Fire & Water & Earth & Air

2: Earth

Annabel

           The forest is my favorite place in the entire world. They say it's unsafe, yeah? That a witch lives here.

           I'm not a witch, I just don't like people messing with my home-away-from-home.

           Every night I come in here and make the trees stronger. I make their leaves greener. I make their trunks bigger.

            After today's workout, I sit on the newly-replenished grass and comb my fingers through the beautiful blades.

            Even from this far away, I can see the light coming from my high school's bonfire. I shake my head, How dare they burn nature for fun? How can someone gather the dead and -instead of burying them in respect- call them firewood? What makes humans so much better than nature?

           I stop ranting in my head when I realize I let my anger get the best of me and started a tiny, unfelt earthquake.

           Again.

           I sigh, get up, and dust off my pants. Then I climb the tree nearest to me until I reach the thinnest branches.

            I look over the trees and stare at the bonfire going on. I stare at the flames then yelp in surprise when it starts raining. The fire dies out completely, but then lights up a few seconds later.

           I audibly gasp when the water around me comes to a still, hovering in the air as if frozen. Then it all zooms past me and lands with a big splash.

           I cock my head, Was that me? Did I do that? Do I have more than one ability?

           Because for as long as I can remember, I have been Annabel Allen, the girl with the hidden superpowers.

           But what if growing things and making earthquakes aren't the extent of my pow-

           "Hey! You need any help up there, cousin?"

           The voice comes as such a surprise that I jump.

           Then I fall.

           I don't hit the ground, though, because I make a tree branch reach out and grab me. I slowly lower myself to the ground then whip the branch back to its normal size.

           I turn back around and look at the boy that scared me in the first place. He looks my age.... and very, very, astonished.

            "It's all good. No help needed," I say.

            But he just stares at me like he saw a two headed elephant under a green umbrella reciting Shakespeare.

           "Y-you're like me!" he finally spits out.

           When I did all those tricks and spins, I was on the other side of the tree entirely. He couldn't have seen me, logic doesn't allow it.

           But he did see me.

           And now he knows.

           And now he's claiming he is like me.

           Wow.

           "....alone, but I'm not! You did that thing to the tree and-and did you see the water and the fire? Was that you, too? Because as soon as I saw that, I ran for the bonfire, but if that was you then-then wow! You've got three abilities! I just have one. I can control the wind and such, but-but water? I could never imagine controlling that! And my mom says it isn't safe for me to use my thing in public, but you've obviously got everythig down! And my dad used to say -before he ran out on us- that I was a freak, 'cause, well, how many people do you know that can control one of the elements? I mean, besides yourself?"