The Uprisen

Chapter 13

“WHAT?!” the shocked 24 year-old exclaims.  “How in the hell did this happen, and why are you just now telling me about it?  I mean, are you nuts?”

“Well--”

“Last time you guys faced a real threat was years ago and you were barely teenagers.  In what universe are you ready to handle this on your own?”

“Hey, we’re--”

Alexa gives the three elementals a nagging look, then sighs deeply.  She knows better than anyone else just how stubborn and crazy these kids can be.  She also knows better than anyone else just how alike they are to Keegan.

“So, will you help?” Willow asks sheepishly.

Alexa examines her friends-her family.  Each of them have changed drastically from the last time she saw them, which was all of a week ago.  Cameron’s black hair is disheveled, but he stands taller and bolder ready to take charge.  Waverly, on the other hand, keeps on watching her sister intently.  Every now and then she’d glance at her with a glint of worry in her eyes, then it’d disappear in an instant.  Of course, Waverly isn’t exactly worried for nothing.  Something about Willow seems different to Alexa: her eyes are darker and she seems even more stressed out than she would during exam week.  Somehow the three elementals have changed so much is so little time, and Alexa worries that if she doesn’t do something they’ll forget how to at least act normal.

“Of course I’ll help,” she says.

A wave of relief settles into Waverly, Willow, and Cameron.  None of them really thought Alexa would say no, but to hear her say it was comforting somehow.

“Great,” Willow says.  “There’s a lot for you to catch up on.”

“Lay it on me.”

Willow looks around and says, “Not here.”  She leads Alexa to the back of the house to Dr. Toher’s office.  For the last week or so, they’ve been using the office as a sort of headquarters.  The book, a few weapons, and the maps Willow drew up are all stashed away throughout the room.  They even went so far to put a lock on the door and on the windows.

“Hey Waverly, can we talk?”

Waverly’s taken out of her own thoughts and looks at her boyfriend.  “Sure.”

Cameron grabs her hand and takes her to the garage.  “Get in,” he says as he opens the door to the silver Lexus.

She doesn’t question it.  Waverly simply gets in the car and lets Cameron drive her wherever he wants to.  The only uncomfortable aspect of the ride was the silence.  Usually he’s easy to read: his shoulders are tense when he’s angry, his arms are crossed when he’s nervous, he looks at the ground when he’s embarrassed, et cetera.  But now he seems...different.

Eventually, the car stops at the beach in Boston.  Cameron stares out at the water for a while before he climbs out says, “Come on.”

A few yards away, Cameron and Waverly stop at the point where the Atlantic Ocean meets the sand.  As Cameron watches the waves, Waverly watches him until, finally, he says, “I know where they are.”

“Who?”

“The Seekers.”

Waverly stares at him in disbelief.  “What?  Since when?”

“A few days ago.”

“Why didn’t you tell me or Willow?  You didn’t go alone did you?”

Cameron’s face tightens.  “No.  I wanted to talk to you about us first.”

Waverly’s heart drops to her stomach.  Suddenly she feels anxious and starts thinking about everything she might’ve done to upset him in the last week.