In My True Element

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

It takes me two minutes to pull myself together before I finally knock on the door of Fire's condo. In a matter of seconds I sweat through Earth's tight tee shirt that envelops my body as the second skin, making me feel even more uncomfortable. Nervously chewing on my bottom lip, I almost give up and turn away, ready to flee.

I shouldn't be here.

I'm not wanted here.

Fire will hate me even more.

I take a deep breath in, but forget to expel the tight air that is quickly working its way to setting my chest on fire. When my sister's front door opens and a beautiful woman with the passion that matches her wild red hair emerges from behind it, my lungs are ready to explode. As she looks at me, the happy smile on the face that I missed so much gets replaced with an expression of confusion that quickly gives way to fury. The air whooshes through my lips and for a few seconds all I can do is stare at the sister I haven't seen in three hundred years.

"Earth is in trouble." As I say it I see her small fist rise to the side of her body and fly forward. I realize what is about to happen, but all I can do is impotently watch her fist break the air on its way to my head. As piercing pain travels through my nerve system, my body is sent to the dark brown carpet on the floor.

The hard landing knocks the wind out of me and for a short moment I can't tell up from down. All I am aware of is Fire's retreating steps. She hates me, she truly does. Cupping the side of my face I sit up looking at the empty space where just a second ago stood one of the most important people in my life. Once again feel like screaming.

Forbidding myself to think of the anger in her eyes, I get back to my feet and take the first hesitant step back into Fire's life. Her condo is very spacious and nicely furnished. The high ceilings speak of Fire's free spirit. The warm colors remind me of her happy laughter and playfulness

Walking slowly through the apartment and expecting to be punched unconscious any second, I cautiously step into the living room. Fire is sitting in front of the fireplace, her stiff back turned to me. My eyes slide to the mantelpiece where I notice a couple of pictures of our family - an old photograph of the oil portrait of our parents, pictures of Earth and Water, Fire in front of a lake... with a twinge of pain I realize that I am not in any of them.

"Fire." I force my gaze away from the mantelpiece to her back and slowly approach the sofa she's sitting on. "We need to talk."

"You're damn right we need to talk," she explodes, jumping to her feet and turning to me. Her luxuriant red hair looks like it has spurts of flame tangled in it and her face is contorted with anger. She's never been known for controlling her emotions, but I've never seen her quite this angry. The veins on her forehead have popped out and the storm raging beneath her skin makes her usually light blue eyes seem almost black. Her breathing is shallow and with every sharp intake her nostrils flare.

When my older sister takes a predatory step around the sofa, I automatically take a step back.

"How dare you come back after three hundred years? And just appear on my doorstep?"

"I..."

But she doesn't let me continue. She trains her index finger on like a gun.

"You disappeared without so much as a good-bye! You stripped us of all our powers and you didn't even bother to explain!" She screams full force at me and tosses back her long flaming hair. "Do you have any idea how lost and confused we felt? We couldn't protect ourselves. We had to hide from Brackwick in the deepest of holes! When he found us we had to beg him not to kill us because we didn't have what he wanted!"