This Should Feel Something Like Fire.

I hadn't realized how exhausted I was until I woke up two hours later laying on a hospital bed I had no recollection of getting in, leg freshly bandaged and hurting a hell of a lot less than it had walking in here. Vic, Jack, a nurse, and a policeman were in my room. I coughed, alerting them to my awakening. "Hello, Kellin!" The nurse chirped in an overly sugar sweet voice. I had to refrain from cringing. "How are you feeling? The doctor said you had a pretty nasty infection, but he took care of it while you were out and you should be fine." I smiled and nodded at her, and from behind her in the two chairs Vic circled his finger around his ear mouthing crazy while the policeman, a plump man with a mustache, laughed at him, his belly jiggling as he did. The nurse ignored the commotion behind her and stayed focused on me. I had to cough to hide my own laughter. Jack simply sat on the floor beside Vic, face emotionless and eyes dead.
"I'm alright, I think. When can I go home?" Vic stood up and walked towards me as I spoke, the policeman not too far behind.
She huffed. "Well, Officer James would like to talk to you before you leave, and I'll get the pain medicines your doctor prescribed to you. After that, you should be free to go! Oh, and the wheelchair and crutches in the corner are for you. Use whichever one you prefer, or both." She giggled. The closer I looked at her, the more I noticed her red eyes and dazed look. Was my nurse - the lady who was in charge of the IV I was just taking out and all of the medicines they had been pumping into me - actually high right now? Looking over at Officer James, he was laughing and shaking his head. When I caught his gaze, he winked.
"Thank you...uh..." He searched her shirt for a name tag, but found none.
"Jordan!"
"Right. Thank you Jordan. If you don't mind, I'd like to talk to Kellin and Vic alone." He hinted, to which Jordan nodded vigorously before skipping out the door, closing it behind her. As soon as we were positive she wouldn't hear us, we looked at each other and simultaneously burst into laughter.
"What the fuck just happened? I'm not the only one who noticed she was high, right?" Vic gasped between laughing.
"Definitely not. Don't worry, that's the last time she'll come to work high. I'll mention it to her boss before I leave." Officer James responded in the same fashion. It was then that Jack decided to stand up and come over to us. I couldn't help but notice he was way too pale, and although I had seen him only hours ago, he look significantly skinnier. We had already lost Alex, and now we were watching Jack disappear right in front of us. I ignored the pang that pierced my heart and turned to the officer, sitting myself up and dangling my legs over the side of my bed. Yeah, my leg was definitely much better.
"What do you need to know?" I tried to keep the worry out of my voice, but I think my nervousness showed. How was I supposed to lie my ass off to the cops? What if my story didn't match with Vic's? What if I accidentally said something about Elementals?
"Calm down Kellin." Jack said, his voice weak. "He knows about our...abilities. You can trust him. His family has been helping us for generations. They've been cool with us since before I was even born." It didn't escape me that he only mentioned himself, as if Alex had totally disappeared or never even existed in the first place.
"Right. Let's get started. So, you're absolutely positive your dad was the leader of the Resistance?" Vic and I nodded together.
"Yeah. He straight up told us." I told him.
"And he's dead?"
"Yessir. Austin killed him." It surprised me that I didn't even flinch at the mention of my dead father. I cared about him, honestly, but the role my dad played, the leader of the Resistance, that wasn't him. It wasn't the dad I knew and loved. He was different, and my dad had disappeared long ago. It just hadn't become clear to me until now.
"Good. I mean, I'm sorry your dad is... I just meant-"
"It's okay. I understand. I'm just glad it's over." I assured.
"How many others were there?" He directed this question at Jack and Vic.
"I'd say at least fifty." Jack nodded in agreement. Officer James nodded thoughtfully.
"Alright, I think that's all I need to ask you for now. You're tired and your mom is freaking out. I can ask you other stuff later." We exchanged some pleasantries and the Officer gave us his cell phone number. "This case is special. Whenever you need me, I'll be there."
"What am I supposed to say to mom?" I turned to Jack as soon as Officer James had left.
He sighed. It was a pathetic sound, like someone so exhausted they couldn't stay on their feet. "As far as she knows, your dad just went rogue and took you for no reason. Don't give her details if she asks. Just tell her you don't want to talk about it and to forget about it. The less she knows, the better. Same with you, Vic." We nodded before he continued, changing the subject. "I need to run home quick. I have something I need to give you two. I'll come to your place in a few hours, okay?" Again, we nodded. I was still tired, despite just napping. As soon as Jack was gone, Vic was standing in front of me. He leaned down and put his hands on either side of my face, firmly holding it in place as he placed his lips on mine. I responded immediately by tugging at his t-shirt, pulling him closer to me. When he didn't immediately respond, I grasped his hips and forced him to get closer to me, which caused him to moan lightly into my mouth. Neither of us attempted to take it any further than that, and it was nice. Despite all the horrible things that were happening around us, I felt a warmth in my chest as my heart pounded against my chest. So many people had been injured trying to save me. Alex, Jack, Mike...
Mike. What happened to him? Was he okay? Why was Vic making out with me instead of freaking out because his only brother could have died?
I pulled away from Vic, blushing when I realized the black burn marks on the soaking white cot wasn't exactly subtle. I ignored that for the moment and focused on the more important matter. "What happened to Mike? Is he okay?"
Vic seemed skeptical to answer. "He'll recover. He'll probably be in the hospital for a few days, but he's expected to make a full recovery." His voice and face were emotionless when he spoke about his brother.
"But?"
"But..." Vic's lips quivered, and I could feel his pain in my bones. I grabbed both of his hands and intertwined them with mine, squeezing them in support.
"Babe, you can tell me." I whispered, afraid if I spoke any louder it would break him. Never in my life have I seen someone so vulnerable as Vic was in that second. He looked like he was a scared kid.
"Mike, he..." His shoulders were heaving, and he took a shaky breath. "He's been...hurting himself. For years. And it's my fault." A tear rolled down his cheek as he spoke, and my hand immediately went to his cheek to wipe it away. While my hand was there, I tilted his face so he had to look at me.
"Victor Fuentes. Mike was the one who made that decision. He could have chose to come talk to you or your mom or anyone, I don't know, a counselor or something. He had other options, better options. It was his decision to resort to that. You couldn't have done anything."
"But I'm the reason he started in the first place!" His voice was getting louder, frustrated.
"How?" I stayed calm and squeezed the hand I was still holding again.
"If I had been with him like I should have been, my dad wouldn't have..."
"Wouldn't have what?" I asked when I realized he wasn't going to answer.
He looked around the room as if there were someone around that could hear us, then leaned into me and whispered in my ear. I felt another tear drop on my shoulder and shivered. "He...raped Mike, and I wasn't there for him." I couldn't stop my jaw from dropping or my arms from wrapping around the shaking, crying boy in front of me. I slid off the bed and stood up straight so we were close to the same height, ignoring the pain.
He cried into my arms for less than five minutes before straightening up and wiping the tears from his face. He gave me a small smile and used his thumb to wipe the stray tears off my face I didn't realize I was shedding. "Let's go home, okay? They aren't letting anyone in to see Mike until tomorrow. Your mom is in the waiting room."
"Why isn't she in here?"
"She understood that you needed some time. Jack made up some bullshit lie and she promised she wouldn't come see you until you were ready. Get dressed and she'll take us home."
Robotically, I got ready to go. I was trying to prolong the inevitable: going home. How was I ever supposed to feel safe in that place after what my dad did? He didn't just kidnap me, he made me lose my trust in people, my sense of security. I had no idea how I was going to get that back.
Vic looked at me. "You don't need to be anxious. I wasn't prepared before, but now I'm ready. I can protect you. Promise." I nodded hesitantly. He pursed his lips and crossed the room to reach me in three strides, immediately scooping me up in his arms and holding me bridal style. "I'll just have to prove it to you then, my love." I shivered when he called me that, and he noticed. It was kind of adorable how determined he was to take care of me. Gently, he sat me in the wheelchair, grabbed our stuff, and wheeled us out.
My mom was sitting in a chair, dozing off until Vic wheeled me up to her. She screamed and tears sprung in his eyes as soon as she saw me, attacking me in a hug. "Oh my god, please tell me you're okay. I'm so sorry Kellin. I never expected your father to do something like that, ever. Let me just sign you out, and we can you go home. I know you both must be tired." She kissed my forehead. "Oh, baby. I'm so sorry." She opened her mouth to say something else, but closed it and walked towards the front desk.
Vic kissed the top of my head and grabbed the handles of my wheelchair. "Come on, my love. Let's get you home."
~~~~~
Jack was leaning on his car in our driveway when we pulled up. My mom's knuckles went white as she gripped the steering wheel. "Oh, if Viv was here..." She mumbled under her breath.
"Mom, they did the best they could-"
"Kellin, I'm trying to stay calm right now, but please don't start with me right now. If they hadn't taken a road trip to god knows where, Mike wouldn't be in the hospital right now."
"Mom! He lost his partner back there! Alex is dead. At least Mike is fine!" I exploded. She was being so inconsiderate! I don't normally yell at my mom, but I guess all of the pent up emotions I had been holding down for the past two days needed to come out. "He's in more pain than you could ever imagine!" The only person he's loved for the past three hundred years is gone, and he must be terrified to know he'll be gone in less than two days.
"Let's just go inside. I don't want to fight with you." I crossed my arms defiantly.
"No. Vic and I need to talk to Jack." She opened her mouth to protest, but I cut her off before she could even begin. "Mom, please. I don't want to fight either, but this is really important. Neither of us will leave the driveway and it won't take more than ten minutes, I swear. Just go inside. Start dinner or something, I don't know. Please. This is really important." I pleaded. She must have heard the desperation in my voice because she nodded and with one final glare at Jack, she walked inside. I'm not sure, but I think I saw the curtain move inside.
Vic lifted me from the car into my wheelchair, despite me telling him multiple times not to. He just stuck his tongue out at me, which I responded my flipping him off and sulking while he pushed us over to Jack.
He was in all black. Black skinny jeans, black t-shirt with white writing on it that said JAGK - which Vic would later tell me was Jack's own clothing line - black boots that looked suspiciously like Alex's, and a black leather jacket. His skin was snow white and he shivered despite the jacket and the weather being not at all cold. Vic, being the generous person he is, pulled an extra beanie out of his bag - all black, of course, to match Jack's color scheme or lack thereof - and handed it to him. "You look like you need it more than I ever will."
"T-Thank you." He gasped breathlessly. One of his arms hugged his stomach as if he were in pain.
"How long do you think you have?" Vic asked cautiously.
"Oh, I'll be gone by dawn tomorrow." There was so much relief in his voice. It was painful to listen to. I looked up at the dark gray sky. It was angry, and soon we'd both be crying. "Kells, don't be upset. I'm happy. I'll be with Alex again. I can't stand being without him. You understand, right? I mean, how hard was it to go two days without Vic, even though you've just met him?" Pain and nausea clenched my stomach at the mere thought of leaving Vic for that long again, so I nodded.
"I understand, but that doesn't make it easier for me."
Jack scoffed and staggered almost drunkenly to my chair. He awkwardly hugged me and whispered "you'll get it one day" in my ear. He gave the same treatment to Vic before reaching into his car, procuring a leather-bound journal and a thick manila envelope and placing it on my lap. "Is this the book Alex was talking about?" Vic asked, picking up the journal from my lap.
Jack nodded slowly. "It's kind of like a family tree, almost. Well, it is. A Elemental family tree book. And an information book too. You put in your names and a little about yourselves and the time period you live in. There's also a whole bunch of information about Elementals and how to control your powers. Basically it's a teaching handbook written by Elementals themselves. If you figure something out about Elementals that no one knew before, write it in the book. This will teach you everything that Alex and I won't be able to."
"And this envelope?" I held up the thick package.
"That is specifically for you two. With the Elemental book, you're supposed to pass it on when you meet your 'replacement' Elementals. But this is a tradition the two Elementals before Alex and I started. You write your future Elementals letters to give them guidance, almost, or just say whatever you want to say. Secrets, advice, anything. Alex wrote letters mostly to Vic and I wrote mostly to Kellin because it just made sense since we're the same powers. Of course, we didn't know who you were, so none of them have any names on them except 'fire' or 'water'. Anyways, uh, yeah." He coughed into his arm as he finished, and Vic had to hold him up he was coughing so hard.
"Come inside for a minute. I don't care what my mom says, you should sit down for a minute." I insisted.
Jack gave me a bittersweet smile. "It's only going to get worse from this, Kellin. I should get going, actually.""
"...Will we see you again?" Vic asked quietly.
Jack sighed. "No, you won't. I'm going to go find Alex and I'm going to die next to him." Vic gripped my hand tightly as I saw his knees buckle slightly. Jack noticed too and laid a light, thin hand on Vic's shoulder. I stayed silent as I tried to wipe away my blurry vision. "Hey, don't worry. I'll be happy where I'm going. Please, don't worry about me. And don't try to blame yourselves either, both of you. That's just going to make your abnormally long lives hell. When the Elementals before me died, I was pissed. I spent years angry with myself, even though I hadn't done anything wrong. Trust me, there was nothing you two could have done to stop this from happening. I promise." Vic's grip on my hand was so tight it could have broken my wrist. I didn't complain because I'm sure I was squeezing back just as hard. Jack took a step back and stared at the two of us, his gaze lingering on our connected hands. "I'm so happy for you both. Don't let anything ever get in between you two, alright? It'll be hard sometimes, but you'll come out stronger on the other side, no matter how cliché that sounds." Awkwardly, Jack engulfed the two of us in a hug. "Take care of each other, okay? You'll get through this."
Neither of us could move as we watched Jack turn from us and walk down the street. "What about your car?" Vic yelled after him.
"Keep it! It's not like I really need it anymore." He responded.
The first raindrop landed on my hand as the first tear slid down my face. Within minutes, the floodgates opened and didn't stop for hours. Vic, no matter how much pain he was in, took care of me. He told my mom I was exhausted and carried me upstairs. He held me through the night and did whatever I needed him to. He was my rock.
Eventually, the tears slowed and we lay in bed, cuddling. "Thank you." I whispered into his chest.
"You don't need to thank me. You did the same for me." The thought occurred to me that, although I hadn't known him for a week, I couldn't live without Vic ever again. I moved my hand to behind his neck and pulled him down to my level so I could place my lips on his. He responded immediately, melting into the kiss and wrapping his arms around my waist.
We kissed for awhile, and when we needed air, Vic rested his forehead on mine. My eyes started to droop shut and Vic chuckled, holding me tighter. "Go to sleep. I'll still be here when you wake up." I was nodding off already, and I almost missed the ghost of his warm breath in my ear, whispering "sweet dreams, my love."
His warmth, caring, and adoration went through my veins like fire. It reminded me of a quote I'd one read by a poet with the name of C. Joybell C.:
"A good love is one that casts you into the wind, sets you ablaze, makes you burn through the skies and ignite the night like a phoenix; the kind that cuts you loose like a wildfire and you can't stop running simply because you keep on burning everything that you touch! I say that's a good love; one that burns and flies, and you run with it!"