The Elemented

A Few Tears A Few Smirks

P.O.V: Ajax

After she wrote her goodnight, I began to sketch the layout of the facility. It has four exits. One on every side. Since there is a greater chance of everyone using the front exit, Iris will be using all four to split the kids up and to make sure they get out. The Lord will be making a public speech in the Town Square, so he will be unaware of the chaos here. He is the only major threat to the plan. The building is easy to get lost in so I make red dots indicating where to go. I can already see Iris, the human torch, walking through the halls, setting everything on fire after the kids escape. It brings a small smile to my lips. I know that she will make sure I'm out of the building beforehand. As I finish the last details, I begin to both welcome and dread the liberation. I still have nine days before she escapes so that kind of helps relieve some of the tension. Somewhere between putting away the map and laying down and thinking, I must have drifted off to sleep because I woke up with a start. I had heard someone walking up to my door, the foot steps were heavy and furious. I got up, dressed quickly, and opened the door to find the Lord.

"Any luck with the witch?" He asked, annoyance obvious in his voice.

"Iris has finally forgiven me, but she's still pretty mad at me and doesn't trust me completely." I tell him.

It was a lie mixed with a truth.

"As everyone knows, I will be making an appearance in the Square. I'm putting my second-in-command in charge. If he slips up, report to me." He looks at me for a few minutes. "Do you care about her?"

I make my voice as detached as I can manage. "No, Sir."

The Lord's grey eyes look over me for a few more minutes "Good. I can't have my informant going soft. She may look all sweet and innocent, but she will turn on you quickly. Iris is one of the strongest witches I've ever seen, even without the use of her Elements."

I nod, remembering the way she stomped her foot, sending a Death Hound running back into the dark hallway.

"Iris has impressive reflexes." He says. "She shows great potential. All we have to do is break her, but if we can't do that, then I will find some other way to absorb or take her powers of fire and earth."

I didn't like the way he said that or the look on his face. I decide to go to the basement and punch my punching bag to release some stress and anxiousness. This time I take Iris's advice and pull on some leather gloves. I pound away on the bag, letting my emotions leak through the cracks in my stone armor. I think about what the Lord had said. More tests. More torture. More pain. More scars. And it's all for Iris. Anger floods through me and blinds my vision. I'm covered in a thick layer of sweat when I finally stop. I check my watch and it reads five thirty pm. Damn. I've been down here for over three hours. I decided to get cleaned up and check on Iris. I changed into a clean suit and put the sketch inside my jacket pocket and walk to Iris's cell block. When I opened the door, she was sitting up, waiting for me.

"Hey." I say to her, after I sat down next to her on the bed.

"Hi."

I checked her bandages but they didn't need to be changed, so I gave her the pain reliever, which she took gladly. Next, I hand her the sketch of the building's layout. She looked at it for a few minutes before setting it aside under her pillow. I can tell she was thinking about the escape.

"It'll be fine, Iris." I tell her. I give her a reassuring smile, but I could still see the worry in her beautiful eyes. There was something else bothering her. "Are you thinking about the Prophecy?" I ask and she nods.

"It's just that how am I supposed to help save the world? How are we going to lead an army of kids, not counting the kids here? What if I end up screwing everything up? Aren't you intimidated about all this?" Iris's voice is full of worry and doubt.