The Elements

Chapter Ten

Ari opened her door, and I followed Skipper and Kai into the house. It looked exactly like it had in my dream.

"Ari," Skipper called nervously, standing awkwardly near the door. Ari turned to face him, her face like stone.

"Yes?" she snapped. Skipper flinched, wringing his fingers together.

"Well...um...Kai here is going to tell you why we are here and why we needed to find you." Kai sucked in a breath and elbowed Skipper.

"What the heck, Skipper?!" he whispered under his breath.

"What do you mean, you need me? I thought you just came from another province." I hesitated, glanced at the two boys, and shook my head.

"Uh...not exactly. Ari, have you ever heard of the Cross Hunters?" Ari was leaning against the wall, and lifted her head.

"The Cross Hunters?" A flicker of recognition crossed her face, and I thought I'd imagined it for a moment.

"I've...I've never heard of 'em." Lier. She knows more than she letting on.

"They're a group of elves that go around and attack the main towns in all of the provinces. We think that they're out for the people like us."

"Like us? What do you mean? I'm nothing like you." I saw her quickly eye her shin. I smiled softly.

"Actually, I think you're exactly like us."

Kai, Skipper, and I tried to explain everything that had happened over the past few weeks. When we finished, Ari shook her head, suddenly very angry.

"No. You're wrong. I'm not one of you. I can't be." I stood up, brushing her shoulder.

"Yes, Ari, you are. There's nothing wrong with being different. Trust me, I know." Kai's black cloak was still draped over my shoulders, covering my wings.

"I don't believe you."

"Then how do you explain your red blood?" Kai asked, walking forward. Ari looked shocked.

"How do you know about that?" she demanded, trying to cover her torn shin once again. It was Skipper who laughed.

"Well...it's kind of obvious. I can see the dried blood all across your shin." Ari brushed her black hair out of her eyes, exposing two eyes, which looked the color of fire.

"I'm still so confused about everything. So many of the details are missing to fill in the blanks." I reached out and grabbed one of her hands softly.

"Don't worry. We are all very confused. All six of us. Well...all seven." Ari pulled her hand back at that.

"I never said I was joining you. I need some time to think about it." Kai shook his head, approaching Ari.

"You don't understand. We don't have time. The Cross Hunters could attack this town in seconds. We need to escape, find out who's leading them, and find a way to stop him. You either are coming, or you're not." Ari blinked into Kai's dark ocean blue eyes.

"Fine. I'll come with you."

"How long have you been here?" Ari whispered as we started to make our way to our meeting spot.

"Only a few hours, actually. We wanted to get in and out of here as fast as possible." Ari nodded, brushing her hair back from her eyes.

"Don't worry, I know how you feel. I've wanted to leave for as long as I can remember." I tilted my head.

"Why have you wanted to leave, and why haven't you?" I asked as we stopped in our waiting area. Ari opened her mouth when a hand wrapped around it first. Her eyes widened.