Envisioned (The Elemental Prophecy) (3 page)
Most Elementals married within their own element, especially since Elementals who didn't are cast out by the Elders, left unprotected by the magic of the Oracle of their community. It was bullshit in my opinion—how do you cast out your own people? The Elders feared Elementals having too much power by mixing the races, and no one questioned their authority, scared themselves of what an Elemental with too much power would bring. The Elders have even dismissed the Prophecy, directly given by the Oracle, because of their fear of the power the One would hold. No one is allowed to speak of the Prophecy or the One. Those that do are punished by a public whipping in the main courtyard. Who knows what they will do to the One when they are discovered.
I understood that fear was a very consuming emotion because I endured it every night when I am thrust from my nightmare, terrified of the visions, for the girl, and of my strong emotions for someone I have never met. I'm almost positive she's real—it is a trait of some Elementals to have visions of the future in dreams, especially if they reoccur on a regular basis. I wished they would give me some clue as to where I can find her. Even with the fear I have experienced, I still can't comprehend casting out your own to be vulnerable to the evils of our mythology.
Hopefully those outcast have met their twin flame, giving them a better chance at protecting themselves. Your twin flame is the other half of your soul, whom Zeus literally cut and separated you from at the beginning of time for fear of your combined power. You spend your whole life searching for this person, driven to find them. When you find your twin flame and touch them, it is said that a spark of electricity ignites what feels like an inferno inside you, hence the twin flame reference, consuming you from the inside out. Supposedly, it's not as excruciating as it sounds—it's more like a pleasurable pain. I didn't really care to find out.
If an Elemental has found their twin flame, their powers are strengthened. We already have increased speed and strength, heightened senses, and delayed aging, but when you complete the soul reuniting process, which has three stages: trust, sex, and love, everything is further strengthened. The order in which the stages are completed does not matter, but once all are accomplished, there are some positive and negative consequences to the bond. The positives being halted aging, the ability to read each others' minds and feel each others' emotions, and immortality, in a sense. As long as one half lives, the other will live, as well. The negatives are extreme sickness and eventually death when apart for too long, the ability to feel the others pain, and death if your twin flame is killed. That consequence is not something to look forward to, but I may not even find my twin flame since I have been outcast with my parents since they decided to “taint the bloodlines” by marrying and having me. I'm not really a “true love” type of guy anyway. There are just too many hot women out there to be with one for all eternity. Although, with her, the literal girl of my dreams, it could be a completely different story. I have never seen a more divine example of perfection.
The number of twin flames finding one another has dwindled since the Elders have basically forbidden the various Elementals to marry outside their own race, however it does happen, as with my mom and dad. When on trial for their “crime” of marrying, they attempted to convince the Elders that they were twin flames, and that it was Fate, not them, who decided they were destined to be together. The Elders disregarded their testimony of course, claiming blasphemy, even when my parents showed the tattoo each half gets when their bond is completed, which is your twin flame's elemental symbol on the back of your neck. A white triangle with a horizontal line, slightly above the center, going through it symbolizes Air, an orange triangle symbolizes Fire, a blue, inverted triangle symbolizes Water, and a green, inverted triangle with a horizontal line, slightly below the center, going through it symbolizes Earth. The Elders actually accused them of going to get the symbols tattooed at a tattoo parlor to support their “heinous crime” and trick the community into accepting them. Needless to say, they were outcast.
You would think that the prospect of immortality would cause the Elementals within the community to question the Elders, especially since the majority do not connect with their twin flame. Eventually, they settle for someone compatible within their element to marry and start a family with, even if they don't feel the passion and love one feels for their twin flame.
There are many Elemental communities around the world, the main one being on Mt. Olympus in Greece, cloaked from the humans by magic. The one closest to where I lived in Long Beach, California is on the south end of the Santa Catalina Island. Each community has four Elders, one for each Element, except for the High Council in Mt. Olympus, which has eight since they handled major trials and occurrences within the Elemental world, and delivered direct instructions to all the lower Elders. I didn't have any desire to visit any of the communities, but I could be summoned at any time. Refusal to answer a summons resulted in involuntary teleportation by the Oracle, but most outcasts are left alone, so I don't think I have much to worry about.
Elementals received their powers on their eighteenth birthday. Most are prepared by their parents for their powers, but since they will have little training on using their element, many are also trained to be able to defend themselves in some form of martial arts or fighting techniques. I was trained in mixed martial arts, which led to my current profession as a fighter in the UFC. I am undefeated in my career, which my mom says is cheating due to my enhanced strength and superior fighting skills, but she doesn't complain that much thanks to my salary. I loved my job, as well as the lifestyle that comes with it, including the fame, women, and traveling.
The match bell rang, signaling the start of the first round and releasing me from my thoughts of her and the Elemental world. Damn daydreaming! I needed to focus on my fight, not think of her. I bounced on the balls of my feet, surveying my opponent, who stands no chance at defeating me. He's shorter than me, probably 5'10”, and he lacks the muscular definition and bulk size that I have. He could make up for it in speed, but that still doesn't matter—I always win. My adrenaline has already started to kick in; thoughts of her always do that to me. My opponent's blue eyes locked on mine as he moved in before throwing the first swing, which I side-stepped, causing him to stumble slightly. I took advantage, swiftly kicking him in the back and sending him into the fence surrounding our arena.
He pushed off the fence, rearing back to throw a right hook, which grazed my cheek, knocking me off balance a bit. I could have easily dodged that, but I had to put on a show, holding back my strength and speed so that no one discovers my abilities. I retaliated with a left jab, catching him square in the mouth and causing his bottom lip to split. Blood trickled down his chin as he charged me, readying for a punch. Before he could land it, I kicked his legs out from under him, then let gravity do the rest to bring him down to the mat. I immediately pinned his body to the ground, the sweat from both our bodies making it difficult to keep my grip on him as I attempted to lock him in an arm bar. I would much rather have her sweaty body underneath mine, submitting to me in a more pleasurable way. He elbowed me, jarring my attention back onto submitting him and away from her. My trainer yelled, “Thirty seconds left!! Focus, Vasquez!!”
Okay, playtime was over. I placed my right hand on my opponent's chest before wrapping my other arm around his right arm and interlocking both my arms together, trapping his arm between mine. I swept my left leg around the arm I had locked between my own, placing both my feet on the left side of him. He fought against me, but his waning strength was no match for my own. My triceps flexed as I held him in place, sweat glistening as it ran down my skin, and the crowd roared their approval.
I sat on his right side, keeping my feet in their place on his left as I pulled his arm with me, flattening my legs against his torso. My left leg pinned his neck while my right pinned his chest. I leaned my body back, extending his arm further and inflicting intense strain on his elbow joint. I continued to lean back until he wisely tapped out after a few seconds. The bell sounded and the referee tapped me on the shoulder, signaling for me to let go.
The crowd chanted, “Vasquez, Vasquez, Vasquez!” I continued my undefeated streak with the victory of this last match, and my team rushed me in the ring as I raised my hands in triumph. My best friend and one of my trainers, Zane, congratulated me as he asked, “So, where do you feel like celebrating tonight?”
Getting ready in Kimber's bedroom, I was almost consumed with my excitement and anxiousness to go to the club. My long, golden brown hair is styled in big, sexy curls, and my make-up is to die for thanks to Kimber. She has complimented all of my features, especially my eyes, accentuating them with black eyeliner and making the greens and ambers pop in contrast. My dress—a strapless, hot pink, leopard print number that stops just above my mid-thigh—was something I had to hide from Dad in my overnight bag. It was definitely not house party attire, and would have surely blown my cover. Kimber, in a stunning, teal, backless dress, was putting the finishing touches on her lip gloss. “Ready?” she asked me, fluffing her long, blonde hair one last time.
“Yes!” I exclaimed, super excited. For some reason, I had a strange amount of energy today. I felt like I could run for miles, even though I hated to exercise. I attributed it to my nerves and excitement from the whole day.
Once we arrived at the harbor, I started getting nervous. What if the boat crashed? It was dark out, and I had never driven at night. What if I flipped it? Death by boating accident was not how I wanted to celebrate my eighteenth birthday. Kimber sensed my anxiety, and suggested, “I can drive if it will make you feel better.”
Kimber's parents also had a boat, and they let her drive it to the mainland all of the time, so we decided to take it instead. It made more sense given she was a more experienced driver, and if my dad happened to come down to the docks, he wouldn't find mine missing. The cool, night air helped to calm my nerves, the ocean breeze soothing me like it always did. I tried to enjoy the ride over, finally able to obtain the freedom I had always wanted, but was never allowed to have. Stepping foot onto the Long Beach dock caused a liberating feeling to swell inside me—I was free, at least for a night, and I was going to take advantage of every second.
We took a taxi from the harbor to the club since our shoes were not conducive to walking. Thanks to Kimber's remarkable power of persuasion, we skipped the line, much to the dismay of all of the people waiting in it. They marked our hands with that gaudy, black “X” in permanent marker, informing everyone that we were minors. It was already a little past 11 PM, and the club was packed wall to wall with people. The room was hued in shades of red, gold, and yellow, with modern white and red couches lining the walls, indicating VIP areas. Kimber pulled me onto the dance floor in the center of the room, with Usher's “Scream” playing in the background. As we danced, I caught sight of a guy watching us with a look that caused me to be uncomfortable. Kimber noticed my discomfort, and followed my gaze to the creepy man. Her eyes slightly widened for a split second, so fast that I was sure that I imagined it because they immediately set in a hard frown. She loudly spoke in my ear, flipping the guy her middle finger, “Let's go get something to drink at the bar.”
I nodded my agreement and followed her to the bar, holding her hand so we wouldn't get separated. That was the last thing I needed if there were more assholes like that, looking at me like I was their next conquest.
When we made our way back to the dance floor, I didn't see the guy anymore, and I let out a sigh of relief. Kimber and I were dancing to LMFAO's “Shots,” when a large commotion of cheering from the VIP section closest to us caught my attention. When I turned my head to follow the noise, I was totally unprepared for what I saw—it was him, the guy from my dreams, and he was even more smoldering hot in person. He was wearing a fitted, black V-neck shirt that accentuated his muscles impeccably, paired with dark blue jeans that had to be tailored for him because they fit his ass perfectly. He was at least 6' tall, and his eyes weren't blazing orange like in my dream, they were more like the color of roasted almonds, warm and comforting. He had a short, black faux-hawk, the ends tipped in red. His goatee matched his base hair color, and I imagined pulling it to bring his lips to mine. I pinched myself because I had to be dreaming—there was no possible way he could be here in the real world. Could I really be that lucky? No fucking way.
Kimber noticed that I stopped dancing and yelled over the music, “Hey, I brought you here to dance your ass off, not stand there all hypnotized! What are you—oh...” she trailed off, obviously catching sight of my dream guy, who was now staring back at me with a shocked expression that must have mirrored my own.