The Eidolon

by Tiffany Dominguez

  She crinkled her nose, finished adjusting her baseball hat, and grabbed her last book from her locker. It was only the first day of senior year and already his deafening presence irritated her. Though Elementals were life-givers, not takers, she wouldn’t mind making an exception for the intolerable Luke. She muttered under her breath. If, that is, she could ever beat him. Even though most of her confrontations with the powerful Earth Elem ended badly, she refused to give up hope.

  She closed her eyes for a brief moment and took a long, deep breath, preparing to face her enemy. Clutching her books to her chest, she turned on the heel of her tennis shoe. Wow, he was close.

  “Move or I’ll freeze off something important,” she snapped.

  The material of Luke’s dark T-shirt shifted in the breeze, revealing a physique that had become harder and taller over the summer months. She inhaled sharply, smelling a hint of apples and autumn. Her eyes traveled up his tall figure, assessing the changes. Now larger than any of his fellow seniors, Luke certainly hadn’t lost his ability to intimidate.

  His familiar black eyes bored into hers. “Good luck with that.”

  She flinched at his glare and wished she really was powerful enough to frighten him away. She rolled her eyes in an exaggerated motion and brushed past him.

  Her shoulder bumped his chest and she paused, feeling a spark of annoyance. Even his touch was filled with energy. She narrowed her eyes and turned to leave again, but his hand shot out. He grabbed her shoulder, turning her around to face him. Her heart stuttered. She should’ve known he wouldn’t let her go so easily.

  “What’s this?” He frowned as he reached for her crystal necklace.

  But she moved faster, knocking his hand away before he could touch it. She took a deep breath and pinned him with the withering glare she reserved just for him. “Don’t. Touch. My. Crystal,” she said through clenched teeth, trying to hide the panic in her voice and aura. She shouldn’t have taken the crystal out of its hiding place. It was much more to her than just a way to magnify her power. She should’ve predicted Luke would notice it and comment on it.

  His eyes narrowed dangerously and his lips tightened into a thin line. “What’s your problem? Am I a threat to you, Eva?”

  Clutching her crystal tightly, Eva responded, “You’re not even in my league. Just stay away from me this year and maybe Mason won’t have to keep covering up your little outbursts.”

  Luke took a step closer to her, his aura now dangerously teetering on explosion. “You’re such a know-it-all, it’s no wonder the rest of the senior class can’t stand being in the same room with you.”

  “At least they aren’t mortally afraid of me.” She sneered.

  Luke’s jaw clenched and his aura burst free of its restraint. Fury doused her in red-hot waves.

  Uh oh.

  The vines from the hanging plants in the hallway burst from their pots and twisted around her wrists, yanking her arms above her head and scattering her books on the floor. Her temper flared and her power sprang to life, filling her with both the peaceful flow of energy and the sharp bite of anger.

  Students cleared out of the way, avoiding eye contact. Cowards. Even the teachers and administrators were strangely absent. Most people didn’t interfere when the situation involved Luke. An anomaly in the Elem’s community, he was just too tall, too muscular, and too powerful to mess with.

  Insanity must run somewhere in my family. Why else would she continue to stand her ground against the most powerful Elem in the school?

  Her eyes appraised the glowering student in front of her, surprised at the intensity and strength he kept barely contained inside. She dropped her chin to her chest and closed her eyes, examining his aura. Interesting. His power had grown exponentially. It seared through her, making her skin feel too tight and her state of immobilization excruciating.

  But she knew his weakness from their many scuffles. She opened her eyes and gave him a scornful smile. The bonds weren’t tight enough.

  “You underestimated me again. When will you learn?”

  She barely built her will before sending a gust of air at him, hurling him at the opposite wall. She grinned with satisfaction when his back cracked against the wooden locker. He wasn’t the only one whose powers had grown.

  But her mouth dropped open when he didn’t even register the pain, rolled his shoulders back and tilted his head to the side. She shivered, his unnatural tolerance disturbing her.

  “You were saying.” His icy voice chilled her to the core, but she refused to look away. His furious eyes were unrelenting as he took one slow step after another toward her.

  The simmering tension rose to a boil. Her stomach clenched tight with nervousness, fearing this new, indomitable Luke, but her rage won out. She’d vowed that this year, he’d no longer tease and taunt her so unmercifully.

  “Things will be different this year,” she said, struggling to keep her voice calm.

  “Really,” he sneered.

  She rolled her eyes. He’d always be a rebellious, opinionated, smart-mouthed Earth Elem.

  But she’d always be a quicker Air Elem.

  She twisted one wrist and pointed to her other, freezing the plants and releasing her hand. Once she was free, she ducked, dodging more vines. With one hand, she threw air bonds at his wrists and with the other, a pressure prison. Then she put up an air shield to protect herself from the grasping vines.

  Luke side-stepped the pressure prison, but the air bonds reached his wrists and snapped them into immobility behind him. Her eyes widened. He’d given in far too easily.

  With a quick flick of his fingers, he sent two large flower pots flying her way. But her air shield deflected them easily, the pots denting her shield, but not breaking it. Why wasn’t he even trying? Could it be a trap?

  Luke tugged on his restraints and growled. It was only a matter of seconds before he broke them.

  “You’d better run.” Warning hovered in his voice, but also a hint of desperation.

  Shaking, she gathered her books, shoved them into her backpack, and slammed her locker. The intensity of Luke’s glare pressed on her back and her palms became clammy. Without turning, she took the long, hurried strides that would take her away from his disturbing stare.

  Once she’d gone around the corner, she dashed into the girls’ restroom and sagged against the wall with relief. She could still feel the auxiliary energy from Luke’s power coursing through her. While she took slow, deep breaths, Eva crooked her finger and calmed the air around her. Her racing heart slowed, and she felt a small burst of satisfaction. She’d beaten Luke, her all-powerful nemesis with the infuriating god-complex.

  But she couldn’t even bring herself to smile. Luke let her win—she was certain of it. She yanked out a paper towel and wiped her sweaty hands. The desperation in his voice–had she only imagined it? They’d fought many such fiercely competitive battles, usually ending in Eva’s utter humiliation. But none ended in serious injury, leaving Eva more often with a bruised ego than anything else.

  A surge of power flooded her. Luke had just broken his bonds. She plugged her headphones into her iPod, turned on her favorite playlist, and tried to block out his aura. Impossible—his irritation was too pronounced to ignore.

  When she sensed Luke’s aura growing distant, she pulled her hat low over her face and left the bathroom. As if that would make her invisible to Luke. She stuck her hands in the front pockets of her jeans anyway and tried to blend in with the crowd. When she turned the corner to the Fire Elem’s hallway, a fellow senior brushed by her, elbowing her in the stomach. Humph. How could she be invisible to everyone else? Eva shot a glare at her classmate’s back and then let out a sigh. After three years at the School of Elements, she still didn’t feel any connection with this ancient institution, or her fellow students.

  Eva fingered the princess-cut crystal on the silver chain around her neck as she always did when she needed comfort. She kept the necklace safely locked in her desk at
the cottage most of the time, but today, the lure of the comfort it provided could not be ignored. If Luke had touched it—she shuddered. Tomorrow she’d leave it at home.

  She searched the crowds for Melia’s blond hair, hoping to catch a glimpse of her friend before class, but something else caught her attention instead. A thin rush of cold air, so slight, it’d been barely noticeable. After her training this summer, she could discern the subtle difference. Her shoulders lifted involuntarily in a light shiver as she glanced around the hallway, searching for the cause of such an odd disturbance. Most Air Elems, like her, preferred energetic, healing air. They wore their preferences like a flowing cape, spreading far around them and infusing the atmosphere with a mixture of warmth and life. She felt an unnatural, coldness, whispering of loss and despair. A side door slammed, but the noise was almost lost in the excitement of a crowd of students on their first day of school.

  What caused the anamoly? Had she just imagined it, or was she just on edge after her fight with Luke? She shook her head, wondering if he’d discovered a way to make her lose her mind.

  She headed toward Fire Elem, her first class, but stopped just as quickly. Maybe he had. Halfway down the hallway, Luke’s tall figure leaned against the wall outside the Fire Elem classroom. Her hand covered her eyes in misery.

  Chapter Two: Luke

  Luke glared at Eva without even attempting to conceal the digust so apparent in his aura. He cursed, wishing his advisor didn’t have an office next door. Mason was the only Earth Elem he respected in this mockery of a learning institution. Positive his advisor wouldn’t appreciate the mysterious disappearance of Eva, the senior class soon-to-be valedictorian, Luke toyed with the idea anyway. Would it be so bad to ditch this infant playhouse?

  After their fight earlier, he slipped through his air bonds and restored the hallway back to order, repairing broken pots and cleaning up the dirt. He ignored his classmates as they hurried past him, clutching their books to their chests and staring at the floor. He grinned when a few of his teachers picked up their pace, pretending they hadn’t seen him. Grabbing his discarded shoulder bag, he snarled at a scrawny freshman boy passing by. The kid yelped and sprinted down the hallway.

  His hands clenched by his sides, Luke took long, slow steps to his first class, still needing to calm the raging energy inside of him. Mason gave him strict warnings this summer he could no longer ignore. Breathe. He inhaled. Good. Only a fool would’ve talked to Eva this morning. Her pull on him was exponentially stronger than last year. As soon as he’d lashed out, he knew it was a mistake. But he kept his power in check. Just barely.

  He entered the Fire Elem classroom, the smell of ash hit him, and he wrinkled his nose in disgust. He stepped back into the hallway for a few minutes to clear his head, leaning against the wall. Although he understood why the Council required students to take classes in all the Elements, he preferred to be outdoors, or at least away from the other incompetent Elems. He gritted his teeth. He needed to sit by a window in order to last the hour.

  When he entered the classroom again, the room was nearly full. A quick scan of the available seats made him close his eyes for a moment, pained.

  “Move along,” Eva demanded as he approached her desk.

  He scowled and took the seat behind her. “Just stay out of my way,” he replied as he lowered himself rigidly into the chair. Why did it seem as if everywhere he turned, Eva tormented him with her superior looks and loud aura? Ever since that Earth Elem class freshman year….

  “No problem.” Eva rolled her eyes at him for the second time that day, then presented her back to him.

  He leaned down and set his pack on the floor. If he lost his temper this year, she’d succeed in making him lose everything important to him. Just like she almost did freshman year. He shoved his hair out of his eyes. He just had to make it through one more year and then he’d be out of this stifling institution and on assignment.

  “Hi, Luke!” A bouncing blonde appeared next to his desk.

  Not now. He pulled his laptop out of his pack, pointedly ignoring Amber. He’d thanked the elements he hadn’t had a class yet with that fashion-obsessed diva. Self-absorbed and smart, Amber always got what she wanted. Girls like her were all the same. They only wanted him because he was unavailable. He’d rather torture himself watching a reality TV show than talk to them. He let his aura flare with irritation.

  Refusing to take a hint, Amber flipped her hair behind her shoulder and looked at him with eyes smothered in liner. “We haven’t met before. I’m Amber,” she said as she reached out to touch his hand.

  No way. He pulled his hand off the desk with lightening speed. His dangerous reputation must not be working if girls like Amber wouldn’t leave him alone. And girls like Eva didn’t fear him.

  He pressed his lips together, refusing to acknowledge the persistent cheerleader. This one was more unrelenting than most.

  “We’re having a party tonight at the lake,” Amber said in a husky voice.

  He suppressed a snort.

  The parties at this school were nothing but an excuse for the students to get together and test out infantile new ways to use their powers, such as luring freshman Water Elems and stranding them in the middle of the lake without a boat, though most of them figured out how to manipulate the current or a wave eventually.

  Teachers and administrators usually turned a blind eye to these harmless antics; most likely glad they weren’t up to something worse. Tired of the lack of stimulating conversation among his peers, Luke abandoned their monotonous parties for the riches in the teachers’ personal libraries. Breaking and entering was easy for an Earth Elem. At least, for him.

  “So, can you come?” Amber asked.

  He turned on his laptop, staring at the screen and sighed. Her confident aura tinged with hot anger. How could he get rid of her without causing trouble?

  A gust of wind suddenly knocked all Amber’s books out of her hands, scattering them several feet away. He risked a glance at his unwanted guest. Her mouth dropped open. After a moment, one of her identical lackeys gathered up her books. Amber shot a venomous look at Eva. One corner of Eva’s mouth lifted into a smile, but she didn’t acknowledge the overconfident blonde. Their rivalry had always been one of the few things Luke enjoyed about the school. Amber made no secret of her disdain for Eva, and Eva just didn’t care.

  Amber huffed loudly and flounced off without another word. An involuntary smile crossed his face, and he felt a small amount of tension lift. Humph. Finally.

  Eva scribbled in her notebook, her hat hiding her face, acting like she hadn’t seen a thing. “She bothered me,” she mumbled, still writing.

  A thank-you stuck in his mouth, the words clinging to the back of his throat. Instead, he pulled up a blank document and a book file on his laptop, noticing that class should’ve already begun. If the teacher’s lecture ended up as dry as most, at least he could re-read one of his favorite books he’d downloaded.

  He scanned his files and tried to ignore the girls in the classroom. Their giggles and incessant chatter were even louder than usual. Most of them couldn’t hide the self-consciousness, nervousness, or excitement in their auras. Amateurs. Masking an aura simply took practice and self-control, which none of his fellow classmates seemed to have.

  Would the teacher ever get there? He rapped his fingers on the desk, on the verge of creating a crack in the floor and stuffing all his classmates in there. When he glanced at the clock, his temper rose again. Miss Peterson’s class should’ve started two minutes ago. He couldn’t believe the incompetence of the teachers here.

  In the doorway, he saw the cause of all the female noise—Chase Walker, the Senior Class President. Great. Just what he needed. Why did Chase grate on Lukes nerves so badly? His jittery fingers paused. Maybe because Chase responded to Luke’s constant coldness with a wry smile and a shrug, his good-nature refusing to take offense. Or maybe because he seemed so obnoxiously polite. But it was probably the obvi
ous crush Eva had on him, her face lighting up every time they met. When Luke watched them together, he could’ve been reading the ending to some sickly-sweet romance novel. They were perfect for each other—both smart, teacher’s favorites, and obsessed with class rankings.

  “Hi, Eva!” Chase waved as he swaggered by. Eva flashed him a brilliant smile and waved back.

  Trying to ignore their obvious flirting, Luke almost rolled his eyes. Great, Eva’s eye problem must be contagious. He turned away from Romeo and stared out the window. It was going to be a long year.

  The Fire Elems teacher, a tall, red-haired woman named Miss Peterson who’d finally arrived, called out a greeting to the class. She began going over the syllabus, but Luke pulled up his book and didn’t even make a show of listening to her prattle. After observing her scatter-brained approach to teaching, he figured he probably knew more about Fire-Elem than she did anyway.

  “The lux crystal is the largest crystal ever recorded in Elemental history—” she droned.

  Luke tapped his keyboard in irritation. Why did he still take classes? Oh, right. He slammed his palm on the table, causing classmates sitting by him to jump, and then glare at him. If he dropped out, Mason threatened to discontinue the extra training.

  Bored by the verses of Poe he’d been reading, he considered the annoying Air Elem sitting in front of him. With only a few feet between them, his awareness of her was super-charged, like an iPod stuck playing the same song. He shoved his hair out of his eyes and leaned on his hand. How could he endure this torture session for the next hour, let alone every day for an entire school year?