Elemental

14. Ill Fated

Lila

"How long have they been out?" I could faintly hear a female voice.

My head was on the verge of exploding. This was the consequence of forming a Circle. It took all our strength to summon our Gifts and meld them together.

But it was worth it. Now we know why they wanted our Gifts so bad. Except we don't know who their Master is.

"About an hour now." I was more sure of Jihyos voice than anything else. It just seemed so familiar to me.

"They're not dead ... are they?" I heard a new voice. This one didn't sound like any of the others.

Must be Kookie. I flinched at Rita's voice in my head.

Rita, who's the female?

Who do you think?

Of course. It was most likely the real Nana.

Ummmm Lila, should we get up now? My backs hurting on this damn wooden floor.

I internally rolled my eyes.

Sure. Go first. I challenged.

Seeing as she was the ballsy one, I wasn't surprised when she sat upright.

Someone squealed.

"Oh calm your tits down its not like I was dead." Rita was all sass and nothing less.

"Rita, are you al-"

"Don't touch me Nana. Or should I call you Mrs. Park now?" I heard what seemed like Rita slapping someones hand away.

"Hey, don't disrespect my Mom like that-"

"That's alright Jihyo. She has every right to be mad at me." Nana sighed, knowing there was no way she could get through to her, the most stubborn of us all.

"Damn right I do." Rita mumbled.

"Are the others alright? Can you hear their thoughts?" She tried again.

A slight pause. "Fuck."

Panic rose in my chest.

"What is it?" Nana was worried too.

Clearly Rita was ignoring her, probably too focused on the issue.

"Everyone's responsive .... except Ariah." A hoarse whisper.

I jolted up, ignoring that I got caught eavesdropping. We had bigger problems at hand.

"What?! What do you mean she's unresponsive? " I turned to find her hovering over Ariahs body, checking her pulse.

"Vitals are fine but I can't hear anything she's thinking. I don't even feel her presence." Rita wasn't as worried as I was.

"Has this happened before?" I asked.

"It only happens when you guys choose to block me out, but I don't think she's doing that on purpose. This presence feels different. Heavier. Bigger. More powerful. Nothing like the walls she puts up against me." She had her eyes shut in concentration.

"What do we do?" I demanded.

A crease appeared in her forehead. "There is one thing Aunty Sala taught me, but it might take a toll on Ariah."

I hesitated to answer. Uncertainty is something I loathed most. Not knowing whether my sister would be okay didn't settle well with my conscious. But what choice did I have?