Elementals: A New Era: Book One

Chapter Seven

"Where are we going?" Luke asked impatiently as he sat in Andrew's car, the two of them driving along the highway away from The Agency.

"I told you, we're going to get something to eat," Andrew explained. "I figured something special was needed since you're finally a part of the team."

"So why am I in the back seat?" Luke tilted his head to the side to get a view of the man's face.

"Because we're about to pick someone up, someone I don't want The Agency to know about, it'll be a little secret between us okay?"

"Okay," Luke went back to looking out the window as the city flew by.

After a while they slowed down and came to a stop outside a quaint single storey white house, Luke heard the car door open and he turned to see a tall skinny male enter and sit in the passenger seat.

"Hey you," Andrew said with a smile.

"Hey b...- Andy, who's the kid?" The male turned and Luke got a look at his short brown hair, with round glasses that framed hazel eyes. He had short brown stubble that formed a mustache and goatee.

"Andy?!" Luke exclaimed.

"No, no, no, absolutely not. You are to never call me that ever," Andrew went bright red as he tried to shut down the question. "I am And and Andrew to you and everyone else. Only he can call me Andy because..." Andrew sighed. "Luke, this is Mason, he's a friend of mine. Mace, this is Luke. He's from The Agency, our newest Agent."

"Andy, he's a kid," Mason replied. "How old is he?"

"Thirteen, that's why he's here. I'm looking after him," Andrew smiled back at Luke as he had turned his attention back to outside.

"You adopted a child Agent?"

"Not adopted, he's more like a little brother to me, and I'll do anything I can to protect him."

"So we're having lunch with him?"

"Yes, please be nice, he's the other big important guy in my life right now. The least you can do is be nice to him," Andrew said as he pulled out and began heading towards their next destination.

After a few minutes of looking out the window, Luke noticed something strange going on, Andrew was smiling and laughing, and so was Mason, the two of them seemed happy. But something else was wrong, he couldn't quite put his finger on it, he looked around the front of the car and then it hit him.

"Wait, And?"

"Yeah bud?" Andrew looked back at him through the mirror.

"Why are you two holding hands?" Luke asked, pointing at their hands which were intertwined on the middle console.

"Oh," Andrew snorted while Mason burst into laughter. "Well. Uhhh. Did your mum ever tell you about what love is?"

"Isn't that the Totem that Asher and Tsubaki had?" Luke asked.

"Well yes," Andrew replied while Mason continued to laugh. "But love is the reason they have the Totem. Love is what you feel when you're really happy with someone, they make you feel happy, safe, they make your heart flutter and soar. Love is what you feel when you wanna be around someone all the time, when you feel lost without them, and when you know they're the one." He smiled as he said all of this to Mason.

"Is that like a girlfriend?" Luke asked. "Mum used to say I should get one of those."

"Yeah, exactly. But love comes in all shapes and sizes. If you loved a girl, then that's a straight relationship. But you can also love another boy, there is nothing wrong with loving someone your own gender."