Elemental Witches 2 - Home

Isabelle is part vampire. She is now a danger to her friends and any human around her. Because of her unique blood, some 'people' come to find her. What will happen next?

“What did you say I am?!!” I asked.  My face alarmed.

“You are half vampire?” mom answered. 

“How could this be possible? Me, a vampire?”

“Isabelle, calm down.  I’ll tell you everything.”

“Calm down?! How can I calm down!!!!!”

“Isabelle,” she said in a stern voice.  I sucked in a deep breath of air and felt it channel through my body.  “You were never like the other children.   At birth you were very peculiar.  You did not cry like the other children.  Instead you stared at me with your intelligent eyes and smiled.  I was shocked.  Before I could respond the doctor had already taken you away from me.  At first your temperature was like any other child’s but within the first hour your temperature dropped to only 5˚C.  When you were only 6 months you started to walk.  You just stood up one day and decided to walk.  You didn’t stagger. You didn’t tremble.  You just walked right up to me.  Once again I was shocked.  Then, you smiled and said, “Mom.”

  “I was frozen.  A few weeks later, you said your first sentence.  Again, it was very odd.  You said,

 “Mom, the lights are hurting my eyes.  Can we dim them?”

   “All I could do then was to stare at you and gape.”

“If I was a vampire shouldn’t I have been thirsty for blood and killing people?” I asked.

“As I said before, you are not like a normal vampire.   Your vampire skill develops slowly and according to a vampire doctor your thirst will appear in two weeks so better get ready because next week you are moving to another place for the next two months.  There you will learn how to control your thirst and how to act ‘human’.”

“Mom, who will I be staying with?”

“That is a surprise you will have to find out.”

“What if two months flew by and I still can’t control my thirst?”

“Then, honey, you would have to stay there until you can.”

“Why can’t I stay here?”

“That is because Mason, Dexter, Christopher and Mr. Hawks here are in ways, human.  Blood run through their veins just like any other mortal.  No wait, you guys are all immortal because of your powers, correct?”

“Yes,” the boys replied.

“Then these blood-filled immortals will be in grave danger if you stayed here.”

“Ok, I’ll go,” I answered quietly. 

                                                            …        

When we finished dinner, my mom left.  I was having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that I am part vampire and I am a danger towards my friends.  I quietly snuck out the little house and walked along the beach.  The sky was a black curtain with sparkling diamonds tossed onto it.  Suddenly from behind me came a voice.

“Are you feeling ok?”  It was Mason.  I was relieved and overjoyed to see him.  He was like a torch in a dark tunnel. He was like the sun after an eclipse.  I didn’t know why I felt this way.  

“Just having a hard time getting used to it,” I replied.

“You’re strong.  I know you’ll get through this,” There was an awkward pause as we walked silently along the coast.

“Are you afraid of me?” I finally asked him.  It came out barely a breath.  

“Of course I’m not!!!  Even if you turn into some nasty ogre I would still see you as Isabelle. Just Isabelle,” I sighed in relief.  I lunged at him, throwing my hands around his neck.  “Ow! Isabelle, You’re getting pretty strong.”

“Sorry,” I said as I loosened my grip on him.  We stood there in the dark of night, embracing each other in silence.  Finally, we slid out of each other’s arms and went to bed.

“Guys, I have some good news and bad news.  I want to inform you about this before Isabelle leaves.  This is your second year as a nature bender and the good news is that this is the year where lots of other additional skills starts appearing. For instant, you can have extra skills like mind reading.  You will also be getting your animals this year. Here’s the bad news.  From now on every full moon you will lose all of your powers.  Not the extra ones.  On that day you would be powerless,” announced Hawks.

“All powerless?” I asked.

“Yes, Isabelle.  No powers at all.”

The days flew by quickly and before I knew it, it was time to go.  I was packing my bag when someone knocked on my room.  I opened the door and was surprised to find the boys standing there. 

“Can we come in?” Dexter asked.  I stepped back and they entered.  

“We brought you a present so you can remember us,” said Christopher.

“How can I ever forget you guys?” I asked, in an exasperated tone.

“Here, we got you a bracelet.  On it there’s a droplet of water, a flame and a gust of wind.  The droplet of water stands for Dexter, the flame stands for Christopher and the gust of wind stands for me!” explained Mason.

“Thank you so much you guys! It’s beautiful!” I said and I meant it.  The band was black and on it were miniature icons of my friends.  Suddenly, a honk was heard outside the house.

“It’s time for me to go,” I whispered.  I staggered and Christopher and Dexter caught me.  My unwilling feet dragged me out the house.  There I saw someone very familiar.  Then I realized it was my uncle Ash!  

“Uncle Ash! What are you doing here?!”  I asked as I leaped into his cold white arms. His eyes were a dark shade of purple.  I could’ve sworn it was blue the last time I saw him. His hair was brown.  He was a tall man and he was decent looking.  I remembered when I was eight, uncle Ash took me to the mall to buy a Halloween costume.  When we stopped for a snack I had to repeat my order to the waitress five times before she broke from her trance.  Her eyes were locked on uncle Ash.  On the fifth time, uncle Ash got really angry because he thought I should not be treated like that so he gave the waitress a good lecture on how she should treat children fairly.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

“Hello little Iz.    I am here to take you to your vampire training.”

“But my mom said a vampire would come and get me,” I said confused.  Like slap in the face, it dawned on me.  My uncle Ash and his siblings are all vampires.  I jumped five meters back.  This surprised me.

“Yes, you got that right,” uncle Ash said brightly.

“D-d-d-did you just read my mind?”  I stuttered.

“Yes, but you will know more about this as we approach the house.  There you will learn about this.”

I nodded and took a step forward.  “I’ll miss you Isabelle,” I heard a voice in my head say.  I fell on to the dirt.

“Isabelle can you hear me?” I heard uncle Ash said.  

“I’m fine. 

 “Your talent, apparently is like mine!!!!!”

“I can read minds?”  

“Yes!! It’s really fun.  Wait,  first I will explore deeper into your talent then, I can tell you more about it.”  For a moment uncle Ash stood like a snowy white statue.  “Hmm… Interesting.”

“What?!  Uncle Ash!!! What did you see?” I exclaimed worried.

“It seems that you can actually do two things.  Do you want to hear it?”

“Yes,” I whispered as I attempted to get back on my feet.

“First of all, you can read the mind of what people are thinking currently.  For example, you have just heard Dexter’s current thought.  You can’t really control this talent.  It works like your ear,” from the corner of my eye I saw Dexter flushed, “Now here’s something I bet you don’t know yet.  You can also read into people past but this you can control and again you will learn more about this when you get to the house. Shall we?” He said as he gestured towards the car door.  I nodded but then I turned back and gave the three boys each a hug.  

“Goodbye Bells,” said Christopher.

“Come back soon,” Mason whispered into my ear.

“Hurry back,” Dexter murmured. 

“Hope so,” I answered.  Then, I hurried to the black purring Mercedes.  I climbed into the shotgun.  I was still waving as the wheels rolled away.  As always I fell asleep on the car.  

“Iz, Iz wake up.  We’re here.”  There I saw my uncle and aunts standing waiting for me to come.  I staggered out of the car.  Immediately uncle Alexander rushed to my aid.  He was there in a split second.  When he moved he was a blur.  In a blink of an eye, I was in his arms.

“Hi uncle X,” I said quietly.  

“Hey little Bells,” he answered.  He supported me back to the house.  There I received lots of hugs and kisses from my aunt Rosmera.  Aunt Rosmera had pitch black hair and her eyes were piercing.  Aunt Madison kept her distance, as always.  She never liked me.  I’ve spent a lot of my time trying to figure out why she despised me that much.  Aunt Madison glared once at me then she stalked into the grand house.  Uncle Ash carried my bags as I entered.  The living room was humongous.  There was a huge sofa with gold lining in the middle of the room.  At the back was covered in pristine glass.  The walls were a milky white.  The house was shockingly beautiful.  Uncle Ash led me up the winding wooden stairs to my room.  He opened a wooden door.  The room was gorgeous.  On the side was grand golden bed.  The floor was covered in a soft white carpet.  

“I love it!” I told Uncle Ash.

“I’m glad.  We redesigned it just for you!”

“Thanks,” I said as I gave him a hug.

“Now I’ll leave you to unpack.  Get a rest we’ll call you when dinner is ready.”

“Ok. Thanks again uncle Ash,” I said as I tiptoed up and pecked him on the cheek.  I started unpacking my clothes then lay on the comfy bed and admired the beauty of my bracelet.   I had only just been here and I have already missed my friends.  I stared at the bracelet.  Before I knew it a chiming voice of aunt Rosmera said, “Dinner time Bells!”  

I flew downstairs.  Literally flew down stairs.  The speed was exhilarating.  It was spectacular.  I entered the dining room and saw a heap of food placed on the wooden table.  

“Do we have guest?” I asked.

“No,” answered uncle Alexander.

“Then why do we have food enough for 20? I thought vampires can only drink blood?” 

“That is just a myth.  Vampires have some humane qualities too.  Like we also eat food.   Human food.  That is also one of our source of energy.  Blood is sort of like a treat for us.  We can eat human food but if we are deprived from blood for a period of time we will loose our strength.  In this family, we hunt animals for blood but we tend not to do that too much unless it’s necessary.  This is because we are the unknown predators of the food chain.  If we feed too much then there might be problems to the food chains that can have a bad effect on our future feeding,” uncle Alexander said finally ending his lecture.

“Okay….” I said.  We took our seats.  Everyone was eating like a kitten but somehow all the food vanished from the table.                       

Next morning, aunt Rosmera woke me up. 

“Hey Izzy, it’s time for your training to begin. Do you feel an itch at your throat?”

“Yes,” I answered truthfully in a rough tone.  The itch in my throat was very annoying. 

“Do you want to know why?” she asked.   I nodded, too tired to speak.  “That is because you’re thirsty for human blood!”  Those words shouldn’t have shocked me like that but they did.  I felt terrible.  I felt like a monster.  Automatically I curled up into a ball and started to sob.

“What’s the problem, little one?” she asked softly.

“I feel like a monster,” I confessed.  

“Don’t worry.  It’s natural.  You’re not hurting anybody right now and you’ll never will.  That’s what we’re here for.  We’ll help you, okay? Now why don’t you clean up, get dressed and we’ll start training you.”  I obeyed reluctantly.  In a few minutes I was in a grassy open space.  There I saw uncle Ash and Alexander.  Next to them were grandpa Charlie and grandma Arianne.  They were my uncle and aunt’s parent.  I didn’t know what to call them so grandpa and grandma seemed to be simple enough.  Even though I called them grandpa and grandma they didn’t look old.  I always wondered why they never seem to change.  Now I know that they are immortal.  

“Today little Bells, you are going to learn how to resist blood,” announced uncle Ash, “I will go back and take a glass of blood.  You will have to try to resist it, okay?”

“What if I can’t resist it?” I asked concerned.

“No worries, Alexander will stop you. Are you ready now?”

“Yes,” I finally choked out.  Uncle Ash raced back to the house.  When he came back he was holding a red plastic up.  The fumes that were coming from the cup drove me insane. I dropped to the dirt and rolled around.  My mouth let out a blood-curling scream.  I was clawing at the ground. Alas I couldn’t fight it anymore and my instincts took over.  I was suddenly in a crouch.  I was ready to pounce.  I saw my uncle Alexander standing in front of me trying to stop me.  I growled a low fierce growl.  I charged at uncle Alexander, knocking him over.  Then, I headed for uncle Ash.  I spilt the cup and my razor sharp teeth were at his throat.  I suddenly snapped out of my trance.  I was a monster.  I couldn’t bare it.  I held my breath and ran away crying.  I heard a pair of feet moving with great speed behind me.  I noticed that I was moving like lightning.  I was faster than light.  I wheeled to a stop when I heard uncle Ash say,

“Isabelle come back!  How did you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Stop yourself from killing me?”

“So you want me to kill you?!!” I said getting a bit angrier.

“No but you’re new to this life.  It would only be natural for you to kill me.  That’s enough for today. Get some rest Bells,” he said as he saw a tear forming in my eyes. We ran back to the house and I ran straight into my room.  I called Mason but he didn’t pick up.  Then, I called Dexter, still no answer.  Finally, I called Chris but there was no answer.  I threw my phone onto the bed in frustration.  Then I heard a knock on my door.  

“Come in,” I whispered but I knew it was loud enough for every vampire in this house to here.

“Hey I was just checking to see if you’re okay.”  It was uncle Ash.  

“I’m fine.”

“Just so you know Iz, you did great today.”

“I ALMOST KILLED YOU! HOW THE HELL IS THAT GREAT?!!!!”

“Well, you almost killed me but then you snapped out of it and you ran away.  That’s not an easy thing to do Bells.  You should be proud of yourself.  I’ll leave you alone now.” He bent down and kissed my forehead.

“Thanks uncle Ash.”

“No worries.”

After dinner, I went down to the river and had a walk.  This was a habit I developed when I lived at the beach.   I do this when I’m miserable or frustrated.  I was walking along the quiet river when I heard a sound behind me.  Here’s something you have to know.  This is one of my ‘vampire’ skills.  I can hear from miles away.  So a noise that startled me had to be really frightening.  I tensed to see who it was.  I got into the defensive crouch that aunt Rosmera taught me, ready to attack.  Out of the bush emerged Uncle Alexander.  “Hey little Iz, what are you doing here?”

“Uhmm, just walking.”

“Really?   What are you worrying about.”

“I miss my friends and I almost killed uncle Ash.  I feel so guilty.  If I hadn’t snapped out uncle Ash would be dead and if I don’t control myself I will never get to see my friends ever again.  When I called them they won’t pick up.” I confessed as my voice broke.  

“Don’t worry.  Hawks is probably forbidding them to talk to you because he doesn’t want to make this harder for you then it really is.  Second of all, you didn’t kill uncle Ash.  You almost but you didn’t.  You ran away when you saw what you have done.  That doesn’t make you a bad person.  Stop worrying Isabelle.  You’re making me, Ash and Ros worried sick.  Now why don’t you come in and enjoy a family game of monopoly.”

“Okay,” I replied with a I smiled. 

We played a long game of monopoly.  Grandpa Charlie ended up winning.  Soon the sun was glowing and the sky was blue.  It was time for my training.  

“We’re going to do the same thing today, Iz.  You ready?”

“What if I attack you again?  What if this time I can’t stop myself?  What if I kill you this time?” my voice alarmed.

“Bells, stop worrying.  I know you can do this.  Don’t worry,” comforted uncle Ash.  I nodded.  He ran back to get the cup.  Once and again the fumes struck me.  I dropped to my knees.  I clawed at myself.  I clawed at the ground.  I let out a terrifying scream but soon, I gained control of myself.  I took a deep breath.  I stood up shakingly.

“You’re doing good Isabelle,” commented uncle Alexander.  I took in short breaths.  I felt like I was choking on something.  I should be sweating by now but apparently that’s something vampires are incapable of.

“That’s enough for today,” uncle Ash finally announced.  He ran back into the house.  I let out a deep breath then everything went dark.  When I opened my eyes again I saw myself in my room.  I sat up and found aunt Rosmera with uncle Ash and uncle Alexander at her side.  

“Are you okay, little one?” she asked.

“What happened?” I replied.

“Self-control took so much of your energy that you passed out.  When you passed out, you were still shivering from head to toe.  We didn’t know what to do but Arianne already fixed you up.”

“Oh,” was all I can say.  

The next few days we did the same exercise.  Every time I did it, it got easier and easier.  One day, I wasn’t even aggravated by the smell.  I was completely calm and in control of myself.

“Today I will teach you about your extra ability,” uncle Ash announced one day, “Lucky for you I am an expert at this.  As you already know you cannot control your ability to hear people’s current thought.  As I said before, it functions like your ear.  You can’t control it but your other ability is controllable.  Now I’ll teach you how to use it.  First you would have to let go of your mind and let it channel and explore through your target’s mind.  Practice on me.  Concentrate on me then let your mind explore.”  “

I tried very hard to concentrate.  I let myself go.  In my head I saw flashes of pictures.  I saw my uncle when he was young.  I saw every single thought and memory he had.  Finally, I collected myself together again.  Finally, I found something I was good at.

“Very good,” he said, “Now try to control yourself and not let yourself see my past.”

  I had my first attempt but the pictures kept coming back into my head.  I tried to block it but I couldn’t. 

“Try again,” uncle Ash said encouragingly. I tried this time I succeeded. “Like uncle, like niece,” he said.  I giggled.  He ruffled my hair and we went back to the house.  

…

At dinner, I asked, “Does anyone in here besides uncle Ash have extra abilities?”

“No,” said Grandpa Charlie.

“No,” replied Grandma Arianne.

“Yes, I can move solid objects with my mind,” aunt Ros replied happily.

“Yes, I can find a person’s deepest desires,” uncle X replied casually.

“Cool!” I chimed. 

The days flew by fast.  One day, aunt Rosmera said, “Little Iz, you’re almost going home.  You’ll be leaving in four days.  Oh and Charlie told me to tell you that your skin will turn harder in a few weeks.”  It was a bittersweet moment.  I was thrilled to go home and meet my friends but I am also sad to leave my aunts and uncles. Believe it or not, even aunt Madison.  

  Those four days came fast.  Soon, I found myself at the door receiving hugs and kisses from my relatives.  Even aunt Madison gave me a squeeze.  I climbed into uncle Ash’s Mercedes.  The car purred to life and soon we were racing back home.  

…

  After a few hours of driving, I got hungry so we stopped at a burger shop.  Uncle Ash went and took our order while I sat at a red table waiting for him.  During the training I had learnt how to act human.  I have never tested my abilities before but judging by the people’s reaction I thought I did pretty well.  When uncle Ash and I walked into the room everybody had to turn.  All jaws dropped.  The women were discussing how uncle Ash’s brown hair matched so perfectly with his albatross white skin.  The moms were discussing how they could make their children like me.  I hid a smile.  This was one of the funny bits of being a vampire.  Suddenly from behind me came an icy white hand.  It clamped over my mouth firmly.  I struggled to get away but I couldn’t.  The hand dragged me off into a truck and drove me away. I knew this creature was not human because its scent did not tempt me to lunge and it had incredible strength.  If it was a normal human then a punch of mine would send them flying but these creatures wouldn’t budge.  I sat in the hot and humid container planning my escape. I thrashed against the container but it would not budge.  What in the world is this container made out of? I wondered.  After a few hours, I was gagged and I was dragged out of the container.  My eyes wandered and saw a dark grand castle.  Gargoyles were placed in every corner to greet me.

Back at the burger shop

“Where is she? She was just there a minute ago?” uncle Ash thought.  Then he caught the scent of two other vampires.  “Oh god! No!!! Not them!” he said in alarm and fear.  He raced out to the road.  He immediately called Hawks.  “Hawks come here quick.  It’s Isabelle.  She’s kidnapped.  I’ll tell you about the details when you get here.  I’m in a burger shop about five kilometers from your place.”  He hung up and waited anxiously.

  In a few minutes, he saw a black jeep pull over.  From the jeep, climbed out three boys and a tall bulky man.  Dexter rushed up to uncle Ash and said, “What happened to her?  Is she alright?”

“No,” uncle Ash replied solemnly and honestly.

“What happened and who captured her?” asked Hawks.

“She was waiting for me at a table then two vampires came in and grabbed her.  If I’m correct then she got captured by the Finders.”

“The what?” Mason said.

“The Finders.  They are like the mad scientists of the vampire society.  They are very eager to learn about new species and I think the news of Isabelle had reached them.  She is a rare creature and they have taken her back to their palace to study on.”

“Why is that bad?  They just run a few test on her and she’ll be let go.” Christopher asked confused.

“The Finders don’t just run normal test.  They penetrate the objects mine.  Find their deepest desires and deepest fears.  There are other test that are so cruel I dare not speak of.  She might…”

“might what?” said the three alarmed boys in unison.

“Die,” uncle Ash finally choked out.  

“Let’s start finding her now.  Can’t waste any more time,” said Hawks. “Lead the way, tracker.”

For hours and hours they followed uncle Ash.  Soon it was night time and they had to go to sleep.  “If I was doing this alone I would’ve gotten there already but I need their help,” uncle Ash said in frustration.

Isabelle

Soon, I found myself tied up to a metal chair in the middle of the room.  “Hello, little one.  My name is Ralvaka and these two are my brothers, Luster and Materson.”

“I don’t care who the hell you are.  What do you want from me? Let me go!!!”

“I am afraid that is something I cannot do for you.  Trust me no harm will be done to you.”  I smirked.  The three white men strode out of the room.  “Oh.  Your test will start tomorrow,” said a guy that I figured was Materson. 

…

The Rescue Team

  They immediately broke camp and continued on their journey when the sun peaked through the horizon.  The jeep was driving at its full speed.  Uncle Ash was running beside the jeep.  His movements so fast that a normal human’s eye could never catch.  He was as fast as lightning.  They traveled long.  In the jeep, the three boys were silent and worried.  Dexter was staring out of the window and into the cold day.   The sun also seemed to be depressed as he was.  I hope she’s alright, he thought.  He turned around and faced his friends.  His worry and sorrow were reflected on their faces.  He worked up a grim smile to comfort them.  They mimicked in reply.  Let’s hope we’re not too late, thought Mason

Isabelle

I have just woken up from a deep sleep.  I was still tied up to the chair in the white bright room.  The three monsters walked into the lonely, cold room.  “Today your test begins,” Luster announced.  My inhuman sense caught something delicious.  It smelt like fresh daisies, roses and all the most beautiful flowers combined.  Wait. No it smells way better than that.  It’s so good it cannot be described. One whiff of it and I recognized the scent immediately.  The itch in my throat started to tingle but I kept myself calm.  

“What is your name, creature?” asked Ralvaka.

“Isabelle,” I replied curtly.

“Isabelle, you are a very fascinating creature.  We have never seen one like you.  Half nature bender and half vampire.  We are eager learners.   We study the most exotic creatures.  We will only run a few tests on you.  It wouldn’t hurt.” I did not react to his words.  “Here’s the first test.”  With the speed of light he flung the cup of blood at me.  It spilt all over my clothes.  The scent was gorgeous.  It was so addicting.  I fight to restrain myself but I couldn’t.  I was out of control.  I screamed and thrashed on the chair as the blood trickled down my shirt and onto my pants.  I tried to escape the grasp of the rope but it didn’t work. 

“Interesting…” I heard Materson say.  I wanted to let out a growl but all that came out was a blood curling scream.

“That’s enough.   For now…” Ralvaka said.  They clipped my nose with a peg.  Then, they untied the knot on my wrist and threw me some new clothes.  They left without another word.  I quickly got rid of my clothes and put on the new ones.  They made me look like a ghost.  I was white from head to toe.  I was very tired.  I felt like I wanted to pass out.  I reached into the blood stained trousers and took out a lighter.  I always kept it with me in case of emergency.  I could bend the fire that this lighter produces.  I quickly burned my blood covered clothes and took of the peg.  When the work was complete I was so exhausted that I passed out on the cold marble floor.   

The Rescue Team

“We’re close,” announced uncle Ash.  They were taking a break because Christopher got a bit nausea.  

“How many days until we get there?” asked Hawks.

“If my calculation are correct then we would reach there in two days at dawn.” 

“Will we get there in time?” said Hawks.  The boys were worried.  All eight pair of eyes were on uncle Ash.

“If we’re lucky,” he answered unwillingly. They all gulped. 

…

Isabelle

I woke up and found myself tied to the metal chair, again. I glanced at the digital clock. It said 9:03 am.  How long have I been out for? I thought.  Then, the three vampires walked into the room again.  This time they weren’t holding a glass of blood but they were holding a knife.  “Isabelle, today we are going to test your skin.  It shouldn’t hurt,” one of them said.  I hissed at them.

“May the torture begin,” I mumbled as they start taking the knife out of its sheath.  The long blade of the knife was against my skin.  They turned it over so that the flat side was no longer resting on my skin but in its place was the sharp side.  He pressed it against my skin.  It was  excruciatingly painful.  The blade tore through my glistening skin and a sea of blood burst out from my arm.  It felt like they were trying to burn me alive.

“How fascinating…” Ralvaka mumbled as he took a step back.  Blood! I thought. Isabelle calm down, I reminded myself.  The three beasts left the room.  A few minutes later, their human servants were sent in to heal my wound.  I have not encountered any human in days and after the test yesterday I was pretty shaken up.  As the servants walked in I felt the urge to pounce on them but I restrained it.  They cleaned up my wound and healed it with some herbs.  What century do these people live in? I thought to myself.

“We’re almost there!” uncle Ash exclaimed.  “There’s a chance that Isabelle is still alive!”  Everybody was rejoiced to hear that.  

Hang on Isabelle, we’re coming, the boys thought in unison.  

“Hold up a second!” shouted Hawks.  Everybody jumped and stared at him. “Can’t you guys communicated with each other through your minds?”

“Yes, yes we can,” Dexter and Mason said in harmony.

“Then, why don’t use that to contact Isabelle.”

“I tried,” started Mason, “but I couldn’t reach her.  Her mind was blank.  That means that she was either unconscious or very feeble, too tired to even think.”  Hawks looked impressed and disappointed at the same time.

“And why didn’t you tell us this?” Uncle Ash said furiously.

“I thought it was unnecessary,” Mason mumbled softly.

“My niece is being tortured, tormented by a stranger and you didn’t felt the need to tell us that she might be DEAD!!!” uncle Ash was screaming now.

“She’s not dead!” Mason exclaimed horrified.  “If she’s dead, we’ll feel it and we know that she’s not dead.  She’s just feeble or unconscious but NOT dead.” Uncle Ash’s expression soften.

“Sorry to shout at you, kiddo.  It’s just that I have been worried sick.”

“No worries, it’s friendly fire,” replied Mason comfortingly.

 “Let’s get back on the road,” Hawks ordered.

…

Isabelle

I curled up in a ball in a corner of the room.  I was finally out of the chair.  I was thinking about my friends, my uncles, my aunts, my mentor….. my mom.  Suddenly, I remembered my ability to communicate with my friend through mine.  I reached out to them.

Hi guys, it’s me Isabelle

You’re not dead!!!!!,exclaimed Christopher.

No, surprisingly I’m not.

It’s so good to hear your voice again, said Dexter when he joined the conversation.

I was right you’re not dead!!!, cried Mason.  I giggled.

Where are you now? We’re coming to get you, Dexter announced.  I felt a surge of happiness and hope run through my body.

I don’t know guys, I answered as the surge of hope disappeared.  Their coming, have to go.  Miss you.

Bye Bells, the boys whispered in unison.

“You look a lot healthier, Isabelle,” commented Luster.

“Hmm… Apparently you’re cruel and blind.  I didn’t even know that was possible,” I answered dryly.  Materson let out a low growl but Ralvaka waved his hand and the noise died down.

“Your test starts now,” announced Ralvaka.  As his sentence end I felt another presence in my mind.  I immediately knew that it was Ralvaka.  He dove through all my memories.  Every thought, every hug, every emotion was his.  I was enraged.  His presence was about to dip itself into my memories of the nature benders secret when a wall formed in front of him.  There was no hole in the wall.  There was no way he could get it.  At first I had no idea where it came from but then I realized that the wall was formed by my will of protecting the secrets.  His presence disappeared.  When my eyes opened, I saw his enraged face glare at me.  I smirked.  “Next time I won’t go so easy on you,” Ralvaka said coldly.

“Ha! Excuses, excuses, excuses.  Guess what, they’re for losers and that my friend is what you are,” I replied.  With a flick of his abnormally small head, he walked away followed by his brothers.

I glanced at the clock. It was midnight.  Tonight there was no food for me.  How in the world does a beast like that have feelings?  He’s such a baby, I thought.  I heard a thump in the wall.  I leaned closer to hear.  Suddenly, the bricks broke down and out came five figures. I was so glad to see them.  My friends, my mentor and my uncle had come to rescue me.  I ran into their arms.  It felt like I haven’t seen them in years.  Then, the three beasts burst through the door accompanied by two guards.  

“Well, well, well.  Look who’s here.  Ashton, nice to see you,” greeted Materson in his deep voice.

“I can’t say the same for myself,” I heard my uncle reply.

“Like uncle like niece, that’s an odd idiom.  For the past few days your niece has been such a nuisance.  She inherited your creativity for insults.”

“One of her qualities that makes me proud,” uncle Ash teased with a grin.  In a split of a second, war broke inside the white cold room.  Uncle Ash flung himself at Ralvaka.  They moved like dancers on the dance floor but their expression furious and their eyes filled with pure hatred.  I saw Mason and Dexter trying to bring down the two guards.  Hawks sword was swift and fast though it didn’t have any effect on Luster’s skin.  I heard a deafening scream.  I wheeled around with the speed of sound.  I saw uncle Ash’s jaws sink into Ralvaka’s neck and with a thunderous noise he ripped the beast’s neck off and threw it onto the white marble floor.  I lunged at Materson while uncle Ash helped Hawks with Luster.  We were both in a defensive crouches.  I jumped my jaws wide aiming for his neck.  

“Use your ability!” I heard my uncle scream.  I immediately  understood.  I was reading every move Materson was about to make.  Suddenly, Materson hesitated.  That was all I need.  I leaped forward and a screeching scream from Materson was heard but it died down shortly afterwards.  I looked to my left and saw Dexter and Mason dwelling their swords with the guards.  The guards were bigger and way more brutal than them.  Their swords got knocked out of their hand.  The boys made the air swirl around the two guards.  The men were confused.  They started to panic.  The wind lifted the guards and threw them with such force that the wall collapsed when they impacted.  We had won.  I was rejoiced once more but I suddenly felt my head spinning and before I knew it everything went black.

When I regained my consciousness, I found myself in my old room.  I sat up and saw Christopher, Mason and Dexter asleep at my bedside.  They looked like miniature versions of god.  A few seconds later, Mason woke up and saw me staring at them.  Christopher and Dexter woke up too.  

“Welcome back Iz,” greeted Mason.  I grinned.  We had a group hug and went down for breakfast.  Hawks was cooking which meant breakfast would be inedible but he still made us eat it anyway.  If we complained about his cooking skills he would say,

“You should be grateful that I actually cook for you.  Some mentors let their students starve.”

After we gulped down our breakfast we raced to the beach.  I saw a flame and tried to bend it but it didn’t work.  I tried again, it still did not work.  I was terrified.  “Hawks! Hawks! Something’s wrong with me!  I think I’ve lost my powers,”  I screamed.

“Calm down Isabelle!  Today is the full moon.  All nature benders lose their powers when the fool moon rises.  It’s natural.  We would consider you weird if you still had your powers,” Hawks explained.  I remembered now and I sighed in relief.  Soon Mason, Christopher and Dexter barged into the room with brilliant smiles on their faces.  

This is so cool!!!!  I heard Mason thought.  I was about to fling my mind at his but I stopped because I thought it would be rude so I waited to hear what happened.

“We got our extra powers!!!” exclaimed Chris.

“Cool kids!” congratulated Hawks, “What are they?”

“I can people freeze to death!!” Mason said happily.

“I can ‘control’ the animal kingdom!” shouted Dexter.

“And I can put people to sleep!” Christopher said.  “I’ll demonstrate it to you.” Before anyone could respond.  Hawks was slumped on the floor snoring soundly.  We stared at Hawks then, roared with laughter.  

At night, we hung out in the living room and watched TV.  Mason and Dexter were on the floor, at my flanks while my head was resting on Christopher’s knee as he sat on the sofa.  Finally, I’m home.  This is where I belong, I thought.