DARKNESS IN THE LIGHT

Strike 1

"I honestly wish he'd never come," Natasha sighed. Gertrude watched her arrange the pots owlishly from her spot near the fire, her withered fingers still knitting as efficiently as ever.

"What did that boy do now? He messed up before, didn't he?"

Natasha dropped onto the footstool and buried her head in her hands. The firelight glinted off her hair, making it look like it was burning. She wound her fingers through the strands and pulled. "He should not have come. What he came for, he can't do it. I can't let him. But it he doesn't then more people will come, I can assure you." Her voice was muffled.

Gertrude set her knitting down on her lap and gazed into the heart of the fire. She twitched one gnarled ginger and the flames leapt. It twisted and reformed into the image of Adrian's face. A small smile slipped across her face, vanishing when Natasha looked up. Her mouth opened in a soundless exclamation when she noticed the fire.

"You-" 

"Hush, darling." Gertrude twitched her finger again and the face vanished. "Did you think you were alone?"

Her shock seemed beyond words. Her mouth simply opened and closed like a goldfish, her eyes frozen on Gertrude's fingers. 

"I knew that boy before you did, dear. He was always weak, scrambling for power from anywhere. And I knew you all from before."

Natasha finally found her tongue again. She slid off the stool and knelt before Gertrude. Her hands rested on the knitting on her lap as she looked up at her face.

"You knew this whole time?" She whispered hoarsely. "You knew who I was, what I was?"

Gertrude touched her hair, stroking her. Natasha jerked back. "Wait, no! It'll hurt you!"

Gertrude simply chuckled before pulling her closer. "Did you ever hurt me, dear?"

"But Gertrude, you're a Fire elemental, aren't you? I should have noticed it before, but that's beside the point. I will hurt you." 

"I was, Natasha. I'm just old enough that it doesn't affect me anymore." She smiled a strange, twisted smile. " Why did you choose to befriend me? Why did you choose to help me every single day?"

Natasha's eyes widened. "You enchanted me? Then I shouldn't really be here." She scrambled to her feet and looked down at Gertrude. "I thought I could really trust you. But I can't. You lied to me all this while!"

"Natasha-"

"If you knew, why didn't you tell me before? Why did you let me think I was going to be alone? Why, Gertrude, why?" She was crying now. Gertrude was confused. She hadn't expected this reaction from her. She had thought she'd be happy that she was there, and that she could help. Not that she'd fall apart.

"I'm leaving. Don't expect me to come back." Her voice was choked up as she pulled on her hoodie and bundled her hair up in her beanie. 

"Natasha, listen to me."

 The door slammed behind her.

                                                            ******

Natasha kicked at a pebble on the sidewalk as she walked out of Gertrude's house. The cold night air hit her, but she didn't care. She was more at home in the cold than in the warmth of anybody's home. 

This is why I should stay away, she told herself. Something like this always happens. 

Having another Elemental was not good. It only meant one more connection to the past she always tried to forget. And a Fire Elemental meant double the pain. 

She was looking up at his foreboding figure. Every line of his angular face tightened with anger and disapproval. 'Do it,' he yelled. 'Why are you so stubborn?' You have to open it!' She shook her head numbly.  Even as a child, she had always been afraid. She regretted that now. Maybe if she had stood up for things, she wouldn't be stuck in these sorts of situations. 

' Well?' He sneered into her face. Panicking, without conscious control, she called up a hurricane. He didn't seem fazed by the howling winds and the swirling water that surrounded them. 'You were always weak. Leave, then. But remember, wherever you go, I will find you. You can't run from your destiny forever.'

She shuddered at the memory. They were always coming back, and with the slightest trigger, she was lost.

The streets were empty as she walked briskly. The streetlights cast a dim glow over her. At the sound of faltering footsteps, she turned sharply. No one was following her, but she still sensed an odd sort of presence. Slightly suspicious, she stopped and waited.

A strange lurching figure emerged from the gloom. Natasha nearly ran before she recognized the figure.

"Stacy," she sighed out. "What are you doing out here? You scared me."

Stacy didn't reply. As she neared, Nat noticed something was off. Her normally sleek brown hair was falling out of her bun, covering her face. Her pressed clothes were rumpled and stained and she was missing one shoe. With every step she took, she dragged the other leg forward,  almost as if she couldn't move it properly. Her face was too expressive, the teeth bared in a grin, eyes wide and staring from behind her hair.

"Stacy? Are you alright?" Natasha tried to mask the fear in her voice. Something was wrong. 

"Come on, Nat. Let's have some fun together," Stacy murmured, clasping a hand over Natasha's wrist. Her hand was freezing. 

"Stace, are you drunk?"

Stacy was pulling her forward, looking from side to side. "No. I just had the most amazing time." She pulled Natasha into an alley. "Look!"

Natasha stumbled over something. Before she could regain her balance, Stacy charged into her, knocking her over.

Her hands latched around Natasha's throat as she straddled her. She banged her head against the ground once, before tightening her hold. 

"Stacy, what-" Natasha croaked out. Her hands scrambled against Stacy's, leaving thin red scratches, but her grip did not falter. 

Natasha bucked her hips to dislodge her; it worked, and she rolled away, coughing. She scrambled to her feet, leaning against the wall for support. Her head spun, and she could feel the warm blood on her neck from where Stacy's carefully cultivated nails had cut her.

Stacy was still shaking. Her eyes were scarily blank now. She looked around and when her eyes landed on Natasha, she froze. Almost like a predator, she crept with silent steps. Natasha followed her every movement with bated breath, hands held ready in front of her. When Stacy pounced, she swept her hand in a slashing movement. A harsh gale swept through the alley, blowing Stacy backwards. She landed against a pile of trashcans with a loud crash. Her eyes were closed.

Natasha stumbled forward. She gently lifted one eyelid and watched as the black slowly faded into Stacy's usual soft green. She searched for a pulse - she found it, weak and irregular. But she was still alive. 

Adrian, she growled in her mind. She knew what had happened now. Stacy had been enchanted, but it was so strong it could have killed her. And it was because of Adrian. 

Taking a deep breath, she hoisted Stacy on her shoulder. She was still woozy from the bangs and knocks she suffered, but she ignored that. 

I've got you, she murmured to Stacy. I'll fix this. Adrian, strike 1.