A Time to Die (Elemental Rage Book 2) (7 page)

Jade said,
“Shh…she’s still talking.”

“I do bequeath any
Gift of the Universe that ever belonged to the Death Keepers and is in my
possession to Wayne, leader of the Bend, Oregon Keepers. Any gift provided to
me as an Elemental from the Universe will pass to my family as the Universe
sees fit. This oath is binding until the day I die and can not be reversed or
changed.  Upon my death, such Gifts will pass in accordance to the Gifting
Laws.”

A ripple passed
through the group.  Harold said, “To me. Bequeath it to me and not just the
gifts that once belonged to the Death Keepers. We want all the power you
possess.”

Bertha lifted a
withered hand and adjusted her glasses, “Do you want this to work?  Because I
can’t in good conscience give Gifts passed down through the Elements.”

The man with the
silver hair said, “Don’t get greedy.  We are here for the gift of Time, not to
take her powers over the Elements.”

Jade repeated
everything for Raven.

That was the
problem with Keepers.  For them, it was power
over
something.  One thing
the Elementals learned early was that working with Elements was a compromise. 
The Elements weren’t bound as slaves to an Elemental.  They were partners. 
They were friends.

   “Either way,
it’s done. I couldn’t change it even if I wanted to, and I don’t,” Aunt Bertha
said.  She sounded tired.

“Three months to
live isn’t a long time,” Harold said. “If you cheated us out of our Gift, we’ll
know shortly”

Three months?
Jade
gasped, “What?”

Raven sat up,
“Why? What did you hear?”

Jade said,
“Shhh…I’m listening.”

Aunt Bertha walked
out of the circle, leaning on the arm of the silver-haired fellow.  She said, “They
say six months, but I’m tough.”

 Harold gave a
deep sigh, all a pretense at caring.  It was obvious he secretly relished Aunt
Bertha’s downfall.  He said, “We’re Death Keepers, Bertha.  Three months.
Better get your affairs in order.”

Jade pulled away
from Air, shocked at the jarring sensation of experiencing the world through
Air’s strange senses and then suddenly returning to her own.

Tears filled
Jade’s eyes.  She couldn’t do this without Aunt Bertha.  It was hard enough
without Mom.  She said, “I’m not sure if I should tell you, but I can’t keep it
to myself.  Harold told Aunt Bertha she only had three months to live.  She
knows something, too.”

Claire knocked on
the door to the bedroom, “Are you guys almost done?  It’s nine o’clock.”

Raven put a finger
to her mouth, “We keep this between us.  Aunt Bertha will tell us when she’s
ready.”

Jade agreed. 
Standing up, she felt unsteady on her feet.  “We need Mom. At least we know
without a doubt that the Keepers have her.  I wish we could kidnap one of them
and trade.”

It wasn’t a bad
idea
, Raven thought.  But that would mean one of the Gray sisters would
have to be a psycho kidnapper like the Keepers.  Raven’s opinion of the Keepers
dropped every time she had dealings with them. 

Raven thought of
the Void.  She had been so close.  Hatching a plan, Raven decided that on their
Spirit-Walk, she would face the Void head-on, and demand clear instructions on
how to rescue her Mom.  Maybe the Void would help.  One thing Raven and the
Void Master could agree on. 

Neither one liked
the Keepers.

Chapter 7

~~ Jade ~~

It was the kind of
week that dragged on and on.  Jade had a Precalculus test on Tuesday that went
horribly wrong.  For Jade that meant a B-. Between volleyball and taking care
of Mindy and worrying about Bertha and Raven, Jade couldn’t focus on studying.

Finally Saturday
arrived. 

She played a
decent game on Saturday, her serves sailing to the back of the court, and she
slammed an ace at the front of the net. Jade loved the games, but she was
nervous for her date and eager for the game to be over.  They won in four
rounds.

Jade scanned the
bleachers for Zach.  He waved from the top. Blushing, Jade waved back.  She
followed the team into the locker room.  Most of them would head home without
changing. 

Jade didn’t feel
good about herself when she looked in the mirror.  She wore a green silk blouse
and jeans. The blouse belonged to Raven.  Jade brushed her hair and put on
mascara and lip gloss.  She hardly ever wore makeup. Staring at herself in the
mirror, she felt ugly. 

With a sigh, Jade
threw the mascara into her bag.  She thought about hiding in the locker room
for another ten minutes. Feeling a bundle of nerves, Jade left through the
inner door back into the gym.  It had cleared out quickly with only a few
parents and teachers staying to chat. 

Zach stood, an
easy grin welcoming her.

“Good game,” he
said, reaching for her bag, “Here, let me take that.”

Jade felt a little
odd handing him her gym bag.  She always felt like the loner girl who didn’t
need anyone, but she wanted him to like her, so much. She handed over her bag
with a shy smile.

“Thanks,” she
said.

Jade tried to
think of something witty or clever to say, anything to carry the conversation
further.  They talked easily enough during chemistry, but now she felt awkward
and uncertain.

 Zach hefted her
bag over a shoulder and smiled at Jade, “John agreed to let me use the car. 
Star Wars, it is.”

He held out his
other hand.  Jade smiled shyly and put her hand in his.  His hand was warm. 
She’d never held hands with a boy before.  They hadn’t even technically started
the date yet.

The drive to Barton
went well.  They talked about music and books, favorite movies and television
shows.  Jade realized that she really liked Zach.  Her nerves were gone, and
she just enjoyed hanging out with him. 

After Zach bought
the tickets, they stood in line for popcorn and sodas.  Jade ordered Coke.  She
was grinning from ear to ear as Zach cracked one joke after another.  Her grin
only faded slightly when she saw Danika waltz in with two of her friends, both popular
girls from school. 

If Zach noticed
Danika, he didn’t show it.  Jade forced herself to focus on Zach and ignore Danika. 
They weren’t in school, so she probably would just pretend she didn’t know
Jade, anyway.

They picked seats
in the middle of the theatre.  There were still plenty of seats open, so they
were able to choose the best. Danika led her friends down the aisle.  She
didn’t pick a random good seat.  Instead, Danika came down the row where Zach
and Jade were sitting, Jade heard her and turned.

Danika dropped
into the seat beside Jade, “So, you kids out on a date?  It’ll be the talk of
the school tomorrow.”

Jade would usually
slink off without saying a word.  She was trapped between Zach and Danika. Zach
answered for her, “Look, I may be the new guy, but what you’re doing right now
is fifth grade. Go find your own row to sit in.”

Danika shrugged
and stood. 

Somehow Danika
managed to nudge Jade’s coke as she stood.  Jade had been holding it while she
talked to Zach. The coke fell, dumping soda all over Jade’s blouse. Raven was
going to kill her.

Danika put a hand
to her mouth in faux horror.  She was almost believable when she said, “Jade,
I’m so sorry.  I’m so clumsy.  Do you want me to buy you another one?”

Jade mumbled, “No,
that’s okay.”

She wanted to be
tough.  She wanted to say something funny or mean, anything but mumble and
grovel like a loser, but Jade wasn’t good with confrontation.  It was Zach who
said, “Yes.  Buy her another coke, and then find somewhere else to sit.”

Jade wanted to
crawl under her seat.  She should have let Aunt Bertha do the Spirit Walk
camping thing tonight.  Now she was covered in sticky soda and wouldn’t feel
clean for another four hours.

Zach said, “I’m
really sorry. Do you want to try for another night?”

Jade always had
some kind of event, a game or practice or a test to study for.  She said, “I’ve
been wanting to watch this for a while.

Seeing Danika slip
into a seat five rows down, Zach leaned over, “Looks like she’s not getting you
another.  I’ll be right back.”

Zach slipped out,
leaving as the advertisements clanged across the screen.  Fire whispered,
I
can take away the cold.

Jade felt a thrill
of excitement.  Fire so rarely spoke, so rarely offered her service. 

Yes.

As soon as Jade
said the word, Fire blossomed along her skin, spreading warmth where the Coke
had soaked through. It was a blessed relief.  Jade thanked Fire in her mind. 
Danika’s giggling hyena laugh annoyed Jade.  Danika was on her phone.  Jade
tried to ignore Danika.  When Matt, Danika’s on-and-off boyfriend joined her,
Jade watched while she pointed her finger directly back to Jade, and everyone
laughed.

Jade didn’t tell
Fire to do anything.  She would swear she hadn’t let the slightest thought
slip, but suddenly Danika was screaming.  Her phone had caught fire, and it was
quite a blaze. 

Matt grabbed it
out of Danika’s hands and threw it on the ground, stomping it.

Jade heard Fire’s
defensive plea,
I didn’t hurt her.

Also she
remembered something Bertha had told all the girls when they were very young. 
The
Elements will play with you.  They will love you.  But they are free.  You can
only hurt their feelings so many times before you will find yourself abandoned.

Jade whispered,
Thank
you.  Danika isn’t hurt and it was funny.

And it was. 
Danika was still screeching.  She yelled at Matt, “You broke it.”

“It was on fire,
Danika,” Matt said. Jade could see why they kept breaking up.  As far as Danika
was concerned, Matt was just a hot body and a cute face. Jade wondered why Matt
couldn’t see through her.  Pretty much any girl in the school was a better
choice than Danika.

Zach was back. 

Jade didn’t
mention Danika’s phone.  Having some sense of guilt that she didn’t stop Fire
in time, Jade was glad that most of the excitement over the burning phone was
over. The theater smelled like an electronic fire and Danika and Matt argued in
hissed undertones. 

Zach handed her a
new drink.  A few moments later, the first preview started. “Just in time,” he
said.

Jade longed to
take his hand.  If only she were brave enough.

Fire giggled.

He’s thinking
exactly the same thing.  He wants to kiss you.

Surprised out of
her reverie, Jade quietly reached over and took Zach’s hand.  It felt like
coming home. The long familiar John Williams’ opening started just at that
moment, and Jade felt such a strange longing and excitement that she wondered
if she was going crazy. 

Fire whispered in
Jade’s mind.
Make him wait for his kiss.  A long-lasting fire burns slowly.

Jade was glad the
movie was interesting, because she sure didn’t want to spend too much time
thinking about a relationship that had only just started.  She liked Zach. 
Feelings bubbled up that indicated she might be falling for him.

The movie was
great.  They held hands the whole time. 

At the end of the
movie, Zach and Jade went out for ice cream.

Jade listened to
Fire’s advice in a way she would never have listened to her mother’s.  They
didn’t kiss that night. Zach would have to wait.

~~ Aunt Bertha ~~

It was hard
waiting for Jade to come home.

Aunt Bertha
puttered around the house all day long, dusting in the living room, adding a
few more camping supplies.  Autumn could be cold in the mountains.  Bertha’s
gift gave her some knowledge of the various weather cycles.  This weekend would
be a warm one. 

The worst part was
the fluttery fear that everything would change.  Raven and Jade were already
treating her like an invalid.  If they saw her lift something, one of them
would say, “Here, let me get that for you.” Sometimes she really appreciated
it.  When a person’s body rebelled, it was amazing the vast exhaustion and the
impossibility one felt about moving across the room.  Something that was easy a
year ago felt like climbing Mount Everest now.

As the afternoon
wore to evening, Aunt Bertha took stock of her life.  She’d never married or
given birth.  That was something she obviously couldn’t go back and change. 
Somehow she’d always been busy doing one thing or another. The days passed in a
blur and here she was at the end with nothing to show. The melancholy thought
that she could have enjoyed another eighty years crossed her mind.  

Regardless of what
the Death Keepers thought, Aunt Bertha did not control Time.  Not only did she lack
the gift, but she had no idea where it had gone after Amy.  She knew that at
one point Amy carried the gift of Time because her niece had confided in her. 
Aunt Bertha had shut that down right away, telling Amy not to ever speak of it
again and certainly not to tell anyone that she had it. That road spelled
disaster.

She had to protect
the girls, to warn them. Every gift came with the heavy weight of
responsibility.  They had already paid some of the cost with the loss of their
father.

At eleven o’clock
Jade finally made it home.

Aunt Bertha greeted
her with a hug, “How did it go? As if I need to ask…”

“I think he likes
me,” Jade was grinning from ear to ear.  Aunt Bertha knew a few things about
that young man Jade was seeing.  She kept them to herself.

“Just take it
slow,” Aunt Bertha cautioned Jade while she fervently wished that Amy were
there to see her first daughter growing up.  Missing a first date probably
wasn’t quite as devastating as missing first steps or first words, but Amy
would have wanted to be there.

“I will.  Fire
said the same thing,” Still smiling, Jade said, “Is there anything you need me
to get ready for tomorrow?”

Bertha loved Fire
for slowing Jade down. 

Fire was precious
to Bertha in a way that no one else could understand.  Fire checked in every
now and then to see how Bertha was faring.  It was Fire who told Bertha to go
to the doctor and Fire who warned of a renewed interest in the Gray family secrets
seven years ago when everything fell apart.

Bertha hated the
thought that tomorrow morning would bring sorrow to her girls.  She said, “The
girls got everything gathered up for me.  I just needed to supervise.  It’s
long past my bedtime.  Let’s get to sleep and get an early start tomorrow.”

That night Bertha
drifted in and out of sleep.  The pain was unbearable at times.  She cried
quietly.  When she shivered, Fire warmed her blankets.  Of all of the Elements,
Fire was the kindest.  Bertha wasn’t sure why…because Fire was often the most
devastating when she acted.

After hours of
waiting, the first sliver of sunshine broke through the trees.

Jade drove while
Bertha gave directions. The morning was crisp and clear, and the girls
chattered enthusiastically.  They weren’t going far.  The surrounding mountains
had quiet places to camp, and Bertha planned on taking them to a quiet mountain
sacred to the Elementals. The Elements tended to be ruthless in protection of
it. 

During the autumn
it was deer season, and the hunters would be out.  Bertha sighed.  She should
have brought the girls on their Spirit Walk in the summer. Bertha knew she was
worrying for nothing. The Elements would keep the mountain quiet.

A ring of stones
twice the height of a person and as wide as a car ringed the campground where
Bertha suggested they set up camp.

“I didn’t know we
had Stonehenge in Washington State,” Claire said, wandering around the stones
and running her hand along the smooth surface.

“No one knows,”
Aunt Bertha raised her hands and turned slowly in a circle, “They are sacred to
us. This mountain is impossible to find except for Elementals. To those who
need it, it is accessible on any continent.”

Dragging a pair of
chairs to the circle, Raven said, “So why don’t we just leave this Gift everyone
is looking for here? Let the Elements protect it in secret.”

“The Gift of Time isn’t
an Elemental Gift.  We are just holding it.  If we left it here for more than a
few days, the Void and Death Keepers would flock to this mountain, and I can
assure you, our sacred space would be lost for centuries if not forever.” Aunt
Bertha carefully lowered herself into the chair.  She didn’t trust those
unfolding chairs much, but at least they didn’t tip.

Raven paused for a
moment.  She didn’t want to miss anything while they were setting up camp. She
said, “What are we doing here? Mom never lets us miss school, not unless we’re
really sick.”

“This is
important.  Get the camp set up and we’ll talk more,” Aunt Bertha could see
that Claire and Jade were also hanging close, hoping to hear Aunt Bertha answer
Raven’s question.  Mindy was bringing two more chairs from the car.  Once she
knew what task was expected of her, she was diligent.

Aunt Bertha
watched while Jade and Raven set up the tent.  In the past they would have
squabbled over how to set it up or who should do what part, but today they
seemed to sense the importance of the day.