Daughter of the Sky, Son of the Earth

Chapter Nineteen

Fire

I woke up abruptly and I stared up at the ceiling as if expecting to find something there. I had had the strangest dream, one where the boy, Mason, had been trying to reach me. He had been screaming for help. The fear in his eyes along with his pain had been very visible. I shivered as I remembered I had tried to reach him, but my hands went right through his arm. 

It had felt so real. Too real.

The nagging feeling at the back of my head made me want to throw up and I couldn’t fall back asleep. Alex was snoring softly on the bed next to mine, she was stirring slightly, and her eyebrows scrunched together as if she were trying to solve something in her mind.

Sighing, I got up and looked around. The room was simple with two twin beds, a nightstand between them and a small closet to the side with clothes Ms. Johnson had thought would be a good fit for us. I shuddered as I laid uncomfortably with the strange texture of the pajamas against my skin. The texture was much smoother and satin than I was used to.

My feet began to feel restless, and I quickly got to my feet and put on my shoes. Gently, I walked towards the door and gently closed it after me. The hallway was cold, silent, and empty. I gulped slightly when I felt the darkness much more out here than in the room, even though there were gentle yellow lights turned on along the wall.

Taking a calming breath, I headed towards the stairs. When I got there, I considered heading into the kitchen to grab a glass of water or to find something to distract myself, but my mind had other plans. Unconsciously, I turned towards the boy section of the building. 

My body stiffened as I tried to hold back the urge to go down the hallway. But the urging sensation wouldn’t go away. It only got worse, 

Giving up, I stepped forward and let my king guide me. I remembered the boy I had seen a couple of hours ago. His brown sweater had disappeared as he turned the corner. Following his path, I found myself in another hallway.

Loud snores were coming from the rooms and I almost jumped when I heard a loud snore as if the boy were standing next to me. I stood awkwardly as I considered where to go next. How was I supposed to find Mason in a place I didn’t know?

A feeling in my gut told me I had to reach the end of the hallway to find him. Skeptically, I walked towards the end of the hall and as I walked, I found myself following my gut. 

Slowly, I looked between the two doors on both sides of me as I considered which one to look through. I didn't want to seem nosy or like someone who didn't respect privacy, but I needed to speak to Mason. I needed to know if he was alright and explain everything to him before it was too late.

Both Andrew and I had gotten an explanation and a warning before the transformation kicked in. I couldn't imagine what it would have been like if I hadn't known. I think it would have been much worse. And painful.

I shuddered as I recalled my body consuming in flames and I quickly turned to the door to my left. Hesitantly, I placed my hand over the doorknob before slowly pushing it open. Soft snores came out of the room and I peaked inside to see what was inside.

The room was dark, obviously, and I moved my hand further inside before sparking a small flame at the end of my palm. I could see the silhouette of Jason on the bed furthest from the door. I had recalled him saying that he was Mason's roommate. Relief filled me as I let go of the tension of walking into someone else's room. 

Quickly, my eyes moved towards the bed in front of the door. Instantly, my body tensed. I didn't know what I had been expecting, but certainly not this. 

Mason's bed was empty, and it looked like it had been like that for hours. My blood went cold as I rushed out of the room and back towards where Alex was sleeping. I needed to tell her we needed to go as soon as possible. Who knew what had happened to Mason?

I rushed through the hallway without making a sound and when I reached the guest room, I quickly headed for Alex. I shook her away roughly and when she groaned, I moved to collect my brown crossbody bag and took out the compass. 

"What?" Alex said with a groan as she turned around and tried to fall back asleep.

With a frustrated sigh, I turned her around and shook her harder. "Alex, we need to go. Mason isn't here. I went looking for him. We need to find him before anything happens."

Alex sighed and looked at me with a slight glare. "Maybe he's in the kitchen or downstairs. Have you looked for him there?" 

I shook my head and looked into the compass. I held back a groan as the same image of the cabin looked back at me along with Mason's face smiling slightly. 

"Fine, I'll go looking for him. Stay here. If I'm not back by morning, try to reach out to Andrew. No, I don't know how," I said as I walked towards the door. I didn't care that I was wearing pajamas. I had already shoved a pair of clean clothes into my bag. 

"No, wait. Hold on. I'm going with you, just give me a minute to wake up. I need to clear my mind of any sleep," she said as she sat up and took a couple of deep breaths. 

I shifted my weight uncomfortably as she got up and walked to the closet to change into a fresh set of clothes and her backpack. 

Once she was ready, the two of us rushed down the steps and quickly made our way to the door. I didn't care if the door had an alarm, I needed to get out of this place.

Just like I thought, an alarm blared as soon as I opened the door and Alex yelped in surprise as she rushed to catch up to me as the lights inside the house started to light up. But I didn't turn around as I let the forest engulf me.

"I can't believe that just the day I get to sleep in a bed, this happens. Not to mention dinner, it's great to eat real food again," Alex complained and I rolled my eyes. My patience was running thin and the last thing I wanted was to snap at her. 

So, I held my tongue and kept on walking. As if sensing my tension, Alex didn't say anything as she trailed behind me.

A couple of minutes later, I saw the end of the tree line. My body began to relax, and a slight smile covered my lips as I walked nearer.

But that feeling was too brief. As fast as it had come, it vanished as if it had never been there because from inside the small building, I could see a shimmer glowing. A shimmer I recognized all too well. 

My fingers began to tingle as my blood went cold. 

Alex walked up behind me uncertainly as she eyed me before her eyes landed on the building in front of us. "Oh my," she said as she stared at the building in shock. 

This was it. This was the moment I had wanted to be here for and now I was. But suddenly, all I had told myself I was going to do, vanished into thin smoke as my mind clouded over. 

"Aileen, what do we do?" Asked Alex, taking me out of my thoughts.

Quickly, I jumped forward, rushing towards the cabin. As I got nearer, I could hear Mason's cry of pain and his whimpers as every part of his body burned. Just like the phoenix, we elementals were reborn.

Hurrying inside, Mason's cries of pain were louder and more repetitive. I didn't even notice the wooden boards creak under my feet, but Alex did and she yelped and quickly held onto the column on one wall. "I think I will stay here. Go ahead," she said nervously as she wrapped her arms tightly around the column.

I didn't respond as I walked into the living room where Mason's cries were coming from. He was lying on the floor with his head between his arms as he laid in a fetal position, clenching his jaw tightly together.

He didn't seem to hear Alex and I come in and when his blurry eyes landed on me, I saw them plead to me. "Please," he sobbed as his green eyes looked into mine.

"I'm here," I whispered as his voice made me bolt into action. I didn't know what I was doing as I held his hands firmly between mine and looked into his eyes,

"You will be okay. I promise. Just try to breathe, like this," I instructed as I inhaled loudly through my nose and then exhaled through my mouth. 

Mason followed my lead, and his body began to ease up. I knew it was only a temporary reaction and that the pain would come back away much stronger than in the beginning. 

"Why is this happening to me? What is happening?" He asked as he looked up into the ceiling with tears in his eyes. 

My heart hurt for the boy. I didn't know him, I hadn't even met him formally, but I already knew I couldn't leave him to live through this pain on his own. He must be scared out of his mind. He must be thinking this is the end. 

"Mason, look at me," I said seriously, and the boy did what I said. His wide eyes widened even more as his vision focused on me. 

"You're her. You're the girl I've been dreaming about. But... how?" He asked in disbelief as his face started to turn green.

"I'll explain everything to you later. Right now, all you need to know is that I'm here to help you. That I have answers and that you have to be strong to go through this to hear them. Understand? You have a bigger purpose than you think. But you have to be strong," I said confidently as I held his gaze. 

Mason gulped slightly and opened his mouth to say something when the next wave of pain flashed across his body. A loud scream of pain left his lips as he kneeled forwards and he tightened his hold on my hands. I clenched my jaw together but didn't move away.

Instead, I closed my eyes and tried to send him some of my warmth into his cold body. I could feel how his blood was starting to feel like ice. I also tried to send him some of my strength, I knew the worse was only about to come.

"Mason, focus on my voice. You're here. In this cabin, sitting in this small living room. You walked here from the orphanage to clear your mind and you're now going through a process of transformation." I talked over Mason's screams of pain and his pleas. I could feel his tears along my arm but I needed to remain strong. I needed to keep my focus. "Once you wake up again, the pain will be gone. You will feel much better than before and you will realize that this new version of you has a purpose, that you have a mission, and that we will get through this together. I'm not leaving you behind, Mason. You're not alone anymore," I said, and Mason screamed even louder than before.

I flinched slightly as his scream ran through my ears. But it was cut short by the sound of him coughing and I suddenly felt something small and grainy against my skin. Looking down at my arms I was surprised to see fists of dirt. 

Mason's confused and scared eyes looked up at me and I opened my mouth to say something when the next wave of pain hit him. This time, I knew he was truly going through his transformation.