The Elementals (22 page)

           
Terra followed him out, waving a hand through the kindred, toxic fog. It did nothing to help but it kept most of it from her face as she joined him at the front of the broken vehicle.

           
The hood was up, his head under it. His elbows leaned against the barrier staring down at the mix of parts that looked all the same to her, though she was able to recognize the engine. She looked carefully at his face, and could tell that he had no idea what he was doing anymore than she would have.

           
"Do you know cars," she asked.

           
"I'm a guy, of course I know cars."

           
She smiled and pointed to a random greasy cord. "What does that do?"
           
"It starts the thing."

           
"I thought the engine started it?"

           
"Technically, the key does."

           
"Ah." Terra nodded and decided to play some more. "What is it called?"

           
He slammed his hands on the hood closing it with a shaking bang. He rounded on her, his visage masked in fury, but to her, it was funny.

           
"Are you trying to be annoying, flower child?"

           
"No, but you obviously don't know anything about cars."

           
"If you know any better, then you do it,"
Bryan
bellowed.

           
It barely ruffled her, in fact, it intrigued her, but she shrugged her shoulders. "I didn't say I knew anything about them. I think we should call a mechanic, Bryne."

           
"How about we walk?"

           
"It's okay to accept help." She reached for her phone, but as she flipped it open he knocked it out of her hand, the contents scattering over the black pavement.

           
"No!"

           
"Fine," Terra spat angrily. "You now owe me a watch
and
a phone."

           
He came closer to her, bowing at the waist, his face close to hers. The smoke from the hood had evaporated and it left them to see their two puffs of breath mingling and joining between them, right in the small space that was left.

           
"You're a ridiculous little girl."

           
"You're a stubborn old fool."

           
"Bitch."

           
"Jackass."

           
"Human lover."

           
"Snotty."

           
He smirked, that right corner of his mouth curling upwards giving him a wicked and drawing look about him. It was three seconds that she had to admire it, for the next and fourth second, he was kissing her.

           
It took her breath away, her heart skipping several beats. It was all cliche but all true. He grasped her hips, bringing them to his, and she could feel him, through the thickness of his jeans. She loved it.

           
He pushed hard, and she pushed harder. He gripped her waist tighter, and she dug her nails into his shoulder past the fabric of his blue plaid shirt. He bit her lip, sucking it into his mouth, and she involuntarily moaned.

           
How long it lasted, Terra didn't know, but it was over too soon. He pushed her back, away from his lips holding a finger to them for silence. He listened, and right when she looked over her shoulder, they both saw him.

           
Hadrian clapped once... Twice... He moved down the slight hill between two small farmhouses, until he was a good thirteen feet from them, but it was much too close. "Bravo! Wonderful kiss! Right up there with the last kiss between - ah, who were those characters in that Titanic movie? Oh, never mind! The important likeness here is that this will be a tragedy too. For you."

           
Bryne tugged roughly on her arm, dragging her behind him.

           
"Do you think that'll save your girlfriend? I plan on killing all of you. What a shame that must be for you, you know I would have settled for just you. Ah well, these things happen." He held his arms open, palms up, as if he was welcoming them warmly to death.

           
Terra watched from under Bryne's arm. It may have been odd and unbelievable, but she wasn't scared. It was better to face Hadrian there, than with his sisters. Although the prophecy clearly stated that the four of them would have to be present to defeat him, she feared that her sisters would be killed. There was still the fear that Bryne would be hurt, and she wanted to take the front line, but he held her back firmly.

           
"Stay away from us."

           
"Stay away from you or her?"

           
"Her." He tried to shove her again, whispering "run," frantically over his shoulder, not taking his eyes off of the enemy, but she didn't budge, just like the door. "Damn it, Terra,
move
."

           
"No." She wouldn't, not when it would cost him his life, even at the expense of hers. When he was dead, there was nothing to say and everything to say that Hadrian would find them. She wouldn't let him risk his life for hers. She wouldn't let anyone do that.

           
Hadrian cooed. "She's a doll. You picked a good one, son. Too bad. Tsk, tsk, tsk, it's too bad." He waved and Bryne's grip was a vice threatening to snap her arm in two, expecting to be thrown, to be dead, but there was nothing.

           
Tick... Tick... Tick... It came from the car, and she noted what was about to happen half of a second before him, jerking him with her, as they ran from Hadrian and the car that was about to explode.

           
They were on the other side of the street. Bryne kept her in front of him, trailing a step behind, and suddenly there was a great weight on her, his body covering hers. They hit the ground, the air out of her lungs stolen from her, small pebbles embedding in her clothes, the exposed flesh of her cheek, hands, and neck, the pot cracking in her jacket.

           
There was an ear-splitting boom, heat as great as Bryne's temperature threatening to scald her. She didn't look to the scene, but at Bryne. She could see the tall stature of the fire reflecting in his fearful eyes.

           
"Is he gone?"

           
"Yeah," he glimpsed down at her. "He's gone." He sighed, still trembling. "Are you okay?"

           
"I'm fine," Terra said with her remaining breath.

           
Bryan
sighed a second time, kissing the spot above her ear in thankfulness. She closed her eyes, but the fear in his remained in hers.

She reminded herself that it was what they needed to know, that it could change everything for the better. Before she could finish her thought and think or for the worse, she answered, "yes, ma'am."

           
It was agreed. They wouldn't tell Marissa and Terra about the explosion. They agreed to lie about Bryne giving in to call a tow truck and it had been impounded. It wasn't a lie that they walked all the way home, and fast too, for they didn't want to be seen by the ambulance that was certainly on its way.

           
Back at Bryne's grandmothers, his hand was heavy on Terra's shoulder, giving her courage. It was the downside to being the leader, the center, or the glue, whatever was vital, to a family. They always got chosen to clean up the mess, to put the pieces together, and to talk to little old ladies about prophets. That was what Bryne told her, anyway, and she knew it to be true, though she would never put it into such a way. She would have put it a bit gentler, not call his grandmother a "little old lady," specifically.

           
"You can do this," he told her encouragingly but with a secure smile plastered on his proud face.

           
"She is your grandmother. Are you scared of her?” She found the concept funny. A man as muscular and well built as Bryne was, scared of a tiny dying woman... Put it like that, it wasn't that funny. His grandmother was sick, she understood him being scared, and after all, she had practically raised him. There was a certain amount of genuine and deserved fear under elders.

           
He gagged. "No. It's like I told you, you're the leader, you do it. This is a better time than any. Marissa and Era are out shopping, bringing us home some clothes. It's best if you have privacy, don't you think?"

           
Terra exhaled a great gust of air out, and gave him a look that small pinpricks of daggers could slice him up, but it was because she knew he was right. She did want the privacy; in case it was bad she could find a way to break it easy to Marissa.

           
Terra introduced her company by a small knock, and let herself into the dark room. The door shut behind her, and in her mind she cursed Bryne. They may have not been that different from each other as she had originally thought.

           
There was the shadow of the bulky mattress, and the woman lying on top. The raspy voice called to her. "Come here, child."

           
In Terra's mind, she raked through a list of horror movies and their characters. Were there any small dangerous old ladies? She shook her head of the imaginings. She was being silly. The elder was Bryne's grandmother and she was in poor health. She wouldn't harm, Terra, and anyway, how many scary movies were there of elders attacking children? That would be a comedy. Them in their walkers, like a zombie flick, only worse.

           
She got on her knees and his grandmother took her hand in her small wrinkled one. The veins were bluer against the paleness of her skin, the sailboat night light. She was colder than anyone should be, her blood circulation bad.

           
"Mrs. -”

           
"Call me Judy, please. Being called by my surname makes me feel old." She scrunched up her brows and called louder (sounding more like a frog) through the door behind her, "stop laughing, Bryne!" She sighed, seemingly satisfied and focused her sights back on Terra. "Judy, dear. Judy."

           
"Judy," she tried, the name feeling odd on her tongue. She went on, forcing her to ask the question that she suddenly didn't know if she wanted the answer to, but that answer could solve a lot. She didn't have to want it, but she did need it. "I wanted to ask you about the prophet. Who was she?"

           
The woman smiled, her thin and cracking lips pressed together tightly. "You don't know? No, I suppose you don't. You didn't know the complete prophecy. I blame that on your aunt. Don't get me wrong, dear, Aunt Gwen is a nice girl, but she is an odd one, even for an Elf. She thinks that denying you the information you were righted to at birth, that she can somehow change a future." She looked her straight into her eyes, her blue ones bright and nearly frightening into her wide brown and indecisive curious ones. "Are you certain you want to know?"

           
She had to respond before she changed her mind. It was not just for her, but for her family. She reminded herself that it was what they needed to know, that it could change everything for the better.