{ELEMENTISTS OF WILLOW FOREST BOOK III} The Bane of Technology

Fire and Water

24:  Fire and Water

Surfing is awesome.

Surfing without a surfboard is even more awesome.

Sasha discovered that fairly quickly as she whizzed back across the lake.  Wind swept through her hair, and white foam occasionally landed on her face.  How it was possible, Sasha didn't know.  The water was carrying her above the surface, and pushing her across to the other side at an incredible speed.  She should have sunk.  Maybe the motion kept her up.  Or perhaps Luke had somehow changed the density of part of the water, so she floated.  Or, it could have just been magic.  Sasha didn't know enough science to be sure.

However, she did know that it would be kind of cool to be a Water Elementist.  Maybe, if she could have chosen which Element to be able to control, she would have picked Water.

Wow, that would have been helpful on the ferry trips if she had been a Water Elementist.  She wouldn't have gone to France as many times.  She wouldn't have burnt down her Aunt's house.

Or, knowing her luck, she would have still been dragged to Calais.  Probably would have flooded her Aunt's house instead.

No House of Fire.  No stupid penance trip to Echo Valley.  No Alex.  No knowledge of Felix.  Olivia wouldn't have Hephzibah's medallion.

Heck, she wouldn't have been a Councillor.  She'd be a normal Elementist, in the House of Water, with Tilly and Emma.  What if she hadn't even exploded that warehouse?  She wouldn't have been taken to Scotland Yard.  Maybe she wouldn't even be at Willow Forest yet.  Maybe, just maybe, she would have had a nice normal life with a foster family until she was much older.

Even when Sasha reached the shore, and jumped onto land, she was still thinking about how different her life would be if only she was a Water Elementist.

*

Talia pressed her face to the glass window of the shop front.  W-o-w.  A giant, high-definition, 'Lord of the Rings' poster!  She had.  To.  Get it.  There was Gandalf, and Aragon, and-

Seraphine prised her away from the window.  "Come on, Talia!  We're here to grab some silver.  Then, we're going.  We haven't checked Toulouse for a few weeks.  It could be swarming with Dark Wolves by now!"

Talia frowned.  "Yeah, but Rex would have sensed them when they first entered the country."

"Not unless he was too busy in battle to notice."  Juliet reminded.

Talia was still staring longingly at the poster.  "Please can we quickly go in and get it?  I'm sure we've got some money spare.  And I'll only be two minutes-"