Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Elementals ❯ Comfort ( Chapter 4 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Elementals

Chapter Four

Nalen sat down across from Rixana, who was sitting to the right of Clather at their table in the dining hall. There was something frightening about the smile on the girl's face as she turned to speak to Clather.

“So that physical combat class earlier...you looked pretty impressive,” she said.

He looked back at her, eyebrows raised. “Was I?” he said.

“You probably think you're better than the rest of us,” she added, still smiling.

Nalen's unease did not subside when Clather matched Rixana's smile with a dangerous grin of his own.

Clather laughed. “What? Are you jealous?”

Rixana's smile did not falter. “Not at all,” she said. “I'm glad you have something you're good at, since I'm sure you're a terrible elemental mage.”

“Oh, am I?” Clather asked, nearly echoing his previous response to Rixana's compliment. Any cheeriness in his demeanor instantly disappeared. His eyes narrowed.

On Clather's left, Honel appeared to be intensely interested in the beans on his plate. Orashi, to the left of Nalen, made no effort to hide her curiosity, watching the two students with interest.

“Of course. You said yourself that you being here is a mistake. I bet that you didn't even know you had magical abilities until you were dragged here against your will,” Rixana said, calmly taking a sip from the glass in front of her.

“I didn't,” Clather agreed. “I still don't think I should be here. What's your point?”

Rixana laughed. “I know your type. You thrive off of being the biggest and the strongest. It was obvious, seeing you fight. But here it's different. We don't need to be physically strong, as long as we're magically and mentally strong. Everyone else here has known that we were elementals for a long time. Most of us have experimented with them and have some idea of what we can do. But you? What can you do? You've never considered it. You're the weakest person here. You have no control, no idea what you can do. Doesn't that make you uncomfortable? Being weak?”

Clather's jaw clenched. “You have no idea what you're talking about.”

“That's why you hate it here so much. You hate not being the best.” Her triumphant cackle was chilling.

“That's enough,” Nalen said, no longer able to handle the tension in the air. For him, the expression was literal.

Clather turned to Nalen, glaring. “I don't need you to defend me,” he said, standing up and shoving his chair into the table before storming off, pushing past Nululesa, Tilara, and Rodem, who took their seats at the table.

“Whatever happened to gratitude?” Orashi mumbled. Rixana smiled, clearly pleased with herself.

“What's going on?” Nalen heard Nululesa whisper to Orashi, who was sitting next to her.

“Ask her,” Orashi said, pointing her thumb at Rixana and turning her attention to her food.

Rixana shrugged. “He didn't like hearing the truth.”

“What truth?” Rodem asked from his seat between her and Nululesa.

“That he's weak,” Rixana said simply.

“Weak?” Nululesa repeated. “How? We all saw him fight earlier. He's not weak at all.”

“Not physically,” Rixana said. “Magically. Mentally. He's not anywhere near our level.”

“What is 'our level?'” Tilara asked softly.

“What did she say?” Rixana asked sharply. Tilara shrank back, like Rixana had hit her.

“She asked what you meant by 'our level,'” Nalen said. “I'm curious, as well.”

“She has a point,” Rodem said, gesturing across the table toward Tilara. “We're all relatively untrained. I don't think any of us can be considered to be more capable than the others. Besides, our powers are different.”

“I think we can easily say that some of us are better than others,” Rixana argued. “I'm willing to admit that Nalen is a more skilled air elemental than I am...for now.”

Nalen held back a laugh. In the air elementals' magic lesson, they had been asked to push a pebble as far as they could by harnessing the power of the wind. Nalen and a couple of the older students had had no problems. Rixana, however, somehow conjured a miniature whirlwind. The more the pebble spun in the air instead of moving forward, the more frustrated she got. Her frustration caused the whirlwind to increase in size, until their instructor, Mr. Miwa, had to use his own power to stop it. While part of him thought that the girl deserved to be embarrassed in front of seven air elementals, a larger part of him felt guilty for being pleased.

Yes, Rixana was mean, and the way she intentionally upset the others, particularly Tilara, made him angry, but he was pretty sure that all of her hostility was the result of a terrible home life. He had seen enough cases like hers to know the signs. Still, it was no excuse. Tilara was fragile. She had had a rough life, too, and Nalen and the other children in their “street family,” as they called it, had looked out for her. The responsibility fell to Nalen, now, and Rixana's attitude toward her roommate did not make his duty easier.

“Nalen,” Tilara whispered, nudging him gently and jarring him from his thoughts. He looked at her. “Lunch time is almost over,” she said. “You haven't eaten.”

He looked down at his empty plate. All conversation had stopped. He didn't know why. Glancing around the table, everyone was eating again. Clather had even returned.

He began eating, deciding to ask Tilara what had happened when they left the room.

Nalen tugged Tilara's sleeve gently, silently asking her to stay a few steps behind the rest of the group. After six years of living with him, Tilara understood exactly what he wanted. “What is it?” she whispered.

“First, I want to make sure you're okay,” he said, releasing her sleeve.

“I'm fine,” she said quickly, turning away.

“You're not,” he said. “Look at me.”

She reluctantly obeyed. “It's nothing. You already know I have nightmares when I'm away from her.”

Nalen sighed. “There must be something I can do.”

She smiled gently. “Unless you can find me a roommate who wouldn't think it strange to sleep beside another girl, I don't think you can.”

He frowned. “Somehow I don't think that Rixana would be the right girl for that job.”

“Not at all,” Tilara agreed. She gently took Nalen's hand, squeezing it as they walked. “You don't need to take care of me,” she said. “It should be the other way around. I'm older.”

“Not by much,” Nalen said, squeezing her hand back. “I told Etoni I'd help you.”

Tilara smiled wistfully, clearly thinking of the oldest member of their family, the seventeen-year-old Etoni, who acted as a mother to the rest, even though she was only six years older than the youngest, Nalen. When they had found Tilara after she was left on the street by her parents, Etoni had taken a particular interest in her, sleeping beside her every night. When Etoni had been gone for days at a time, usually when she was caught stealing, Tilara had had nightmares. Obviously, that had not changed.

Nalen was reluctant to distract her from her thoughts of Etoni, but he had another question. “Tila,” he said, “Why did everyone just stop talking earlier, at the table?”

Tilara frowned. “Well, Clather came back, and Ms. Yuwa was with him, so we thought that we were in trouble or something. I did, anyway. But she just walked away, afterward.”

“She didn't say anything?”

Tilara shook her head. “Nothing.” She turned away from him as the class entered a small classroom.

“Take a seat,” Issaya said, gesturing to the eight chairs placed around a square table. Nalen and Tilara sat in the two chairs furthest from the door.

“This class,” Issaya said, placing a bowl of water on the table, next to some kind of plant Nalen could not identify, “Is called Cooperative Magic. Before lunch, you had you individual lessons. Here, you will all work together.” She looked at the students. “Do you have any questions, before we start?” She nodded at Orashi, who had raised her hand.

“I understand that the bowl of water is obviously for water and the cactus is for earth...but what do you have for air and fire?”

“Air is all around us,” Issaya said, waving her arms for emphasis. “Unlike the rest of the elements, air is always available to be used by elementals with an affinity for it. We water elementals can call on the moisture in the air and use that, but it saps more energy out of us than it would if we could use a more plentiful source. Earth elementals, like yourself, are rarely without materials to use, but if you are trapped in a room made entirely of synthetic materials, you will have a hard time calling on your element to help you. Fire is unique in that fire elementals can call on it from what seems like nothing, but in actuality, their element is contained within them. Without realizing it, fire elementals absorb heat every day, storing it until they need to release it.” She looked at Honel and Clather. “That is why you are often several degrees warmer than everyone else.” This appeared to be news to both boys, who stared at her, bewildered.

“So...how are we going to work together?” Rixana asked suddenly.

“We're going to start off simply,” Issaya said. “Who has ever created a shield with your power, in order to protect yourself or someone else from something that would hurt them?”

Nalen raised his hand, along with Nululesa, Honel, and Orashi.

“Do you remember how you did it?” Issaya asked. All four of them nodded. “Great,” she said. “Stand up.” They obeyed. “Honel, I need you to stand right there,” she said, pointing to the left side of the classroom. “Nululesa, stand across from him. Nalen, stay where you are. And Orashi, I need you to stand across from him.” She waited until they were in the proper positions.

“Okay,” she said finally. “Orashi, we'll start with you. Create your shield. Try to make it large enough to surround your classmates, including yourself, but not large enough to reach me.”

Orashi nodded, closing her eyes. A sudden burst of green light shot out of her, into the plant, and out to form a ring around the students. Nalen and the others winced. She opened her eyes, looking at Issaya. “Is that good?”

Issaya looked amused. “You could pull back a little next time,” she said. “It's a very strong shield, though. The light was pretty.” Nululesa giggled softly. Orashi smiled at her.

“Your turn, Nululesa,” Issaya said.

Nululesa's smile faded as she nodded determinedly. “Alright, then,” she said softly, looking at the bowl of water. A bubble formed, growing larger and actually moving through the children, as it closed just inside Orashi's shield. The bubble had caused a strange sensation as it moved through him. Nalen shivered unconsciously.

“Good job, Nululesa.” She paused. “You'll notice that your shields are visible. To a non-elemental, that will not be the case. They can never see magic like we can. Another mage could see it, at least for now. With enough training, you should be able to create shields that are undetectable.” She looked at Nalen. “Go on,” she said.

Nalen nodded, searching inside himself the source of his magic. He found it, using its invisible arms to grab at the air around him, sending a strong gust around the perimeter of the circle Orashi and Nululesa had created, then upward, completing the half-sphere that was their shield. When it was finished, he looked up, seeing the green, blue, and purple magic blending together, forming a strange dark shade of brownish purple.

“Finally, it's your turn, Honel.” The fire elemental nodded, holding his hands out in front of them. The room suddenly felt very hot, as flames shot out of his hands. The other children reflectively jumped back, but the fire quickly changed its path, shooting up to the top of the shield and spreading out in all directions, reaching the floor. Nalen was sure that the floor would also catch fire, but amazingly, the flames did not appear to have any effect on it at all.

As Honel completed the shield, its color instantly changed. What had been a strange purple or brown color was now almost completely clear, with a slight white tint. Nalen stared at it in amazement.

“This is what happens when four elementals with different affinities create a shield,” Issaya said, clearly amused by their gazes. “They blend together, becoming nearly indestructible.” She pointed at a bucket sitting next to her, which Nalen had not noticed before. “Watch,” she said, as the water shot out of the bucket, charging toward the class at a remarkable speed. When it hit the edge of the shield, however, it stopped suddenly, falling straight to the ground. “Only a very powerful group of mages, with influence over each of the four elements, could break a shield made by four elementals like yourselves. The only negative consequence is that the shields will wear down over time, and those of you who are holding them cannot perform any other magic while it is up.” She looked at the four students who were still seated. “That means, if these four have the shield up, it will be up to you to fight the enemy or do any healing or other magic that is necessary.”

Nalen glanced at Tilara, who looked very nervous. The others didn't look much calmer.

“You may drop your shield now,” Issaya said. “With your current abilities, it's a bad idea to keep it up for very long.” She smiled. “Besides, class is over.”

Nalen and the others dropped their shields as the others stood up to go. Issaya laughed.

“Oh, we're not going anywhere,” she said. “Your other classes will all be in this room. We have reading and writing, mathematics, and history to get through before you're free to leave for the day.”

Nalen sat back down in his seat beside Tilara, who was looking slightly ill. Nalen couldn't blame her. Neither of them had had any formal education, although Nalen had learned some basic reading and math skills over the years. Tilara, though, had always had trouble understanding the concepts that seemed to come easily to him.

The majority of the three classes was spent gauging the students' proficiency in each area. It came as no surprise to anyone that Rodem and Orashi were the best in each of the academic subjects, although Nalen was somewhat surprised to find that Nululesa was a skilled reader and writer.

“I write a lot of letters to my brother,” she said, when Orashi asked her how she had learned to write.

She wasn't terrible at mathematics, either. She could add and subtract, although she had difficulties multiplying and could barely divide at all. Still, she was better at it that Nalen, who had never needed to use mathematics much in his life.

Rixana, Clather, and Honel were decent enough in each area. Honel was less knowledgeable in history, probably because it focused on the history of Ceelath, which he and his family had never cared to learn. Rodem was easily the most learned about Ceelath's history. Orashi, who moved to Ceelath from Choderor at age eight, could not hope to match him.

After their talents were assessed, Issaya dismissed them, letting them know that she would have personalized lessons made for them the next day. Nalen was secretly thrilled. He loved learning new things and usually picked up talents easily.

He had learned to cook and sew that way. While those two tasks were largely considered work that women did, Nalen had always been fascinated by them, secretly watching women perform those chores as he searched the streets for abandoned food or money.

One day, when he was about seven years old, an old woman had caught him watching her through the window. Instead of yelling at him or calling for a guard to take him away, she had smiled at him, inviting him inside. She offered him fresh bread that she had baked only hours before. Nalen practically swallowed it. It was the best food he had eaten in a long time. She watched him, amused, before asking him why he had been looking through her window.

“I saw you sewing,” he said sheepishly, looking down at his hands.

“Are you interested in sewing?” she had asked.

He had nodded. “It looks fun,” he said.

That seemed to amuse her. She laughed, setting another slice of bread in front of him. “I can promise you that it is not fun at all, when it is something you have to do.”

Nalen swallowed the bite of bread he had in his mouth. He looked at the door. “I should probably get back to my family...thank you for the bread.” He felt guilty, eating this woman's food while his family was still starving.

“Your family?” the woman asked, surprised. “Are they as hungry as you?”

Nalen nodded. “I was supposed to find some to bring back to them, but it's getting late now.”

The woman quickly walked over to the oven, where another loaf of bread had been cooling. She wrapped it in a cloth, holding it out for Nalen. “Here. Take this.”

Nalen stared up at her, wide-eyed. “Really?” he asked softly.

She nodded. “Take it to your family. But promise me something first.”

“What?”

She smiled. “Come back again sometime. I'll teach you how to sew. I'll teach you how to cook, too, if you'd like.”

Nalen had agreed enthusiastically, taking the bread and returning to the covered alley where his family lived. He shared the bread with them, never telling them where he had gotten it.

He kept his promise, returning regularly to the woman's house, where she taught him how to sew and how to cook. She always let him keep anything they made that day. He managed to keep his family fed and clothed this way, but it also made them suspicious about where he went during the day.

One day, though, he was not greeted at the door as he normally was. Instead of being met by the kind old woman, there was a surly-looking middle-aged man. “What?” the man demanded.

“I...I came to see the woman who lives here,” Nalen stammered.

“She's dead,” the man said. “Go away.” He shut the door in Nalen's face.

Nalen went back to his family that night, empty-handed and heartbroken. He finally told them where he had been when he brought food and clothing home for them, and told them what had happened to the woman. The children were not angry, as he'd feared. Instead, they comforted him. Their kindness calmed him, although he still grieved for the woman. She was the first person who had treated him with kindness, other than his family. Now she was dead and some mean man was living in her house. He had never even learned her name

Nalen was jarred from his thoughts, suddenly having an idea. Of course, he thought excitedly. That'swhat I can do to help Tilara! He wordlessly ran up to his room, searching frantically through his trunk. He found what he was looking for, holding it up triumphantly. It was the small sewing kit that the old woman had given him years earlier. He searched his trunk again, pulling out the pair of brown pants and the white shirt that he had worn the day before, when they came to the school. It doesn't look like I'll be wearing this anytime soon, anyway, he thought, carefully ripping them apart.

When Rodem walked in, Nalen was sitting on his bed, quickly, but carefully, sewing what appeared to be a human shape into what also appeared to be a ripped shirt. Nalen ignored his roommate, not out of disrespect, but because he was so focused on his task.

He was still working on it when the guard knocked on their door to make sure that he and Rodem were in the room. Nalen barely noticed. He also barely noticed when Rodem left the room ten minutes later.

He finally finished his project, looking around. There was no indication of what time it was. He shrugged, tying his creation in the remains of what had been his shirt, and left the room.

He found the door to Tilara and Rixana's room, knocking on it. Rixana answered it.

“What do you want?” she demanded, looking at the bundle in Nalen's hands.

“I need to see Tilara,” Nalen said, looking past her to where Tilara had just stood up from her bed.

Rixana rolled her eyes, walking over to her bed. Tilara met him at the door.

“What is it?” she asked, also looking at the scrap of cloth in his hands.

“I made this for you,” he said. “It might help you sleep. I hope it does, anyway.”

She took it from him, carefully unwrapping it, before staring at it in shock. She looked up at him. Tears were forming in her eyes. “This...this is amazing,” she whispered, a wide smile on her face. “It looks just like her.”

“Since Etoni can't be here in person...” Nalen started to explain, but he was cut off when Tilara wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him, the doll still in her hand. He hugged her back, smiling. She pulled back, looking back at the doll.

“But...what did you use for cloth?” Tilara asked, frowning.

“Well...you know, we're supposed to wear these uniforms every day, and I probably won't need the clothes I was wearing when I got here anymore, so...”

Tilara touched the brown fabric that was used for the doll's hair. “This...came from your pants?” Then she touched the doll's skin. “And your shirt?”

Nalen nodded. “I didn't have anything else.”

“What did you use to stuff her?”

“More scraps from my pants,” he said, laughing. “Don't worry, I washed them first.”

“I wasn't worried,” Tilara said, her smile growing even wider. “This is amazing, Nalen. Now I have a part of you and Etoni with me all the time.”

Nalen smiled back. “Well, you're my sister. I love you and I can't stand it when you're unhappy.”

“I'll try to be happier,” Tilara said. “This will definitely help.”

“Would you two stop talking in the doorway?” Rixana called, exasperated. “I'd like to get some sleep at some point.”

Tilara smiled apologetically. “She has a point. It is late. Thank you so much, Nalen.”

“You're welcome. Good night,” Nalen said.

“Good night,” she said, kissing him on the cheek before closing the door.

Nalen walked back to his room. Rodem was back, sitting on his bed, looking at his uniform. He glanced up when Nalen entered the room.

“I noticed that you were sewing a doll earlier,” Rodem said.

“Yes,” Nalen said, “For Tilara, to help her sleep.”

Rodem nodded. “So you know how to sew...” He pointed at the top of his uniform. “I was in the garden a little while ago, and my sleeve got snagged on a bush...”

Nalen laughed, taking the top from his roommate. “I'll take care of it,” he said.

“Thank you,” Rodem said, laughing with him. “If you need anything from me in the future, just ask.”

Nalen smiled. “I'll think of something,” he said. He began working on torn sleeve, once again oblivious to everything around him. He didn't notice it when Rodem fell asleep moments later. He finished mending the sleeve, inspecting it in the candle light. It was barely noticeable, even when he knew what to look for. He folded the shirt, gently lying it on Rodem's trunk, before lying in his own bed and blowing out the candle.