Water and Ghosts

Chapter 4

Glenden had me follow him into Mrs Turner’s room, when she had a class, and ask for a pass to miss her class.

“I think Aqua here has an answer for my Fire Constructing Potion,” he said, like he was letting her in on a secret. Obviously aware of his problems, she was only too glad to give him a pass for both of us and a glass vial to me. She sent us out the door with the parting, “I’ll meet you next class, Aqua Evans.”

Thus, Glenden and I walked to Petal Beach… which took quite a long time.

“Alright, princess, what is the final ingredient my potion desires?” Glenden asks superiorly, crossing his arms over his chest, demanding an answer and, I assume, an explanation.

I hold out my hand, not meeting his eyes, and Glenden obliges by giving me the vial. I uncork it and bend down, filling it with sand. 

Still not looking at him, I stand up slowly. I put the cork on the full vial of sand and hand it back, finally looking into his eyes. He looks so confused, I have to resist the urge to laugh.

“Your problem,” I say, “is with time. You want the fire to last, and it’s not. So, what is a symbol of time?”

He still looks confused. And annoyed that he’s confused.

I can’t help it; I laugh. And I give him the answer.

“An hourglass.”

Understanding dawns, and I nod. I point to the vial. “Sand might do the trick. We might be able to make class in time to test it if we hurry.”

I stare at Glenden as a wicked smile slowly spreads across his face. “Did I mention that I seriously admire intelligent girls?”

Heat rushes to my face. “Good for you?” I say, turning away before he can see.

We did make it for the last ten minutes of second period. Glenden strutted into the class, with me on his heels, straight to a small cauldron in the back of the class. He grabbed it, pulled it out, and set it on the last desk on the right.

I wave and smile to Nigel when I walk in. He brightens when he sees me, but turns quizzical when he sees who I’m with. I make a motion that I’ll explain later. He seems satisfied after that.

Glenden seems darker when I arrive at the table. He doesn’t smile. He merely gives me the vial.

“Would you like to do the honors?” There’s a shadow of a smirk there.

I take the vial and uncork it for the second time, pouring the sand into the murky black liquid.

Glenden takes a ladle and stirs the oil, mixing in the sand. He pulls it out and spreads it on the wood circle that he already set up.

A bright orange and yellow and red fire bursts forth, the flames l*****g up the wood. I smile despite myself— it’s really cool. And it’s actual fire.

And then it sputters out.

My eyebrows pull down automatically, confused and disappointed. I actually thought it would work.

Glenden barely glances at me. He’s so much colder now; it’s throwing me off.

My mind starts racing. I thought I was on the right track with the hourglass thing. The sand represents the time… but maybe the glass represents something too.

Before I can really think about it, I bring the vial down on the cauldron, as you would when cracking an egg.

The glass shatters, sending shards everywhere and causing people to jump or scream as they’re startled.

Glenden stares at me like I’m crazy.

“My goodness!” Mrs Turner says, appearing right beside me. “What on earth was that for?”

“We’re experimenting,” I reply, turning to Glenden. “Stir it.”

He shrugs and does so. He pours it over the same piece of wood.

It lights fire again, and doesn’t sputter out in ten seconds.

I smile widely, watching it as it goes for a full minute.

Glenden turns to me, smiling triumphantly, his eyes glittering and not so closed off.

“If only I had known the true secret ingredient was a new friend,” he says quietly. I smirk at him. 

“You’re welcome,” I say proudly as the bell rings. Grabbing my stuff, I mean to make a dramatic exit. Just because. But then I hear Glenden chuckle, and I turn around to find him following me.

“You do remember, dear Aqua, that we have the same class next period, right?”

My smile disappears and I roll my eyes. “Yes, I remember.” Now. 

He smirks down at me, holding his arm out for me to take.

What the heck?

“I’m good,” I say, hurrying ahead. All I can hear is Glenden’s laughter following me.

His multiple personalities are confusing me. Why did he close everything out when we got back? Why is he so open to me? And just me?

I don’t know. And it’s starting to make me think I should not trust him.

Glenden keeps up with me, walking beside me as we make our way up the stairs and to the middle section. To chemistry we go.

Ms. Lopez greets me with a smile and a packet that I get to do for homework, due in two days.

I think I know if I’m going to like this class or not.

I accept the homework grimly and thank her before making my way to the back of the class. I take an empty seat at the only empty table.

I glance over the homework, reading the questions.

Pft. This is going to be easy.

Being me, I’m looking forward to having a table to myself. No one to distract me from listening to the teacher or doing my work.

… And then Glenden slides into the seat next to me.

I glare at him for a moment. “Can I help you?”

“Ouch! Right back to square one, are we?” He smirks, his words reminding me of the first time I asked that this morning.

I sigh. “No. I was just looking forward to quiet.” I can’t be rude and tell him to leave. 

“Oh, don’t worry, princess. I can be quiet. Just let me know if you need any help.” And then he winks.

I blink, but at that moment the bell rings and the teacher starts talking.

By the end, I think I’ve gotten the hang of school. After all, I half listened to the teacher but mostly finished filling out the packet. Compared to my father’s homeschooling, high school is going to be a piece of cake.

Nigel meets me in fifth period English class. He’s already sitting at a table, and smiles when I walk in. I smile back. He’s got this innocent, carefree manner and vibe. It’s impossible not to like him.

I slide into the seat next to him. “Hello there.”

“Hey, Aqua. So, how did you get Glenden Flemming to stop being so broody and start… smiling?” Nigel has a pencil and paper out, looking as if he’s ready to copy down every word I say.

I look from the pencil to Nigel and back, over and over again. Nigel smiles, embarrassed, as he puts the pencil down. “Sorry. Journalist, remember?”

“Oh, right. Anyway, I don’t think I did anything. I was sitting in the commons at a table, since I got a free pass from cross country this morning, and he just sat down and started flirting.” I laugh, putting my hand over my mouth to muffle it.

Nigel looks like he doesn’t believe me. “No way.”

“Yes, way. He’s so cocky, it’s actually kind of annoying. Anyway, we went to the beach and I figured out the answer to his fire making potion predicament.”

“That’s because you’re a genius,” Nigel says. I smile as the bell rings, preparing for english.

The rest of the day passes. Glenden doesn’t smile through all of astronomy nor Wilderness. I resort to not talking and doing my work. I’ve never taken astronomy, and it’s really interesting. Wilderness is going to teach me skills I would only be able to learn through experience. And I don’t have time to experience eating a poisonous berry.

I don’t have any of my electives with Nigel because he picked things he likes. I, on the other hand, picked things that could benefit me one day. Making potions and spells that could help me one day is an opportunity I didn’t know I would get. The stars often tell stories and relate to magic, which is one of, if not the most important subject I need to master. Wilderness is going to teach me facts and skill that I need to know, just in case I have to live out in the wild for a day or more. You never know what’s going to happen in my world.

Because Glenden has all these classes with me, I wonder if he took them for the same reason. Not because he’s an Elemental; there aren’t many of us left, so I would know if he was one. The people here might not know I am one, but they would if they looked up my records. No, I wonder if Glenden took these classes to be prepared for anything in our magical world. If so, I respect him for that.

When the final bell rings, I’m one of the first out of the room. I need to get home.

Glenden follows me all the way down the stairs and out of the building, out into the brilliant sunlight. I instantly see Nigel waiting for me. I wonder how he beat me out here.

When he sees who I’m with, his smile fades and distrust and skepticism reign on his face and in his eyes. Glenden notices before turning to me. He smiles that cocky smile of his.

“See you in second period tomorrow, princess.” Then he turns and starts walking in the opposite direction.

I stare after him for only a moment. Then I shake my head and paste on a smile as I reach Nigel.

“How was your first day?” He asks instantly as we start walking home at an easy pace.

“Good. No one made me introduce myself ever, thank goodness. I like all of my teachers so far. And,” I smile widely, “it was easy.”

Nigel looks at me for a minute. Then he turns away and shakes his head. “Keep your opinions to yourself, genius,” he mutters.

I bust up laughing, and Nigel smiles.

“I have a question,” I say. “What do you know about Glenden Flemming?”

Nigel frowns slightly. “Not much. He moved here a week before school started, so he was the outsider for a while. He’s on the football team, ignores most everyone else. He doesn’t talk. He barely even talks to the guys he hangs out with, who are,” he admits, “not bad guys. A little dumb most of the time, the ringleader is funny. I’ve known all of them since we were young, and Josh has always been the class clown. But Glenden? How more of a loner following his pack.” Nigel shrugs. “So anyway, since school is so easy for you, do you want to do our homework together?” He proposes hopefully.

I shake my head sadly. “Sorry, I’m already busy today.”

His face drops, and I instantly feel terrible.

“Maybe tomorrow? I’m sure we’ll have more homework by then, so we can get it done all at once?” I end up making it a question on accident, but it brightens Nigel up.

We walk through the vibrantly green grass as I go into detail about my first day in a public school. Nigel seems perfectly at ease letting me do all of the talking, and actually looks interested. He laughs in all the right places and smiles, happy for me that I’m happy with my day. 

He’s caring, I realize. He’s not one of those people that asks questions just to keep the conversation going. He actually cares.

And that’s really cool.

I drop all of my stuff on to my bed and quickly move on, forgetting about it in a moment. I move into the center of the empty space of my bedroom, and then reach out with my mind.

Dad told me that mom always said her powers had different textures— she could feel the water. It was like a piece of fabric her mind could touch. My powers showed up as flavors. Water has a certain feeling to it. It’s one of those things where you understand it in your mind, but when you go to describe it you can’t find the words. Like it’s on the tip of your tongue but you can’t think of what it is. But the best way to explain it is that water has a mental taste. 

I reach out with my mind and find the water immediately. I’m not trained enough to control the water with my mind alone, so I bring my arms up and shape my hands the way I would if I were holding a ball. A sphere of water rises from the water fountain.

I move my right hand from facing my left so that it’s facing the ceiling; turning it ninety degrees. I hold the sphere with that one hand while I take my pointer finger on my left hand and pull a droplet of water from it.

I switch the droplet to my middle finger, bouncing it so that it looks like it’s making a string of rainbows in the air. I laugh.

“Aqua?” Grandma Colette asks, knocking on my door suddenly and loudly. I squeal in surprise and lose my focus. The water falls apart and splatters into the carpet, soaking into the floor. I narrow my mind and bring up my arms slowly, pulling all of the water into the air again.

“Come in,” I say, a little breathless, as I gently drop the water back into the fountain. I turn in time to see Grandma Colette walk in.

She is not smiling. In fact, she looks serious for the first time since I got here. I blink in surprise.

“You’re not training in here, dear. Come with me.” And she turns right around and walks out.

Okay... 

I follow Grandma Colette down stairs. She meanders into the kitchen, where multiple water guns lay on the counter.

My eyes widen and my heart starts beating faster. “Grandma Colette…”

“You are not going to learn by doing whatever you want. You won’t push yourself as hard as I could. So,” Grandma Colette grins, but it’s not a nice one, “welcome to training.”

“I want you to stand in front of the couch but behind the coffee table,” she instructs. Warily, I obey. 

And then she grabs one of the water guns.

“Don’t let the water hit the floor,” she dares. And then she starts squirting the water g*n.

I would laugh at the sight, but I’m too focused on trying to catch the water. Grandma Colette doesn’t pause, instead hurtling multiple shots of water into the air again and again and again.

I narrow my mind and imagine my hands as bowls. I grab the water in both of them, and then move the ever growing sphere in order to grab the rest of the water. Like a magnet.

Finally, once the water has run out, Grandma Colette stops shooting. “Good tactic,” she says, actually sounding impressed. “You made it as easy for yourself as possible. That’s good.” She reaches for the next water g*n. “Now…”

I groan. “Let me guess. Do something different.”

My grandmother smiles. “You’re quick. But are you quick enough?” And then she’s going at it again.

This time, I use my hand as a barrier. Making my fingers curl in, I push my hand forward and thus the water back into the water g*n. Then I hold the water there with my mind and hands.

Grandma Colette glares at me. “Cheater.”

I laugh, actually starting to enjoy this.

I try multiple different tactics over the next hour, from lying on the floor and letting the water fall on me to pulling the whole water g*n out of Grandma Colette’s hands. By the end I’m soaked in water and sweat, and I only failed once.

“Alright, here’s your homework from me,” Grandma Colette says as she plops on to the couch, sighing. “I want you to move water any time you are alone. Become attuned to how the water feels and how you feel controlling it. If you’re up for a challenge before the next time we train, then try controlling water with your eyes closed. It might be a good idea for next time.” Grandma Colette winks mischievously, but her smile fades quickly. “Also, I have a gift for you, Aqua.”

I step closer to her, looking into her outstretched palm. There, in her hand, is a golden locket. I take it gently and open the clasp.

I gasp.

It’s a picture of me and Mom and Dad, all together. On the other side, an inscription reads: family is everything.

This was my Mom’s.

I smile and tears fill my eyes. I put the necklace on, knowing I probably won’t ever take it off. 

“She would have given it to you at some point,” Grandma Colette says gently. I meet her eyes.

“Thank you,” I say, my voice hoarse, and I know she understands just how grateful I am.

“Now go shower,” she says, winking. “I think you have homework to do and a dinner to eat.”

I want to ask what she has in mind for next time we train, where she got the locket, and a bunch of other questions, but I hold my tongue and simply say, “yes ma’am,” before doing as instructed. I shower and change into pajamas. I eat dinner in the mostly silent house.

The exhaustion and silence makes me think of Dad. He would have loved to hear about what I did today. I would have told him everything. We would have talked about Mom a little and he would have told me to go read a book, since he knew I wanted to anyways after being around all those people all day. The tomato soup I’m eating was his favorite, a recipe passed down from Grandma Colette to my mom, who made it for him whenever he asked for it. 

The homesickness crashes into me like a wave, over and over again. I miss Mom, I miss Dad, I miss home. I miss my normal life and not needing to learn about my powers because an evil sorceress might have it out for me.

So I start crying. I try to stop and I can’t. The tears don’t go away. I can fling them off my face angrily and take the traitorous water out of my eyes, but it comes back. It’s like trying to empty the ocean. There is always more water to take the place of the particles suddenly absent. It never runs out.

And I’m afraid I’m about to cry a new river, with tributaries that flow into it and make it wider and longer the farther it goes until it lets out into the ocean. Tears that are no different from every other tear that has made that ocean. And yet they are different to me.

I leave the tomato soup and run upstairs before Grandma Colette can hear me sobbing. I sprint up the steps and past the doors in the hallway, until I get to my room. I close the door quickly and stumble my way to bed.

I want my parents back. I want my home back. I want my quiet life and normalcy back. Homeschooling and reading whenever I want. No need for training.

No knowledge of the threat to my life.

But being the daughter of Zayne and Ara Evans has its price. And that price is a target on my back for revenge against my mother.

I know that, if I want to live, that girl with that life has to die.

So I drown her in my sorrow.