Seasons Within Box Set

by Lele Iturrioz

  “In what country is that city?”

  “No, we are not from Earth,” explained Veter.

  G knew her next question was beyond stupid but after a lifetime of watching crazy movies with Priyam, she needed to be sure, “Are we… aliens?”

  Veter slammed the table with his huge hand. “Who said alien?”

  Hunter lifted his hand excited, Veter and Donovan took out some bills and gave them to Hunter. “Damn you,” murmured Veter. Willow sighed at their childish behavior.

  “I apologize for them; and no, we’re not aliens,” said Shui. “We are from a place called Terra. A place that is shared in this universe by what you know as planet Earth. What affects Terra affects Earth and vice-versa.”

  G leaned forward, her brow furrowed as she tried to make sense of what she was learning. “Earth and Terra are the same planet?”

  “Yes. Just with a different essence,” said Shui.

  “Why are they separated?” asked G while Hunter stood up and left through the back door, happily counting his money.

  Donovan sat down in front of G. “A war, long time ago.”

  G had a flashback of her nightmare: the castle made of pearls, the people controlling the elements, the horrible beasts. Now she understood that the place she saw didn’t look like Earth because it wasn’t Earth, it was Terra. “Was that the war I dream about?”

  “No,” said Donovan. “The war in your dreams was twelve years ago, started by a very dark wielder in order to find you.”

  G felt the air get sucked out of her lungs. Yesterday she was a semi-regular high school student. Today she was a being from another realm with a price on her life. “Who?”

  The Six turned towards Edan as if they were looking for permission. Edan took a second, pondering if telling G, or anyone, His name was a good idea or not. “They call him Azazel,” he said and everyone flinched at his name.

  “Why does Azazel want to find me?”

  Once again, The Six looked at Edan for permission. “He doesn’t want to find you, he wants to kill you,” he said. This time, Donovan shook his head against his answer.

  “Why?!”

  Edan glared at G. “Does it matter?”

  “How can that not matter?” she rebelled.

  “As you can see,” Veter jumped in to prevent them from fighting, “in Terra we can manipulate elements. Mostly everyone, when they turn five, starts developing one element, just one. Edan has fire, Willow has earth, Shui has water, and I have wind,” Veter smiled. “You have them all.”

  “Not only are you the only one who can you manipulate all the elements and animals, but you are also the only one who can create them,” added Shui.

  “Me? That’s crazy.”

  “It obviously feels that way to you now because you are weak and untrained,” said Edan while his eyelids raised in a stare “But you will get there.”

  Some part of G was afraid of this being true. Another part was more afraid to lose this new identity. If this was true, no matter how crazy it sounded, it meant she now knew who she was. And who she was, was special. Who she was, was a girl with a place she belonged to. “What if you got the wrong person?” she offered, biting her lower lip.

  Shui took G’s right hand and flipped it over revealing her Five Fold symbol birthmark. “You have the birthmark of our queen.”

  “I’m your queen?”

  “You will be, one day,” said Shui, smiling with reverence for who G would become.

  “No, you’re wrong. I can only do fire and that was my first time.”

  “Fire was the first to come out, the rest will come later,” said Shui.

  “No. I can’t be. I’m absolutely regular,” G protested. “I don’t have a past. I have a tumor and have some weird luck with nature-related things.”

  “You don’t have a tumor, the mass in your brain was just your power being contained by the necklace,” Shui explained with a soft tone, one G imagined a mother would use in a delicate situation. “Nature follows you because it recognizes you, not because of any luck.”

  G stared at the warm cup of tea. “I don’t even have a name.”

  “Actually, you do. You are known by many names; Toci, Isis, Anu, Nerthus, Mother Goddess, Mother Nature, and many others,” said Donovan.

  Edan’s intense eyes locked with G’s. “We know you by the name of Gaia.”

  Ja-ee-ah...she let the sound of her full name roll around in her head. She touched her neck where the locket with the engraved ‘G’ used to be. She trailed a ‘G’ on her skin with her index finger. For twelve years she’d never knew or heard her name, not until today.

  G of Gaia…

  Gaia was still lost in thought when Icarus glided back into the house. He squeaked in Donovan’s ear. “Edan, we have a problem.” Everyone looked at Donovan. “The Marked One’s still alive.”

  Chapter 9

  Cutting Ties

  THE TREE’S LEAVES SMACKED HER FACE and the snow wet her clothes. Gaia shivered, wishing she had grabbed a warmer sweater, but there was no time for that. She had run so fast after Edan and Veter that she forgot to bring something warmer with her.

  She picked up her pace trying to keep up with them. A strong wind hit Gaia’s bare shoulder and made her gnash her teeth. “Who’s alive and when has that ever been a problem?” she asked. No one answered her.

  “How is this possible?” Veter asked Edan. Veter seemed calmed as always, except for his rough voice that gave Gaia a reason to feel nervous. “She’s human: the mark should’ve killed her.”

  “Whatever the reason, it didn’t,” said Edan.

  “Who is alive?!” Gaia asked again. This time Edan turned around and faced her.

  “It’s none of your business and you are not coming with us. Go back to the house.” Edan stopped. “Why did Willow and Shui let you go?”

  “I ordered them,” Gaia admitted.

  “You ordered them? Get back to the damned house and stop ordering irrational things. You are not queen yet!”

  “I’m not going back,” she rebutted.

  Edan tried to fight back when he suddenly became aware of Gaia’s lack of warm clothes. He looked at her shoulders and noticed her body shivering, “Next time, make sure you are ready to go before you go ordering people.” Edan took off his grey coat and let it fall on top of her head. “Put this on and stay here.” Gaia slid the coat over her head and shoved her arms into the sleeves. It looked so big on her.

  Edan turned to Veter. “Don’t let her pass. I’ll handle it.”

  Edan walked behind a big rock and saw Synthia trying to fight Hunter. “Move away, you freak!” She hit him with all her might but Hunter barely flinched.

  Hunter, who was standing a few feet from Donovan, saw Edan’s expression and jumped in front of Synthia in order to protect her.

  “We have to,” said Edan but Hunter didn’t move. “Hunter, move!”

  “No.” Hunter refused with a single hand gesture.

  Synthia saw Edan and tried to run to him, Hunter pulled her back for her own safety. “Mr. Blau? What is happening?! Who are these people?”

  Edan got closer and Hunter stopped him again. “You don’t know what could happen if we let her live.” Edan tried to reason with the teen but he shook his head, set on his decision. “What about the consequences?” asked Edan.

  “I can live with the consequences,” Hunter signed and placed his hand on his chest.

  “I know you can, but I can’t.” Edan closed his eyes and pointed his hand towards Synthia. “I’m sorry, Hunter, but I’m not risking it.”

  “Synthia?” Gaia gasped at the sight of Synthia’s white skin covered in dirt and noticed the circle with a horizontal line horribly burnt to her chest.

  Edan turned and saw Gaia. Irritated, he turned and glared at Veter. Edan was unmistakably angry; Veter had disobeyed him and let Gaia pass.

  Synthia took advantage of everyone being distracted, ran and tackled Gaia. “YOU!” she crawled on top of Gaia and sla
pped her. “You did this to me!”

  “Princeza!” With one hand, Veter snatched Synthia away from Gaia. Donovan helped her stand up.

  “Did I?” Gaia gasped for breath. “Did I do that?”

  “No. She did it herself.” Without second guessing his actions, Edan stood in front Synthia and lifted his hand. A ball of fire formed on his palm. “I’m sorry,” he said and he meant it.

  Finally understanding who was supposed to be dead and why they didn’t want her to come, Gaia leaped in front of Synthia. “STOP! What do you think you are doing!?”

  “Killing her,” answered Edan without lowering his hand.

  “Yes, I can see that!” Gaia couldn’t understand why nobody was doing anything about it. “Why?!”

  Move… he begged in his thoughts. “She has to die. She has the mark of Theta.”

  “So what?!”

  “The mark is a curse,” explained Edan. “Your locket was going to open a year after you reached your Eighteenth Spring, but out of her stupidity, she broke it, releasing you before time. Ultimately every act of selfishness comes with a price.”

  “Death?!”

  Veter coughed. Trying to be discrete, he whispered to Gaia, “Thanatos literally means death.”

  “Oh…Still, killing her is not OK.”

  Edan lowered his head and squeezed the back of his neck trying to release some tension. Even though it needed to be done, he hated what he was about to do and Gaia wasn’t helping. “She has put you in danger.”

  “It was just a necklace”

  “No, it wasn’t. It was a shield,” shouted Edan, shocking everyone. “By hiding your essence the locket was also hiding you. Now that your essence is free, Azazel can track you down. We have Hunter, so that’s not much of a problem, but that mark is like a having a bloody tracking device.”

  “He can sense it and he will find it no matter where it goes.” Veter placed a hand on Gaia’s shoulder, trying to move her. “She needs to die.”

  “No she doesn’t!” She slapped Veter’s hand away. “We can leave her here.”

  “Are you serious? And let him find her?” Edan lowered his hand and walked inches away from Gaia. “What do you think he is going to do to her when He finds her and sees she’s not with you? Shake hands and leave?”

  “No…”

  “No! He is going to make medieval torture feel like a vacation. And right before killing her he will extract all of her memories and see everything she’s lived. Including this talk!” Edan pushed Gaia away and placed his hand directly to Synthia’s chest.

  “What? No!? Please don’t kill me!” she begged, her eyes dripping black and orange tears from the excess of makeup.

  “You should have thought about it earlier when Gaia was telling you to back off.” Edan was about to fire when a rock slapped him in the face.

  He turned around and saw Gaia with another rock. “I said no!” she yelled. “I understand it’s a risk, but if we kill her, then we’re no better than He is.” Gaia walked to Synthia and took her by the hand. “We are taking her.”

  “No!” he refused.

  Without fear, Gaia took a step closer to Edan. “Edan! I said we are taking her, so we are taking her.”

  Excited by the events, Donovan tapped Veter’s back. “I told him she was going to whoop his ass.” They both smiled at the show.

  Hunter, proud of Gaia, stood next to her, shielding Synthia from Edan. “Don’t do it,” Hunter signed to Edan.

  “I agree with them,” said Donovan.

  Edan threw his hands up in surrender. “Fine! You have twenty minutes to pack your stuff and say goodbye.”

  “Twenty minutes!?” Gaia’s gray eyes opened wide. “What girl can pack in twenty minutes?”

  “You want to bring the Marked One, so yes, we need to leave and fast.”

  “Ok, I’ll be fast, but you’re coming with me,” she commanded him. “I don’t trust you alone with her.”

  Edan wanted to refuse but after her constant questions and acts of defiance, he knew Gaia was too stubborn to let him stay. “Take her,” he said pointing to Synthia, the Marked One. “Follow Hunter’s safe trail, and go back to the camp house. I’ll see you there once we’re done.”

  “Yes, Sir,” they all nodded and parted ways.

  * * *

  Gaia and Edan walked to the orphanage. The street lights shone too bright for them to use the roads so they snuck through the forest to avoid being detected by any dark beasts; and yes… awkward, couldn’t even begin to describe the moment.

  Edan studied Gaia’s forced movements and frowning expressions. “Odd,” he murmured.

  “What’s odd?” she asked curtly. This man was an expert on inciting her irritation.

  Edan gave Gaia a last look before he answered. Always needing to be sure before speaking his mind, “You look angry.”

  “I’m next to you,” she flashed a mocking smile. “What’s odd about me looking angry?”

  “Irrelevant to that fact, after all that happened, I imagine you would be shocked or baffled, not angry.”

  Gaia stopped cold and glared at Edan. “Well, I am angry!”

  “Why?” he asked. Gaia couldn’t tell if he was serious about not knowing or if he was making fun of her.

  “Why?!!” she chose the second option. “Besides you almost killing someone I know, all those days I asked you about me and interrogated you about your past, and you treated me like a crazy person… all that time you knew?”

  “Of course I knew.” He looked around to see if they were being followed. The forest wasn’t safe now and Gaia’s screaming wasn’t helping. “We should keep moving. The longer we take… the more dangerous it will get.”

  Gaia refused to walk. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me?”

  Edan covered her mouth. “You are too damn loud.” he hissed between his teeth and scanned their surroundings. “I didn’t tell you because you weren’t supposed to know.”

  Gaia grabbed Edan’s hand and moved it away from her mouth. “According to who, was I not supposed to know?”

  “It’s according to ‘whom’, and the correct answer to your question is me.”

  “And just like that?” she screamed. Edan’s green eyes opened wide. Gaia realized she was in fact being too loud. “You decided not to tell me anything about me and my life?” she whispered with fury.

  Edan smiled to fuel her anger. “Yes. Just like that.”

  “Who died and named you king?” she hissed.

  “Your mother,” he said, and they both became quiet. This was the first time Gaia had ever heard someone talk about her mother. The flawless face of the woman in her dreams flashed in Gaia’s mind. She hoped Edan was talking about her.

  Edan took a deep breath in order to relax. “And she didn’t name me king, she named me your guardian.”

  “Well…” Gaia mumbled and obediently continued her way to the orphanage. The thought of her mother trusting Edan gave her peace and frustration at the same time. She hated the idea of Edan ordering her around but she wanted to believe her mother had good reasons to name him guardian. Even if she found him annoying as hell, there was something impressive about him, too; something she would never admit to him, especially not now. “And that makes you my guardian?”

  He nodded. “And your teacher.”

  “Not anymore. I don’t know if you’ve heard but I kind of burned the school down,” she said with a little hint of humor.

  “I meant for your power. And if you don’t start walking now, I swear I will knock you down and drag you all the way to your room,” he growled.

  “Seriously?”

  Edan grabbed her by the arm. “Yes, I will.”

  “I meant the teaching part.”

  “Oh, yes.” He let go as he calmed down a bit. “What did you think we were sent here for?”

  Gaia walked once again. “You’re going to teach me how to learn my powers?”

  “Not learn them, wield them,” he corrected her.
/>   “What’s the difference?”

  “Learn is to acquire knowledge or skill. You already have those skills, you just need to wield them.”

  “I already have the powers?”

  “Indeed.”

  “And you will teach me how to wield them?”

  “Only one. Fire, to be exact.” Edan guided her to the main door.

  Gaia took out a key and unlocked the door. She stopped before opening it and turned to face Edan. “I’m sorry,” Gaia pointed at his red cheek, “for throwing the rock at you.”

  “Don’t be, you throw like a toddler,” he said and leaned against the wall. “I’ll wait here. Try to hurry up.”

  “I’ll try,” she opened the door and walked inside.

  Gaia ran to her room and pushed the door open. “Priy! Are you here?”

  Priyam threw her computer on the mattress and jumped off her bed. “Where the hell have you been!? Are you ok? And what was that?!!” she asked incredibly fast.

  Gaia sprinted to her window and checked that Edan was still waiting for her outside. “We need to talk,” she told Priyam.

  Priyam paced around the room. “You turned up in flames! Of course we need to talk.”

  Gaia took a deep breath and smiled. After all these years of investigating and trying to figure out where she came from, she was able to tell her best friend those five words she always fought to find. “I know who I am,” she said.

  It took Priyam a moment to digest the news. She heard perfectly what Gaia said but the idea of Gaia knowing her identity felt like a dream. “You remembered?” she asked excited.

  “No,” Gaia smiled. “I found people who knew me from before.”

  Priyam dropped down on her bed. “No way,” she gasped.

  Unable to contain her emotion, Gaia paced around the room. “It turns out that my real name is Gaia,” she said.

  “Gaia,” Priyam repeated trying to get a feel for it. “Mmmm… it suits you.”

  “Thanks.” She smiled at her ecstatic friend. “Also… I’m not from Earth, I’m from a place called Terra.”