Water and Ghosts

Chapter 14

Christmas morning dawns, and I wake up to the smell of breakfast. My mouth waters, and I jump out of bed. I brush my hair before running down stairs and into the kitchen.

“Merry Christmas,” Grandma Colette smiles, gesturing for me to sit down next to her. On the table are plates filled with bacon, eggs, bagels, pancakes, sausages, and a bowl filled with fruit.

The Edwards all walk into the house.

I meet Nigel’s eyes, and smile before I can stop myself. “Merry Christmas,” I say. I notice they’re carrying presents. My eyes immediately dart to the Christmas tree.

Only seven presents rest under it. Three for the Edwards, one that I wrapped for Grandma Colette, and the last two must be for me.

Everyone greets each other and sits down. Nigel, to my surprise, chooses the seat right next to me.

We dish food and I practically inhale it. Nigel laughs. “Slow down, Aqua. You’ve got to leave enough for the rest of us.”

I start choking on my food as I try not to laugh and chew at the same time. I swallow as quickly as I can before laughing.

“Don’t do that,” I exclaim, but Nigel just cracks up.

I’m glad he doesn’t seem to be mad at me any more. Relief washes through me.

Once breakfast is done and cleaned up, we open presents. Grandma Colette picked out Valerie’s and Miles’. She made me pick out Nigel’s.

His eyes widen and a grin spreads across his face when he sees the book he was telling me about a couple weeks ago; Supernaturals Through the Ages— a History.

He looks over at me. “Thank you,” he says. He knows I remember. 

I smile, warmth filling my chest. “You’re welcome.”

He hands me a small box, and I open it. Inside, I find a really pretty ring. Gold with a cursive A. I slip it onto my pointer finger.

“It’s so pretty,” I murmur happily, looking up at Nigel. “Thank you.”

He nods, clearing his throat. “Colette, are you going to open the last three presents?”

“I didn’t want to be rude,” Grandma Colette replies. Of course. 

“Oh, go ahead,” Valerie says, smiling. 

“Very well. Aqua?”

“Already on it,” I grin, standing up and grabbing the last of the presents. I hand mine over to Grandma Colette, and tell her to go first.

She opens the package, and actually chokes up when she sees the photos in the frame. One of my mom with my dad. One of her with them and baby me. One of both of us in my time here, and the caption family is everything. To match my mother’s locket— the one I never take off.

“Thank you,” she says to me. She actually wipes away a tear before saying, “open yours! I want to see your face!”

I laugh and rip into the first one. I find a box containing a pocket knife, but when I pull the tools out, it’s a makeup kit.

I look up at Grandma Colette and smile. “This is so cool. Thank you.”

She looks amused. Like she knows my first words were a lie.

I twist it around in my hand, studying it. The wood on the outside is a dark mahogany, with a mini sword carved into it, and silver metal surrounds it. Down the middle, all the way around, is a line. Like it’s two halves that glue together.

I grab the bottom of both and pull them apart. Surprisingly, it works.

“Aqua, don’t—” Grandma Colette sounds panicked, but it’s too late.

I realize that the pocket knife is magical. The two halves make a straight line, and then, before my eyes, it grows longer. I gasp, backing away from the table and standing up, holding it in my hands. The metal swirls and grows, covering the wood and making a point. The wood melts into leather at the other end. By the time everything stops, I’m holding a sword that is perfectly balanced in my hand.

Grandma Colette was training me with the sword. Now I know why she was so glad I liked it.

“Oh my,” Valerie gasps, staring in shock at the sword. Miles looks intrigued, Nigel amazed. Grandma Colette looks simultaneously wary and proud.

“Too smart for your own good,” she says, shaking her head. “That, my dear, is one of your greatest strengths, of course. And that, the sword, is named Terrorshock.”

I grin. I like that name.

I push down on the tip of the sword and the leather handle, and it transforms back into a pocket knife. The silver metal recedes; it becomes smaller and smaller until I’m holding a pocket-makeup kit.

“I. Love it,” I say, smiling widely. “Thank you,” I tell Grandma Colette again before I open the next present.

I find a jewelry box, and inside that I find a bracelet. It’s a bunch of silver hearts all linked together, but sideways. The top of one is connected to the bottom of another. In the middle is one gold heart. I’m about to slip it onto my wrist when I realize— this is useless.

Grandma Colette doesn’t like useless stuff.

I study the bracelet closer, pressing my thumb against the gold heart, which is bigger than the others. I hear a tiny click as the heart gives way.

And like the pocket knife, it transforms. Everyone gasps.

After only ten seconds, there is a giant ring sitting on the floor. I realize that all of the hearts have clasps, and I open one. Inside, I find pills.

Another— bandages.

Another— needles.

“It’s a medical kit,” I exclaim, looking up at Grandma Colette. She looks proud as she nods.

“So cool,” I whisper. Fighting the urge to go through every single container— because that’s what the hearts are— I push the gold button again and watch it shrink. Then I slip it onto my wrist, where it will most likely stay forever.

I look up at Grandma Colette. “Thank you, “ I say, hoping that she hears the never ending gratefulness. He smile says she does.

“Why a sword, Colette?” Valerie asks, looking shocked. “And a medical kit… bracelet? They are amazing gifts, but are the necessary?”

I almost snort. And what, normal jewelry is? 

Grandma Colette shrugs. “You never know where you’re going to end up. Might as well be prepared for anything.”

I nod, agreeing whole heartedly.

Miles calms Valerie down, and Nigel taps my shoulder. He leans in, putting his lips close to my ear. “Can we talk? Outside?” He pulls away slowly.

“Sure,” I say, standing up. “Grandma Colette, Nigel and I are going to go on a walk.”

“Okay. Be back soon.”

“We will.” And then I lead the way out the door. Nigel grabs the water bottle he brought with him and he follows me.

We don’t talk for a couple of minutes. We walk down the street, through one of the alleyways. I realize Nigel is leading me outside the village. My heart speeds up in excitement.

“Look,” I say finally, “I’m really sorry I hurt you Nigel, but I would have hurt you more if I had lied and said I loved you like anything other than a brother. I love your friendship, I do, I just—”

“It wasn’t enough?” He asks bitterly.

“I wouldn’t say it like that. More like it wasn’t meant to be.”

“But how do you know?” Nigel rounds on me, his face different. He’s excited, but… he’s dark. And cold. I don’t know what’s going on.

“How do you know we are meant to be?” I retort. 

“I just do,” Nigel huffs. “I see it and you refuse to. Instead, you keep looking to Glenden Flemming, of all people. And he’s not even a person!” He throws his hands up in anger. “He’s a ghost!”

“You don’t know that,” I say, my voice steady. “And it’s not really your concern who I look to now.” It’s a low blow, and I know it. But I don’t regret it.

Nigel flinches. “If you had trusted me, it might have worked between us,” he snaps.

“What do you mean?” I ask, my breath catching in my throat.

“About you being an Elemental.”

He says it, just like that. Matter of fact. Sad that I wasn’t the one to tell him. He acts like it’s no big deal that two people in this town, other than my grandmother, know that I’m an Elemental even though I was supposed to come in and, eventually, leave without anyone knowing.

I am robbed of breath and speech.

“Don’t bother denying it,” Nigel says. “I know you can control water. And I knew something was going on, but you didn’t tell me what. Why?” He demands.

“I—I…” I don’t know what to say.

Nigel stands there, waiting patiently. He’s not going to let me not answer. And it is this— his demanding an answer from my secrets— that makes me mad enough to tell him.

“Because I don’t trust you to not use it against me someday,” I shout. “Because what if I had told you and then we broke up? Would you have went and told someone, anyone, just for spite? In anger? Because you might not have in that situation, but you could have in another. I didn’t trust you, I don’t trust you, and now you have power over me, and you know it. You like it,” I accuse.

He takes a step back, looking angry and offended. “I wouldn’t have,” he says coldly.

“But what I’d you do in the future? I know I’m not going to. And Nigel, if we had stayed friends for a long time, I would have eventually told,” I say, completely honest. “I know I would have. But knowing each other for a little over two months isn’t enough to build the trust associated with a secret this huge.”

“And how long would I have had to wait?”

I decide to continue being honest. “Probably about four to five years.”

His eyes widen, and he laughs without humor, turning away. “Is that just for me, or do you not trust anyone in your life?”

That stings. “I trust my grandmother,” I say quietly. “Everyone else is dead.”

He doesn’t know what to say to that. Instead, he holds out the water bottle. He doesn’t look at me.

“What is it?” I ask warily.

“Just water. You’re probably thirsty.”

I don’t deny it. Shrugging slightly, I take the water bottle and unscrew the lid. I tilt it back, letting it pour into my mouth and down my throat.

“I have issues with people not telling me stuff, or lying,” Nigel says quietly. “I also have trouble not planning revenge.”

I stop drinking the water— which is way too sweet. Something else was in there.

Suddenly I feel exhausted. My brain seems smaller, like a part of it has been cut away. I feel—

Something is wrong. Something is very, very wrong.

I reach out with my mind to find the water in the water bottle. If I can pull it up, then I can see what’s left once the pure water is gone.

But I don’t feel it. I’m stretching a muscle I don’t have.

I no longer have.

Cactone flower a voice in my mind whispers.

I scream, backing away from Nigel. I scream loud enough that everyone will hear.

Nigel lunges forward and tries putting his hand over my mouth to stop me, and I break. 

I stand up, moving in on Nigel. His eyes widen when he meets mine. Probably because he sees the murderous fury in them.

“Touch me,” I snarl, malevolent, “and die.”

He puts his hands up in surrender. They shake and I don’t care.

He’s afraid. Good. He should be.

I could murder him right now.

“You took away my powers,” I growl, stalking him. He trips, almost falling as he hurries to keep distance between us. “You backstabbing jerk!”

“We’re equal now,” he says, begging me to explain. He’s probably regretting his decision right about now. “Neither of us have powers, and I have my revenge for you lying to me, not trusting me, and breaking up with me.”

“So you have taken away my Element, the only thing I have in common with my dead mother, because you’re a selfish jerk whose whole world has to revolve around you?” I sound vicious.

It terrifies me and yet seems right at the same time.

Nigel swallows, looking hurt. I don’t feel bad. 

I’ll never feel bad for him again. Not even if I kill him here and now.

And then a thought comes into my head— how did he know about the Cactone flower? He didn’t ask what it was when I said the name… which means he knows exactly what it did.

Cold dread roils through me. Please no please no please no.

“Cyra,” I gasp.

And the second I say her name, a storm manifests right above my head. Dark clouds form out of nothing, wind starts howling all around us.

And a ring of fire erupts around me, trapping me.

“Hello, Aqua.”