The Elementals - The Ice Princess

Chapter 13

I awake in a panic throwing the covers from my bed. My heart is racing and I can feel it trying to beat out of my chest. My clothes are damp with sweat and my breathing comes in gasps. I feel like I actually have just sprinted the better half of a marathon. My stomach feels like it is about to turn over which may be a bad thing because I haven't eaten much in the last 24 hours and I am not entirely sure what will come up.

I hope to myself that it's not like the one time I was sick with the flu when I was 11 and could keep nothing in. By the time I had thrown up all the food in my stomach, I could only taste the acidic bile that my stomach normally housed. Even water tasted like it. I shudder at the thought and turn over to my side to try and stop my stomach from expelling its contents, trying to breathe as normally as I can. It seems to help a little.

A few minutes later, when my stomach has started to calm itself I open my eyes to see Alexander watching over me from about 5 or 6 feet in a chair. He sits half in the dark of the room, both feet flat on the floor, his eyes sparkling from the cast of the overhead light.

I am in some kind of bedroom, but not my bedroom at home. The walls are very plain and they look like rock. There is little light in the room and no windows which makes it difficult to put together details of where I am. Everything seems to be unfamiliar here.

I slowly sit up and look across at Alexander. He doesn't move but his eyes seem to follow mine. "Where are we?" I ask. My voice seems to crackle a bit and I realize how dry my throat has become. "And how long have you been watching me?" I say a little more forceful, almost borderline on the creeped out side.

Alexander shifts his position as though he realizes the awkwardness of the latter part of my question. He breaks his eye contact with me and begins to look at the floor. I think he is beginning to blush, but the dim light inside the room is making it difficult to know for certain. "A while. Uhhh, I mean, not long." He finally is able to say, stumbling over much of the sentence. I am sure he is blushing now.

He reaches out and hands me a bottle of water which I open and drink. It instantly makes my dry throat feel better.

"As for where we are, I don't know. I woke up on a cot in some room and was able to find you. I've been here since, maybe an hour or so."

"Where is my dad?"

"I don't know. The last thing I remember was getting into your dad's car and then waking up here."

There is a bit of an awkward silence between us for a moment before Alexander says, "You were having a bad dream. You ok? What was it about?"

My dream. I completely forgot the dream I had and how it had changed from the previous ones. I am a little embarrassed about it so I tell him that I don't remember. I am not interested in sounding as crazy as he did when he first told me about this whole secret life that has been thrust into my lap.

He makes a face at me as if he is hurt by my remark. "Do you remember how you got those?" he asks, pointing to my wrists. I look down at my wrists and see that they are both discolored. They each have a dark ring around where the cloud in my dream grabbed me. I remember the burning sensation that I felt when it took hold of me. In fact, the thought of it makes me begin rubbing the new wounds. They are not warm to the touch and they don't hurt. Which I think is a good thing. However in looking down I see a faint glow from my pendant. Alexander sees it also and his eyes are drawn to it.

"So, quite a first day for you huh?" I say to break the silence between us. "Your parents must be worried."

That statement stings him again. His eyes lose focus on my pendant and begin to look elsewhere as though he is searching for a memory. "Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot."