Five Elements, One Psychic

Chapter 3: Earth

Eve:

11 years old:

I was naturally pretty shy and down to earth.

I have always loved nature, so our garden was usually filled with pretty flowers.

I didn't know how, but I could make my plants grow a lot faster and I could make the branches of my plants grow to whatever shape I wanted!

Mira was my single foster mom.

I had no memory of what happened before I was ten, but as long as I had Mira, I was happy.

"Eve, Aunt Sarah and Uncle Josh are here again! Come over here!" Mira called out from inside the house while I was making my sunflower grow taller.

"C-Coming!" I managed to stutter back as most of my focus went into the job at hand.

The sunflower bloomed and I watched it's petals unfurl while I was still sending my energy into the soil. I smiled gleefully.

"Good job, Eve!" Mira exclaimed cheerfully from the entrance to the garden. I turned around and gave her a toothy grin.

Then I noticed Aunt Sarah and Uncle Josh standing behind her, watching me disapprovingly.

I never liked those two.

"Mira, why are you encouraging this? She could get out of hand! She's dangerous! They all are!" Aunt Sarah whisper-yelled.

They?

Mira merely waved her off and tossed aunt Sarah a soft smile.

"C'mon, Eve. There's someone we'd like you to meet" Mira said happily. I grinned- a new friend?

"I don't know if this is a good idea, Mira" I heard uncle Josh mutter. Mira pointedly ignored him and gestured for someone behind them to come forward.

"Eve, meet Zeriah. Zeriah, Eve." Aunt Sarah introduced monotonously.

My eyes widened.

She's really pretty...

I stared in awe at her flowy white hair. She has white hair! Mine's a boring brown... the color of soil.

But I froze when I looked into her eyes. She looked so... dead. And her face was completely blank of emotions.

What could have happened to a fellow 11 year old that caused this... empty shell of a person?

I cast suspicious glances toward aunt Sarah and uncle Josh. What have they done to her?

"Eve, we're going to go talk for a bit. You can play with Zeriah, alright? Be nice!" Mira chirped before literally dragging the other two grownups away.

Zeriah stayed rooted at the same spot, remaining on the wooden floors instead of stepping onto the grass and staring intently at her dirty sneakers.

I'll make the first move then?

I slowly stepped towards the other girl, being very careful. I felt as if she was so fragile, any wrong move and I could break her.

But just as I was about to reach her...

"Don't come near me" she whispered.

I froze.

"Please... I don't want to hurt you" she continued, her voice cracking slightly at the end. I tilted my head to one side, confused.

"You won't hurt me, I trust you." I said confidently.

I slowly reached out toward her and she flinched back slightly, staring at me in fright.