Elements of Freedom

Chapter Four [Part Two]

Even though staring at her face made me feel uncomfortable and out of place, not looking at her made me feel lost, I couldn't help but wonder how I couldn't have seen her before. We must have been only metres apart from each other for years and yet I'd never laid eyes on her. I'd always thought I was the only one. They'd drilled into me ever since I can remember that I was worthless and a waste of space. I couldn't understand why they had such hatred for me, I'd never done anything wrong, I'd never even been given the chance to do anything wrong.  

"You okay?" I hadn't realised I'd zoned out for several minutes. I focused my eyes back into the present moment.  

"Yeah, sorry, was just... Yeah." I stole a glimpse of her, she was sat cross legged on the ground and had plaited her hair on both sides of her head, her face looked back up at me and she smiled a warm inviting smile.  

Her eyes were grey like the ash of a burnt fire. Her hair was light blonde like the spark of a match. 

My thoughts were broken by the sound of the icy leaves being trodden on in the dark, the sound of twigs breaking diminished the silence that enclosed us, and the unmistakable smell of smoke wafted around us.  

Ember and I both instinctively stood on our feet lifting our hands into the air ready to defend ourselves against whatever or whoever had found us.  

"Wind." 

"Fire." We both commanded at the same time. The darkness was suddenly filled with the bright colour of flickering fire from Ember's fingertips. The fire started to grow larger out of her fingers, it got caught in the gusts of wind that I had made, the flames started to rise up and roar above the trees, a stream of fire and wind spread across the ground and lit the paths in front of us.  

We both turned to each other with wide eyes. My heart was racing. It was like our powers were heightened when they were mixed with each other. It was mesmerising. I was a person of little words, but I had never been so speechless in my life, as I was right then.