The Chosen

Chapter 9

Mina couldn't sleep.

The conversation she had heard worried her too much. Most people would think, after such a long evening, she would be pretty tired, but her mind just wouldn't shut down.

There was no way she would ever believe that man was her father- he was too old, for one thing -, but whoever he was, he was dangerous.

Mina lay one of the couches. Amber was one the other one and the boys were sleeping on the floor.

They had all sneaked out of their temporary bedrooms and had come to the main room so they would be at least a tiny bit safer.

“Mina?”

Mina started, having finally been dozing off. Oliver's voice shook her from her light slumber.

“Are you still awake?” he asked.

She leaned over the side of the couch, her blanket falling off.

“Ollie?” Mina felt foolish calling Oliver by the childhood name, but she couldn't help it. “Yeah. I'm awake. What is it?”

Oliver smiled at her, getting up from the floor. “Good,” he said. “Just trust me, okay?”

Oliver held out his hand to her. Mina shuffled back, suddenly scared. What was he up to? A shadow moved behind him and that girl Ella emerged. She turned to Oliver and he looked away guiltily.

Mina's eyes widened as a crazy thought filled her head. Was Oliver in recruits with the Element Users?

“Ah, what are you-”

Mina's words was muffled by a pair of big, strong hands.

“It's us,” Amber's voice whispered. “We need to be very quiet. Noah's here too. Ella will explain everything on the way.”

***

It was cold outside.

Did we have to leave in the middle of the night?

Mina was cold and stiff, not to mention dead tired. She was still in her tattered prom clothes, her feet bare and unprotected.

Amber had fallen asleep a little while ago when Oliver had offered to give her a piggy back ride, but Mina was determined to stay awake. Unfortunately, she stumbled, nearly crashing into Noah.

“Woah there. Careful, Mina,” he murmured, steadying her. Mina's vision was blurry with exhaustion, so she couldn't really see where they were going.

Ella had explained that they needed to get out and the fact that they were in grave danger.

Ahead of them, Oliver groaned, falling to his knees and then keeling forward. His grip on Amber slackened and she started to fall as well.

Mina watched for a terrifying second as they rushed towards the gravel, too far away to help, but then Ella was there, supporting Oliver. He reached out and caught Amber, still breathing heavily. Amber was fast asleep, unaware that anything was going on.

“Sorry,” Oliver croaked weakly. “But we can't keep going like this. We need to rest.”

Noah sighed, letting out a pent up breath. “He's right. We all need sleep. At this rate, he'll find us real quick.”

Mina remembered that Ella had warned them; names had power and they should, never, under any circumstances, say their pursuer's name out loud. Mina, for one, didn't even know what her father's name was. She could imagine many names, all crazy and complicated, but none of them seemed right.

She swayed on her feet, barely able to stay awake. Leaning on Noah, she nodded off.

***

“Experiments?”

“Yes, he wanted to get rid of the humans, but he was too kind then. He couldn't bring himself to a full assault.”

“So he tried to weed them out from the inside?”

“Yes. His plan was to give four children the power of the Four Great Elements and unleash their rage at random times so it would destroy the human way of living.”

“But...”

“The plan went too well. The four were too strong and ended up being able to control their power, even at their age.”

“Who were the four?”

The voice hesitated, then said, “You four.”

Mina's eyes shot open in surprise. She'd been awake for a while, but had been trying to act like she was asleep, in order to listen to Noah and Ella undetected. She closed her eyes again rapidly, trying to steady her breath. She concentrated on her surroundings instead.

They were all in some sort of cave. Ella must have led them here to rest. Mina didn't really trust Ella, but seeing as how the Light User had saved them for now, she had no choice except to keep quiet and follow along.

Noah was silent, most possibly trying to let the words sink in. Ella took a deep breath and went on.

“The Shadow Users were in charge of embedding the spirits of the Elements inside you four. They worked against our leader and gave you the power to control the demons so they were banished.”

Mina could have sworn she had seen Shadow Users before. They were all quiet and cold. What was she talking about?

“The ones who had nothing to do with the betrayal stay and serve under our king, always on full surveillance. Us Light Users have it even harder now, since light can't work without dark,” Ella explained.

Noah sighed. “This is so complicated,” he groaned. “I just want to keep my loved ones safe!”

Ella's voice was comforting, “Is there someone? Someone very special to you?”

Noah was quiet for a while. “Yes,” he finally responded. “There's someone I care about very much.”

Ella waited.

“She means so very much to me. I just want her to be safe and happy,” Noah went on. Mina waited, her heart pounding. She wanted him to be talking about her so very much. Mina kept quiet, ready to finally find out who had won Noah's heart. Neither Ella nor Noah went on, though.

Mina stayed still for a few minutes longer, until the silence became unbearable. She opened her eyes slowly, surprised that it was still dark. Then she figured it must been because of the cave.

Mina sat up slowly, trying to act like she had just woken up, startling Noah and Ella in the process.

Ella smiled weakly, obviously still gloomy. “Good morning,” she greeted. “Your training begins today.”