Elements Academy (Book One)

Chapter Nineteen

     My hand flies to my mouth to prevent Nocturna's name from passing my lips. All I can do is watch as the Element Keeper takes her limp form into the school to be whisked to the hospital wing. The students that have gathered around the cobblestone path slowly return to their morning activities, but I can only stand there, my mind rushing back to the night before.

     That fight with that hell-hound... How badly did it hurt her?

     I snap myself out of my little state of shock and follow the path the Element Keeper had taken to the hospital wing. I peek my head through the door, once arriving and look around the empty beds. The nurse is nowhere in sight, but I spot the one bed that's occupied. Slowly, I slink inside and join the bedside. 

     Nocturna is laying on her back with one hand dangling from the side of the bed. Her face is a bit paler then it should be, and her waist-length inky black hair is matted and filthy. The Evil Elemental's eyes remain closed, but her breathing seems normal. Her face is a little paler than normal. I sigh, feeling guilty for leaving her when she needed us.

     "Miss Finch?"

     I turn at the sound of a voice. The nurse stands there, watching me. Before she can say anything, I turn around fully. "I-I'm sorry. She's my friend, and I wanted to make sure she's okay..." I surprise myself when I hear myself call Nocturna my friend. Is it the truth? Over this time, did I grow close to the Evil Elemental? Even after what she's done in the past?

     "It's okay, dear." Comes the response. The nurse, a plump lady with graying hair and kind brown eyes, makes herself seen, carrying a tiny vile of something. "I heard she was in places students aren't supposed to go."

     "What's that?" I ask, motioning to the vile.

     "Potion." She replies simply, giving the vile a shake. I hear a swishing sound of some liquid inside it. The vile is glass, and about as long as my index finger.

     "Are you sure that'll be enough?" I ask, quite unsure that a measly bit of potion will do the job.

     The nurse simply smiles. "It will be enough, dear." She replies. "A drop of potion can do wonders for a single person's health. Trust me, your friend will be okay." With that, she gently lifts Nocturna's chin and tilts a bit of the potion into her mouth. The Evil Elemental swallows and gives a long sigh, but doesn't come around completely.

     Then the lady looks at me. "Don't stay in here for too long, Nicole." She says. "You don't want to miss school." Then she vanishes into a room in the far back. The same place she'd been when I'd come in. 

     I simply sigh and look down at Nocturna again. I never thought an Evil Elemental could look so fragile. The potion is obviously working, yet I still feel terrible. Perhaps Nocturna and I are friends after all... Perhaps that isn't a bad thing.

     "Hmph..." Nocturna states, cracking open one bright yellow eye. Then the other. "W-what-? Wh-? Where am I?" She sits bolt upright with a panicked look on her face.

     "Relax!" I yelp in surprise. "It's okay. You're in the hospital wing."

     Nocturna turns her head to look at me. "No, it's not okay! I can't let anybody see my eyes! They'll know what I am!"

     "Why are you making such a big deal out of this?"

     The Evil Elemental looks somewhere between exasperated and panicked. "Nicole, I'm the last Evil Elemental on the face of the earth, and the Keepers are here to gut me like a fish. All Evils have eyes like mine. That why 'Cyra' wears contacts, remember? Now, I'd rather not be hunted like a game animal like everybody else. I've been around for a very long time, and I intend to be around a bit longer."

     "How long is 'a very long time,' exactly?" I ask in a small voice. 

     She shrugs. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable. Evil Elementals live much, much longer then regular Elementals, though. We age a lot slower."

     "Answer my question." 

     Nocturna runs a hand though her hair. "Look, my head is pounding--"

     "Nocturna."

     She winces. "Just--" With one look at me, she must be able to tell that I'm not dropping the subject anytime soon. Then she lays back against the pillow and rubs her forehead. "I'm four-hundred-and-fourteen years old, okay?"

     I feel all of the color drain out of my face. Here in front of me is a girl that looks to be around the mere age of thirteen, when in all truth, she's over four-hundred years old. "N-no... That's--"

     "Impossible?" Nocturna offers a slight smile. "I think not. I told you -- Evils live much longer then regular Elementals. Much longer."

     "B-b-but..."

     "I must say," Nocturna says, completely ignoring me and stretching her arms above her head. "I look quite good for my age, don't you agree?"

     Even in my shock, I laugh a little at her joke. "But how-"

     She cuts me off yet again. "Nicole, I told you twice, now. I age slower than you do. In your years, I'm about fifteen."  Before I can react, she waves me away. "Now be a dear and retrieve my contacts from the dorms."

     I nod blankly and stumble to my feet as she closes her eyes again. Just as I'm leaving the room, I hear her sigh and mutter one more thing.

     "I'm getting too old for this."

~*~

OMAIGAWD, NOCTURNA'S AN OLD LADY. XD

Anyway. Yeah. I haven't updated in ages, and this is meant to be a filler chapter and a recap on what's going on. Does anybody have any guesses on how this will play out?

How do you all like Nocturna now? ;)

Vote and comment!

~Ravie