“You’re okay,” he sighs. “I’m so glad.”
“Thanks,” I mutter as Marco stops to let me catch my breath. “I had no idea I was out so long.”
“Braith visited Draca to ask why,” Isaac confesses. “But he claimed not to know anything.”
“Speaking of Braith,” Marco interrupts. “Do you know where she is?”
“In her room; why?”
My boyfriend huffs, looking up at the stairs. “Stay here, okay?”
“Where else am I gonna go?” I joke, but he doesn’t react as he runs up the stairs.
“Is he okay?” Isaac nods to my boyfriend as he disappears.
“He thinks I’ve got serum failure, whatever that is.”
The blond boy’s face goes pale. “Oh, that’s worrying.”
“Why?” My heart thumps in my chest. “He didn’t tell me what it was; just that he was going to find a cure.”
He shuffles his feet uncomfortably. “There’s an article on the laptop about it. I’ll let them go over it with you.”
I’m unable to ask any more questions as Braith tackles me from behind. “I’m so glad you’re awake!” she slaps my arm. “Don’t scare me like that again!”
“I didn’t know I was out that long!” I argue, but she rolls her eyes.
“We don’t have time for this,” Marco explains with a huff as he jogs back down the staircase, his face paler than before. “We need to examine her, now.”
“Ooh, my favourite part!” Braith claps her hands excitedly.
As they lead me behind the reception area, I feel warmth in my chest at seeing Braith act normally again. The Wyrms were controlling too much of her personality. I was too blind to see it earlier.
Braith shuts the door in Isaac’s face and locks it, pulling the blind down on the door. “We don’t want ’im coming in here,” she explains, twirling the key on her finger. “It’d be awkward.”
“Glad to see you’re back to normal,” I smile.
“Yeah…” she trails off, her brown eyes going sad. “I am really sorry. I didn’t realise I was infested with Wyrms.”
“Too much info, Braith,” Marco mutters as he pulls up the laptop.
“Not worm worms – Wyrms,” she rolls her eyes.
“What are you doing?” I ask as Marco pulls a stethoscope out of the laptop bag.
“I’m your doctor,” he says. “Shirt off.”
“Fuck off,” I say, instinctively covering my chest.
“No, really. We need to see that bruise and check your breathing.”
I keep glaring at him, hoping that he’ll come out and say he’s joking, but he doesn’t. “Fine,” I grumble, pulling my dirty shirt over my head.
“Bra too!” Braith squeals, unhooking it at the back and throwing it on the floor.
Both their faces drop at the extent of the bruise, which is blue and purple with spots of red in some areas.
“Shit.” Marco’s hands drop. “It is serum failure.”
“Can someone please tell me what’s going on?” I grumble. “Don’t keep this from me; I need to know.”
My boyfriend sighs and takes my hands. “Serum failure is a term the scientists used to describe – well, when the serum they injected started to fail. Braith found an article about it. It means that the serum they injected you with is starting to get overridden by your natural element.”
“Always knew you were an ice elemental at heart, Hazy!” Braith winks with a thumbs up.
Marco glares at her. “Apparently water had the highest failure rate, at around sixty-two per cent. I guess you’re one of the unlucky ones.”
“So, what does that mean?” I ask, trying to process this new information.
I’m an ice elemental, like mum? So now that my true element is coming through, does that mean water will disappear? Or will I have two like Marco?
“Your body can’t handle two elements,” he explains, rubbing my palms. “Your body didn’t get the chance to adapt like mine did. The batches that the Wyrms didn’t eat that had serum failure all ended with…” he trails off, unable to look at me.
I don’t need him to finish. I know what that means.
“Are you sure about this?” I ask. “You aren’t scientists; this could be unrelated to the serum. You can’t be certain.”
He shakes his head. “The signs are all there, Haze. Your blackouts, the bruising – and you nearly choked on a clump of ice a few days ago.”
Now the ice makes more sense. The water was trying to dislodge it, while the ice was trying to form.
“So, what can we do?” My voice shakes as I speak.
I’m scared. Maybe that’s why the Wyrms are desperate to eat me now, before I die. Can they evolve by eating me if I die a little while before? I don’t know how the process works. They might want me alive so I’m a bit fresher, I don’t know.
“I’m going to help you,” Marco says sternly. “I’m not losing you.”
Tears form in my eyes, but I blink most of them away. “Why now?”
“We think it’s a mixture of visiting Draca and using the shark,” Braith explains. “It’s kind of confused your body.”
This is all so strange. I can’t imagine being anything other than water. It feels weird having it confirmed that I wasn’t born with it. Would I be the same person if I were an ice elemental?
“I’m looking through everything I can,” Marco assures me by brushing my fringe out of my reddening face. “This won’t be the end of you, I promise. We’ll fix this.”
“What about more serum? Would that work?” I ask desperately.
“That’s one of the theories I’m working on,” he says. “But I don’t know how to get more serum without going back to the lab.”
“Can’t you send a dragon out there or something?”
“I don’t want to hasten the failure if the serum doesn’t work,” he answers, his voice full of pain. “Try not to use the shark anymore, okay? It triggers it, as does Draca.”
“I’ve asked him not to visit you until we can figure something out.” Braith sits down next to me, rubbing my arm. “We need to do more research, that’s all.”
“What about the earplugs? Any luck with them?”
“Out of the question now,” Marco grumbles. “We’ve wrapped the scale in plastic bags and hidden it. There’s no way bits of that are going in our ears now.”
“But we can use it to-”
“The risks outweigh controlling the Wyrms,” Marco informs me gently, cupping my face. “We don’t want anyone else getting shitty on us.”
Braith ducks her head and rubs her arm, trying not to show her embarrassment. I suppose having no earplugs is better than having a Wyrm crawling around in my ear.
* * *
Aqueous drops the rubber ball on my lap once more, kneading the ground as I throw it. Sometimes he acts more like a dog than a dragon. My companion leaps over Drea’s sleeping body to chase the ball down the cobbled road. Lil Red runs up to me with his wings flared out. Since I’ve been out, little spikes have grown on his tail, confirming his gender.
“Come here.” I pat my lap.
The tiny Wyvern flaps onto my knees, his dull claws digging into my jeans. He looks up at me with his green eyes and yawns, showing off his toothless mouth. It must take a while for them to grow their teeth, unlike Western Dragons, who are born with them.
The pop music on the radio next to me suddenly cuts off as an emergency announcement is made. Distracted from my thoughts, I stare at the tiny plastic box as Ray’s voice radiates from the speakers.
“Thank you for helping us to locate the fugitives,” his voice booms, powerful and confident. “We are working hard to get them to surrender peacefully.”
Yeah, right.
The Wyrms have been patrolling outside the town day and night, looking for a chance to sneak in when Braith and I aren’t around to scare them off with our elemental animals.
“The Anthropomorphic Dragon has also been sighted a few mi
les from the city. But do not fret: we are trying to contain it before it gets too close. It is attracted by the fugitives and will follow them wherever they go. That is why I want them captured alive, so we can lead it away without any more casualties.”
Aqueous skids to a halt in front of me, dropping the ball at my feet and looking at me expectantly. I shush him by putting my finger on my lips and pointing to the radio.
“You may have also noticed the Wyverns that are with them. I can assure you that the WADT are working hard to track these animals down and wipe them out before they do any more damage. I would also like to address the reports of children going missing.”
“It is the Wyverns,” Ray continues. “They are jealous that their eggs are no longer being used to bond and are killing any children paired with Wyrms. We have now placed the remaining children in a safe location to keep an eye on them and prevent the Wyverns from attacking them.”
“Bullshit!” I mutter.
“That is all. Thank you for being so supportive of my leadership.”
His voice fades out and is replaced by another song. What a load of shit. The Wyrms are obviously killing the children they are paired with. Aqueous nudges the ball again, and I kick it down the road for him to chase. Why does Ray have to be so horrible? Is any of this necessary for his ‘perfect’ world? I think people would rather have their children alive than live in his vision of a ‘perfect’ world.
Drea cracks open one eye when the ball bounces off her rump and Aqueous dives to catch it. She rolls her eyes and glares at me to be more careful before drifting back off to sleep.
This is all so shit.
But I hope Rocky is okay.
It’s been a long time since I’ve had the chance to think about my brother. I hope Ray isn’t treating him too cruelly, but I hope to see him again one day.
If the serum doesn’t kill me first.
“You okay, Hazy?” Braith makes me jump as she settles next to me on the step.
“Not really,” I confess with a sigh. “I could die any minute.”
“Don’t be stupid,” she mutters, scratching Lil Red under the chin. “You aren’t going to die.”
“This serum is making my body fail.”
“Marco is working on it,” she reiterates. “He’s not letting you die, no way.”
“We’ve been through so much. Is it worth it anymore?”
“Look around you.” She motions to the Wyverns, who are milling around the street with scraps of meat in their mouths. “They’re free, they’re happy. Doesn’t that make all this shit worth it? Ray can try all he wants, but he will always fail. We’re always one step ahead.”
“Not always.”
“Nine times out of ten we’re one step ahead of him. Now we know what he’s like.”
“It’s just weird to see him feel guilty at letting the Wyrms eat us.” I shake my head. “I always thought he hated us.”
“Me too,” she shrugs. “But for the past two years we’ve been his life. He probably isn’t happy to let us go.”
“Two years? Really?” I ask, thinking back at the months. “Shit.”
“I know; you turned seventeen two months ago! How does it feel?”
“No way!”
She nods. “Mm-hm. We’ve all been so preoccupied that we forgot our birthdays. Marco is eighteen too. Do you think he’ll buy us some fireworks?”
“I didn’t even get him a present.”
“Blow him.” She wriggles her eyebrows. “I’m sure that’s what he wants.”
The two of us laugh and for a few minutes it feels as if we never left camp. All of us used to get together and joke through everything, even when times were hard. The beatings from Ray, the protectors, we survived it. This may not be a perfect scenario, but it works for us.
After having everything so serious, it feels nice to kick back and relax; to just be teenagers for once. We’ve all been forced to grow up too fast, so we should be able to enjoy the good times while they last.
* * *
“Now breathe out,” Marco commands.
“Why are we doing this?” I ask when he pulls the stethoscope away.
“I’m making sure there’s no more ice in your lungs. That’s what’s causing the bruising under your skin. I don’t want you choking again.”
“I feel fine at the moment though; my chest feels empty.”
My boyfriend rubs his face tiredly. “Let me know when it starts to fill up, okay?”
“Any luck?” I ask, motioning to the laptop.
He sighs. “There’s loads on there; I just need to figure out what will work.”
“We’ve got time,” I assure him. “I’m not getting any worse.”
“You’re also not getting any better. It’s me who should be comforting you.”
“But you’re carrying all this on your shoulders when you don’t have to. You’ll figure something out. I know you will.”
He sighs and takes my hand. “Then you have more faith in me than I do.”
For a few seconds I say nothing before speaking up. “Do we need to go back to the lab?”
“I dunno. I hope not,” he confesses, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’d rather not, but if we have to I will. I’m hoping I can fashion a cure without going back to that place.”
“Is there anything Aqueous can do?” I ask as an idea forms in my head. “He bonded with me when I was just water. The serum failure isn’t affecting him at all.”
He nods in agreement. “I know; I’m hoping that the answer may be in his blood. But I don’t want to start treating you until I know for sure.”
“You’re planning on injecting me with dragon blood, huh?” I tease. “Will that make me a dragon hybrid?”
He gives me a playful glare. “I hope it doesn’t turn you into a dragon, because I don’t want to be arrested for bestiality.”
Underneath his humour, I can sense that he’s afraid. He’s afraid that no matter what he does it won’t be enough, that I can’t be saved. This isn’t his fault, none of it is, but he’ll take the blame for it anyway. I know he will; that’s just the way he is.
He examines my bruise once more, running his fingers over my collarbones. He drops down a bit lower than needed, so I clear my throat. “I don’t think my boobs need inspecting, Dr White.”
Shaking his head, he drops his hand. “Jeez, I don’t want the same title as my father.”
“You could be a famous scientist,” I tease, biting my lip. “Then no-one will associate you with your father.”
“I don’t think I’ll ever be fully shaken from his victories. He’s made a lot of people happy with their fish lips and huge asses.” He taps a few keys on the laptop, groaning. “Ugh, this is not getting any easier.”
“Well, what do you need?”
“Serum,” he says with a sigh. “The same one they injected you with.”
“So, we’re going back to the lab?”
“You,” he points his finger at me. “Are not going anywhere. You’re too sick to travel.”
“I feel fine,” I argue, hopping off the table and shaking my feet. “See? I can walk.”
“I don’t want you using that shark again, it brings all this on,” he replies, pushing me back on the table. “You’ve had enough excitement.”
“But I’m okay,” I protest, hopping off the table once more. “I’m not useless.”
“I know.” He hauls me back on the table, patting my knee. “But I don’t want you getting any worse than you already are.”
“You can’t go alone.”
“I’m not going anywhere.” He crinkles his nose and stares at the screen once more. “Someone has to keep you out of trouble.”
“Then who can go?”
“Braith volunteered to go out with a few Aislados if needed when you were out. I might need to take her up on that.”
“Is that a good idea?” I ask, grimacing as I remember how nasty she was when she was under the Wyrms’ control.
“
That’s why she’s taking people to keep an eye on her. But you and me are not going anywhere. We’ve done enough adventuring to last a lifetime.”
28
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Staring down at his baby girl, Rocky can’t help but smile as he cradles her in his arms. The baby snoozes peacefully while Ciara sits at the other end of the table, tapping her foot against the concrete floor.
“Sorry,” he apologises, passing her back. “She’s just so beautiful.”
“I know,” she coos, wrapping the blanket tighter around the baby. “She makes me forget about all the nasty things in the world.”
“Visit time is over,” a Wyrm hisses behind him. “Ciara, why not leave?”
Rocky says nothing as his ex-girlfriend immediately stands up and heads out the front door, her eyes wide with fear.
“You don’t have to do that.” Rocky kicks the table as he gets up.
“Thula wants to speak to you all urgently in five minutes. I am here to make sure you arrive on time.”
Rocky rolls his eyes and heads towards the conference room, his hands buried deep in his pockets. Everyone thought Thula had gone with Ray, until it magically appeared after he left. Now the Wyrm is watching their every move, and clearly wants to speak to them while Ray isn’t around. The Wyrm noses the metal door open for Rocky, and he takes a seat on one of the free chairs next to Mason. His friend ignores him, not able to make eye contact after their argument. They both think that what the other has done was stupid, but Rocky is sure it won’t take them long before they make up again. Their fights never usually last more than a day or two.
Thula slithers into the room from a vent in the ceiling, making Melia scream as it drops down in front of her. She pushes its scaly body away, but Thula pays no attention as it scans everyone in the room.
“Thank you for coming on such short notice, children,” it greets them with a hiss.
“Please can we keep this quick? I’m sure you’ll eat me in a few days, and I want to spend as much time enjoying my life as possible,” Rocky snaps, crossing his arms stubbornly.
Glass and Ice (Elemental Dragons Book 3) Page 20