Daughter of the Sky, Son of the Earth

Chapter Twenty-four

Water

I waited for the girl to wake up. She had been lying very still since she sent the monster flying. I still could not figure out who the monster was, what he was, or even why he was here. I mean, I knew he was here for the girl, that much was obvious, especially considering she was an Elemental. But how had he found her if she still hadn't gone through her transformation? 

Neither Aileen nor I had been attacked before transforming. Barbara had made it clear our powers would only become more apparent once we transitioned but somehow, this monster had been able to pick up this girl's trail. 

An uncomfortable shudder ran down my spine. Worry began to consume me as I thought about Aileen. If this monster had found the girl before her transition, then that meant it could have also found the boy Aileen and Alex had gone looking for which might put them in danger. 

I cursed myself for not asking Artemis if there was a way to communicate with Alex and Aileen without getting unwanted attention. And without the use of a cellphone. Things might have been a little different if we had some sort of communication.

Sighing in defeat, I returned my attention to the matters at hand. The girl wasn't waking up, even after I had given her the elixir. She had lost a lot of blood but at least she had stopped bleeding and was still breathing. She could not be dead, could she?

No, she could not. I didn't know how long it took the elixir to take effect, but it was best to wait. I had been out for hours before I woke up, but then again, I had hit my head pretty hard, and I had been trampled on by a huge bull. 

It wasn't like I could go anywhere either, I didn't know anyone here and I didn't think they'd welcome me with open arms. I had a feeling this orphanage was much more than an orphanage. Something didn't add up. 

So, I closed the doors and placed a chair under the doorknobs like I had seen in some movies, before returning to my seat. The windows had been shattered open, so the coldness of the nearing night was starting to stream in, making me shiver.

I pulled out a sweater from my backpack and placed it around me. I thought about covering the girl, but I didn't want to hurt her any more than she already was. In fact, I should have cleaned the wounds.

Quickly, I leaned forward and tried to see the wounds but no matter how much dried blood I cleaned from her skin; I couldn't find the source. My eyes widened as I stared at the empty elixir bottle in wonder. 

Suddenly, the girl started coughing dryly and I quickly pulled away, I didn't want her to think I was taking advantage of her in some way or that I was here to hurt her. 

Her eyes opened slowly as she looked around the room and placed her hands on her temples. A small groan escaped her as she tried to sit up straight but the weakness and drowsiness, she was feeling overpowered her. 

Slowly, she turned to me and her eyes widened slightly as she recalled everything. She looked to where the creature had last been seen and I watched as her face paled in surprise as she stared at the pile of ashes on the ground. 

A moment later, she turned back to me with a hesitant expression on her face. "What happened? Who are you? How did you find me? How am I alive?" She asked quickly as she sat up, ignoring the pain she must have been feeling and placing a neutral expression on her face.

I lifted my arms in front of me to show her I wasn't there to hurt her, and I tried giving her a small smile. "Hold on, you don't want to hurt yourself. Try not to move so much," I suggested, and her gaze hardened slightly.

"I know what I'm doing, don't worry about me. Who are you?" She repeated more seriously now. 

Inside my mind, I rolled my mind at her attitude. I had dealt with people like her before, so this wasn't new, but that didn't mean I liked it. "My name is Andrew. Andrew Nocturne. I was brought here to help you through a process you're going to experience on your seventeenth birthday. And it's a good thing I showed up when I did. That creature was nothing to be taken lightly," I explained softly.

The girl's eyes widened, and I saw a gleam of something shine through them. She quickly turned towards me and relaxed. "Did my father sent you? Is he here? Are you one of his servants or my personal guard or something?"

My eyes widened as I stared at the girl in disbelief. She already knew? "What are you talking about? What father?" I asked in clear shock.

The girl's face quickly became guarded again as she eyed me closely. "If my father didn't send you then who did? What do you want from me?" She demanded as she glared at me.

"I want to know what's going on. I was sent here by destiny if you'd like to call it that. My mother's compass led me to you. And I come here to find you bleeding to death as a teenager hovered over you. I think you should be the one explaining not me. What do you know?" I asked as I crossed my arms in front of my chest. Two could play this game.

The girl looked surprised by my reaction, but I saw respect behind her gaze as well. "I am Kalani Himmler. I'm a student here and yes, I know who my real parents are. The god Zeus and the goddess Hera. They sent me here to be raised by humans so that I would be safer than in Olympus. My human parents sent me to this school, and this is where I live. James was a transfer student, or so I thought. It wasn't until I almost fainted during cheerleading practice that I found out about his true form. He said his name was Argus. He was sent here to kill me before I could go through my transformation. And yes, I know about the transformation. I have known about it all my life. Zeus doesn't lie to me. He told me everything. He said that the other Elementals would come to find me or I them, but I guess it's just us two then," she said with a shrug.

I could feel my blood draining from my face as I stared at the girl with obvious shock in my eyes. Why had she been raised in a family? Why was her story different than mine and Aileen’s? I didn't know if the other boy also had parents but I doubted it.

"Yes, I am Poseidon's and Athena's son. I was the first to transform out of the four since I am the one who can find the others with this," I said as I held up the compass.

Kalani's eyes gleamed and she smiled proudly. "Then I guess that makes me your second," she said confidently, and I chuckled. 

"Guess again. Aileen was the second to go through her transformation," I said, and her eyes seem to flare.

"Aileen? Who's Aileen?" She asked cautiously.

Out of all the things I could say: my girlfriend, Hades’ daughter, the princess of the underworld, or even someone close to me, I said: "She's the one who can control fire. She was sent on another path to find the fourth Elemental, and by the looks of it, he's Earth. I saw you use your powers."

Kalani smiled proudly as she batted her eyes at me. "Yes, I can. It's not like I can control them very well but I'm guessing that will change once I transform tonight."

My eyes widened even more, "your birthday is tonight?"

The girl nodded her head and smiled. "Yes, so I should probably head back to my room and get ready. I don't think it'd be prudent for someone to see me like this. It's best to go while everyone is at dinner." She began to move towards the edge of the couch, and I quickly stopped her with my hand.

"Hold on, you can't go like that. You're still recovering," I warned from self-experience.

Kalani rolled her eyes at me and shook her head. "I'm fine. See?" She asked as she got to her feet and stood up straight. 

Raising an eyebrow, I returned to my arms to my crossed position as I held back my words. I had a feeling this girl was going to be hard to teach. She was proud and spoiled, which made me think she was going to have a lot of fights with Aileen. Fire and Air. I shivered at the thought. Air fueled fire, I just hoped we didn't get burnt in the process.

Placing one foot in front of her, she tried to take a step forward, but her legs began to tremble as she yelped and fell forward. Quickly, I was there to catch her before she hit the ground and I helped her to her feet. 

"I tried to warn you. I went through this recently," I said with a shrug as I held her up.

Kalani blushed but didn't say anything for a moment but then something gleamed in her eyes. "Then I guess you're going to have to help me to my room. And we have to make sure no one sees us," she whispered, and I shivered as an awkward sensation ran down my back. 

I clenched my jaw together and nodded as I placed her arm around my shoulders and helped her move forward. 

She was the one to lead the way and give the instructions as we walked through the school. I was still surprised she studied here. Her parents must have been rich to afford this kind of place. I didn't say anything as we walked through the long corridors and up the stairs towards Kalani's room. 

Once we were standing outside of her room, she smiled and placed her hands on the door handles. "I am going to get my things to take a shower but stay here. I might need help to go to the bathroom," she said with a smile and I nodded my head.

I had a very bad feeling about what was happening.

Kalani limped inside but was able to manage without help. I stood in the middle of the empty hallway, making sure no one was coming our way. 

A couple of minutes later, Kalani emerged from her room holding a big rose gold bag. "Let's go. The bathroom is this way," she said as she pointed to the right and placing her arm around my shoulders. I stiffened but didn't say anything. 

We walked until she told me to stop, and she went inside the bathroom without a word. I sighed and shook my head, wishing Aileen were here to ease the tension. Instead, it was just me babysitting the spoiled rich girl that was a bomb waiting to explode.

Kalani walked out of the bathroom what felt like hours later. I could already hear people coming this way and I stiffened but she seemed unfazed and confident. "I did you a favor and called my parents to tell them what was going on. They were okay with the whole thing and they're calling the headmaster to tell them my cousin has come to visit me. A.K.A. you. They know what is about to happen and want me to send them your number so you can keep them updated while I go through my transformation," she said as she looked at me expectantly.

Shifting my weight uncomfortably, I shrugged. "I don't have a phone."

"What? Have you been living under a rock or something? We have to get you a phone, but I guess you can use my old phone for now. Come on, it's in my room," she said as she turned and led the way back.

I trailed after her quickly and stopped at the door while she went inside to get the phone. She came back a moment later and smiled as she handed me the smartphone as if she were glad to get rid of it. "Done. I have activated it and sent my parents your number. They'll be in touch," she said as she began to close the door, but I quickly put myself in her way.

"Wait, I should probably stay with you in case something happens," I said, and she laughed and shook her head.

"Not likely, fish boy. I have been preparing for this my whole life. I can do this. And besides, boys aren't even supposed to be here. When Charles comes to get you, he won't say anything because my parents have covered for us, but you can't stay with me. So, goodnight, I'll see you when I wake up," she said nonchalantly as she closed the door in my face.

I stood there bewildered and just then, someone tapped on my shoulder. I turned around and looked up to face a very tall man with a thick blond mustache on his face. "Mr. Himmler, I presume. Come, we have arranged everything for your temporary stay here. You may visit Ms. Himmler tomorrow," he said as he turned around and started to walk away.

I realized I was meant to follow him, but I looked back at Kalani's door one more time before letting out a sigh of defeat and following after the strange man. 

I hoped she would be alright.