The Elementals

Chapter 3 That Day

Agent Crow..., the man who still haunts my dreams to this day. It still feels like yesterday when everything changed. It's been exactly ten years, since... that day.

I remember how it all started. I ran downstairs to get my brother for dinner. I was only eight at the time and he was sixteen. He had just drove home from school and he was throwing papers everywhere. I asked him what was wrong, but he didn't answer.

Dad was outside chopping wood. He was always working his ass off day in, day out. So, when I called them for dinner, dad came walking through the door and my brother came upstairs. Mom's cooking was always delicious. She made her own homemade recipes and sometimes she'd surprise us with something. We all sat around the table in peace, until there was a knock at the door.

My brother went and opened the door. There stood the man himself, Agent Crow, along with other FBI agents. He froze in shock and asked the agents if they need anything. My parents went over to my brother to see what the commotion was about. I was too young to understand, so I sat at the table, waiting for them to return.

Then I started to hear my parents getting angry or sad. It was hard to tell, but there was a lot of commotion. I got off the chair and walked over to my parents. They looked at me with tears in their eyes. Agent Crow looked at me and said "Boy.., you better go."

I was confused to what was going on. All I remember is that dad gave me a long hug as tears ran down his eyes. "Those who risk themselves for someone else, will be bright heroes." Were the last words he said as the agents took him outside.

My brother was filled with anger. He opened the outside door and ran at the agents. My mother was crying harder and harder as I sat on the couch confused. The agents grabbed my brother to stop him from running after dad. I looked out the window to see what was happening. All I saw was my father on his knees, while Agent Crow pointed a gun at his head.

My mother yelled for me to get away from the window, but it was too late. The blast of the gun went off as my father dropped to ground, motionless. My brother, filled with rage, ignited into a blaze of fire. The agents holding my brother got burned as he charged Agent Crow. Agent Crow turned to point the gun at my brother, but two blazing fingers went through his eye, causing his eye to burn intensely.

The other agents pulled out fire extinguishers from their vehicles as they doused my brother's flames. The agents then started to beat up my brother as I sat on the couch, frozen in shock. Agent Crow put a hand over his burnt eye and smiled at my brother who was beaten to a pulp. "Hope I see those flames in the arena." Were the last words I remember him saying as they threw my brother in one of the vehicles and took off down the road.

My mother sat on the couch, crying her eyes out. I sat and looked at my mother asking her, "why did they do that mom?"

She just looked at me and wiped her eyes. "Dad was.. different, Austin. He's what they call.. a fusion. It didn't matter to him.. how he'd spend his last days. He just knew.. he wanted to have wonderful kids." She said smiling with tears dripping from her eyes.

That was the day that my life changed. My brother was chosen as that year's fire elemental contender and I watched him fight through the arena against all the other elements on the television. After two months of talk shows and social media, the competition began. He was in the final two, but didn't have enough fire to take down the dragon elemental. He died in the arena and I never got to say goodbye to him.

I looked at Agent Crow with hatred in my eyes. "You want to avenge your brother and your father. I know you do. I can see it in your eyes. When I first saw you, you were a small, young, and timid child. You didn't know what the real world was like yet." Said Agent Crow looking into my eyes.

"My father made a choice. The law states that a fusion can't have kids, but he made a decision. He wanted my brother and I to live and change this place. Who says two different elements can't have a kid? Who says fusions can't have kids? Who says fusions have to die if they have kids?! I know why you're here... It's because I was chosen..., right?" I asked seriously.

Agent Crow nodded his head. "I'm not here to take you... yet. I'm giving you a twenty-four hour notice to pack your things. You are representing this year's fire elemental and I need to make sure I have you at the capital by sundown tomorrow. Do you understand me, boy?" He asked seriously.

My mind was telling me to kill him right there and now, but I couldn't. I couldn't do it in front of my mother. "Fine. I'll be here then." I said frustrated. Agent Crow smirked and removed his shades. There was a large bandage over his right eye. "Then I'll be expecting to see you tomorrow." He said as he got up and exited the room. The vehicles took off down the road as mom looked at me with sadness.

"I know... you don't want to lose me.. and you won't. I'll win it... for dad and Blaise. I'm stronger now." I said softly. Mom looked at me with sadness, but managed to smile. "There's more fire power inside you. You just have to awaken it. I couldn't teach you anything like your father could, but you learn on your own. Tomorrow is the day everything changes." Mom said to me as she embraced me in her arms.

The moon began to rise as I rolled into bed. I looked at the photo sitting on my dresser. It was a family photo with the house behind us. I looked at it for a few minutes and then looked at the ceiling. I put my hand in the air and looked at it. I flicked my fingers and made a spark. I thought to myself. I was thinking about that day over and over again. My eyes started to turn red. Then I remembered that there was one more thing I wanted to do before they take me tomorrow.