The Four Elements Club chapter 2

Chapter 2









Heather burst into Bella’s door after Casey, feeling like she was going to either throw up or pass out. Casey had barged into her house and screamed at Heather to follow her. Heather quickly ran out the door before she lost track of Casey.

Heather had no idea what was going on; when Casey was this intense, it could be something as serious as an earthquake, or as unimportant as free donuts. Well, according to her they were important.

Anyway, Heather had known exactly where they were going after a while, because she had visited Bella’s house millions of times before.

She hadn’t run that far and that hard in ages, so she headed straight for Bella’s bed, ready to collapse and possibly fall into a coma.

Her eyes flicked past Eve and then she did a double-take. “Eve!” she squealed, and engulfed her in a giant bear hug. “How are you? Where have you been? What happened? Why didn’t you return my calls? You know that’s against the rules, right?” Heather didn’t mean to overwhelm her, but she was so worried about Eve that the concern was starting to feel like an itch she couldn’t scratch.

“Will broke up with me.” She said, trying to make it seem casual. She had a theory that maybe if she said and thought it enough, it wouldn’t mean anything anymore. She was wrong. As soon as the words left her mouth, they felt like daggers piercing through her heart.

“Oh, sweetie!” Heather said, throwing her arms around her again. She felt really sad for her. Eve was a pretty strong person, but she never expected things to go wrong. When they did, she lost herself to the grief.

Heather had a premonition that the worst thing that could happen, would happen. This made her anxious and tense, waiting for the world to blow up. She both admired optimists and hated them at the same time.

She was lucky to have these friends, these three lovely people that she knew since kindergarten. Heather looked like one of the popular girls, one of Britney’s friends, but she wasn’t. She had pitch-black hair that didn’t seem to need much attention to look beautiful, she had a good, slender figure, pale skin and dark green eyes and she always kept up with the latest trends, but she wasn’t a beauty. She was into fashion, but she wasn’t a golden girl at all.

Heather might have looked like a super-model, but she didn’t act like one. For one thing, she was a total book-worm. Reading was her hobby; she read anything she could get her hands on. At her primary school, they had a Premier’s Reading Challenge, and Heather read over a hundred books in three months.

She was also quite bossy. She like being in charge, she loved the fact that people listened to her. Heather made sensible decisions, good choices and always followed the rules.  But she could be really pushy and forceful sometimes, and that’s probably why a lot of the girls who had tried to buddy up with her had pushed her away after a while.

“Ugh, what a jerk!” Casey moaned. She was sitting on Bella’s swivel chair and had started spinning around on it in aimless circles.

“Casey, can you stop that? You’re making me dizzy. Plus, we kind of have a crisis on our hands.” Bella said, bringing the conversation back on track. Everyone had been watching Casey swirl around and around in a hypnotic trance.

“Guys, it’s not that much of a big deal. We just broke off, it happens all the time, a part of life.” Eve said. She wanted it to be a big deal, though. She knew that saying it wasn’t would turn it into a bigger deal.

“It’s a huge deal, Eva-Diva! We’re your friends, and we’re allowed to worry about you!” Heather consoled. She liked giving the huge friendship speech. It was in her list of top-ten speeches to make.

Casey suddenly stood up. “I just remembered. I have a surprise for all of you! I just have to go buy it!” Casey yelled as she ran out the door. She was a blur of white-blond hair and tanned skin. Man, that girl can run!  Heather thought.

“That Casey,” Bella said. “She’s always doing something spontaneous!”







Casey was usually good at remembering things. She remembered the little things, like what score her opposing team in tennis had the week before, or what colour her couch was. But she always forgot the important things, like when her math test was, and how much money she needed for lunch. Or, in this case, which shop she had seen those bracelets in.

Casey found them a few days ago in a set of four. They were unique, original, and something that no-one else would have. Casey thought they were perfect, but she was going to miss her tennis lesson.

This time, she had to look in five shops before she found them again. It was a retro shop, with funky clothes and cutting-edge jewellery in bright, neon colours called Cat’s Eye.   

She grabbed them off the hook that they were hanging off, smacked them down on the counter along with some money, yelled at the cashier and ran off with the bracelets.

Casey had a huge amount of energy, and she tended to get very cranky if she couldn’t burn it off. Tennis was a great stress reliever, and everybody said she looked like a tennis player.

She had long, messy white-blond hair that she didn’t pay much attention to. Bella always wore hers up, and Casey always wore hers down, but somehow hers had always come out looking better. She had a nice smile, pale blue eyes and skin that was very tanned, and although it was because she spent so much time outside, Casey had been accused of it being fake.

She also had a good, curvy figure, which had attracted a lot of male tennis players. They had asked her out a few times, but she had laughed and turned them down. She said she wanted to take it slow with guys, which had made Eve laugh. It was the only thing she’d ever wanted to take slowly.

She got all the way to Bella’s door when she realized she had forgotten to get her change.









Bella paced back and forth in her small, cluttered bedroom. Where is she?  She thought. Bella was not known for worrying, but when it came to Casey, she couldn’t help it. C-gal sometimes went and did reckless, spur of the moment things without thinking them through, like the time she ran away from home because her parents had denied her decision to become a vegetarian. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson had found her hiding out in Bella’s guest room.

Bella secretly admired Casey for her confidence and bravery. The only way she knew to express herself was through her art and writing. She had been a naturally shy and polite girl her whole life, and preferred to spend her time alone or with her favourite three people in the world, Casey, Eve and Heather than with strangers.

Bella absent-mindedly added a few more strokes to her painting. She meant what she said about the rock looking like blobs. She didn’t have much self-esteem, but she often looked to gain some through others; putting herself down and acting modest so that they would tell her otherwise. She knew that it was probably out of pity, but she still fed off the compliments like a vulture to a dead rabbit.

Bella laughed at her comparison, (Heather hated vultures) apparently out loud, because Eve gave her a look. 

“What’s so funny?” she asked.

“Oh, nothing. I was just thinking about vultures.” Bella said, not wanting to admit the reason for it.

“Disgusting things,” Heather poked her tongue out, and Bella laughed again. She realized that she had blue paint the colour of the lake in her painting smeared across her arm. She always managed to get paint on her, no matter how hard she tried not to.

“I’m sick of this,” Heather announced grandly. “I’m going to call her, right now!” Eve shook her head and smiled, as if she had predicted this already. Well, she probably had.

As if on cue, Casey stormed through the door with an air of determination. “I got a present for y’all!”













Casey immediately made herself at home. Well, this kind of was her second home, she had stayed here that much. She liked it better than her real home. There was so much more space to run around in.

She absentmindedly kicked her shoes off, and instantly regretted it. Even though she was born with beauty, she had embarrassing feet. They were thin at the heels, but became wider on the way to her toes. Oh, the toes! They were these long, crooked things that made her feet seem huge, even though they were actually really small. This made it difficult for her to buy shoes; much to the agony of Heather’s shopping trips.

Casey was extremely over-protective of her feet, and hated it when people made fun of them. She was even too embarrassed to expose her bare feet anywhere but in the privacy of her tiny apartment bedroom.

She quickly pulled her converses (the only shoes she ever wore) back on her humiliating feet.

Casey reached into the recycled-paper bag on the floor and pulled out a bundle wrapped in plastic. She unwrapped that layer and took out four bracelets. She could feel Heather’s anticipation at getting new accessories as if it were her own. Over the years, they had developed the ability to read each other’s feelings.

Casey held the four bracelets at arm length, so that all of her friends could see them.

“I bought these because they reminded them of us,” she announced.

The bracelets had a gold coloured band –not real, of course- and a little gold charm hanging off each of them. “Aren’t these the four elements? Water, earth, fire and air?” Bella asked. Of course she would know about that – she loved those kinds of things; the Chinese Zodiac, the star signs, birth stones, horoscopes, all of the non-logic things that smarty-pants Heather despised.

Heather reached forward and grabbed the one with the flower charm. “Earth,” Bella said. “It fits perfectly; Heather is just like Mother Earth, caring, loving,”

“Unpredictable,” Eve added.

Heather glared at her, then tossed her the bracelet with a charm shaped like a flame. “Fine then. If we’re doing this based on personalities, then you have fire!” she proclaimed.

Eve just grinned with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “I like it. Passionate, hot and sassy!” she said, shaking her hips.

“Don’t forget hot-tempered!” Casey yelled, sending everyone into a fit of giggles. Eve threw a pillow at her.

“I guess I’ll have water, then,” Bella said. “I mean, I use it in watercolours and the element represents peacefulness and creativity.”

“Well, that’s you all over.” Casey said, grabbing the last bracelet. It had a charm in the shape of a spiral; it resembled a tornado. “That means I get the one I wanted! Air!” Casey shrieked, jumping up and down and spinning in around. “I’m just like a hurricane, don’t you think? Runnin’ all over the place.”

She did look like a hurricane at that moment, still spinning around like a maniac. Bella was sure she would fall off that chair in a minute.

Eve, who had been sitting quietly on Bella’s bed, wiping her runny mascara off of her cheeks suddenly burst out, “We’re like a club! A best friend’s club.” She said, a wide smile lighting up her tear soaked face.

“Yeah, a very exclusive club!” Casey sang, grabbing Heather’s hands and dancing her around the room.

“And the bracelets are the symbols of the club! Since all the elements are already taken, we’re the only members!” Bella chirped in. 

Heather and Casey collapsed on the floor, rolling around and laughing like worms that were being tickled. Casey, ignoring Heather’s dizziness, stood up, took Bella and Eve by their hands and formed a thing resembling a circle. They dragged heather up and joined hands.

“I think our first ritual should be telling each other what we’re doing on the holidays.” Casey announced.

“Oh, so we’re having rituals now?” Eve said the word like it was a disease and sticking her tongue out.

“Yes, Miss Evelyn, we are!”Casey said, wagging a finger at her. They hated it when they were called by their ‘real’ names.

“Fine, Cassidy, we’ll have you’re little ritual. As long as you guys don’t stop me from seeing them out.” Eve snapped back, scowling triumphantly at Casey.

“Ok, ok, let’s start already, shall we?” Bella asked, trying to break the tension before a fight broke out. “I’ll start. I’m joining a program at the Melbourne Zoo. You go there every few days and paint any animal you want. It’ll be really great!” She said with enthusiasm and the smile that appeared every time she talked about creating a new masterpiece.

Painting made her happy. She could relax and forget about everything going on in the world. All she needed was a pencil and a piece of paper to be filled with joy.

Of course, her parents were all too happy to let her do that. They believed that it was important to “express your inner self.” They were also self employed.

“Ooh, that sounds great, Belles!” Heather said. “I’m going to baby sit!” she sang happily.

“Mother Hen, that’s perfect for you! Who are the kids?” Eve asked, her eyes lighting up.

“You know my mother’s old friend, Lizzie Ryan? She has three kids; two boys, one’s the same age as us and the other is eight. I think they’re called Jason and Ethan. Then they have a little girl called Ruby. I think she’s about three, and she’s gorgeous!” Heather explained, racking her memory for mental images of the children. Her dad had shown her pictures of them from her mother’s old photo albums. They were some of the only memories they had of Rochelle Bradford.

Heather remembered Lizzie as her mother’s best friend in high school; she had also come to the funeral and for many visits before. Her husband had left her a few years ago, so Heather thought she might as well do her a favour and help her with the kids.

“I’m going to enter the tennis competition, of course!” Casey broke though Heathers thoughts with her cheery tone. “I really want to win this time! I’ve got the back-hand down pat, and my for-hand is excellent, as always.” She said with a smug smile. Whenever she challenged her girls to a tennis match, they always fought to be on her side. Any of her opponents would be destroyed; with or without injuries.

But she could never win the final match of the real competitions. By then, she was too pumped with energy to focus, and ended up batting the ball into the crowd instead.

“What about you, Eve?” Bella asked.

“I’m joining a band.” She replied casually. Bella smiled, but Heather glanced at her with sceptic eyes. “Are you really? Who else is in this ‘band’? Where are you meeting them? Are you sure you’re not making this up this you can sulk in your room again?” she asked.

“I’m sure, Heather!” Eve exploded. She was just about sick of having to go through a police check of everything she did. “There were posters hanging up at school. It’s being run by some girl named Magenta and some of her friends. I don’t know who else is trying out for it. And no, I’m not making this up. I’m catching the bus on Saturday to Magenta’s house, and practise goes for an hour. Can you stop pestering me now?”

Heather put on her sad face. “I’m sorry Eve. I was just worried about you.” She said and hugged Eve softly.

“Ok, Bella. I think we’d better stop intruding on your personal space.” Casey said. “And now, let the summer holidays begin!”