Elemental Hunger

Chapter Three

I didn't look away from Jarvis. Fat snowflakes landed on my nose and eyelashes, sizzling on my skin. Inhaling through my nose, I examined my options.

I couldn't stay in school—not with people looking for me and the accusation that I'd lit the northern barracks on fire. I couldn't stay in Crylon. No one would accept me. See, freaks were dealt with quietly, even though we all knew where they were sent—outside the walls.

Jarvis and I knew an even greater significance to his declaration to run. On one of our walks through the forest, we'd discussed a particular Firemaker he'd learned about in his Elemental training. He'd never told me much of his studies, claiming it was against the rules. I believed him, because my Educators had been adamant about keeping my lessons secret too. The Councilman wanted to control all information in Crylon, and that meant keeping it fragmented.

But Jarvis had told me about this Firemaker, because she was accused of killing a man and taking his ability for her own.

"It makes no sense," Jarvis had said. "You can't gain another's power. They're genetic."

"Right," I'd said, nodding. "So what happened to her?" I'd been beyond interested in learning more about this person, but I hadn't wanted Jarvis to notice. My heart pounded too hard for the leisurely walk, and I had to work hard to keep the sparks from raining from my fingertips.

"She claimed her firemaking Manifested, just like a man's does. Councilman Harley didn't believe her. Condemned her to death." He paused, his eyes focused on the ground, and frown lines forming between his eyes. When he spoke again, I could barely hear him.

"She should've run away," he said. "No one should have to die because of something they can't control."

That was the first time I thought I could confide in Jarvis about my Element. Yet somehow, my lips stayed tightly closed. We walked in silence, letting the wind sing its song through the treetops.

Just before we returned to the school, I asked, "So was she guilty of killing another Firemaker?"

"I don't know," Jarvis said. "But if she was a Firemaker, she didn't become one by stealing another's power. That just isn't how it works." He shook his head, his dark eyes sparking with lightning. "She should've run away."

I heard those words again in my head now, as the snow drifted down, as I looked into Jarvis's intense eyes.

"Jarvis, please," I said, hating myself for how childish I sounded. I shivered from the biting wind snaking down my collar.

"We've talked about this before," Jarvis said. "Your only choice is to go. I was sent to find you and bring you to Advisor Kingston."

"What will happen to you?"

"I'll just say I couldn't find you." He drew me into a hug, not our first, but it felt like it all over again. "You've got maybe five minutes, okay? Run fast, Gabby."

Shoving aside my intense desire to stay with Jarvis and letting my memory of the other female Firemaker take over, I turned and ran. To the right, the practice pools for the Watermaidens lay black and still. I hurried down the path, ignoring the rich earth on my left, where Earthmovers spent their days honing their Elemental gifts. I'd never had that chance. Part of me winced as I realized what I was becoming. A fugitive.

And see, that was at least as bad as a genetic freak.

The south gate beckoned, glossy with snow. I focused on my Element, desperate for the flames to obey. A moment passed, then two. Frustration turned into a strangled sob. "Come on. Please."

Finally, my hands erupted in hot, blue flames. I gripped two bars and held them while the fire kissed the metal.

Summoning all the strength in my wiry body, I yanked. The softened iron widened enough for me to slip my head through. Twisting sideways, my shoulders and hips cleared the narrow gap.