Elemental

Chapter 8: Silence

Chased. Behind me. I hear them.

"Hey, Aden, get back here!"

"Yeah, we need you!"

"C'mon, Aden! We won't hurt you!"  

Then nothing. They've gone silent. A bad sign.

I race over the grass, to fast for it to catch fire. I zig-zag through the dense trees, trying to lose them, knowing I’m leaving a trail of scorch-marks. Faster. Faster. Faster. I chant in my mind, willing myself to obey. Faster. Faster. Fas-STOP!

I screech to a halt. I almost fell into the stream. The brook. My heart aches. Knowing it’s pointless, I listen for my pursuers. They could literally be on top of me and I wouldn’t know. On a whim, I veer off to the right, faster than ever. I just wish I was fast enough. I run right into a trap. All of the men have materialized in a giant circle around me. Even though I know they won't hesitate to hurt me, I refuse to burn any of them to a crisp. I refuse to be like them. Resigning to my fate, I change back into a human.

"Welcome back, Aden."

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I wake with a start, but keep my eyes closed. What a horrible dream. It seemed so real! I roll over onto my side. And why were they chas- what was that? I hear a second thump. There's someone in the room. My eyes squint open. At first, I see only black, but then my eyes adjust more and I see two shadows leaving the room, one of them being shoved.

Hakan?

I wait until the door closes behind them, then I swiftly and quietly get out of bed and creep towards the door. I open it a crack and stare into the lit hallway. I squint as my eyes are bombarded by the lights, but soon I'm able to see Hakan, bound and gagged, being led through the hallway. At the end of the hallway, Hakan's kidnapper stops to talk to a guard. I take advantage of the pause to close the door and quickly throw on a black coat and pants. When I look again, I see Hakan's abductor still talking to his accomplice. Once they continue moving through the hallway, I walk out of my room, acting natural. When I reach the guard, who's warily eyeing me, I casually tell him "Just heading to the bathroom." Relieved that I'm not on to them, he nods. Once I turn the corner, I wait until Hakan and his captor have turned the next corner to follow them. Once I catch up again, they're much farther ahead. I start to walk faster. Each time I spot them, it's only a fleeting glance. Soon, I'm sprinting just to keep them in sight. How are they moving so fast?! I see them go out a door, into the dark night. I race forward, no longer concerned about staying secretive.

I burst into the night. Looking around frantically, I see only the crowded trees. Dismayed, I gaze up at the full moon and the deep, clear night sky.

How ironic. A full moon.

Once again, I scan the trees for any movements. Suddenly, I realize that something is very wrong. There is no animal life around. No crickets chirping, not even any mosquitoes, which should be swarming around me right now. I back up towards the door, getting suspicious, but stop before I reach the safety of the building. No. I must find Hakan. Filled with a new determination, I set out into the forest. I take my time examining the area around me, as well as noting in which direction the Society building is. As I look around, I notice that I'm slowly descending a wide, shallow hill. I walk as quietly as I possibly can, knowing that in the surrounding silence, any noise I make, or someone else makes, will be amplified. After walking for ten minutes without anything happening, I decide to stop and listen. ... Still nothing but silence. Realizing it would be pointless to walk any further until I know I'm going in the right direction, I sit down on the root of a large tree. I continue to monitor the forest around me, but to no avail. When fifteen more minutes go by and still nothing happens, I consider going back to find Vayu and tell him what happened. I'll wait five more minutes and if nothing happens, I'll go back to the Capitol. Five minutes later, I get up and start walking back the way I came. After ten minutes of walking, though, I realize that I'm going down the hill again, instead of ascending it. I turn myself around and continue walking, only to get mixed up again a few minutes later. Finally, I stop. Great. Just great. I managed to get lost in a creepy, silent forest. Plus, there's a kidnapper roaming around here! I sit down on a nearby log with a sigh.

Suddenly, I hear a bush behind me rustle, like it would as if there was someone behind it. I jump up and flip around. "Who's there?" No answer. "I know you're hiding there. I heard you." Still no answer. Maybe you just imagined it, a voice inside me whispers. Whether I imagined it or not, I'm not about to sit back down on the log again. I walk for a few minutes, until I find another log to rest on. Just as I start to relax again, a figure in a dark cloak materializes directly in front of me. I jump up, ready to run as fast as I can, but the apparition grabs my arm and pulls me back. Before I can even attempt to fight, I feel a jab to the back of my head and everything goes black.

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I awaken tied to a chair. Keeping my eyes closed, I realize an ensuing argument between two people I had hoped to never meet again had woken me up. I keep my eyes closed and listen.

"...can trust him! He does NOT need to be tied up," Brooke was saying.

"We will trust him, but first we need time to explain," Andrew replied. "Don't forget: the Society has had time to fill him with their lies. We have to make sure he won't try to kill any of us before we have a chance to tell him the truth." Lies?

"I still think it's ridiculous. Why should we expect him to trust us if we don't even trust him enough to not tie him up like a prisoner!"

"Brooke, it's only temporary. We have no intention of keeping him here as a prisoner and you know that!"

Tired of listening to them argue, I act as if I was waking up.

"Where am I?" I mumble groggily. "Andrew? Brooke? What am I doing here?"

"You are here to learn the truth," Andrew replies ominously.

"Why should I trust anything you have to say? You've lied to me before-"

"No, we haven't," Brooke interjects. "Everything I told you in that tree is true."

"No, it's not. They told me the real truth, under a lie-detector that I know works."

"Are you sure?" Andrew questioned. "Are you absolutely sure that it was working? That they didn't rig it so that the light stayed white the entire time? I know how they work, Aden. I was with them for years before I left. They have one room with a real lie detector and one with the fake one that they use to trick people like you. Notice how the rest of the room is completely dark? That's so you can't tell the difference between the rooms. Aren't they the ones who kidnapped you and hypnotized you? We, on the other hand, have no need for such trickery. I can openly tell you that the Full Moon Organization does not persecute non-elementals. The Dawning Sun Society does, however. We have been trying to stop them for years, but unsuccessfully as of yet. They are the ones oppressing non-elementals. They are the ones who capture and kill them. Not us. I have absolutely no way of proving this to you. I have no lie-detectors, only my word. Now it's time for you to decide who to believe: Brooke and I, or Vayu. Whichever decision you make, I will respect. But you are not our prisoner." With that, he untied my bonds. "If you choose to believe us, you are welcome to stay here to train and help us defeat the Society. If you don't, you will be free to find your way back to the Society. The choice is yours."

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Whew, it took me so long enough to update!!! I sincerely apologize to those of you who are actually reading this. I don't even have a good excuse this time. I've been super addicted to Tumblr lately, so I've been neglecting Wattpad. :( I'll try to make up for it, though!

So, what'd you guys think of the chapter?! :D Who do you think was chasing Aden in his dream at the beginning? And which side will he choose?!?! :O (Btw sorry for the short, lame chapter. I just really wanted to upload SOMETHING)

Oh, and I'm looking for an actor to play Aden, and the only two people I've found so far that I like are Garrett Hedlund and Edward Speleers. Which do you think looks more like Aden to you? (Oh and I cast Benedict Cumberbatch as Andrew :D I just wanted to point that out because I am in love with him at the moment) Also, let me know if you know another actor who fits the vision you have of him in your head! Not just for Aden, either, but for any of the characters. Remember, fire elementals have red hair, water elementals have brown hair, and air elementals have blonde hair (if you're curious, shadow elementals have black hair).

 Thank you so much for reading! It really does mean the world to me, especially because I've been a very substandard author lately. :P Vote and comment to make me love you forever!!! :D :D :D