January 19th, 2016
"Alright everyone, let's stop here for the night," Erika orders, "you, come with me," she grabs Lyria by the arm and drags her away from the others.
Lyria takes a deep breath and concedes. She follows her mother towards a small pond, and Erika shoves her forward. "What are we doing here?"
"What else can you do, my daughter?" Erika asks and Lyria swallows thickly as her mother circles her as if she were her prey. "I can sense you're strong. You can control not only fire, but air as well," Erika murmurs, "show me what else you can do."
"No," Lyria says, "if you want me to show you, you're going to have to force it out of me," she says, her hands turning to fists, her knuckles becoming white as she watches her carefully.
Erika attacks without warning, launching fire at Lyria. The girl ducks and uses this chance to electrocute her mother, two bolts of lightning hitting the woman who gasps in surprise, then in pain.
"I knew it," Erika says, taking a deep breath to slow her heart down.
Lyria looks at her hands, electricity crackling between her fingers. She watches her mother stand in the snow, and Lyria readies herself once again for another fight.
"That's all I wanted to see," Erika assures her, "soon enough, you'll come around to see my side. People like me aren't welcomed in society. You aren't either, Lyria. You're abnormal. You don't belong," Erika murmurs as she approaches her daughter, "and you never will."
Lyria takes a deep breath before she looks into her mother's eyes. "No, you're not seeing everything. You haven't been around other Elementals in over a decade. How do you know if things have changed or not?"
"Oh, I know. I've seen how Delilah treats her daughter, and how she treats everyone else. The fact she tried to protect you? It was an act, a show. If she didn't do that, she'd be in trouble with the Elemental Council," Erika says as she grabs Lyria's arm once again.
Lyria rips her arm out of her mother's grasp before pushing her away. "Keep your hands off of me," Lyria says, her voice lowering as her gaze hardens, watching her mother's every move.
Erika hums. "Come here," she insists, "right now."
"You have no control over me. You never did. I went with you willingly," Lyria reminds her, "but I'm not letting you keep me captive anymore."
Electricity begins to waver in the air, Lyria smiling slyly as strands of her hair rise up, tickling her cheeks. She makes a circular motion in the air with her finger, then smiles as a tornado forms between herself and Erika. Lyria snaps her fingers and the tornado immediately turns into a swirling firestorm.
"By the elements..."
Lyria makes the tornado chase after her mother and the group of followers, but Erika forces the storm to dissipate.
She begins to chase after her daughter, and Lyria claps both hands together, using air to force her mother back. The woman falls on her back and groans in pain, then forces herself up once again.
"Isn't this what you wanted to know?" Lyria asks her and Erika laughs maniacally.
"Yes. But this is just scratching the surface."
"This is the only power I have," Lyria insists, "you're insane. That's why you've cut off ties with society, because you've gone insane."
"I am not insane! I've got big goals, that's all," Erika says, pushing her ash brown hair out of her face, "and controlling you is one of them."
YOU ARE READING
The Elementals: The Last Crimson (1st in the Elementals Series)
FantasyLyria is your typical teenager. She goes to school, hangs out with her friends and has an after school job. She thinks she's normal until she accidentally sets her house on fire. After that night, her entire life changes. She goes from having a norm...
