“We won’t need to.” He goes in for another kiss, this time more passionate and urgent.
My jeans are quickly pulled away from my body and he slowly removes his own jeans. For a few seconds we just lie there, unsure of what to do before he slowly pulls down my underwear, staring at my naked body, making me feel self-conscious.
“You’re beautiful, you know that?” He kisses me softly, making me blush unintentionally.
“Not everyone would agree with you.”
“People have different tastes. My taste is you.” He reaches over to the drawers beside us and pulls out a red wrapper. “I’ve been practising, so hopefully this should be a smooth process.”
“You’re gonna have a hard time putting it on with your boxers on.”
He glances down at his crotch, where a large bulge is now noticeable. “Point taken.” With a grunt, he removes his underwear, and now we’re both completely naked.
“Um, will it… fit? You know, inside?” I glance down at his penis, which looks nothing like the cartoons I was shown as a kid during sex education.
“Yes, it’ll be fine. Just relax and enjoy yourself.”
“Shouldn’t I be comforting you?”
“I’m pretty calm, you know.” The condom slides on with a little effort, and my heart starts to pump wildly at what we’re about to do. “I’m not scared, Haze. I’m excited. I love you and I want to do this with you. Ready?”
Nodding excitedly, I’m unable to suppress a gasp as it slips in.
It feels weird.
The whole process is over in about a minute. Marco flops down beside me, letting out a satisfied sigh as he wraps his arms around me.
“That was a lot better than I thought it would be,” I finally say.
“Told you to enjoy yourself. Though I’m sorry I didn’t last very long,” he mutters in my ear.
“I did. It doesn’t matter. How long are you supposed to last anyway?”
“We can go for round two if you want….” He kisses my neck softly.
“What time is it?”
Rolling over to glance at his phone, he lets out an annoyed sigh. “You’ve got half an hour until dragon training.”
“Maybe after.”
My boyfriend grins and releases his grip on me. “I would go pee and wash your womanly bits. Gotta make sure you’re fresh as a daisy. What are you learning today anyway?”
“Mr Knight told us he wanted to show us how to trap people in balls of water.”
“That’s an attack move.” He rests his head on my shoulder, disappointment glinting in his eyes.
“I know. I’m in Year Two now, remember?”
“Yeah, I know. Next year you’ll be flying Aqueous. It’s so cool. Drea and I could take you guys up and we can fuck in the sky.”
“As if Drea would let you do that.”
“Oh, shit. I better let her in.” He flies towards the door, still naked, and allows his companion to walk in.
She looks between the two of us suspiciously for a few seconds, before a knowing light glows in her pink eyes. An amused smirk grows on her face as she looks down at Marco clutching his crotch.
“You don’t need to look so superior,” Marco pats her head. “We were bound to do it sometime.”
Drea chirps her agreement before winking at me and settling back down in her bed, though I can see she has no intention of sleeping.
* * *
“Okay, class. Watch me carefully,” Mr Knight instructs, pointing to a wooden dummy a few yards in front of him. “I’m going to trap that dummy in water, and hold it for thirty seconds.”
“Won’t that drown someone?” Yvonne pipes up.
Mr Knight ignores her question and raises his hands, a thick stream of water slowly crawling up his arms into his outstretched fingers. With a flick of the wrist, the water flies towards the dummy, quickly engulfing it in a ball of water. The constant stream from Mr Knight’s hands does not waver until the ball is big enough to cover the entire dummy. Sweat beads form on his forehead as he holds this position, trying hard not to lose concentration. After a few more seconds, he steps back, the ball sloshing on the floor and the dummy collapsing into a wet heap.
“There. It’s hard to master but I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it. Ask your companions for help if needs be. Now, I will have a one to one with everyone above commoner status, so Hazel, please practise this move until you have mastered it.”
“What happened to the protectors?” Yvonne asks for the thousandth time since they left. “They were so good.”
“They said they were no longer needed and left.”
“But they are still needed; there are still far too many filthy commoners around here.”
Several eyes burn into me at the mention of that, but I say nothing and instead prop the dummy back up, ready to start practising. Mr Knight ushers the rest of the group away, obviously teaching them something more advanced than what I’m allowed to learn. Aqueous headbutts my back softly, looking up at me with his turquoise eyes filled with concern.
“It doesn’t matter, Aqueous. We can always ask Marco and Drea to teach us what they won’t.”
Aqueous grins cheekily and nods his approval. We both take a few steps back from the dummy and I ready myself for the advanced move. This is going to be hard to master.
I raise my hands like Mr Knight did, and a pool of water forms at my elbows, slowly slinking towards my hands. Once I feel that enough has gathered, I shoot it at the dummy, only succeeding in knocking it back a few inches.
“Oops. Let’s try that again.”
My companion barks and shoots a stream of clear water at the dummy, managing to engulf its torso in water before it dissipates.
“You’re so much better at this than me.”
Aqueous nods enthusiastically, his eyes glinting with amusement. I raise my hands and try again, this time managing to create a small ball around the torso and pelvis before I lose concentration.
“Hey, I’m getting better.”
After an hour or so, I perfect the move for a few seconds, successfully ‘drowning’ the dummy in the water I create. I hold it for a few seconds and then let it go, the dummy crashing to the ground.
“You got lucky, Miss Adams.”
Both Aqueous and I jump at the sound of Mr Reedman’s voice. “Um, thank you.”
“That wasn’t a compliment. Mr White was too soft on you last year and now you can’t even do a basic offensive move.”
“Mr Knight said it was advanced,” I argue.
He scoffs and Eruption snorts next to him. “It should be easy for a student who was mentored properly last year.”
Before I can think of a comeback they both slink off, glancing at me with amusement.
“Dickheads,” I mutter, Aqueous yapping his agreement next to me. “Well, at least class is over. We can go back home now.”
* * *
After dinner, I went back to my room to do homework, but someone soon knocks on my door. When I open it, Drea squeezes inside, making Aqueous curl himself around his bed defensively, thinking the white dragon might kick him off it.
“Hey.” Marco cups my face and kisses me before letting himself in and shutting the door behind him.
“You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m just a little tired. But I wanted to hang out with you for a bit. Are you doing homework?”
“Yeah, chemistry. Can you help?”
His brown eyes light up. Science is one of his best subjects. “Sure, fire away.”
With Marco there it only takes half an hour to complete, and I’m thankful that someone was able to help with the weird symbols and tables in my textbook.
“Thanks for helping me.”
“I’m your boyfriend; it’s what I do.” He kisses my cheek and looks me up and down thoughtfully. “How are you feeling?”
“About what?”
“Everything. You’ve got a lot on your plate for a sixteen-year-old.”
“I’ll be sevente
en soon,” I tease.
“I know, but I want you to know that I’m here.”
“I know.”
Grabbing my hand and squeezing it softly, he says: “I don’t want you to get hurt. Those Wyrms…” He shivers at the thought. “They’re dangerous.”
“I know.” I vividly remember how they suggested that I strangle him and I shiver too. “But they haven’t hurt us since.”
“Because we haven’t seen them. They took the dragon horns, and I’m still not sure why.” He nods towards our companion’s foreheads, which have now completely healed, although the sewn-on scales still don’t look completely natural.
“I’m sure we’ll find out one day.”
Although he nods, he doesn’t completely agree with me. There is a chance that we won’t find out what the Wyrms wanted with the horns, but I’m going to try to find out.
14
Chapter Fourteen
For a few months, everything is fine. The winter exam season flies by, and I pass all my exams, although only just. I haven’t been summoned by Draca again since the night at the hotel, which I am grateful for because the dragon still makes me feel uneasy. There is no more word about how we are supposed to defeat the Wyrms, apart from Draca telling Braith that ‘we need to wait’.
“Come on Violet, you can do it.” I encourage the ginger girl as she ducks her head in disappointment.
“I just can’t concentrate on a single element,” she sighs. “It’s random each time.”
Violet is still struggling with mastering even one element. Whenever she tries she has no control. Even Mr Stirling is getting tired of teaching her.
“Come on, last try. Create a wind barrier around yourself.”
With an exasperated sigh, Violet sinks to her knees and closes her eyes. I remember perfecting this move with Marco. With a pang I realise that I miss being mentored by him, even if the stuff I’m learning now is more fun due to my strengthened ability. Violet raises her arms slowly over herself, a fiery wall forming around her body.
“Why can’t I do it?” she cries, the fire vanishing.
“Don’t beat yourself up; you have eight elements in your head.”
“Miss Samuels, do you think you’ll ever get better?”
“Miss Adams, do you realise how badly this is reflecting on you as her teacher?”
“Miss Samuels! Let your dragon try!”
The reporters scream crazily as Violet stands up, shooting them a scowl.
“Come on, ignore them.”
“How can I? When will they go away?” Violet huffs.
“I don’t know. Let Utopia try to create a barrier.”
The silver dragon springs to her feet, stretching her pale pink wings excitedly. She has so many markings on her that she looks like a wall of graffiti. Some of the markings even overlap each other. Violet’s have spread all over her body too; she wears long-sleeved jackets to cover the ones on her arms.
“Fine, Utopia, you try,” the ginger girl mutters to her companion.
Utopia ducks her head as bolts of electricity shoot over her, encasing her in an electrical barrier. The dragon sighs and looks up once more, the electricity sparking before dying out.
“I know you two struggle,” I pat Utopia on the snout as she snorts in disappointment, “but you’ll get there someday.”
“I don’t think so,” Violet argues, her grey eyes filling with tears.
“Don’t cry…”
“Is the lesson over yet?” she sniffs.
With a quick glance around the field, I see that most students are still here, but with the state Violet is in, it’s best that we stop.
“Yeah, it’s over. Let’s go home, okay?”
The girl and her dragon nod feebly as they trudge back towards the camp. Aqueous and I swap a tired glance before following. I’m not sure what to do other than encourage her, but she’s losing hope. While I’m stuck in my thoughts, a reporter rushes out into the field and grabs Violet by the arm.
“Miss Samuels, how does it feel being able to control eight elements?” He thrusts a microphone in her face as a cameraman rushes up behind him.
“Leave me alone!” Violet yanks her arm away, but he freezes her feet in place with dense ice.
“I will, once you answer our questions,” he warns, pushing the microphone in her face once more.
“Go away!” The bloodcurdling scream that explodes from Violet terrifies me.
Before I can step in, both men burst into flames. They run around screaming as their flesh starts to burn.
“Aqueous!” I shout, and my companion nods knowingly beside me.
The black dragon shoots up into the air and widens his mouth as far as he can, shooting out water like a waterfall as he flies overhead the burning men, quenching the elemental fire. The sight of them makes me want to vomit. Most of their clothes have been singed off, and their skin is badly blistered. The smell of burnt flesh makes me feel dizzy, but Aqueous steadies me.
“Call an ambulance!” Mr Stirling yells, waving his arms wildly as the two men collapse to the ground, their mouths open in a gurgling groan.
The rest of the reporters mob the two men, sticking their cameras in their faces and recapping the details of the fire. Violet stands off to the side, mouth agape, looking as if she’s about to pass out. Mr Stirling pushes the reporters back with a blast of wind, just as four dragons carrying white stretchers and wearing red crosses around their necks land next to the two men. They are carried off in the direction of the hospital, but the stench of their flesh burning remains stuck in my nostrils.
“You!” Mr Stirling screeches, pointing a bony finger at Aqueous and me. “What have you done?”
“N-nothing! I’m water, I put them out!” I cry, throwing my hands up innocently.
The anger towards me is terrifying. The old man is usually so sweet, and to see him like this makes me want to shit myself. Why he is blaming me, anyway? He can see by the swirls on Aqueous’ face and feet that I’m water.
“It was me,” Violet mumbles, tears pouring down her cheeks. “I didn’t mean to… I’m so sorry…”
“No, it’s okay,” Mr Stirling wraps an arm around the crying girl’s shoulders before turning to look venomously at me. “Why haven’t you taught her to control her elements?”
“I-”
“Silence!” His shout makes me jump and my heart leaps into my throat, pumping as if it’s going to explode in my chest.
“It’s not her fault!” Violet cries. “She’s been trying really hard, but I just can’t control them!”
“I have had enough of you being taught by this… this… creature.”
His words make me flinch and tears burn my eyes. He’s usually so nice. What has changed?
“No!” Violet pulls away from him, stamping her feet. “There’s nothing wrong with her! It was me! I set them on fire!”
“You should have been taught to control your anger!” he growls. “Hazel Adams, you are no longer teaching Violet. I am also banning you from ever inflicting your pitiful lessons on another student. Get out of my sight, you filthy, disgusting commoner.”
“But-” I begin, only to get cut off as he takes a threatening step towards me.
“Now!”
Before I can move, I’m thrust up into the air by a gale-force wind. Mr Stirling has his hand raised, and a crooked smile grows on his face. Instead of blowing me away from the field, he thrusts his arm upwards, sending me flying into the sky. Within seconds everyone on the field starts to shrink to the size of ants and my breath catches in my throat. The air is so thin that breathing becomes a great effort. But what horrifies me most is when I begin to plummet to the ground.
“Oh God!” I scream as the earth rushes towards me.
All the colours on the field merge into a single grassy green as I zoom towards the ground.
I’m going to die.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I wait for the sickening crunch of my bones breaking when something rams into my
chest, knocking the breath out of me. I almost scream for joy at the sight of my companion, who is clutching me in his arms and batting his wings. He yelps as we slowly sink, shifting me so I can hold onto his neck. I think he wants me to ride him. Swinging my leg over onto his back, I’m able to manoeuvre myself into a sitting position, with my arms clinging to his neck. Without any prompting, Aqueous clumsily flaps over the field and towards the forest next to it.
He’s taking us home. We quickly sink closer and closer to the ground, but Aqueous is able to land us on a flat area a few minutes away from the Krystalan headquarters. As soon as we hit the ground I ungracefully slide off him, thankful to feel solid earth under my feet again.
“Thank you!” I throw my arms around my companion and he pulls me in, quietly yapping in my ear. For a few minutes we stay locked together, until shouts in the forest grab our attention.
“They went this way!” an unfamiliar voice screams.
“Kill them!” another one shouts back.
My companion and I duck into a bush as several dragons fly over our heads, howling for joy at the hunt.
“Come on, they could be controlled by the Wyrms for all we know. We need to get home. Ariel has those defence things, yeah?”
Aqueous nods beside me as the dragons fly in the opposite direction, scouring the ground hungrily. Ariel has been building up the defences of the headquarters ever since a break-in attempt by Cindaraans a few weeks ago. If that isn’t enough then I’m hoping that someone will be home. The crashes and shouts behind us get louder as we run through the thick forest, jumping over logs and tripping in holes in the ground.
I choke back a sob at the sight of the mint green building. I quickly throw open the front door and slam it behind me once Aqueous has squeezed in after me. Just as it shuts I see three people break through the foliage and point at us.
“Where’s the button?” I fumble around behind some of the paintings hung up in the room before pulling one back and hitting the red button behind it. Sirens blare, and I cover my ears at the noise. The people outside are banging on the door, screaming to be let in.
“What’s going on? Did you press the panic button?” Ariel jogs down the hallway, Galaxy in tow.
Venom and Earth Page 11