The Elementals

DNA

I saw Maple dashing to the plane as we landed, and then she skidded to a stop as I got out. Cringing, I looked behind me. Sure enough, Caelum was right behind me, with a despondent expression on his face. He knew this wasn't going to be easy.

"C'mon!" I motioned for Owen and Caelum to hurry up.

I broke into a sprint and rushed over to the others, who had gathered by the door of an old brick building. What is it with these people and warehouses?

"What is he-" Coal asks.

"I don't know, but he said Izila was here." I cut him off.

"But-" He steps forward.

"Not now." I interrupt. "We have to get inside."

Coal scowls, but turns heel and stalks to the doors, torching a hole straight through the metal instead of letting Steel bend it. I wince, because I've obviously upset him, but there are more pressing issues here.

I run into the warehouse with the others hot on my heels. I turn a corner to a fancy looking door and then someone grabs my shoulder and drags me back.

"Who-" I stop as Stella emerges from the shadows.

"They have Audrey and Rian." She hisses. "We have to find them."

I see her eyes go past my face and to Caelum. She looks at me questioningly before letting go and starting down another hallway. I turn to Caelum and see his face is white. Without a word, he sprints down some steps and into what looks like a basement.

"You." I gesture to everyone. "Follow Stella and find Audrey and Rian."

With that, I dash after Caelum. I push through the doors to a room backstage. Set tools and props are scattered everywhere. I can hear a smattering of clapping as someone walks onstage. The crowd is situated in a large room, where each row of seats is higher than the one before so they can see. About half of them are occupied.

"She's doing it. She's doing it now, early, why early?" Caelum is pacing around, right behind the curtain. He spots me and rushes over. "Tide! Whatever you think, it's not true." He shoves me into the shadows and out of sight without a word more before I can say anything.

"Caelum here is what we call special." I hear Izila's sickly sweet voice through the curtain. "He can control gravity." There's a short wave of disbelieving laughter from the crowd of fat, government people in suits.

Caelum walks nervously on stage and I peer around as far as I dare to get a better view. Why is he going over to her? Izila smiles, expecting him. My jaw drops at my stupidity. He was just betraying me again. Is this what he was talking about? Because it sure looks like I can't trust him.

Suddenly, I hear rattling. To the crowd's astonishment, all the empty seats start to lift from their bolts, floating in the air. There's a shocked quiet.

"W-what does this have to do with us?" Some brave soul questions.

"Well," Izila smiles. "You all want the clones, don't you?"

The room is dead silent for a solid ten seconds. Izila walks forward.

"Imagine an army of people like him, with his abilities." She spreads her arms out as if to encompass the world. "You would be unstoppable."

To my horror, there are nods of heads and murmurs of agreement from the crowd after a moment of thought. They can't actually think they can clone Caelum' powers, right?

"How much?" Someone else calls.

Well, apparently they do.

"The bidding will start at fifty million dollars." Izila says in that stony way of hers.