Elemental Power Read online

  “I’ll keep it off,” she promised, leaning over the side of the bed to slide it into her backpack. She couldn’t face getting rid of it. That single piece of technology felt like her only remaining tie to Meera. As long as she had it, there was still a chance she’d be able to contact her friend at some point.

  Dad reached over and turned the light off, and the dim orange glow from the painted sunset was now the only light in the bedroom. In an effort to ease the anxiety that was tightening its fist around her chest, Ridley stroked her hand gently along the length of the cat’s body, from her head all the way down her back. Ember, she thought. Is that a suitable name for a black cat?

  “Ridley,” Dad said. “Why are you still sitting up?”

  She exhaled slowly. Her eyes were heavy and an echo of her earlier headache still thudded dully at her temples. She really wanted to sleep, but … “I’m worried about Archer,” she admitted.

  “I’m sure he’s fine.”

  “But we left before he got into the building. What if he couldn’t get inside? What if that door on the roof was locked? What if he was stuck up there and the police found him?”

  “I doubt a locked door would stop him,” Dad said.

  Ridley chewed on the tip of her thumb nail. Dad eyed her with a strange half smile. “What?” she asked eventually. “What are you smiling at?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Fine, don’t tell me.”

  “You need to sleep, Riddles. You’re exhausted.”

  She lay down, but worry still ate away at her insides. The cat snuggled a little closer to her, and she didn’t push it away. Ember, she whispered again inside her mind. Her thoughts drifted, and she wasn’t aware of it when she finally fell asleep.

  14

  It was disconcerting to wake up in an unfamiliar bed, but it took Ridley only a few moments to remember everything that had happened the night before. At least, she assumed it was now morning. It was difficult to tell in a room that had the same amount of illumination coming through the window as it had when she’d gone to sleep. But she felt rested, so that was probably a good sign that it was now a new day.

  She pushed herself up and looked across the small space—but Dad’s bed was empty. Ember, the cat who didn’t yet know she had been named, didn’t seem to be around either. Ridley’s eyes landed on the table between the beds where a small square of paper sat. She picked it up, recognizing Dad’s handwriting.

  Going to talk to Christa. Thought I’d let you sleep in a while longer.

  Her stomach grumbled as she climbed out of bed, so she took her water bottle with her to the bathroom. Unsure of what the food situation was at the bunker and when she’d be able to eat again, she stood at the basin and drank a full bottle’s worth of water while taking in her messy appearance in the mirror. She’d briefly washed her face the night before, but the makeup smudged beneath her eyes indicated she hadn’t done a very good job. Her hair was in desperate need of a brush. And probably a wash too. The French twist was long gone, but she spotted pins here and there. Probably because she hadn’t bothered removing a single one before climbing into bed last night.

  She picked the hair pins out one by one, filled the bottle a second time, and then remembered the energy bars in the backpack as she opened the bathroom door. At the sight of someone walking toward her room, she stopped. “Archer?” He looked back over his shoulder. “Hey,” she continued, a smile breaking out across her face as she walked toward him. “You’re okay.”

  His expression turned to one of bemusement. “Me? Of course I’m okay. I’m here to check that you’re okay. That you and your dad got here safely. Christa told me where you’re staying.”

  “Yeah, we made it. I’m glad you’re okay too.” She tucked her bottle beneath one arm and rubbed her forefingers below her eyes, hoping to get rid of the dark smudges there. Archer, of course, looked perfectly presentable in jeans, a T-shirt and a jacket. His hair was slightly damp, as if he’d showered just before coming here, and that scent—his aftershave or whatever it was—took her right back to the moment he’d kissed her last night. Stupid aftershave.

  “Rough night?” he asked with a mischievous smile.

  She lowered her hands, guessing she was probably making the dark rings beneath her eyes worse. “Hey, I’ll bet you looked just as bad before your shower this morning.”

  He nodded, his expression serious all of a sudden. “Yes, I always find it difficult to remove my, uh … mascara?”

  She walked past him, shaking her head as she laughed. “Mascara, yes. That’s the one.” She placed the water bottle and hair pins on the table and turned back, finding him standing hesitantly in the doorway, clearly unsure whether to come in or not.

  “Um, I can wait for you in one of the rec rooms if—”

  “What? No, it’s fine, come in. I want to ask you about last night. Where’d you hide the amulets? And what happened when you got home? Did your parents question you? Also, don’t mind me while I eat an energy bar to keep my stomach from digesting itself.”

  Archer stepped into the room as Ridley dug inside her bag and found an energy bar. Cranberry almond, according to the wrapper, though she knew it was made from zero natural ingredients. “I left the amulets about halfway down the building,” Archer told her. “There was a pot with a fake plant in it on one of the landings, so I dropped them in there. As for my parents …” He lowered himself to the edge of Ridley’s bed.

  “They must know by now that I’m the one the police are looking for,” Ridley said. She climbed onto the bed, scooted back so she was leaning against the wall, and pulled her knees up to her chest as she unwrapped the bar.

  “Yes, they know,” Archer said. “First they asked where I’d disappeared to, so I told them I waited and waited at the party, but you never came out of the bathroom. I said I called your commscreen, but you didn’t answer, so I sent someone in to look for you and it turned out you weren’t there. So I left the party to try to find you, but I never did, so eventually I went home.”

  With her mouth half full, Ridley asked, “Do you think they believed all that?”

  “They seemed to. My mother then took great delight in informing me that you’re some kind of magical criminal, and that you abandoned me when the police came looking for you. Lilah was already in bed—or pretending to be, at least—but I’m sure when I see her later she’ll say something along the lines of ‘I told you so.’”

  Ridley wrapped her arms around her knees without taking another bite of the bar. “Then you’ll be able to tell her she was right. The two of you can be friends again, and you can part on good terms.”

  Archer shook his head, his dark eyes settling on Ridley’s as he said, “I won’t be telling her she was right. But I will try to patch things up with her as best I can before I leave.”

  Ridley nodded slowly, unable to pull her gaze from his. “Okay. That’s good. I mean, you know I don’t really like her, but I’m guessing it will suck big time for her when her big brother simply vanishes with no explanation. She’ll go to school one morning, and by the time she gets home, you’ll be …” Ridley trailed off, her eyes slipping past Archer’s as something occurred to her.

  “Everything okay?” he asked.

  “I just realized something,” she said as a strange sense of loss threatened to overwhelm her. “I won’t ever be going back to school.”

  “No, I guess you won’t. Not in this city, at least.” He paused, then added, “Why do you look sad? I would have been overjoyed to leave school a year early.”

  “It’s just … I worked so hard for that stupid scholarship. For the chance at a better life.” She folded the wrapper over the remaining half of the energy bar and placed it on the bed beside her. She didn’t feel so much like eating anymore. “You wouldn’t understand,” she said as she wrapped her arms around her knees once more. “You never needed—”

  “No, I’m sorry.” He rested one hand lightly on top of hers as he added, “I’m an idiot
. I didn’t think. Obviously it’s important to you.”

  She looked at where his hand sat on top of hers. She was hyperaware of his touch, as if all the nerve endings in her body now existed in her hand. She thought about turning it over so they were palm to palm. So she could slide her fingers between his.

  “I can’t imagine how unsettling this is for you,” Archer said, pulling his hand away. “At least I planned to leave the city. You had no idea this was coming.”

  Ridley inhaled deeply, immensely relieved that she hadn’t embarrassed herself by doing that entwined-fingers thing. “Well, yes and no,” she said after she’d given her brain a few seconds to replay Archer’s words. “Last week I had no idea this was coming. This week … well, ever since I got that letter, the possibility has been there in the back of my mind that we might have to leave suddenly. Dad said we wouldn’t need to, but I know things can change in an instant.”

  “Like last night,” Archer said quietly.

  “Yes.”

  He was silent a few moments. Then: “What are your dad’s plans for the two of you? Will you be staying here in the bunker for a while?”

  “No. We’re definitely leaving, probably sooner rather than later.” She pulled her knees tighter against her chest. “It seems the only thing Dad dislikes more than the idea of heading out into the wastelands is the idea of living with a bunch of magic users.”

  “If you wait a few days, I can go with you.”

  “You’re planning to leave that soon?”

  “I have nothing to stay here for. I just need to get a few things in order, and then I’m out.”

  “Where are you planning to go? Back to France?”

  He shook his head. “No, it’s too much of a risk to try to travel in secret on the TransAt Train again. The first time I left, I obviously wasn’t hiding. My parents knew where I was going. And when I returned this most recent time, I wasn’t hiding either. I just didn’t broadcast it to the world through all my social channels, and I kept a low profile on the train. But a few months ago, that time I snuck back into the city … well, I was not an official passenger on the TransAt.”

  Ridley’s lips tugged up into a smile on one side. “Archer Davenport, how daring of you.”

  “Clearly I’m not as good at going unseen as you are. Being able to literally disappear into thin air would have been helpful. I almost got caught. When I leave now, for good, I need to do it properly. I don’t want anything going wrong, and I don’t want anyone to know where I’m headed. So I’ll stick to this continent. There’s an elemental community I know of. They told me about it when I was living on La Tournette. In fact, I know the location of most of the communities around the world, but this one’s the closest. Probably a few weeks away from here on foot.”

  Ridley’s eyebrows rose. “You’re planning to spend several weeks out in the wastelands?”

  “It’s not as dangerous out there as you think, remember? You just have to be careful. Respectful. Don’t take anything with arxium thinking it’ll protect you. The magic out there will just fight back.”

  She tilted her head in thought. “You told me you were hiking in one of those hazmat-type suits made of arxium when you first found the elementals. Was magic attacking you then?”

  “Yes. I didn’t get hurt because I was inside the suit, but it was like trying to hike through a storm. We all got buffeted around a lot. That’s how I ended up separated from the group.” He let out a quiet laugh. “Best thing that ever happened to me.”

  “Okay, so if Dad and I go with you, then I don’t have to worry about doing that whole ‘look for the signs, listen to the elements’ thing.”

  “What thing?”

  “From my letter. That’s what the elementals told me to do to find them.”

  “Oh yes. No, you wouldn’t need to do that. I know where to go.” He gave her that smile again, the one that stirred something deep inside her, and added, “It would be great if you came with.”

  She nodded, smiling. The idea of not having to say goodbye to him filled her with a comforting warmth. She was leaving behind almost every other part of her life, so at least she’d have this one thing—aside from Dad—that would feel like carrying a piece of home with her. She did a double take at that thought. Since when had she come to associate Archer Davenport with the idea of home?

  “Oh, and the other benefit of us traveling together,” Archer added, “is that it’ll be much faster. On my own, I’ll have to walk. But you can whisk us through the air at the speed of a gale force wind.”

  “Ah, I see.” She cocked her head and gave him a teasing smile. “So you just want me for my magic, huh?” She expected him to respond in the same teasing manner, but instead he hesitated, his eyes burning into hers with an unusual intensity. “Um, so, it doesn’t totally freak you out?” she asked hurriedly, before the moment could become awkward. “When I turn you to air?”

  “No,” he said immediately.

  She laughed. “That was too quick to be true.”

  “Well, maybe I was a little freaked out, but mostly I thought it was incredible. It was such a rush, racing through the air like that.” He moved as if he were about to push himself to his feet, then stopped. Looking back at her, he said, “I wasn’t going to admit this, but … remember you asked me if I wish I was like you?”

  “Yes?”

  His eyes moved across her face as a small smile made its way onto his lips. “I do. I wish I was like you.”

  She had no idea what to say to that. It was completely absurd that someone like Archer, who appeared to have everything in the world, wanted to be like her.

  “I wonder if anyone is ever truly happy with the hand they’re dealt in life,” he continued quietly, “or if everyone’s always wishing for something they don’t have.”

  “Or wishing they didn’t have something they do have,” Ridley answered.

  For several moments, they simply stared at one another. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but her brain was backtracking, trying to figure out when this conversation had turned so serious.

  “Do you really mean that?” he asked. “Do you wish you didn’t have magic?”

  “Well … maybe not so much anymore. But for a long time, yes. I just wanted to be normal. I didn’t want to have to worry all the time that someone might find out what I could do. Even after I decided to use it to help me get into people’s homes and steal things, I still had to hide it from, well, everyone. Even Dad. He never wanted me using it. He always reminded me how dangerous it was.”

  Archer watched her for another few seconds. “So you feel guilty when you’re using it?”

  “Well, yeah. Dad never wanted me to use it—he’d probably still prefer it if I didn’t use it—so of course I feel guilty about it. Not that the guilt has ever stopped me,” she added with a roll of her eyes. “Obviously. I just told myself I was doing something good, and that Dad didn’t need to know about it.”

  “Hmm,” Archer said, still watching her.

  “Why? What are you thinking?”

  “I don’t know … Your grandfather said you’re trying too hard to control the magic, and that’s what’s giving you a headache. You didn’t seem to believe that. But maybe it isn’t just the exertion. You’re feeling guilty every time you use magic, and anxious because you might get caught, and afraid because of what might happen to you if you fully give yourself over to the elements.” She frowned at that last bit, but he added, “Yeah, I was listening to you that day you came to the hospital to heal me. When you told me you were scared of earth, and that water and fire are too volatile.”

  Ridley sighed and tipped her head back against the wall. “So basically, you’re saying I get stressed out and scared and guilty, and that exacerbates the headaches until they feel like they’re going to blind me and make me hurl my insides out?”

  Archer shrugged. “Maybe.”

  “Wow, you make me sound like a total basket case.”

  “Look, I don�
�t know. It’s possible I’m talking total nonsense.”

  “You’re probably talking total nonsense.”

  “But I’ve spoken to a lot of elementals over the past year,” he continued. “And not everyone can just automatically interact with the elements from the get-go. Some people have to teach themselves how to relax. I imagine that if you’re a control freak—”

  “You’re saying I’m a control freak?”

  “—then you should probably, I don’t know, meditate or something.”

  Ridley sighed. “That doesn’t sound like something I’d be good at.” Archer’s smirk reappeared, and Ridley pointed a finger at him, hastily adding, “And don’t say, ‘Exactly.’”

  He laughed. “I was just going to add that maybe you don’t need to meditate now that the other factors aren’t an issue anymore. You have nothing to feel guilty about now, right? Your father knows you’re using magic. He’s okay with it. I think? And the anxiety part … well, once you’re in a place where no one can see you—”

  “Like the wastelands?”

  “Yes. Then you’ll have nothing to be anxious about. No one’s going to arrest you and sentence you to death out there.”

  “And the fear of the elements …” Ridley said quietly, no longer meeting his gaze.

  “I guess that’s up to you. You’ll have to figure out a way to get over your fear. Maybe by letting yourself go and proving to yourself that it doesn’t kill you.”

  Ridley snorted. “Great plan. What if it does? What if I end up stuck inside a rock forever?”

  “I suppose you’ll have to take a leap of faith at some point.”

  “Yeah, maybe …” She pushed her hand through her tangled hair. “Anyway, what were we talking about before you decided to go and get all deep on me?”

  “Um …” Archer turned his gaze toward the painted scenery behind the window. “Oh yes. The possibility of you and your dad coming with me when I leave to join the elementals.”

  “Right, yes. I just have to convince Dad that it’s a good idea, which isn’t going to be easy. You know how he feels about us living with elementals.”