Fire & Water & Earth & Air

19: Fire

Juliette

           We rush to the forest, lungs burning and feet in rhythm. In all honesty, we know what to expect when we get there.

           "I'm going to kill them."

           "Damnit."

           "Holy cow."

           "Oopsie. You know maybe we shouldn't have-"

           "Shut up."

           "Sorry."

           The pit is empty. The tree is broken. The supers are gone. We all stand back a bit before rushing over just to double check, as if that'll make any difference.

           "Goddammit, Randy," Edward says under his breath. He's kneeling by the tree, a paper in his hand. He gets back up, and I see fury written all over his face. "Juliette. It was them."

           I don't need to ask who he's talking about. It was his brother and that other girl. Freeze? Robert and Anne look confused, and ask who them are. I look Anne in the eye. "Edward's brother." She gasps and her eyes widen, like she can't imagine something so bad happening.

           Robert clears his throat. "You know, uh, the girl that runs?"

           Edward looks up from his paper. "Velocity?"

           Robert nods. "Well, I met her earlier today. I knew she was a super.... and she knew I was a super.... but she was boring, and so we didn't talk much." Then is a smaller voice, "She is pretty, though."

           Anne and I glance at each other, as if we're expecting the other to get offended. I shrug and so does she, after a while. She looks back at Robert and says, "It isn't your fault, Robert. It doesn't matter who she talked to. A bad person is a bad person."

           Robert sighs. "But she's the one that cut up your sister."

           Finally, Edward steps in. "Dude, cheer up. Seeing you sad is like seeing a kicked puppy. Okay, now guys, take a look at this."

           We all gather around him and look at what he's holding. It's the paper he was holding a few seconds ago. "And?" I ask.

           That's when I read the spine-tingling words that were left on it. In bloody letters, someone wrote: Look at what we found in the middle of the forest! You practically gift-wrapped our new friends for us, brother. We're leaving your new friend a gift, too.

           I read the last sentence over and over before the world starts to shake. I fall to my knees as panic spreads through me and leaks out of every pore in my body. It becomes difficult to breathe and all the voices seem to blur together.

           They left me a present.

           Oh, my God, my mother. My father!

           Without a warning, I get up and sprint towards my home. I hear shouts of protests behind me, and then footsteps. Finally, a pair of arms cage me in, and, next thing I know, we're both on the floor, rolling to a painful stop.

           I slap his arms, trying to get away, but Edward just pins me down.

           "Get off of me you-"