Elementals Chapter 3 first draft

“Wow that’s amazing!”



The boy looked up at her and grinned, and the flame in his hand went out.



“I haven’t figured it out completely yet, but I’m starting to understand how it works. What about you? How is yours going?”



Aella felt a little unsure of how much control she had over her powers but she wanted to show him what she could do as well. She gently reached into her power and created a little gust of wind that swept through the small room. She could feel the power struggling to break free but she pushed it back down and locked it away. She felt a little exhausted after that preview but proud that she had managed to control it. She looked up at Raph to see what he thought and was disappointed to see that he didn’t look as amazed as she had when he showed her his powers.



“That was pretty good Aella one day you might be as powerful as me,” he said airily. “Don’t worry though. You’ll get the hang of it eventually.”



She felt a little angry considering she had worked hard to keep her powers under control. She knew she would most likely never be as powerful as Raph but he didn’t have to rub her nose in it .In the end she sighed and pushed it all aside knowing nothing good would come of them arguing. Raph was the closest thing she had to family and she didn’t want to lose him. A thought came to mind and she voiced her concerns to Raph.



“We won’t be able to practice though will we? I mean, what if the Oni Tempus catch us?”



He gazed at her thoughtfully for a moment. “I guess not. We could probably practice every now and then but when our element is actually around. You know like you could practice on a really windy day or I could practice in front of a fireplace at night.”



Wow I never thought of that, she looked at him with admiration. Raph is so smart. I wish I could think of things like that



“We have to keep this to ourselves though Aella. If they discover us or any of the others find out they might tell the Oni Tempus and then we would be in

big trouble.”



He appeared to be in deep thought when his face lit up. “I know let’s make a promise!”



He searched around on the floor then bent down and picked up a small piece of broken glass from the window which had been broken the day before.



He held out his hand and she gasped when he drew the shard across the mark on his palm. Blood started to seep out slowly. He turned to her.



“Hold out your marked hand.”



She held out her hand, feeling scared but didn’t let it show on her face. She wanted Raph to think she was brave too. She let out a small hiss as the knife sliced her palm open. It didn’t hurt as much as she thought it would. As the blood started to trickle Raph spoke.



“We’ll make a blood promise to one another. I read about it in a book. It’s meant to be one of the strongest and most powerful ways to make a promise to someone, because it’s with your blood. So we will promise one another that we’ll always look out for each other. We won’t give ourselves away to the Oni Tempus or to the other kids.”



He glanced at her and she could see the determination in his eyes as he said “I’ll always look out for you and be there no matter what and you’ll do the same for me. Promise?”



He held out his hand to seal the promise. Knowing he would always be there with her somehow made her feel safe in the hell they were in. She reached forward and clasped her hand in his, sealing the most important promise of her life.



“Promise”



They walked through the forest quietly. The memory of that promise rose up and wouldn’t disappear. For nearly eleven years Raph and herself kept that promise, then in a fit of anger, Raph lost control and left her all alone. It had been a blow to her heart, when she realised he wasn’t there anymore. He had broken their blood promise, the only thing that kept her pushing forward all those years, knowing no matter what circumstances, she could turn around and he would be there for her. It was not long after the Oni Tempus took him, she decided she would never trust any promise again. They were too easily broken and she didn’t think she could bear the pain of a broken promise again. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts she didn’t realise the leader was talking to her.



“My name is Rylan. The man behind me,”- he motioned to the large one – “is called Dom. The woman is Asuka and the man at the end is Marcus.”



“My name is J.T and this is my sister Aella,” J.T spoke up. “Who are you guys?”



“We’re assassins,” Rylan stated.



Aella felt like her feet were rooted to the ground. Baron actually sent humans after them?



Dom saw the look of fear on Aella’s face and grinned. “Don’t worry little cricket we aren’t going to hurt you. There’s nothing in it for us if we do.”



Her body relaxed enough for her feet to start moving again but her heart still hammered in her chest. It’s all right, it’s all right....



A hand found its way into hers and she looked down to find J.T He looked worried and she knew she couldn’t show her fear in front of him. If he saw her afraid then he’d think something was wrong. Once again she gave him a smile and squeezed his hand, her usually way of letting him know she was alright. He smiled back and released her hand. He walked as close as possible to her without holding her hand. She knew he didn’t want them to think he was just a silly child. He’s beginning to grow up, she thought. He wants everyone to see him as an adult and not a child. He’s still so young.



“We’re here.”



She looked up at the sound of Rylan’s voice saw the most beautiful cottage. It was quite large from her view but she couldn’t see the other side. The garden was a nightmare. It ran wild, with flowers growing across the path and up the walls of the cottage. The grass was nearly knee high and there seemed to be more weeds than actual flowers. Many of the plants were dying from neglect. I guess gardening isn’t a top priority for an assassin, she thought. She opened her mouth to suggest ways to improve the garden but then thought better of it. She wasn’t sure assassins would take too kindly to her giving them gardening advice.



“This is our home,” Rylan said. “You can stay here for a few days until we can sort out a better arrangement.”



With that he led them inside and it was nothing like Aella expected. Everything was neat and well kept, although the air in the house smelt quite stale. She had the urge to open all the windows and let the cottage breathe. They were led through the kitchen which was a big warm room. The fireplace was large enough for pots, though the one sitting near it needed a good scrubbing. They were then led through another door which opened into a large hall. This must be attached to the other side of the cottage, she thought. There’s no way a room this size could fit in the cottage. What she saw hanging on the walls quickly dampened her admiration. An assortment of weapons hung from the walls, ancient suits of armour lining the walls of the room. She recognised some of them from books, but there was a few she had never seen before. The centre of the hall was empty save for a wooden platform, its surface gleaming in the light. Aella looked out a window at the far end of the hall and saw the sun’s last rays sink below the horizon.



Marcus and Asuka went around and started lighting torches while Rylan and Dom took them up to the platform.



“Sit,” Rylan said.



She sat down carefully, not sure what was happening. J.T sat next to her, his knee brushing against hers, she could feel him trembling slightly. She wanted to reach out and comfort him but she knew he would be angry if they all thought he was afraid.



The assassins all came together and sat in a perfect row in front of them. Her heart began to pound again. Rylan began,



“What district do you come from?”



Aella kept her face passive but her mind went numb in fear. What were districts? Were they places that people lived? Before her mind completely shut down from panic, J.T came to her rescue.



“We come from the South-East District. Could you tell us where we are now? We’ve never left our District before today.”



Rylan’s gaze sharpened and Aella held her breath. “You are now in the North District. You’ve travelled very far for just one day.”



Aella felt his gaze on her and she quickly said, “I’m a fast runner sir. I guess the desire to be free of my father is a very powerful force which kept me going.”



“I see that,” he said.



Aella really wished this conversation would change and once again it was J.T who came to the rescue.



“So you’re assassins,” J.T said eagerly. “That means you get secret missions and get to kill bad people right?”



Aella noticed a small smile on their faces. Rylan nodded, “Yes that’s a good description I suppose, although we don’t always kill people. Sometimes we just carry messages or act as bodyguards.”



She started to feel J.T fidgeting with excitement and what he asked next shocked her.



“Could you teach me to be an assassin?”



Her composure collapsed and she stared at him in shock. “J.T you don’t possibly think –”



“That’s not a bad idea really.”



She shut her mouth and turned to look at Rylan who appeared thoughtful as he spoke, “We are down one person and you’re around the right age to begin training.” He turned to get the other’s opinions.



“Why not,” Asuka said.



“Yeah sure,” Dom smiled.



Marcus just nodded.



“It’s decided then,” Rylan declared. “You will stay here with us and train in the art of the assassin.”



J.T started jumping for joy, when she saw the amusement on their faces, she was startled. It was different from the look of amusement she knew. Their faces showed nothing but kindness, there was no coldness or cruelty in their gazes. How strange, she thought. It’s almost unearthly. She bowed her head in respect.



“Thank you for taking in my little brother. I appreciate this so much.”



J.T’s smile faded slightly and he looked at Rylan. “Aella can stay too can’t she? I mean, she’s my sister, she can’t go.”



After a few moments Rylan asked, “Can you clean and cook Aella?”



She nodded and he smiled, “Alright then well if its fine with you, then you can stay as our maid. I’m afraid this is the only position I can offer you.”



She forced herself to smile and say thank you, but inside she was annoyed. It would be like being back at Cornwall, just without the torture and the Oni Tempus. She perceived the smiles on their faces and instantly noticed the difference between the smile they had given J.T and then her. There was kindness still, but something else as well. They didn’t trust her. Guess I won’t be making any friends, she sighed silently. As long as J.T is protected and we don’t get caught, that’s all that matters.