Elemental

10. BETHANY'S MAGICAL SUPPLIES STORE

"What the hell just happened?" Tori burst out, hysterical, dabbing the  gash on her left cheek. "What was that? McKay you, you, couldn't … why?"
"Shhh," Laverne hugged her, her own hair also dusty and her arms bruised. "Calm down, you're in shock."
"Ouch!" Joe moaned, massaging his bust knee which shot with pain when he slid to the floor. "No seriously, what the bloody hell just happened?" He looked at McKay seriously. It was one of the only few times that Tori, who was now wheezing, had ever seen him look at anyone like that.

"I don't get it, I just don't." McKay murmured, pacing about massaging his shoulder. His lower lip was bleeding and he had bruises all over his arms.
"Care to explain what you're going on about?" Joe was furious.
"I just told you, I don't know!" McKay yelled.

"Ah, 'tis the cracks from without that break us from within." The blue bonneted lady walked in with a teapot and a few mugs on a tray to find all four of them fuming in anger, dark about what was going on. Then, as if oblivious of their anger, instructed Laverne to serve the tea to everyone. "Chamomile and herb green tea," she explained when they looked at her, "the warmth should calm you down. That was no ordinary explosion."

"It sure as hell wasn't!" Exclaimed Tori, pulling away from Laverne and slumping against one of the sherbet coloured walls.
"He's back, isn't he? Montefiore?" The bonneted lady attempted to confirm. McKay nodded.
"Wait," Joe looked confused, "how do you know about him? You're non magic, aren't you?"
"Oh tosh and nonsense my boy, ridiculous of you to even suggest it." She scoffed at Joe's assumption. "Look around," she waved her arms dramatically around her. "This is my shop, Bethany's magical supplies store."

"No kidding," replied Joe, examining some items on the shelves of the back room where Bethany had willingly concealed them.
Tori sipped her tea wordlessly, feeling disarrayed and distraught. What did Montefiore mean when he said she looked familiar? How the hell had she managed to conjure magic enough to create a strong enough fire bomb? Why had McKay's Element avoided him even when he had struggled to conjure it?
"My only question is, why is he back now?" Laverne whispered, taking small sips of her tea.
The shop bell rang and Bethany excused herself.

"McKay, what happened?" Tori looked at him for his confirmation of the worst possible outcome.
"He got us."
"But…"
"I know." he sighed. Something about him made Tori feel as though he seemed to have aged within the past hour.
"But, was he… I mean was he following us?"
"I can't tell."
"We need to get back to campus."
"I don't think there's any chance of us driving there, if that's what you mean." Joe walked towards them, squaring his shoulders as if massaging them.

Tori tried taking deep breaths. She needed to talk to Morgan, alone. Impulsively, she stood up.
"Where are you going?" Laverne called after her as she walked out of the door and to the front of the shop.
"Bethany?" She called. Bethany excused herself from the customer and walked towards her. "I'm so sorry to bother you, but we need to get to Eldridge College, and we can't drive."
She nodded. "Not to worry, someone is coming to get you." She held Tori at the shoulders. Tori noted that Bethany was not much taller than her. In fact, they were almost the same height, Tori was only taller by an inch. "How are you coping?"
"I don't even know, scared I guess."
To Tori's enormous surprise, Bethany pulled her in for a warm motherly hug, and in that instant and for the next few minutes, Tori felt shorter and smaller than Bethany, like a hurt little girl hugging her mother.

"Don't worry, it will be alright."
"Thank you." Tori slowly pulled away, noticing the liquid looking pendant hanging at Bethany's neck. "Is water your Element?" She asked.
"You bet."
"I've only managed to work on fire, and that's it."
"Keep practising." She nodded wisely.
"Something strange happened today. McKay, my friend back there," Tori beckoned behind her back, "he couldn't work his Element in front of Montefiore, he's water too."