Elemental Children

Chapter 9: Daddy Issues

My arms are sore from training, I kept flexing them once in a while to relieve the pain. The first two probationary classes with Miss Sarah and Miss Tamara were an eternal bore while Coach Donovan's was relentlessly tiring, repeating the same exercise routine over and over until time was up. I did felt happy and a little big-headed with the result of my individual evaluation with Eric. It turns out I scored the highest next to Lauren.

"You'll get used to it," Brittani said.

It was twilight when we got to the mansion together with the other kids. The huge white house seems to be the dormitory of the school. I realized that I let Brittani slip by the day without asking her one important question.

"I didn't bug you at school about this because it sounds confidential. But you won't be lucky this time," I said.

"Didn't bug me about what?"

I veered her inside my room and locked the door.

"The thing that made sense when you people saw my mom?" I reminded her.

"We're still on that train? Just drop it, Kate." She said.

"No. I won't drop it unless you tell me."

"Didn't you felt that it is something you're not supposed to know? I can't tell you."

I figured that she's gonna need some heavy convincing.

"After everything we've been through-"

"Okay! I'll tell you. Jeez, you are SUCH a drama queen." She held her arms open in surrender. "But you have to swear on your strawberry milkshake loving-life that you won't tell anyone. And I mean anyone, not even me."

"You already know it, Britt. Not much point in doing that." I said.

"Swear!" She wailed.

"I swear,"

"Pinkie-swear?"

"Thumb, index, dirty, the other index and pinkie-swear. How's that?" I pointed at my fingers as I named them.

She closed the maroon colored velvet curtains on either side of the bed and knelt in the middle of the room. Brittani patted the rugged floor and a subtle gust of wind circled the room.

"What's that for?"

"A sound proof barrier. To make sure that no one else hears."

"Wow. I wish you have told me that earlier." I said sarcastically, while remembering what happened with me and Daniel back at the cafeteria.

She sat at the edge of my bed and I scooted next to her.

"First of all, let me give you a little background on who knows about this. Me, Lauren and Samantha-"

"Lauren? You and her are friends? Samantha I can understand but Lauren..." I trailed off, remembering how the girl tried to make amends with me.

"Look, I know Lauren can be a bitch sometimes but she's not always like that. She's just a misundestood brainiac who prefers to use her brain over her heart."

"Forget what I said. Go on,"

"As I was saying, the three of us had been working under the radar about your case for years. Lauren had been digging on books and scrolls to find out how you turned out to be the key, Samantha is talking her way into the elders to know why your mother ran away and I had volunteered for the mission to look after you. Dangerous it is but someone had to do it."

It didn't made sense, why Lauren, and why would they do that? But the other disturbing fact was if Brittani hadn't volunteered for the part of looking out for me then I wouldn't meet her until now. I will get to know her the way I met Samantha and Lauren and it would be either one of the sisters that I'll be friends with.

"So it wasn't the council that figured out why my mother ran away, You were referring to your little group."

"Yup. They did look for her though. But with Lauren turning up false intels all the time, they didn't had the chance until a few days earlier."

I didn't know what to make of this. I'm still confused.

"But before I continue you need to know who's the father of Lauren and Samantha," She inhaled then said. "The Head Master."

"Limuel Galeford?" I asked. Does everyone in this school that I know has a council member for a parent?

"Yes." She nodded.

"Then why is their last name Wagnall?"

"Because, Limuel Galeford had children with Anastacia Wagnall before the authority of being a Head Master was handed down to him by the elders. And if you're a Head Master, you are not allowed to have children while you are one. You need to pay full attention on your responsibility to the Wind Guardians within your territory. So Anastacia decided not to change her's and her daughters' last name even though everybody knew about them being an outside case, just so no one would get the wrong idea. Once you violated that rule you will be punished, like get-your-ass-outta-here-and-go-to-exile-island kinda punished."

"What will happen to the child?"

"It will be sentenced to death." Brittani's voice was over flowing with grim. "If it is unborn, then... the council will force the mother to abort it."

"And this has something to do with me because?" I asked badly wanting to move on to a much lighter topic aside from unborn babies.

"One day, Samantha learned that-" Brittani stopped herself. The wind that whirled around the room died. And she collapsed, I caught her before she completely blacked out.

"Brittani!"

***

She woke up a few minutes later. I sighed in relief, I was worried that she might not regain consciousness.

"What happened?" She groaned.

"You passed out while you were telling me Limuel's life sto-"

"Shhh! You promised not to tell anyone. Not even me,"

"Okay, okay." I said. "How do you feel?"

"Hungry. I must have drained myself from making that barrier."

"Take a rest. You could tell me some other time."

"I'm sorry. I wish I have the strength to..." She knit her eyebrows realizing that this was not the Brittani that she is. "Cut me some slack! I held it longer than I thought I could."

"I'm not stressing you, But right now you should go back to your room. I've heard hall monitors don't approve of sleep-overs."

She groggily got up and rubbed her eyes.

"See you in the morning,"

"Good night," I waved.

***

I stood in front of the mirror on my night gown, examining how I looked in this silly sleepwear. It was made of sheer silver fabric that blurrily exposed my skin. My eyes zeroed on the scar at my left leg. I never really paid attention to it, I know it's there but I don't mind it. It looked like somebody spilled chocolate shake on my thigh, a random shape. But now that I know what it symbolizes, it seemed to take on a different shape. A bird on flight with elegantly curved wings.

I didn't felt like sleeping yet. Instead, I spent the night rummaging through my room. Moments later, a book entitled Simple Tricks 101 was on my lap.

I randomly turned pages after pages. I figured that the book teaches newbie Wind Guardians a few simple moves. I got interested in a chapter called air mail and picked up a piece of paper, scribbled the words:

Testing if it works. Return when found.

- Katherine Hale.

and folded it.

I drew the window open and sent the note flying. 

*** 

I lost hope that the letter will ever make it's way back. The night was growing deep so I decided to tuck myself in and catch some sleep when something crumpled in my back. I snatched the sheet and smiled triumphantly.

Instant-messaging Wind Guardian style, I thought.