Elemental Power

by Rachel Morgan

  Archer stood and said, “I can try to talk to him, if you think it might help.”

  “Sure, you’re welcome to try,” Ridley said with a shrug. “But he’s pretty stubborn once he’s decided something.”

  “I guess you had to get it from somewhere.”

  Ridley fought the upward tugging of her lips and decided not to respond to that. “Uh, before you go … do you know what time it is? I’m finding it quite disorienting not being able to see outside. It could be lunch time for all I know.” The thought of lunch—and the fact that she wasn’t currently feeling depressed about ruining her high school career and future job opportunities—made her stomach grumble again.

  Archer pulled his commscreen out. “Not too late. Just after nine.”

  “Okay. Does your commscreen work down here?” she asked as he put it away.

  “No. Well, yes, it works—so I can see the time—but it doesn’t connect to anything. You have to go up those stairs near the entrance. Remember where those guys attacked us when we came here last time? You can get a connection there.”

  “Oh, so it’s safe if I turn mine on down here? No one can track it?”

  “Well it can’t connect to anything, so I don’t think so.”

  “Okay. I just need to get Malachi’s number off my commscreen.” She scooted to the edge of the bed and leaned down to dig inside her backpack. “Can I ask you a favor?” she said as she turned the commscreen on. “When you get out of here, can you send him a message? I was going to get back to him about meeting somewhere today, but that’s obviously not happening anymore. But I don’t want to just leave him hanging, never knowing what happened to me. So …” She looked up. “Do you mind doing that?”

  Archer sighed. “Sure. He’s not my favorite person, but I guess I can text him.”

  “Thank you.” She stood and handed the device to Archer so he could copy the number. “Uh, anyway, I should probably go shower.”

  “Yeah.” He returned the commscreen to her. “You’re a total mess.”

  “Oh my goodness, it’s not that bad,” she said, dragging her fingers self-consciously through her hair again.

  He laughed. “You’re right. The post-party look is actually really cute on you.”

  Her mouth fell open, but she had no idea how to respond to that. “Okay, you need to go,” was all she could say in the end.

  With another smirk, Archer turned and walked away. “Enjoy your shower, Ridley,” he called back.

  In her flustered state, it took her longer than it should have to gather up some clothes, her toiletry bag, and the towel hanging behind the door. It was only once she was in the shower with her stomach starting to gnaw on itself that she wished she’d grabbed the other half of the energy bar too.

  15

  Dad was back in their room when Ridley returned from showering. It felt good to be clean again, but she couldn’t enjoy the feeling while her stomach was loudly demanding a proper meal. She lunged for the other half of the energy bar on her bed just as Dad said, “There’s a kitchen downstairs if you want to get some food.”

  “Oh, fantastic. How does that work? Do I need to, um … pay for it?”

  Dad shook his head. “It’s okay. I’ve already worked things out with Christa. I made a contribution that should cover us for the next few days. It’s different for everyone who comes down here. Some people can pay, some people can work. I offered to fix a few things—items that require some complex, intricate conjurations—and also gave her some money.”

  “Thanks, Dad.”

  “There are no set meal times or anything like that. You prepare your own food. There are a whole bunch of fridges down there, and a huge pantry. Some food’s labeled, some isn’t. Come on, I’ll show you.”

  They left the room together, but not before Ridley grabbed the other half of the energy bar. She wasn’t sure she could survive all the way to the kitchen without nibbling on something. “We’ll need to buy some food and other supplies before we head out to the wastelands,” she said as she peeled the wrapper back.

  “Yes, but first we need to discuss where we’re going. Then we can figure out exactly what and how much we need.”

  Ridley nodded. “Did Archer speak to you?”

  “He did. But before we talk about anything, you should eat.”

  “Definitely.”

  About twenty minutes later, Ridley stood in the doorway of a large dining room with a bowl and spoon in her hands, feeling a little bit like the new kid entering the school cafeteria for the first time. Dad had gone to fix something for Christa, and Ridley was left to face the dining room alone. She’d expected to find it empty seeing as it was too late for breakfast and too early for lunch, but three of the tables were occupied. With a lurch of her grumbling stomach, she realized the woman sitting alone at one of the tables was Callie.

  Ridley took a deep breath and walked toward her. On the table in front of Callie sat a mug and a plate with half a sandwich. But instead of eating, she had her chin propped on one hand while she traced patterns in wisps of magic above the mug with her other hand.

  “Hi,” Ridley said hesitantly, stopping across the table from Callie.

  The golden haired woman looked up, surprise registering on her face. “Oh. It’s you. I didn’t know you were here.”

  “I only arrived here after you last night. Do you, uh, mind if I sit here?”

  Callie leaned back and lowered her hands to her lap. “Um, no, I don’t mind. You can sit.”

  “Thanks.” Ridley slid onto the bench and placed her bowl of cereal in front of her. She might have been hoping for a proper meal, but there weren’t many food items in the pantry that didn’t have ‘Don’t touch!’ or ‘Hands off!’ written on them, and she was so hungry that she was happy to eat cereal with some form of milk substitute—she couldn’t remember what kind, exactly—poured over it. But first, there were a few things she needed to say.

  “Callie, I am so, so sorry,” she said. “I know you must hate me right now for ruining your life.”

  “Well, as you pointed out last night,” Callie said as she lifted her mug, “I was the one who couldn’t hide my magic.”

  “I know, but you would never have been using it in the first place if I hadn’t gone to that party to speak to you. I thought I was doing the right thing passing on those letters. The person who was supposed to deliver them was killed, and since I ended up with them, it felt like my responsibility. I thought you—and the others—would want to know the truth. But—

  “Hey, you can stop with all the teenage melodrama, okay? You didn’t ruin my life.” Callie sighed. “I don’t exactly have much of a life to ruin.”

  Ridley raised her eyebrows at that. Clearly she wasn’t the only one prone to ‘teenage melodrama.’ But she was supposed to be apologizing, so she decided not to say that bit out loud.

  “I’m thirty-four,” Callie continued. “I’m not married, I barely have any friends, and I spend most of my life hiding at home. I’m not exactly living. I thought it counted as living because at least I wasn’t trapped underground in this place. I could breathe fresh air and feel the rain on my skin and see the sky. Well, on the odd occasion when it’s visible through the clouds. But since I got here last night, I’ve used so many conjurations—just simple things I used to take for granted before the Cataclysm—that I feel … I don’t know. Like I’m alive for the first time in years. As if I’ve been half asleep, and now something’s woken me up.”

  Ridley couldn’t help the grin that spread across her face as Callie spoke. “That’s amazing. I’m so relieved you feel that way. Oh, wait, have you let people see that the magic you’re using is coming from inside you?”

  “No, no, no.” Callie shook her head. “When I spoke to Christa last night, it seemed like even the people who live down here using magic have no idea that elementals exist. She told me to keep that part to myself, so that’s what I’m doing. I’ve just been pulling magic from the air like everyone else around h
ere, and even just to do that is so …” A smile lit up her face. “It’s so incredibly liberating.”

  “So you don’t hate me after all?”

  “No, I don’t hate you.”

  “Well, that’s really great to hear,” Ridley said, picking up her spoon and stirring her cereal. She shoveled some into her mouth as Callie sipped from her mug. Then she lowered it and crossed her arms on the table.

  “Of course, it’s all still a lot to take in,” she continued, “and I feel like I left my old life very abruptly. I obviously didn’t have time to put things in order. Like, how do I access my bank accounts now? They—the government, police, this Shadow Society—will be watching. So even though I’m excited, I’m also feeling completely disorganized. And also … there’s this voice in the back of my mind saying, ‘Are you really going to stay here? You’ve never wanted to live underground. There’s a world of people out there just like you. Why don’t you go and look for them?’”

  Ridley lowered her spoon and swallowed her current mouthful of cereal. “You’re talking about what the letter said at the end? About going into the wastelands and looking for the elementals?”

  “Yes. It’s completely ludicrous, of course. I’d never survive out there on my own. But … I don’t know.” She stared down into her mug. “It’s like … I’ve finally discovered what I really am, but I still have to hide what I can do, even here in this magical underworld. So what’s the point in staying here? If I want to be free to live the way I was meant to live, then I should go out there and find the others.”

  “If you’re serious about that,” Ridley said, “you should talk to my dad. We’re leaving soon. He doesn’t want to find the elementals, but I do. If I can convince him that that’s where we should go, then you can come with us.”

  Callie’s soft brown eyes were wide now. “Really? So—that’s—wow, you mean this might actually happen? We might actually be able to live with our own kind?”

  “Yes. I hope so.”

  “Okay,” Callie answered. “I’m definitely interested.”

  Dad seemed to keep himself busy for most of the day, and Ridley began to wonder if he was avoiding her on purpose. Avoiding having to speak about where they should go. It was late in the afternoon when she finally saw him again. She and Callie were in the beach rec room, playing around with various conjurations, reveling in the fact that they could pull magic and use it without bothering to check whether anyone was watching. I don’t have to be afraid, Ridley kept telling herself. As long as it’s not my own magic that slips out. Ember the cat was curled on the couch between them, pretending to sleep and occasionally swatting at wisps of magic. Callie had been a little freaked out when she first saw the animal’s glowing blue eyes and second pair of ears. But after Ember had twisted around her legs a few times, Callie seemed to warm to her.

  Ridley glanced up as someone entered the room. “Dad,” she called, waving to him as he looked around.

  “Oh, there you are,” he said. He crossed the room and took a seat on the almost threadbare armchair beside the couch.

  Ridley was about to introduce him to Callie when Callie said, “Do I know you? You seem really familiar.”

  “Oh, uh, Maverick Kayne,” Dad said. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “Perhaps you remember me from before the Cataclysm when I used to design—”

  “Yes! Oh my goodness. It’s you. Of course I remember you.” Callie beamed at him. “For my very first awards event, I wore these gold wrist cuffs you designed. They had this intricate filigree flower design, and each of the metal flowers—well, they were buds, I suppose—had gold petals that slowly opened and closed. They were absolutely exquisite.”

  “Ah, yes, I remember those,” Dad said with a smile. “Each flower had a diamond at its center, so the cuffs sparkled when the flowers were open.”

  “Yes, those ones.” Callie was sitting forward eagerly now. “I still have them. Well, they’re at my house, so I suppose I don’t exactly have them anymore.” Her smile slipped a little. “Anyway, I’m Callie.” She reached across Ridley to shake Dad’s hand. “It’s so amazing to actually meet you. Back in the day, everyone wanted to wear something designed by you.”

  Now Dad’s smile was fading. “That hasn’t been the case for years, I’m afraid.”

  Callie sighed. “Yeah, and I haven’t sung in public or produced any new music in years. The Cataclysm pretty much ruined everything.”

  Dad nodded. Callie slowly ran her hand along Ember’s back.

  “Well, anyway,” Ridley said in a bright voice, determined to banish the depressing mood that seemed to be settling over them. “Are you finished with all the things you needed to fix, Dad? You were busier for longer than I expected.”

  “Oh, yes, almost.” Dad straightened and leaned back in his chair. “It was actually a watch that took up most of the afternoon. It belonged to Christa’s grandfather and stopped working a few years ago. She asked if I could take a look at it.”

  “Okay. Well, uh, remember how we were going to discuss where we should go when we leave here?”

  Dad sighed. “Yes, I remember.”

  “Perhaps we should do that now.”

  “Yes, I suppose we should. Shall we go up to the room and talk there?”

  “Well, actually, Callie might want to come with us, so we may as well talk here.” Dad’s eyes moved to Callie, then back to Ridley. Hesitation was plain on his face. “She’s like me,” Ridley told Dad before he could argue. “She’s the one I was speaking to at the party last night. She’s the one the police probably would have shot if I hadn’t got her out of there. She wants to find the—” Ridley paused, her eyes darting around the room. There weren’t too many other people around, but it was always possible someone might be listening in. “Them,” she finally said, because Dad would know who she was talking about.

  “I see,” he responded, still sounding reserved.

  “Dad, please. I know you’re afraid of living with a magical community. You’re afraid we’re going to end up caught because there are so many people in one place using magic together. But things aren’t the way they used to be. The world is so fragmented since the Cataclysm. No one’s going to find us out there in the wastelands. Sure, the Shadow Society might be looking, but they have no idea where to look. And I just …” She reached out and took his hand. “I want to go somewhere I can be myself. I’m so tired of hiding who I am. I don’t want to be afraid of it anymore. I just want to be … me.”

  Dad looked away, but not before Ridley saw a sheen of tears glistening in his eyes. Moments passed before he finally looked at her again. “I know,” he said quietly. “You’re right. I can’t keep …” He shook his head and sighed. “We need to go to them. Seeing you in so much pain last night … I didn’t realize you reacted that badly to using your own magic. It isn’t supposed to be that way, and I think it’s my fault. I never taught you what you needed to know. I thought I was teaching you to be careful, but in the end, I was just teaching you to be afraid.” His hand squeezed hers. “I’m sorry.”

  “Dad, it’s …” Ridley cleared her throat. “I don’t blame you. I promise I don’t. I know you were only trying to keep me safe.” After a moment of quiet passed, she added, “So you’re really okay with us going to find them? Going with Archer?”

  “Yes.”

  Ridley scooted further forward and wrapped her arms around her father. “Thank you. Thank you, thank you.”

  As she sat back, Callie leaned across the couch toward them. “So, um … I’m probably intruding on a private moment here, but I just want to check if I can come with.”

  Ridley looked at Dad. He nodded. “Yes, I suppose so. If you’re also wanting to go, then you may as well travel with us.”

  “Yes. Thank you.” She pushed her golden curls behind one ear as she grinned. “This is so scary. But so exciting. I thought the rest of my life would be exactly as it’s been since the Cataclysm, and I’d probably end up dying alone
in the same house I’ve been in forever, and now everything has changed. I can’t believe—” She stopped, her eyes widening as they focused somewhere behind Ridley. “Is that Archer Davenport?”

  Ridley twisted around and saw him walking into the room. Her stomach did a weird flip-flop thing as his eyes landed on her, which she decided to blame on hunger. After all, her lunch hadn’t been much bigger than her breakfast, so hunger wasn’t out of the question. “Back so soon?” she teased.

  He grinned. “Yep, and I brought someone with.” As he moved further into the room, Ridley caught sight of the person behind him.

  “Malachi,” she said in surprise.

  “I heard you were planning a wild wasteland road trip, and I didn’t want to miss out,” he said.

  Beside Ridley, Dad let out a quiet groan. “Uh, who is this?”

  “Oh, Dad, this is Malachi,” she said as Archer and Malachi reached them. “Remember I mentioned him last night? He’s the first one I found.”

  “I told him where you were headed,” Archer said. “Probably headed, that is, since I wasn’t quite sure you’d decided yet. Anyway, he insisted on coming to talk to you.”

  “Yeah, I’d like to go with,” Malachi said as he and Archer sat on the couch opposite Ridley and Callie.

  “Are you sure?” Ridley asked. “Do you really want to leave behind your entire life here in Lumina City? Because unlike us, no one’s looking for you.”

  “I’m sure,” Malachi said. “I’m tired of hiding. Besides, I’m used to hitting ‘restart’ on my life. I can do it again.”

  “Ridley,” Dad said quietly. “This is not how we were planning to do things.”

  “I know,” she answered in a low voice, “but what’s the difference if we have one more person?”

  “Can I just get some clarification on something quickly?” Callie asked. “No one else is freaked out by the fact that there’s a Davenport sitting right here? You know, from one of the most outspoken anti-magic families in the city?”