The Elementalist (10 page)

30

~Happy Medium~

Alisa

We stayed in the park long enough to become dangerously hot and bothered, so I ended our make-out session, and it was way harder than I’d anticipated it would be. I pulled away which felt physically painful—making me want to scream out in protest—and said a hurried goodbye before things could go any further. Brecken seemed mystified, but I couldn’t justify kissing him if he didn’t know who I really was.

On the way home, I felt Claire beginning to stretch and wake up, mentally speaking. It didn’t take her long to realize I was back in the driver seat, and she roared her frustration, pounding on my will, to make me let go, which caused a throbbing headache to erupt behind my eyes. I was still stronger than she was, so I held onto the helm.

“Get a grip,” I said out loud.

“Bas Iblis said not to give you control!” I heard her sobbing somewhere in our consciousness, and I almost felt sorry for her, but not enough to let go or apologize. “You needed a rest anyway,” I said. “All work and no play makes Claire a dull girl, you know.” I laughed at my joke. She didn’t.

“Whatever. Just wait until Adam comes back. You’re dead.”

I ignored her, not giving her prophetic words any credence, and concentrated on driving. I snuck inside her house as quietly as I could when I got there.

“Where did you go, anyway?” Claire asked, once we were tucked in bed and lying in the dark. I was tired and didn’t want to have a conversation with her. It was amazing how exhausting it was to work a human body. Being spiritually tired wasn’t anything like being physically exhausted, and I hated how often I needed to rest now. It felt like a huge waste of time.

“I went to my boyfriend’s house,” I answered.

“In the middle of the night?” she asked, horrified. Then, in rapid-fire succession, she threw out accusations and questions. “What did you do? You better not have done anything I’ve never done before! He better not have any diseases!” She was furious, and her temper spiked. “I’m a virgin!” she screamed, pounding against my control. “I swear I’ll kill you if you ruined that for me! I swear I will!”

The barrage felt like peppered gunshot. I was shocked into silence, but after she finished and took a figurative breath, I hurried to insert, “We didn’t do
that
. Geez.” It was quiet for a moment as though she was contemplating what I’d said, wondering if she should believe me or not.

“Have you ever done it?” she asked.

“What? None of your business.”

“Well, as long as you’re here, it’s something we could talk about.”

“I’m not having a conversation with you about sex.” I rolled over and scrunched my eyes shut, remembering the way Brecken’s lips had moved over mine. Man, I’d give anything to feel that again.

“Did you do it with him before you died?”

“Argg! I didn’t even know him when I was alive,” I said without thinking.

That seemed to surprise her. A second later, she spoke again. “You mean you met
after
you died? How is that even possible?”

I took a deep breath and got ready for the long conversation I didn’t want to have. Starting at the beginning, I explained about my suicide, how hard my life had been, and about Mr. Roland.
Everything
. I didn’t know why I confided so much, but at the moment, she felt like a friend, and I needed that desperately, as insane as that sounded.

“I think I remember hearing about Mr. Roland… in the newspaper or something. Wow,” she mused.

I sighed in exhaustion. “Yeah.”

“So then what?”

I continued to explain how everyone in heaven had a job, that there was no rest. At least the kind I’d wanted. Then I explained about being a guardian, and that Brecken had been my charge, how he’d had spiritual gifts that gave him the ability to see me and hear me, and how hard that had made it.

Claire listened with patience to the whole story, asking a question here or there, but always wanting me to finish. Finally, after a long pause, she asked, “Is there any way I could get a message to someone?

“To who?”

“My grandmother.”

“Not at this point. I’m kind of stuck here now.”

“But once you’re unstuck?”

“Maybe.” I wasn’t sure I wanted to pass along any messages for Claire. She’d been awful to me so far, and now that I knew she was the reason I was trapped here, I found it hard to want to help her. Even though she’d been nice throughout my story, I didn’t trust her. Not yet.

“I just want to know if my grandmother is okay and happy.”

I could understand that. I’d felt the very same way about my gram, and I didn’t have the heart to be cruel. Maybe it was the guardian in me. There was a tiny piece of me that wanted to help Claire, and even comfort her.

“I’ll give her that message,” I said. “If I can find her. I’m sure she’s up in Elysium somewhere, working and happy.”

“Where do the evil people go?”

“Was she evil?”

“Of course not. I… was just wondering.”

I hesitated, not wanting to talk about Soul Prison. I knew quite a few people there, and thinking of them… well, I just didn’t want them to
know
I was thinking of them. Too many people in Soul Prison wanted me dead… on an eternal basis.

“Well, yeah. There is a place,” I said, being evasive.

“What’s it like?”

“Why do you want to know?”

“Why wouldn’t I want to know?”

“Because it’s not a good place, and I don’t really want to talk about it,” I said.

“Did you ever go there?”

Memories of Soul Prison washed over me. The taste that had coated my tongue when I’d visited, metallic and hot. The smell of burning tar, the screams in the darkness. It was all still there, and I shivered unconsciously. “Yes. I went there.”

“Why?”

“Geez, Claire. I said I didn’t want to talk about it. It was awful, and you don’t want to know. Really.”

She went quiet for a moment, and then said, “I’m afraid I’m going there.”

“To where? Soul prison? Why would you think you that?” Sure, she had done some bad things, but from what I understood, she hadn’t done any of it maliciously. She was more naïve and stupid than anything else.

“I don’t know. It’s just a feeling I get sometimes. Elementalism is so exciting. I can’t even tell you, but then there is this side of me that feels… I don’t know. It’s hard to explain. There isn’t anything wrong with worshiping nature. There’s nothing wrong with understanding how the elements work. And yeah, there are powerful beings like Adam, hanging around me now, and that shouldn’t be scary or terrible—it should be exciting—but he kind of scares me.”

I waited for her to continue. When she didn’t, I asked, “So, what are you saying?” I wanted her to come to her own conclusions. I knew in my heart this was how it needed to happen for her. If I came right out and said that her Elementalism or “religion” was evil, it would backfire. I
was
learning. Slowly.

“Nothing,” she said. “Never mind. I don’t want to talk about it.”

  I lay awake for another hour, waiting for her attempt to take over our body, but she didn’t. I was strong enough that she probably wouldn’t be able to, even if I was asleep, but I wasn’t sure. She had gotten so strong, and I was terrified to let go. Just before dawn, I couldn’t hold back any longer. I drifted into slumber.

31

~Defiant~

Brecken

Brecken lay awake in his cramped, damp, basement bedroom with his arms folded behind his head. He spent way too much time there, but it was the only place he could be alone. His sisters were scared of the basement. They swore they could feel bad spirits there. They had no idea how right they were half the time.

As he stared at the ceiling, he thought about what Claire had told him at the park… that her name was really Alisa, and that she had been his guardian. He’d never called the spirits who babysat him guardians, but that was as good a name as any. The fact that he was supposedly in love with her… well, that just did not ring true.

Even if she was telling the truth, never once had he connected to a spirit who visited. Not once had he listened to one long enough to become friends with them, let alone… what? Lovers? No. That wasn’t possible… but how had Claire known about the spirits anyway? He would have to figure that out and ask her more questions, but he’d be careful not to let on why he was digging. He refused to let anyone get that close. Closeness equaled danger. That much he knew instinctively.

What a crappy way for the day to end. He’d hoped to drown his frustration in a pair of soft, feminine lips. Now he wished he hadn’t kissed Claire at all. Their friendship was probably ruined. Not that it mattered, but… for a moment… there was something else there. Something he couldn’t explain or even understand. It was as though he knew her… had known her all along. For the first time in ages, he’d felt a connection—as terrifying as that sounded. Something other than physical attraction anyway.

His thoughts turned to a girl he’d met not long ago. Hannah. She’d been at a lacrosse game and was a player herself. Their friendship had blossomed instantly, but lately, his feelings for her had started to grow. He wasn’t sure why, but he wanted things to develop between them. She didn’t know his past or the craziness of his life. She was just… nice… and beautiful. He was more serious about her than Claire, even if Claire was hot and exciting. Hannah was calm and peaceful, a breath of fresh air. Something he desperately needed in his life right now.

Frustrated, and knowing he could do nothing about it, he pulled off his clothes and got under the blankets, but before he closed his eyes, a dim cluster of light formed above him and began to grow. He knew who it was before she fully appeared.

Lilim.

His new… what? Guardian? She didn’t call herself an angel, and he was not sure she was one, but he had come to rely on her and her words of comfort. She had started coming into his room every night.

Once she was fully visible, she sat down on the bed beside him and smoothed back his hair. She might not have a physical body, but he could still feel the tingle of her fingers on his forehead.

“Hello, Brecken.”

“Hey.”

“You had a bad day?”

She seemed to know his thoughts, which was kind of cool, but eerie at the same time. He didn’t like anyone having that kind of power over him, and if there was one thing he valued, it was his privacy.

“Nah. Normal.”

She smiled, her pink lips slightly parted, but the smile didn’t reach her crystal-blue eyes. “Oh, come now. If you can’t be honest with me…”

“I am being honest.”

“You met someone new. The redhead.”

She knew. Brecken’s heart constricted at the thought, and he wasn’t sure why. “She’s just a girl at school who needed help in calculus.”

“Oh, I think not,” Lilim said, laying her hand on his arm. Her normally tingly, warm touch burned, and he yanked his arm away quickly, staring up at her with a frown. “What the hell?”

“I don’t want you to see her anymore.”

“Why?”

Her eyes narrowed as though he had no right to ask questions, that he should obey blindly, which he had never done with anyone. He didn’t intend to start doing it now.

“Because I’m telling you to.”

“That’s not good enough.” He sat up and threw the covers back, ready to get up and leave. “And until you give me a valid reason, I don’t care what anyone says. I like her.”

“Of course you do, but she’s a sneaky little witch. Literally.” At his expression of surprise, she continued. “Yes, I speak the truth. She practices witchcraft. Stay away from her.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Ask her yourself.”

“I will.”

32

~Return and Report~

Bas Iblis

Bas Iblis had been expecting Asmoday’s visit, but his servant’s news had infuriated him. The lesser demon knelt before him on one knee.

“You say the guardian is establishing a relationship with Bretariel… again?” he shrieked, unable to stay seated. He paced before his dark, stone throne, flabbergasted that the girl was able to worm her way back into any situation.

“You were supposed to keep them apart!” Bas Iblis’ voice echoed like thunder off the black walls, and the other devils in the room cowered, afraid. “I gave you one job and one job only, and not only did you fail miserably, but you let the guardian take control of the Elementalist’s body… again!”

“I’m sorry, My Lord. Truly. It was out of my control.”

“Out of your control?” Bas Iblis stalked toward him with slow, controlled steps, his eyes narrowed, his teeth gritting above his long, jutting chin. Asmoday cried out in terror as his master’s hand closed around his throat.

Bas Iblis pulled the lesser demon close. “You have one chance left. Do you hear me? If you fail, you die.”

Asmoday quivered and nodded, bowing before the furious fiend. Bas Iblis stood over Asmoday but addressed everyone in the great hall, which grew more shadowed and heavy with desolation as the seconds ticked by.

“Now is the day of my power! You will fear me or be broken beneath my feet!”