Four Elements Book 3 - Sacrifice

Part 27

Isabelle woke up tired and frustrated. She'd not slept very well. It was early, almost half an hour before her alarm was set to go off.

Ugh... I knew I shouldn't have had that third helping of rice, last night... she grumbled to herself as she pulled herself out of bed to the bathroom, hoping a shower would help. And I have a big Math test today... great...

Thankfully, she found she did feel better after a shower. Returning to her room with a clearer head, she lay back on her bed, planning to read for a bit. But as she picked up the book from her night stand, she found herself glancing at the cover. It showed the captain of a huge spaceship, with the love interest clutching his arm with a fearful look on her face as they both stared at an invisible threat, depicted by meteorites behind them. It was one of Isabelle's favorites, as could be told by the slightly worn edges from the number of times the pages had been turned.

Normally, she would have just flipped the book over and ignored it, but for some reason, she paused. She looked at the picture of the man for a moment. Something about it reminded her of someone, but she wasn't sure who. It wasn't Bane, he looked too old. She knew it wasn't her brother, either, he didn't look anything like that... but then who...? That dark hair, those intense eyes... it reminded her of...

Why am I suddenly thinking of Zarias...? she asked herself in disbelief. It makes no sense...

And yet... she couldn't help thinking back to the time she'd found herself alone with him, healing his wounds. As strange as the moment might have been, there had definitely been some sort of... bonding. Her thoughts traveled back to the deep, penetrating gaze he'd given her, the sight of his bare chest, the feeling of his cool skin under her fingers... the way he'd jerked slightly at her touch...

I'll have to remember to ask how his injuries are doing... she thought, then chided herself. Why would I even... ugh!

She jumped to her feet, dropping the book on her bed as she began pacing. She couldn't understand why she suddenly felt so flustered. Okay, so... yes, Zarias was sort of handsome if you liked that kind of... bad boy look... and he wasn't completely despicable... he'd been polite enough since he'd come to Earth, wounded and barely able to stand. And try as she might, Isabelle had to admit she felt sad for him. Being torn away from your family and not even knowing it... being thrown the truth in the face without expecting it... that had to have been hard.

Also, he did feel a lot less... threatening, she supposed, now that he was revealed to actually be human, just like her and the others...

But it doesn't mean he isn't dangerous! Isabelle's rational voice scolded her. Now get a grip.

Isabelle shook her head. She had no time for this. There was the drama with Zorak, keeping control over her powers, maintaining her grades, graduation, college applications... thinking about boys was the last thing she needed right now. She quickly combed her hair, dressed, then headed downstairs. Her parents wouldn't be up for another ten minutes, so she used the opportunity to distract herself by making breakfast.

"Bowls... coffee, and sugar... cereal, milk... oh, and the orange juice... there."

She bustled about happily until her parents and sisters came down.

"Morning honey," her mother said.

"Morning!"

"What's the occasion?" her father inquired.

"No occasion," Isabelle shrugged as her father kissed her cheek. "I woke up early, so I thought I'd make breakfast, for a change."

"You seem a little jumpy, is everything all right?" her mother asked.