Change [Book 1 of The Elemental Marks]

Chapter 21

Lina and Damian held each other's stare for a long moment. Then, Damian broke the tension with a forced grin. "Lina, I'm sure whatever upset you can be worked out. Carson, what'd you do?"

Before he could answer, Lina jumped in, "I just want to leave, okay? It had nothing to do with him." Damian looked at the two of them as if he couldn't believe it. Lina went on, hoping to the angels that Carson wouldn't throw her under the bus. "I miss everyone back home. They're my family, and you all...just aren't."

There was a long moment of silence. Finally, Damian said, "I understand that, as a newcomer, things can be hard. We all go through it."

"I'm not going to get over this," Lina cut him off. In that moment, she realized that nothing she had told him was a lie. There was no way she would get over the lies this institute had told her or the changes it had brought upon her.

"Is this about the Consul's visit? Lina, we'll get past that."

"Damian," Carson said quietly, "I think you should respect what she wants."

Lina widened her eyes at him. In no way did she expect him to speak up for her. Silence was the best she had hoped for. These words did nothing to change her feelings about him, he was still a liar who cared more about himself than her, but of course, he wasn't all bad. Damian looked equally taken aback. Lina wondered if this was the closest Carson came to standing up against the older man.

Damian said, in an equally calm and condescending tone, "This is bigger than whatever relationship the two of you have. Lina will not have the option to leave for another four months."

"Believe me, I understand better than you think how big this is," Lina said. Quickly realizing she was hinting at too much, she switched gears. "You said all I needed was to control my abilities. I came here to protect the people I love. I'm confident I can do that."

Looking for some support, she looked over to Carson. Where she had hoped for a nod was only a stone face. Typical.

"This is obviously not a conversation for here." Damian motioned at the hallway they had crowded into, between the library and the staircase. "Let's...sit down and have some tea."

Knowing that this gave her offer a better chance of being considered, Lina agreed. The three made their way into the kitchen where Alia and Wyatt had remained. The suspicion on Alia's face was evident. Wyatt looked mildly interested but focused more on his sandwich. Damian immediately started the kettle while Lina and Carson sat down. Neither looked at the other.

"What was all that about?" Alia asked. Lina knew she was a smart girl and suspected she knew all along. Her suspicion was confirmed by a new Audio rune on Alia's palm.

Silence. "Lina is having a bit of a crisis," Damian said in short.

"I want to go home," Lina said quietly. She wasn't angry at Wyatt and Alia, and she didn't want to seem like she didn't appreciate them. Really, that had been her best friends for two months. For their sakes, she felt bad for wanting to leave and hoped they wouldn't take it personally.

"Oh? And so you're going?" Alia asked. She sounded detached, like she had when Lina first arrived or like she did when she talked to the boys most of the time.

"Lina is in no way ready to leave the Institute," Damian chimed in. The water was beginning to boil. "Surely I can't be the only one that thinks so? I mean, just yesterday..."

"Yesterday was not normal conditions," Lina argued. She thought back to her fluke with the Consul. Now, she knew exactly what caused it and intended to never let it happen again. In fact, it would be a good reminder for any time she let a boy get in the way of her training. "I have control over my abilities."