Chasing Water

Chapter 3 - Chasing Water

Ok, still not feeling up to having it out with Jake and since I woke up from my little coma I haven't been to our little dungeon. I have seen all three of our captives from afar, but never spoke with them. So probably should go see who we have. I headed over making sure to avoid Jake at all cost, and behind door number one is? Ok it is one of the guys and based on the look on his face this must be Dane because I am pretty sure if it was Luke I would be getting a look that could kill not a smile. "Hello, my name is..."

"I know your name. I know exactly who you are. I never thought in my life I would meet a direct descendent of the original bloodline, let alone meet two of them. Oh, where are my manners. I am Dane,” he said excitedly.

I can't help but smile, he talks about my family with such awe in his voice it is like we are superheroes to him. "It is nice to meet you Dane, I am sorry about your current accommodations."

"Don't worry about it, I can completely understand you all taking these precautions to make sure you are safe." He reasoned.

"May I sit with you?" I asked.

"Oh of course." He said enthusiastically.

There really isn't much in this room, a bed, table with two chairs at least, and a toilet, like they really are in jail cells, nicer than the ones you seen in movies but still cells. But Dane seems to be taking it rather well and I want to get to know him better, so we both took seats at the table. "Dane may I ask you some questions?"

"Oh yeah, your brother and that other guy have been interrogating me about once every few days." He volunteered.

"They WHAT!" I shouted.

"Oh, sorry I figured you knew that, they are just trying to be cautions." He reasoned.

Ok I will deal with that later I thought and looked at Dane, “So, what is it you do Dane?"

He smiled at me and said, "Before the Restorers found me about a year and a half ago I think, I was a landscaper."

"Aha, you’re an earth elemental so I bet you had one heck of a business going." I chuckled.

"I did, the other landscapers couldn't figure out how I was able to create the landscapes I did.” He smiled conspiratorially, “I admit it is kinda cheating I guess, but I absolutely loved it."

"It isn't cheating, you were given extraordinary gifts, and you might as well use them." I told him.

"Pretty sure the others in my field wouldn't agree, but that is ok. They didn’t know about it anyway"

"So where is it you did this wonderful landscaping work?"

"Elizabethtown, Kentucky.” He smiled nostalgically. “It is about 45 minutes outside of Louisville. Not a bad commute and kept me from living in such a big city."

"Did you do landscaping in Elizabethtown?"

"Oh of course, but there is only so much landscaping you can do in a town with of maybe 30,000 people. I would guess I did a quarter of my work maybe a third in Elizabethtown and the rest in Louisville."

"Seriously, the place I grew up in Washington had maybe 2,000 people. I did commute for work though and Tacoma has over 200,000 people, so I can kinda understand where you worked, but not at all where you lived," I smiled, “that is still a lot of people.”

"Seriously? 2,000 people, do you know everyone by name?" He chuckled.

"Well most of them yeah I do." Dane really does seem like a nice guy. Just your average Joe who was born with amazing gifts that got him caught up in this mess. "I am sorry you are caught up in all of this."

"That isn't your fault Kenna, you were born into this just like I was."

"Huh, that is true. Ok another line of questions."

"Shoot."

"What was it the Restorers were holding against you?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing? Really?" I questioned.

"I think that is part of why your brother doesn't trust me. I never went on a hunt with them in the year and a half they had me, and honestly, I don't know why they didn't just kill me straight out. There is no one in my life they could have threatened me with." Dane explained.

"No one, not even a close friend?" I asked sadly.

"The look on your face is priceless, like I am some stray kitten left out on the stoop and abandoned.” Dane smiled, “That isn't what happened."

"Oh, sorry. What happened?"

"Don't be, it is what most people think when I first tell them I have no one. My parents were great. Really understanding of my gifts and everything, but my mother was in her forties when she had me, and dad was right up there with her. I was there only child and they were just so happy to have me, I think if I had been born with two heads they still would have loved me. But I lost dad my junior year of high school, and I lost mom my first year of college." He explained.

"Oh, I am so sorry. I know how hard it is to lose someone you love." I thought of Granny.

"It was really hard when it happened, but now I am glad they are gone. That way the Restorers couldn't use them against me or hurt them in anyway."

I nodded in understanding. "Somehow I have to find a way to end this. We shouldn't have to stay on the run or in hiding our entire lives and our children as well."

"If I can help you in anyway Kenna I will. If I ever hope to have a real future this has to end."

"Thank you, Dane, I have a feeling we are going to need everyone we can get to end this. I better go, I want to meet with the others today also." I reached out and squeezed Dane’s hand.

"Ok Kenna but be careful with Luke, he really doesn't have any love for us." Dane told me.

"I will, thanks for talking with me, and I will figure out how to get you all out of here."

"Thanks."

Talking with Dane went really well. I know Rick said he was a good guy and, on our side, but I really wanted to make sure for myself, and if my gut is correct we can trust him. How I am going to convince the wardens of that I am not sure yet, but he does not deserve to be locked up like that. Well, let's see if Rick is right about the water elemental as well.

"Knock Knock, may I come in?" I asked quietly.

"Huh, no one has ever asked permission before, you must be someone new come to visit me." The voice in the room replied.

"May I come in?" I asked again.

"Oh, yeah sure." She replied.

As I walked in I was a little taken back. I don't really know what I expected of Corrie, but very petite with long flowing blonde hair definitely wasn't it. "Hi, I am Kenna."

"Hi, names Corrie." She said as she stuck out her hand.

I reached out and took it and she squeezed a little harder than necessary. Ok sensing a little hostility coming from this little package. "Do you mind if I sit and talk with you?"

"Whatever, seems I have all the time in the world to waste." She said as she turned to the chairs.

Yep, definitely hostility. "Um is everything ok?"

"Oh, let's see, I was infiltrating a secret organization, so I could destroy them, and I was doing a really good job I might add, when without my consent people decided to kidnap me from them and bring me here just to pretty much put me in a prison cell. Oh yeah I am doing amazingly well." She said scornfully.

"Ah, yeah sorry about that, I really didn't have a ton of say in the matter at the time."

"Yeah, I know, you passed out in the grass after you kicked the Restorers asses, then your friends kidn*pped me."

"Um you know what I think I will come back another time." I am getting enough hostility from Jake, I don't need it from this lady too.

"No wait."

I just turned around and looked at her waiting to see what other hateful things she wanted to come spewing out of her mouth.

"Don't go. I know it isn't your fault I am in here, and it was pretty sweet when you kicked a*s back at the castle."

"You aren't gonna bite my head off or anything if I stay, are you?"

"Promise I will be good. I am just a little frustrated being locked up in here." She gestured to the walls.

"Sorry about that. I didn't know you guys were all locked up until about a week ago, and my wardens weren't really letting me out of their site until today." I said with a smile, my wardens really didn’t voluntarily let me out today either.

"You didn't know we were locked up?" She just looked at me with major skepticism.

"Really Corrie I didn't. I guess I was pretty much in a coma until then. I may have kicked butt back at the castle, but it really took a toll on my body and it needed to recoup." I explained.

"Oh, is that why your wardens wouldn't let you out of their sites?"

"Yeah, they are afraid I am going to do something with my powers that is going to get me killed instead of just in a coma."

"I can kinda see where they are coming from if the last time put you out of commissions since we left the castle."

"Great another supporter for the wardens, just what I need." At least that got a slight laugh out of Corrie.

"I said I see where they are coming from, not that I support them." She reasoned.

"I didn't know I had powers until a few months ago,” I explained, “and I just need to build up my bodies’ stamina to use them. Kinda like an athlete does."

"That actually make sense, so are your wardens the same as my wardens?"

"Jake and Aidan?" I asked.

"Not sure what my warden’s names are, one is a fire elemental, and the other is just a regular guy, but he kinda seems to be running this place."

"Yep, that would be Jake and Aidan. Aidan is my brother, the fire elemental, and Jake, I guess has kinda been my secret bodyguard for a while now. He and I only met a few months ago also."

"Secret bodyguard?" Definitely a look of confusion from Corrie on that one.

"Long story, but the short version is my Granny hired his family to watch over and protect me from a distance, and that is what Jake was doing until I got myself into some serious trouble."

"You mean the Restorers found you?"

"Actually I kinda revealed myself to them, well at least my air abilities. They found Aidan, and I had to protect him. The Restorers know who I am now because I used all of my powers back at the castle."

"You are their number one goal. If they can kill you before you ever have kids they win this battle." She explained, “well at least they believe that.”

"So, I have heard. Not really looking forward to the kid thing just yet though. Did you know I have to have all five of them at the same time?"

"No way, seriously?"

"Yeah, that is how it has been since the very beginning. One child for each elemental gift, fire, wind, water, and earth, and a fifth child to carry all four elements." I sighed as I told her, “and they all have to be born at the same time for some unknown reason.”

"Sucks to be you girl." She replied with a smile.

"Tell me about it. Besides I have already decided we are going to end this war somehow, so win or lose it will be over." I explained, “and I won’t even think about having kids until that happens.”

"How, what are you going to do? Kill them all? There are at least 75 members that are part of the Restorers.” She said, “well that I know of. There could be a ton more out there. Can you kill that many people?"

"Honestly I don't know.” I said with a gulp, “but we have to end this, so I will do what I must. Corrie, why were you trying to infiltrate and bring down the Restorers? A lot of our kind don't even know they exist."

Corrie looked at me with sorrow in her eyes, "You are right, most like us don't know the Restorers are out there. I didn't until it was too late. They heard of a possible water elemental around my hometown, so they sent a cleaning crew to take care of it. The Restorers don't capture all the elementals they find. They only need a handful of us to help them. The cleaning crew went to my parents’ home and tried to get them to tell them where I was. But my parents wouldn't tell them anything. When the police found them, it was too late. They tortured my mom, father and little brother to get them to talk and when they didn't they just cut their throats. My brother was only twelve, how can you do things like that to a little boy?" If Jake and Aidan would actually sit down and talk to Corrie they would know she is on our side. There is no way to fake the pain I can hear in her voice and see on her face. She completely blames herself for what happened to her family. “He was just a little boy! They should have just told them where I was.”

"Corrie I am so sorry. They still would have killed them. They can’t have witness’ to what they do.” I told her as I took her hand. “That is why I want this to end, so they can't do this to anyone else."

"Kenna you have to let me help you.” She said desperately, “You have to let me make them pay."

"I will Corrie, I will." As long as her need for vengeance doesn't put anyone else in danger. "I will talk to you soon Corrie. I will try and get the guys to let you out of here too, I will do what I can."

"Thank you, Kenna, thank you for actually listening to me." She said as she folded her hands into her lap.

"It was the least I could do, Corrie."

I don't know about Corrie, I think she could be an asset to us, but there is a lot of hate and pain in her and that could get herself or one of us killed. I will worry about that later, there is still one more cell here I need to visit. Really not looking forward to this one, but here goes nothing.

Oh man I can feel the hatred and I haven't even opened the door to Luke's cell. Maybe I really am not up for this right now. Kenna you are here you might as well get this over with I reasoned with myself. Of course, I am getting the I will kill you and eat your soul glare from this Luke guy as I walk into his cell. "Hello Luke, I am..."

"I know who you are! You are the devil incarnate. The last one we will ever need to kill." He said with venom.

"Huh, we? Do you have a mouse in your pocket or something? I don't see any of your Restorer friends around here anywhere." Ok that was a little mean. I was hoping to have a somewhat decent conversation with this nutcase, but that seems out of the question. "Luke I didn't come in here to fight with you, I wanted to have a civilized conversation with you.

Ok so no answer, "so now you aren't speaking to me, the devil incarnate?" This isn't going anywhere. "Is it true you were raised by the Restorers? Is that why you hate me, well and yourself?"

Still nothing, I am not going to waste my day talking to a wall, "something I want you to think about Luke, if you had the chance to get rid of your powers would you do it?" That got his attention, he is actually looking at me now instead of staring at the wall. "Just think about it, bet you didn't think anything like that was possible. Goodbye Luke, I will see you soon."

That man really does have some serious hatred towards us, Rick is probably right. I can’t get through to him.