Fire's Last Descendant

Chapter 7

                  ••• Chapter 7 •••

       If you asked me how insane my life was on a scale from one to ten, one being the least and ten being the most, your answer would probably be the number one hundred.

       It's pretty hard to live a normal life after what I experienced this afternoon. First, I found my house in a great big mess with a great big skeleton that tried to "devour my essence." Then, two teenagers show up with swords and make me come to their odd little "safe house", which seems more creepy than safe (Cause it's filled with weapons, and what about weapons is safe?) . Third, I was just told that myths are real and that there were Keepers of the Elements (A.K.A., Fire, Water, Earth, Air) that got destroyed and that I am the only living descendant of Fire.

       So, after that little recap of my day, I simply stand there with my jaw on the floor. In my mind, I'm thinking, This is all a dream Gabby. You had a rough day at school and you crashed on your couch. If you pinch yourself now, your head will be nestled between two soft pillows.

       I listen to myself. I pinch my arm. My conclusion: I'm not asleep and that my inner self was wrong.

       I'm still in in the safe house. I'm still standing in their kitchen. I'm still being told that an ancestor of mine was a fabled character.

       "Gabby?" Callan's voice interrupts my subconscious' thoughts. "Gabby? Helllloooo? I think we shocked her, guys!"

       I shake my head and rest my head on my brow. "No, no, I'm good. I'm fine. I just need some air."

       One of my hands pulls the door behind me as I exit the room. The fingers of the other hand rub my temple. Even though I've only been through the doors once, I had no trouble finding them. I push through the last door to get out of the safe house, and sunshine sparkles on my face.

       I've been in the safe house for less than an hour, and yet I miss the sight of a sun's rays shining through the leaves of trees. School isn't the same, because we have windows. In the safe house, there are no windows and very few visible doors.

        Two chipmunks run up on top of the safe house. My gaze follows them, and I see grass on top of it. Not only my gaze follows the chipmunks, but so does my body. I walk around the safe house and see grass climbing up the sides of the mound. Something seems familiar, like I'd seen something like this in a book.

          I climb up the sides with caution, and soon end up on the firm top of the safe house. The word flashes on like a light bulb that appears over someone's head when they have an idea, like in the cartoons. A dugout, like the place Laura Ingalls Wilder lived in for a bit in the story, On the Banks of Plum Creek.

          I lie down on my back on top of the dugout. I put my arms behind my head while the breeze ruffles my floral blouse. My dark hair is splayed everywhere like I'm underneath the surface of the water, twisting and turning through the maze of blades of the grass.

       My eyelashes flutter against my each other and they close. I am perfectly content here, lying on top of the dugout with my eyes closed and the sun shining on my face, feeling like Sleeping Beauty.

       A few more minutes pass with my eyes fluttering open and closed. I can tell the sun is sinking, even with my eyes closed. Half of the ball of fire is behind the trees when I hear footsteps.

       I jump in surprise. Hearing the footsteps coming from the entrance of the safe house, I roll over to the back end of the dugout. I shift my position when I get down to the other end, so now my head is pointed directly to the front door.

       The footsteps come closer. Please, please, pleeeaaasssseee don't let it be another monster! Then a head comes into view. It's Chase.

       "Gabby? Ya out here?"

       I get off of my stomach and squat down for a second to brush dirt off of my blouse. After I'm positive it's all off, I stand up and trudge up the slope.

       "Yeah, I'm here." I've made it to the top of the dugout.

       "Thought so. This is where I often come when the girls are driving me nuts." I smile slightly, like a "Mona Lisa" smile, happy that I have something in common with someone in the group. I drop my smile and experience a sudden interest in my shoelaces and some ants.

       He shoves his hands in his pockets. "You gonna be alright?"

       I nod. My right index finger pulls a strand of hair away from my face as I look up and answer. "I'm good, it's just a lot to take in."

       He shrugs. "I can imagine. I can imagine being told that all of the monsters are real and that I might be the one holding a great source of power."

       His comment makes me feel a teensy bit better. A teensy bit, but not all better."Oh yeah? How would you feel?"

       Chase smiles. It's the first time I've seen him smile, and I kinda like it. It's all crooked, and makes him even more irresistible. "I'd feel breathless at first, and then confused."

       "That's not how you'd feel, you're just describing what you thought I was acting like in the safe house," I counter jokingly.

       He chuckles slightly. "Maybe, maybe not. Ya think you're gonna make it? If not, I would happily drag you back to the safe house against your will. Cal's getting worried."

       I chuckle this time and follow him as he begins to make his way down the dugout. He pulls both doors out for me, and then the girls come in.

       "There you are, Gabby! You're gonna make it, right? 'Cause knowing as much as you know, we can't send you back. It'd mean a whole lot more stress."

       I nod, grateful that they won't send me back. I mean, as much as I want to know my brother and best friend are safe, I do not want to go back to school, Mallory Fox, or Jiles.

       Then the thought of home hits me like a bullet to my chest. Something very distinct about home. "Where are my Mom and Dad?"

       Callan shuffles her feet. Considering she answers most of my questions, I guess she's the brains of this whole operation. "We haven't figured that out yet. I expect that they were taken by whomever the gashadokuro belongs to for ransom, or the owner might think your mother has the Fire. The monster's owner might know if you truly are Fire's descendant. How old are you?"

       The random question catches me off guard, but I answer it like it is nothing. "Fifteen-and-a-half."

       "The Fire should have already been passed on from your mother's body to your's." Callan answers surely. "Only one way to find out."

       Sam groans. "Not now, 'kay Callan? We'll do it tomorrow morning, maybe during a time when I'm not cranky."

        Close behind me, I hear Chase mutter something along the lines of, "So I guess not in the morning."

       Sam must have heard him, because she shoots him a look that tells him to shut up. I recognize it because it is the same look I give Greyson whenever he's being an idiot (Which surprisingly, isn't all the time). "Tomorrow. Now, let's eat, then Gabby, I want you to go to sleep. I realize I sound like a mother, but you've got a big day tomorrow."

       I don't object. All throughout dinner, things are silent. The only sounds are the sounds of chewing and the scraping of forks against plates. Sam sends me off to bed right after I brush my teeth.

       In my room (I guess I can call it mine for now) questions bombard my mind again like aKamikaze. Monsters are real? My parents are possibly being held ransom by a bad guy? And what about Greyson? Oh, please let Greyson be safe! After all that has happened today, I have no clue who holds my brother's fate in their hands.