The Elementals [Watty Awards 2012 Action Winner]

Chapter 14

Chapter fourteen:

 [Derrek’s POV]

My eyes widened in shock and horror as Val collapsed to the ground and started screaming. She was clawing at her temples as though trying to rip her skin off. Could this really be happening again? Max and I were frozen where we stood but then Max shifted his weight and almost instinctively Val snapped her head up and her eyes were narrowed into slits again.

A banshee shriek erupted from her delicate throat and she bounced up into an offensive crouch. I wasn’t going to be caught off guard again and I thrust my hands to my side allowing the flames that spurted within my palms to swirl and warm my skin.

“Derrek! What the hell are you doing? You’re not seriously going to burn her are you?” Max shouted while glancing at me but making sure not to take his eyes off the quietly growling Val.

“Only if I need to” I answered back calmly, carefully calculating her movements.

“No! Do not hurt Val, I’m warning you Derrek”

I snorted and the fire grew a little more, “She’ll be fine Max. She can be healed”

All three of us stayed still, Max and I eyeing Val as she seemed to size us up. Slowly Max brought his hands up “Val...?” Her head snapped to him and her spine arched it was almost like seeing the spirit of a tiger in her body. Max, the idiot, slowly lifted a foot and took a step towards Val and she growled.

“Max!” I hissed, “For God’s sake don’t move”

“No, it’s just Val. Something’s just wrong with her” and he took another step forward. I knew it was going to happen before it did and I ran forward to shove Max aside as Val launched herself into the air at his body and only just missing me.

“Run!” I yelled at Max and led him to the edge of the forest and desert section of the auditorium. I could hear him running after me and close on his heels was Val. We ran through the trees, bending low hanging branches backwards to fling back at the delusional girl and when I spotted a thick tree with little stubs I pushed myself faster to jump up the tree using the stubs as foot settings. Max followed after me and I was surprised when I turned to see that Val was nowhere to be seen.

“Crap! Where did she go?” I whisper yelled at Max. He twisted and turned his head looking for Val and furrowed his eyebrows when he couldn’t find her either. I fell silent and listened to the forest in hopes of hearing a rustle of leaves of a snap of a branch. All of a sudden an arrow made of ice flew through the leaves and pierced my shoulder. The pain, force and surprise overwhelmed me and I fell from the tree landing hard on my back with a muted thud.

“You okay Derrek?” I heard Max’s voice ask.

“I’m fine” I huffed. I focused on my anger and felt my body temperature rise wincing when the arrow melted away and the leftover water sizzled against my skin. I felt the dirt give way when Max jumped down from the tree and ran to me. He grabbed my wrist and heaved me up just as Val lithely sprang down from another tree landing on her feet as easily as a panther.

She paced back and forth keeping her animal-like eyes trained on us.

“Val... it’s me Max” Max states calmly talking to her as though she was a suicide jumper. His hands were held up in front of himself and he was once again, like the idiot he was, walking towards her. “Val, you need to snap out of whatever has happened to you. You don’t want to hurt us and we won’t hurt you. Come back to me Val. There’s no need to be scared-“

His words were cut off when Val sprang onto him. They fell with Max landing on his back and Val swung her arm backwards to swipe at his exposed throat when I ran at her and slammed against her slender body. I tackled her off of Max and lifted her over my head with one hand on the back of her neck and the other on her lower back. I threw her away from us and she landed on her ass before jumping and sliding back on her feet.