Authors: Alycia Linwood
“Right. And we can’t know whether I still have the disease because anyone can briefly exchange elements, only healthy elementals can’t feel it like carriers can.” I licked my dry lips. “What if the disease didn’t get sucked out with my elements? I mean, it’s genetic. How could something disappear if it’s in my DNA? But our elements are genetic too and my fire is gone, so I guess that doesn’t mean anything.”
Every human being was born with an element, but some people either couldn’t use them or chose not to, so everyone regarded them as people without elements, which technically wasn’t true. The element was still in there somewhere, only in a weak and dormant state. The only people who didn’t have an element were regular magic disease carriers, but since carriers couldn’t sense each other’s elements even if they had them, it was hard to say whether regular carriers had some very weak, diseased element they didn’t know about and couldn’t use, and the element exchange wouldn’t work with dormant, weak elements anyway. I was what my brother called an element preserver, but we didn’t know much about all possible genetic mutations that might have occurred. It was so frustrating not to know the reason for my elements’ disappearance.
“This place is protected against the elements from the outside, but you might want to go out and we can see whether touching you blocks the feel of elements for me. That could confirm that you have the disease, but you should be careful. If you’re a regular carrier without an element, things could get complicated when you are in the same room with someone who has an element.”
“Complicated? You mean I could kill someone.” Since I’d already had elements in my system, it was very likely I’d behave like a carrier who turned into a serial killer. Unless my body had forgotten it ever had elements, but I doubted I was so lucky.
“I’ll make sure that you don’t.” Adrian flashed me a reassuring smile.
“Thanks, but what if I have to use a public restroom and I murder some innocent girl in there?” Surely not even Adrian could follow me everywhere. A girl like me needed some privacy from time to time.
“Stop being ridiculous. We’ll survive this, like we always do.” He offered me his hand and I took it. In one quick motion, he pulled me to my feet and I ended up pressed against his chest. He bent his head and brushed his soft lips against mine. “I got you back. That’s all that matters. We’ll figure this out. I promise.”
“Ok, yeah. You do the optimistic part and I’ll do the pessimistic one.”
“Deal.” He chuckled.
“So what else has happened? How is Paula? Where is my brother?” A lot could have happened in three months. “Please tell me everyone is fine and that you’re not waiting the right moment to deliver more bad news.”
“Everyone’s… fine.” Adrian stepped back, looking away from me. “Paula should be here soon. She’s busy in the lab, but she usually comes to see you every day.”
“I don’t think I heard her.” The only one whose voice had truly gotten through to me was Adrian’s. I’d heard some of the others, but not that clearly.
He pressed his lips together into a tight line, making me frown.
“What? Is everything alright with her?” Paula had been in the hospital during the fight between the government and carriers, so her life couldn’t have been in danger. “Is Ryan okay? Is she still dating him?” I hadn’t seen him for a while, so I couldn’t know whether he was participating in the protest against the government or not.
“Yeah, they’re both fine and they’re still together.” He scratched his chin.
“There’s something you’re not telling me.” I narrowed my eyes at him.
“You’ll have to ask Paula about it.”
“Oh, great, a secret. Awesome,” I said sarcastically. “And what about my brother? Did he ever come to ask about me or see me?”
“Yes, he did, but Lily sent him to another city to investigate some movement against carriers. He hasn’t been happy about how things turned out with the Element Preservers and everything, and I guess he and Lily are taking some time off in their relationship.”
“I’m surprised there’s still a relationship. I always thought Oliver was using her to get what he wanted.” Maybe somewhere deep, deep inside, my brother had a heart. Who would have known? Or maybe there was something more he wanted. My brother, always ambitious.
“I wouldn’t know anything about that.” Adrian grinned. “I’m not really a relationship expert.”
“Me neither.” A soft knock on the door made me jump a little. Paula poked her head through the open door, her face brightening at the sight of me.
“Oh my God, you’re really awake!” She ran into the room like a lightning bolt, throwing herself into my arms. “I can’t believe it! I missed you so much.” Her voice cracked.
“Hey, I missed you too.” I squeezed her close to myself, burying my face in her long blond curls.
“I’ll leave you two alone,” Adrian said and promptly went for the door.
Paula sniffled. “How are you feeling?” Her blue-green eyes were pooling with unshed tears, just like mine.
“I’m fine. I guess.” I tried to smile, but I couldn’t make it convincing.
“What is it?” Concern crossed Paula’s face.
“I miss my elements. It’s like I have a gap inside of me... This emptiness...”
Darkness
, my mind suggested, but I wasn’t sure what that meant. “It’s hard to describe. I just feel it.”
“I’m sorry I can’t tell you more about your condition, but no one has ever documented anything about a case like yours.” She sat next to me, covering my hand with her own.
“It’s okay.” I focused on her face and noticed the dark shadows under her eyes, the slight wrinkles on her forehead. “What about you? Is everything alright?”
She cast her eyes down, licking her lips. “Adrian didn’t tell you?”
“Well, he might have mentioned that you had something to tell me, but... No, he didn’t tell me.” I was starting to get worried. What was going on?
Paula sighed. “I don’t even know how to tell you this, but everyone here knows it already.” A nervous chuckle escaped her throat. “I actually told you while you were in a coma. It was easier then.”
“Tell me. Before you make me explode from anxiety.” I gave her an encouraging pat on the shoulder.
“I’m pregnant.” She looked up at me, her eyes wide.
I blinked. “What?”
“I’m three months pregnant,” she said, chewing on her lip.
My mouth opened and closed, unable to form words.
“Ria, please say something.”
“Umm...” I wasn’t exactly sure whether I should congratulate her. Something about her demeanor told me this wasn’t happy news. “Three months? But I was in a coma...” My eyes met hers. “No. Please tell me it’s not what I’m thinking.” I didn’t even dare to think about the worst option.
She nodded, her face serious.
“Oh my God.” I thought I was going to be sick. “Ethan? Ethan is the father?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
“No!” I yelled, getting up. My blood boiled and if I hadn’t already killed Ethan, I’d be compelled to do it again. That sick son of a bitch! He hadn’t only kidnapped and tortured Paula, he’d also violated her in the worst possible way. I’d been at the hospital when Paula woke up, but there hadn’t been time to talk. She couldn’t have told me. I wasn’t even sure if she would have wanted to. My fingers curled into a fist. I didn’t have my elements to channel my anger through them, so I punched a plastic bottle of water, which rolled to the ground.
“Ria... Please calm down.”
“How could I possibly calm down? I want to strangle that twisted son of a bitch all over again!” I turned to look at her and saw her pleading eyes. She needed me right now, not my bad temper. Taking a deep breath, I slowly relaxed. “I’m sorry. I just... I thought I already had enough of reasons to hate the bastard, but now...”
“Thank you,” she said, her eyes the coldest blue I had ever seen. “Thank you for killing him. I don’t think I could stand it to ever see his face again.” The Paula I knew would never have said such a thing, but after what she’d been through, I didn’t find it too surprising.
“What are you going to do?” I asked, taking a seat next to her.
“I’m keeping the baby,” she said determinedly.
“You’re so brave.” A tear slid down my cheek. “I don’t think you know how much I admire you.”
A ghost of a smile traced her lips. “Honestly, I might have made another decision, but Ryan promised to be at my side no matter what and I... I want this baby.” Her blue-green eyes flashed with an unknown emotion. “I’m glad we can make sure the baby has only my element. I don’t want Ethan’s family to ever find out.”
“Don’t you think they might find out somehow? Won’t you have to list Ethan as the father on the baby’s birth certificate?”
“No, I will put Ryan’s name. He agreed to it.”
“I didn’t know things were so serious between Ryan and you.” Surely, they’d been dating, but taking so much responsibility? I didn’t see Ryan as someone willing to do that. At least not the Ryan I knew.
“They’re not, but we’re willing to give our relationship a chance. If it doesn’t work out, it will be fine. At least my baby won’t know anything about the monster father.” She pressed her lips together for a moment. “You know, I thought I could find it in me to forgive anything, but I can’t forgive Ethan for what he did to me, even now that he’s dead.”
“If you ever need something, you know you can count on me.” I offered her a smile.
“Thanks.” She reached out to me and pulled me into another hug. “I’ll do my best to figure out what happened to your elements.”
I pulled back and looked at her. “Speaking of my elements, I’m probably a regular carrier now. Why can’t I feel your element?”
She tugged at the thin silver necklace around her neck until the pendant slid out of her green shirt.
“Oh, right.” I’d expected to see an element-blocking bracelet, not a necklace.
“As soon as you’re ready, we’ll have to test you and see how you react to people with elements, but I really think we should get you out of here first.”
“Yeah, me too. I don’t feel like facing more assassins. I don’t even know who’s after me and what their reasons are.” I shook my head.
“I’m glad both Adrian and you are fine. I don’t even want to think that you could have died.”
“Maybe they were just trying to kidnap me, not kill me.” Although the likelihood of me staying alive after whatever they had planned for me was very low. I couldn’t imagine they’d ever let me go if they captured me. “Well, at least their attack helped me to wake up. I don’t think I would have managed it otherwise.”
“You would.” Paula flashed me a confident smile.
“Yeah, but maybe not in this century.”
“Doesn’t matter. You’re fine now and all we have to do is make sure you stay that way.”
If only things were that easy.
Chapter 05
I slipped into the hall, determined to find a restroom far from the one I’d been using for days. Even though Lily and everyone wanted me out of this place sooner rather than later, they didn’t really have where to take me, especially because one of my doctors thought I still wasn’t fully recovered. But seeing the same room, same hall, same restroom all the time was beginning to grate on my nerves. I had to get out of here, even if my short escape was just to another floor.
No one tried to stop me as I made my way down the stairs. The guards held their positions, but their eyes were trained in front of them and I doubted they’d even seen me. My black sneakers squeaked on the carpet as I found myself in a long, nearly dark hall. The only illumination was coming from the tiny blue lights in the corners of the walls.
I hesitated, unsure where to go. All the doors I could see were closed, maybe even locked, but there was a bit more light at the end of the hall. There wasn’t supposed to be anything dangerous in this building with all the additional security Lily had brought here, but I didn’t have my elements to protect me. Damn it. I should have taken a weapon.
Refusing to be afraid of my own shadow, I strode down the hall. As I came closer to the last door, I heard voices. I couldn’t tell what they were saying, but I recognized one of them; it belonged to Adrian. He was talking to someone, and judging by the high pitch of the other voice, he was talking to a girl. Suspicious, I pushed at the door and found myself in the restroom.
Adrian was leaning on the wall and his surprised gray-blue eyes flew to mine. The girl who was standing in front of him whipped her long black hair back and gave me a cold stare over her shoulder. I would recognize those green eyes anywhere.
“Amaya, what a pleasant surprise,” I said, my voice like icicles. I was
thrilled
to see my boyfriend’s crazy ex. She wasn’t even supposed to be anywhere near here. Last time I checked, she was shacking up with
my
ex, Michael.
“How did she find us?” Amaya yelled, her attention fully focused on Adrian, who kept glancing between her and me.
“What the hell is going on?” I came to stand at Adrian’s side, my arms crossed.
“You’re not part of this conversation.” Amaya waved her hand at me. “Shoo!”
My lips spread into an unpleasant smile. I totally should have brought a gun.
“Do not talk like that to my girlfriend!” The look in Adrian’s eyes turned deadly and Amaya actually took a step back. Maybe she was missing only one brain cell, not both of them.
“Then agree to come with me!” she said.
My eyebrows shot upward. “If someone doesn’t tell me right now what is going on, I swear I will kick you both.”
Adrian rolled his eyes. “She wants me to come to one of her therapy sessions.”
“My therapist says it would be good to have Adrian with me during my next session.” She turned to Adrian and pointed an accusatory finger at him. “You know you’re the cause of all my problems. I just want to forget you ever existed and move on.”
“Then why don’t you move on?” Adrian asked. “You know I never loved you. What we had wasn’t real.”
“Because I can’t forget! You ruined my life! I had to leave the University of Magic because of you!” She gritted her teeth.
“Well, I’m sorry, I’m kind of hard to forget.” Adrian flashed her a smile and I wanted to punch him. We so didn’t have time for this.