Power Revealed (The Elementers) (18 page)

“How can the tree element help me fight against my attackers?” Justin asked while walking through the forest near the tree house with Anya and Katie.

“Justin, you’ve been told about the dangers of destructive energy. It’s very hazardous, especially for you, due to your increased capacity. You need to learn how to use constructive energy,” Anya said.

“Your tree house is great, but using my powers for construction isn’t my top priority right now.”

“I said constructive energy, not construction energy. We’re talking about energy that builds and enhances nature versus destructive energy which destroys life. Destructive energy gets you out of balance and destroys your soul. But constructive energy repairs your soul and helps you return into balance. If you choose to use destructive energy to fight against your attackers, you’ll damage, instead of protect, yourself.”

“If I don’t fight against them, they’ll destroy me before I have the chance to do it to myself. It’s not like I have much of a choice.”

 “There are always other choices. You just have to look hard enough and open your mind to the possibilities. You can use constructive energy against them.”

“What? You think I’m going to stop a bunch of killers by overwhelming them with flowers?”

“You’d be surprised.”

“Yeah, right. How can my Tree energy help me stop these guys?” Justin said.

“Use your imagination. That’s your only real limit. How could you use a tree to take someone out?”

“A tree? Other than a person tripping on its root, a tree can’t stop someone.”

“Katie, Justin had a good idea. Why don’t you show him how it’s done?’

Justin felt a tickle on his ankle and glanced down. After all he’d seen over the last few weeks, he thought nothing could surprise him, but the sight of a tree root growing and wrapping around his ankles like an anaconda snake was a little creepy. “What the—?” He tried to move his feet, but the roots continued to slither up and around his legs. His bottom half might as well have been encased in cement.

“See. Just use your imagination. A tree root can be very effective,” Anya said.

Justin watched as Katie caused the roots to pull back into the earth. Once he was free, he shook his legs to experience the feeling of mobility again. He looked at Katie. “How’d you do that?”

“I asked the tree nicely,” Katie grinned.

“You can’t actually talk to the trees, despite the fact that you made me think I had, at first,” Justin said.

“Sorry about that. I would have explained things if you hadn’t dropped the link,” Katie said.

“You made me think I was going crazy. I still sometimes wonder if I’ve lost it when I see tree roots pop out of the ground and attack me,” Justin said.

“So, tree roots are helpful. How else could you use plants to protect yourself?” Anya asked.

Justin scanned the overabundant greenery trying to imagine what the plants could do if they were animated. His eyes fell on a massive blackberry bush. “You could do some serious damage to someone with the thorny branches of a blackberry bush.”

“Yes, I suppose it could become a painful whip or rope. But Justin, you don’t want to use it as an offensive weapon. Remember, we don’t want to hurt others unless absolutely necessary. The harm will reflect back onto us.”

“How do you expect me to protect myself? Being a pacifist doesn’t work when you’re dealing with killers. I don’t want to hurt anyone, but I’m not going to stand by and just let someone hurt me,” Justin said.

“If an Elementer uses their powers to kill others, or even simply misuse their powers, the Elementer Council will overload the offending Elementer with so much energy that the Elementer’s ability burns out and they can no longer connect. They call it the Wipe.”

“But wouldn’t they still be a danger to Elementers? If their powers were taken, they could still expose the secret.”

“Long ago, Elementers discovered that if they applied the Wipe correctly, it had such a severe effect on the person that it wiped out their memory. A Wipe results in long term amnesia. It’s still a destructive process since it does damage the person targeted, but it seems to be the least harmful option for everyone involved.”

“You said I can handle more energy than other Elementers. So I should be able to do a Wipe on someone by myself.”

“Justin, it isn’t that simple. The equal amounts of all four energies at just the right amount must be used.  If you use too much energy, you could cause them serious mental and physical damage or even kill them. You don’t know the correct amount of energy to use and you’re still learning to control your powers. Also, I’m not certain how your access to the elements really works. I could be wrong and the excess energy might not flow past you. It might encircle you and cause you to burn out. Besides, only Council members are permitted to Wipe another Elementer and it is even forbidden for them to do so without a two-thirds Council vote approving the Wipe.”

“So I just sit and wait for another attack?” Justin asked.

“We’ll find out who is threatening you and Raven, but do not, under any circumstances, try Wiping another Elementer. Promise me.”

Justin stood there stubbornly for a while, but finally said, “Fine. But you need to show me other ways to protect myself.”

Over the next couple hours, Raven and Mr. Hamilton watched Anya and Katie train Justin to use his Tree powers. Justin began to realize that the tree element unlocked far more power than he originally thought. He had a goose egg on the side of his forehead from losing control of a tree branch that ended up hitting him. The young branch was only half as thick as his wrist, but it easily knocked him to the ground as it swung at Justin almost as fast as a whip.

While trees carried a lot of physical strength, Anya taught Justin that even the smallest plants could be extremely effective. He just needed to learn how to take advantage of each plant’s unique characteristics. Grasses weren’t nearly as strong as a tree, but because they were numerous they could easily pull down, wrap up, and at least temporarily restrain even the strongest guy. Justin had traveled once to Africa with his Grandpa and the Acacia trees there had dangerous three inch spikes that were dangerous even when the branches didn’t move. He could imagine the harm they could offer. He began to realize how vicious plants could be. Poison ivy, stinging nettle, and a long list of other poisonous plants were just some obvious examples. In addition, something as simple as pollen, if shot in concentrated form at someone, could stop them in their tracks with a sneezing fit. Anya also spent time teaching Justin how Tree energy could enhance the healing power of the plants. It all gave new meaning to the term “flower power”.

After they wrapped up their training session, Anya brought him back up to the tree house and she ground up a few different leaves. As she applied the sticky glop to the bump on his head and held her hand over it, Justin felt energy tingle around the injury. The energy subsided after about a minute and Justin touched the spot. The bump had already shrunk substantially. Justin thanked Anya as she also helped speed up the healing from the burns on his hands too.

“Justin, I need to show you something.” Anya motioned for him to follow her. He climbed the stairs behind her to the upper level of the tree house and stopped beside her as she knelt beside a wooden chest and pulled something out of it. She opened her hand to show it to him. “I want you to wear this.”

Justin grunted and folded his arms across his chest. “You want me to wear a necklace?”

“It’s not a necklace. It’s an energy sphere. They are created by combining the elements using all four energies. It can measure how well balanced its wearer is. The sphere is clear if you are in balance, but if the destructive energy grows in you, the sphere will begin turning red. The deeper the color red, the more dangerous the destructive energy exists within an Elementer. Because destructive energy distorts your perspective, energy spheres can act as an unbiased reminder to let you know that you need to get back in balance. It’s never wrong.”

“Do you wear one?” Justin asked.

“There was a time I needed one. During my college days I went a little off the deep end. Someone cared enough about me to intervene, put me in my place, and help me get back on track before the Council decided to step in. He gave this to me to help me see things clearer. At the time, I thought I should be able to do whatever I wanted and that the Council had no right to tell me what to do. But he told me that freedom is being who you really are, not doing what you want to do.”

Justin’s head snapped up to look at Anya. Something lodged in his throat. Justin had heard that saying more times than he could remember, but he’d only ever heard it from one person.

“Did Henry say the same thing to you?” Anya smiled. “Yes, it was your grandpa. He saved my life. I owe him more than I can say. Please, take the sphere and wear it. I think he would have wanted you to have it. He helped me when I really needed someone. I wish you had him to help you through this, but know that I’ll do anything I can to help you.” Justin could see Anya’s eyes begin to tear up. It didn’t really fit her tough exterior. She shook her head a few times as if to rid herself of the emotions. “Take it. It’s not girly or I wouldn’t have worn it either. Wear it under your shirt if it makes you happy, but put the thing on. I’m not going to let Henry down and neither are you.”

Justin picked it up by the leather strap and put it on. He had to admit it wasn’t so bad and he was glad to have something that represented Henry’s Elementer life, something Justin had never been a part of. It made him feel like he reclaimed that portion of Grandpa’s life.

“One more thing. David said you’ve met Alexei. Word of warning: I’d be careful around him. He can be fun. Trust me, I know. But Henry would have warned you to stay away from him,” Anya said.

“What are you talking about? They were friends.” Justin said.

“Henry and Alexei? Not a chance. Henry didn’t support some of the more controlling aspects of the Council, but he absolutely stood up against the Elementer elitism of people like Alexei. Alexei and his buddies think that because Elementers have greater powers, we should be able to do whatever we want regardless of the consequences to non-Elementers. Henry always fought against such thinking. He believed we have these powers to serve others, not to lift ourselves above them. When I began hanging out with Alexei and his friends, your grandpa rather harshly yanked me back down to earth,” Anya said and looked over at Raven and Mr. Hamilton grabbing their jackets in the other room. “Speaking of being brought down to earth, David looks like he’s ready to go. I think it’s time to show you the best way to be brought back down to earth. The zip line ends close to the cottage. Come on. It’s a rush.”

Chapter 27

The whistle blew and echoed through the high school gymnasium as the referee called the basketball foul. The crowd cheered.

“I’ll be right back,” Raven said.

“Want me to come with you?” Nikki asked.

“No, that’s okay. The last time we went to the bathroom together the building almost burned down. I don’t want to risk it again,” Raven said. Nikki laughed, shook her head, and turned back to the basketball game.

Justin and Lewis moved their legs to the side to let Raven pass and she walked down the steps along the bleachers. Less than a minute later, Lewis spoke up. “Justin. Didn’t you say you wanted to get a drink?”

“What?” Justin said.

“A drink. You said you wanted to buy a drink,” Lewis repeated, but this time he motioned with his head repeatedly jerking it in the direction of Nikki who sat on the other side of Justin.

“Oh, yeah. That’s right. The line-up for the snack shop has probably shortened.” Justin turned to Nikki. “I’ll be right back. Do you want anything?”

“Sure. Could you get me a Sprite? Thanks,” Nikki said

As Justin stood up, he noticed Lewis use the opportunity to shift his position at least a foot or so closer to Nikki. Justin walked down the bleachers and toward the snack shop, but he figured Lewis wanted him to be gone for a while, so he decided to wander the halls for a few minutes. Heading down the empty main hall and turning left in the direction of his locker, he looked up to see Raven walking toward him.