyes. “You can make yourself invisible. Go help my family and make sure they’re safe. I’ll be waiting for you right here. Totally safe.”
He chewed on his lip. “I can’t. I might be invisible, but I’m not immortal. A stray bullet or an element can kill me as easily as it can kill someone visible. What makes you think your family wouldn’t hurt me?”
Great. I was on my own again. I let the warmth overwhelm me, picturing every part of my body turning into fire. If my stupid element wanted to be of any use, it would come out now. The warmth scorched me from the inside, making me cry out. Noah’s brows furrowed, but he didn’t have time to react because my fire burst out of me, enveloping my arms and legs until I was no longer sure I had my body.
The branches holding me together snapped and cracked as they burned. I kicked the burning remnants aside, making my way toward Noah. My body was slower than usual and my legs weren’t quite there, but I was making progress. It was as easy as walking, but it felt more like gliding. Nothing about my body felt any different from how it felt when I wasn’t a human torch. I was sure I couldn’t use my air while I was like this, so I hoped Noah would let me go and wouldn’t try to stop me.
A wave of water splashed my face, blinding me. My fire ebbed away, drawing back under the assault of water. My breath was cut off and I fell to my knees, choking and spluttering. Dark spots danced in my vision and I couldn’t do anything except let the darkness swallow me.
Chapter 10
I woke up with a start, gasping for breath. Blinking away the tears in my eyes, I saw Noah’s smiling face poised above me. I kicked out with my leg, bringing him to the floor. He swore, rubbing his elbow as he sat up.
“Really, Moira
? Do you still think you can win against me?”
“You almost killed me! You...” I brushed a strand of my wet hair from my face. “Oh my God. My parents!” I jumped to my feet, ready to run to the house, but my surroundings were unfamiliar. We were encircled by thick bushes and unfamiliar trees. The sound of waves crashing against the cliffs told me we were on the other part of the island. “No, no, no!” I kept shaking my head. What if something had happened to my parents while I was out? I wanted to pat my pockets for my phone, but I was no longer wearing my coat. Noah must have taken it because it was too heavy, so my phone and my gun were gone too.
“Moira, listen to me,” Noah said slowly. “You need to relax. There’s nothing you can do now.”
“What do you know?” I scowled. “Where are we? Are you kidnapping me?”
“No, but if you come with me, you can use the phone and call your parents, okay?” He climbed to his feet and dusted off his pants. “I could always take you by force, but I don’t want to. Your safety is what matters, and you’ll be safe only if you come with me. Don’t you want to learn how to control your elements?”
How long would it take me to get to the other end of the island? Way too long. Unless I could stop a car and get someone to take me to the house. But how could I trust anyone at this point? If Noah wanted to kidnap me or trap me somewhere, he could have done it without asking me. “Okay, but don’t think for a second that you’re doing me a favor, because you’re not.”
“Fine.” Noah’s grin was infuriating. “Follow me.”
He knelt next to some weird shrubbery and pulled at something I couldn’t see. My teeth were chattering from the cold and I rubbed my arms, but my clothes were so soaked that they were unable to provide any warmth. The ground shook a little until the earth parted to form an opening wide enough for a person to squeeze through. My eyebrows went up. “We’re not going in there, are we?”
“We are,” Noah said, taking my hand. His warm hand sent shivers through me, making him frown. “We should really get you inside before you catch a cold.”
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