The Elements

Chapter Six

Before I knew what was happening, the six of us were gathered around a fire that Brin had made. The licking flames were a bit triggering, but I ignored it. I could see Frost doing the same, too.

"Okay everyone. Please quiet down." I noticed Brin seemed to be the leader, even though Kai was the oldest. I still hadn't heard him talk.

"I think it's time that we welcome our new members to the team. Luna and Frost." Jayde was bouncing up and down, even though she was sitting, clapping loudly.

"Yay Luna and Frosty!" Brin cleared her throat, glaring again at Jayde.

"After we eat, to be one hundred percent sure, we are going to see Luna and Frost's blood." My head flew up, as did Frost's.

"What?!" I asked, terrified. It was a death trap. I knew it.

But Brin just laughed.

"Chill, Luna. We just need you to prick your finger. We'll explain it all later." They all laughed, except for Kai. I was still so confused about him.

I sighed, and Frost sent me a worried yet relieved look.

"But first," Jayde called, standing up and grabbing a rock from the soil. "I think we should go around and say things about ourselves! I'll go first. My name is Jayde, I'm ten moons old, and I am from Rhines. Oh! And then you can say whether or not you are royalty! Yeah!" She paused. "I'm not royalty." And with that, she had passed the rock to Brin and was seated again.

"Well...I'm Brin. I'm fifteen moons old," I was shocked at that. Brin acted and looked a lot older than fifteen. "And I am from Lenia. Oh, and I'm not royalty." I had a slight feeling that not many of these elves were royalty. Skipper took the rock from Brin, and he launched into his description immediately.

"Hello! My name is Skipper, but you can call me Skip if you want. I'm sixteen moons old, and I'm from Seldou. Sadly, I'm not royalty, but that's only because Seldou doesn't have royalty."

"Really?" I asked, not thinking. Skipper nodded, smiling.

"Yeah! It's quite nice, actually. Seldou has a very different system than the rest of the provinces. I'll have to explain it to you sometime." He smiled again, wider. I smiled, but I had an itchy feeling in the pit of my stomach. I glanced at Frost, and the look on his face was the same. From what I could tell, I really liked Skipper. But not in that way. I really hoped he didn't like me in that way.

Kai got the rock next. For a moment, I thought he wasn't going to speak, but after a few seconds, he did.

"I'm Kai. I'm eighteen moons old. I'm from Haclar. I'm royalty." Brin and Skipper nodded, and the rock was passed on to Frost. No one said anything about what Kai had said.

"I'm Frost. I am nineteen moons old, and I am from Lydia. I am kind of royalty, and kind of not." This was confusing to Skipper and Brin, but mostly Kai. Jayde was drawing in the sand.

"What do you mean, kind of royalty? You either are or aren't." Kai's eyes narrowed at Frost, and then at me. I opened my mouth to explain, but Frost beat me to it.

"I wasn't born royalty, but I was treated with the same respect as a prince would. My mother and father were the main maid and butler to Luna's parents, the king and queen." Frost set the rock in my open hand, but Kai wasn't finished.

"Wow. That's really sad." I shook my head, confused. He said he was sad, but his face was a smirk.

"What?" I asked, stunned.

"Kai..." Brin warned. She knew him better than I did, and she obviously knew something was up.

"Well..." Kai continued, the smirk growing. "You and Frost are best friends, yet his parents work for your parents. Really, that means that that Frost works for you. I'm just saying, that's really sad." I felt my face heat up, my anger growing from the pit of my stomach. Obviously, Brin, Skipper, and Jayde felt the same way.