The Elementals Book One

Rebecca sat on the couch, watching TV. Everyone else was either at school or running errands. She was the only one in the orphanage at the moment.
Rebecca stared at the TV, watching the siblings argue and the parents yell, and she felt the tears coming. She turned the TV off and blinked them away.
The door suddenly slammed open and Rebecca’s head jerked up. Andrea burst into the orphanage, head bowed.
Arden and Brooke stepped through, Brooke looking confused and Arden looking resigned. “What happened?” Rebecca asked.
“Andrea’s having a rough day,” Arden replied. “I’d better go talk to her.”
“No,” Rebecca said. “Let me.”
Arden gave her a questioning glance, then nodded. “Okay.”

Rebecca walked up the two flights of stairs before reaching her room, which was right beside Andrea’s. She opened Andrea’s door to find the dark-haired girl holding a pocket knife, her sleeve rolled up.
“That’s not going to be a very good thing to do,” Rebecca commented.
Andrea’s head jerked up. “What do you want?” she snapped, quickly dropping the knife and yanking her sleeve down.
Rebecca softly closed the door. “What’s wrong, Andrea?” she asked quietly. “Why are you cutting?”
“I’m not,” Andrea growled, but there wasn’t much venom in her tone. “Get out.”
Rebecca pulled up the sleeve of her jacket and sat down beside Andrea. “Look,” she said. “You’re not the only one who felt like this.”
Andrea glanced down at the scars on Rebecca’s arm. “Why did you…?”
Rebecca bit her lip and glanced down. “When my dad was deployed to war, I had people I’d thought were friends turn on me when I stopped talking as much…I was so worried about my dad…and they were telling me that he’d never come back…” Her voice grew quieter. “That he’d left because he couldn’t stand to see me… I was weak and, although I was the protector of my friends, I let one down and she almost died…I was cutting carrots one day and the knife slipped, cutting my finger. I realized…”
“That it was comforting to see your blood,” Andrea finished softly.
Rebecca nodded. “Yeah….” She pulled up her sleeve. “It’s not worth it, Andrea. The scars just serve as a reminder of your darkest time. Find something worth fighting the urge for. It’s your choices that make the difference in your life.”
Andrea glanced down. “Are you sure you’re only sixteen?” she asked quietly. “You seem to be wise beyond your years…”
“I’m almost seventeen. And I’ve lost many I cared about in my life,” Rebecca said softly. “That can make a person age more than years sometimes.” She gave Andrea a sad smile before opening the door and walking out into the hall, closing it behind her.
Andrea picked up the pocket knife and rolled up her sleeve. She stared at the rows of cuts on her arm and sighed. She wasn’t strong enough to stop…”Yes, I am,” she told herself firmly. She closed the knife and rolled down her sleeve.
Out in the hallway, Rebecca smiled as she listened to Andrea. “That’s it,” she whispered. “You’re doing great.”

Andrea stepped into the dining room, scowling. Rebecca studied her for a moment, then looked down, trying not to smile. There was no sign of the hopelessness or pain in the pale girl’s eyes anymore.
Andrea took a seat between Rebecca and Arden. “Where’s Cadman?” she grumbled. “I’m hungry and if he makes us wait for our food…”
A tall boy with black hair, tanned skin, and well made clothes stepped into the kitchen. His hair was groomed like that of a man going in for an incredibly important interview.
Andrea glared at him. “Finally. Hurry up and sit down.”
Cadman sauntered over to the table, obviously taking his time. He sat beside Brooke, who gripped Rebecca’s knee tightly. Apparently she wasn’t big on being by the teenager who was constantly bragging about himself.
“Hey, Brooke,” Rebecca said, “would it be okay if I switched you seats? Crimson told me that Cadman does some martial arts and I want to find out what kind.”
Brooke flashed her a grateful smile and gladly did as the older girl asked. “T-thank you,” she whispered.
“Anytime,” Rebecca said quietly in reply.

Vince and Arden exchanged amused looks as Rebecca listened to Cadman talk about how he’d mastered everything in every single martial art. They chuckled as she looked more and more bored. “Hey,” she interrupted at last. “Maybe we can spar sometime, but for now, I’m tired.”
“Let’s watch a movie,” Arden suggested. “We’ve got an awesome TV here and some great movies.”
“Let’s watch the fashion channel,” Laurel suggested, sounding bored. “I guess most of you aren’t smart enough to understand everything about it, but Cadman and I are actually smart in the things that matter and will explain it to you who aren’t.”
“Oh, thank you ever so much,” Andrea grumbled. “We really appreciate the offer.”
Crimson and an African American boy with black hair and dark brown eyes stepped into the dining room. “Hello,” Crimson said. “Rebecca, this is Alber.”
Rebecca smiled and gave a small wave. “Hi,” she said.
“Hello,” Alber replied, smiling as well.
“So there’s eight of us,” Arden observed. “Me, Vince, Cadman, Alber, Andrea, Laurel, Brooke, and Rebecca.”
“We’ll make a good team,” Vince said quietly.
“Indeed,” Crimson said. “Most formidable.”
“So,” Laurel said. “Let’s choose a movie already.”

A scream ripped through the silent air. Andrea jerked up, ears and eyes straining in the darkness. Her alarm clock read 2:08 a.m.
She jumped out of bed and flung open her door. Brooke was out in the hallway, looking around blearily. Laurel was stepping out of her room, looking irritated. “It’s two in the morning,” she complained. “My beauty sleep has a schedule, you know. It’s, like, eleven forty-five to ten. So, as you can see, two in the morning is supposed to be spent sleeping.”
“What’s going on?” Vince asked from the floor above them, the other three boys by his side.
“Rebecca’s having a nightmare or something.” Andrea tried to open Rebecca’s door. “Her door is locked!”
“I’m a pro at picking locks,” Cadman bragged from up the stairs beside Vince.
Vince and Arden rolled their eyes. “As it so happens, I’m not too shabby myself,” Vince said. He ignored the stairs and jumped down to their floor.
“Th-that was dangerous,” Brooke commented. “But s-since you didn’t hurt yourself I w-w-won’t scold you.”
Vince flashed her a quick grin, then met Andrea’s gaze. “Any bobby pins?”
Brooke rushed into her room and came back out with a bobby pin in one hand. “H-here.”
Arden, Alber, and Cadman rushed down the stairs to help.
Vince took it from her gently and straightened it out, took the tip off, and stuck it in the door. The lock rattled, then the door opened.
The four boys and three girls burst into the room. Rebecca was tossing and turning, screaming and sobbing.
Vince rushed over and gripped her arms. “Hey, hey,” he said softly. “It’s me. Vince. I’m not going to let anything hurt you, you hear me?”
She calmed slightly, struggling less. Tears still streaked down her cheeks. Brooke walked over and started brushing her hair while singing softly.
Rebecca relaxed and her eyes suddenly snapped open. “Wha?” she mumbled, disoriented. Her hand lashed out, hitting Vince in the jaw. He winced but didn’t move away.
Rebecca suddenly burst into tears and Vince and Brooke held her as she sobbed.
Andrea pushed Arden, Cadman, and Laurel out, then turned to face the other three. “You two stay in here and help her,” she ordered. “I’ll start making breakfast.”
Brooke and Vince both nodded. Rebecca didn’t seem to hear Andrea.
Brooke stopped singing after about ten minutes as her eyes started to droop. Then she jerked her head up and resumed her singing.
Vince chuckled. “Get some sleep,” he whispered. Rebecca had fallen asleep about five minutes ago and he figured that Brooke could get some rest now.
Brooke shook her head stubbornly. “N-no,” she said firmly. “No, sh-she’s my friend.”
Vince could’ve sworn a shimmering blue light was surrounding the quiet girl now. “Okay,” he agreed, trying not to smile.
Brooke watched as he gently set her down and stood. “You c-care about h-her,” she said quietly with a knowing smile.
Vince glanced at her. “I barely know her. She’s a friend.”
Brooke smiled. “Sure, sure.”
He rolled his eyes and grinned. “Come on,” he said. “Now you are going to bed and I am going to see how scared I am with Andrea cooking.”
“Water!” Andrea yelled. “Someone get me some water!”
Vince and Brooke laughed as they closed Rebecca’s door. “I th-think we should b-be quite scared,” Brooke said.