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Chapter 36
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Fire and Water Chapter 37
James had just taken his seat in the back row of third period Pre-Calculus, when Christian walked in with a map in hand and a half-puzzled expression filling his face. He gave a rueful half smile at the sight of the new boy. Christian spotted him and hurried over. “Damn this place is huge and the teacher’s . . . they’re stupid hard. I already have homework.” He took pity on Christian and chortled. “Here, sit down.” He pointed to the empty chair. When Christian had slung his bag to the chair and plopped down, he continued, “Yeah, it’s tough here. But you’ll get used to it.” Christian shook his head, his bangs falling across half his face. He flicked them away. “Hope so.” “Hey James,” said Jennifer West. He had been so engrossed with Christian’s anxieties that he hadn’t seen her sit down on the other side of him. She was wearing a sky-blue shirt—the school’s crest embossed in navy blue over the left side of her chest—and white shorts that stopped short of mid-thi
Fire and Water Chapter 38
Christian laughed deep in his gut and flopped on to his back. He started swimming around like a dolphin—shooting water out of his mouth like one too. “Enough playing around,” Blakeney called out, trying to bring back a semblance of order. “Let’s get to work.” Whipping his heavily soaked hair out of his face, Christian stood and became attentive. “We know you can create a whirlpool with a pitcher of water, now I want you to try it with a body of water this size,” directed Blakeney. “Think you can do it?” His dark gray eyes flashed with a challenge. Christian rose to it. “Piece of cake.” He watched as the young man backed up towards the lining of the pool. When Christian had stood stock still, the water as calm as serene pond on a hot summer day, he closed his eyes and laid his hands gently on the surface. It began from the spot Christian was rooted to. James watched and listened as the emanations of power started to show. A steady thrumming sound reverberated through the wate
Fire and Water Chapter 39
It was after class the next day and James found himself in the Li-brary with a few books on the table before him. He wanted to get a jump start on his homework so that he wouldn’t have to spend the entire weekend trapped in a book. He cracked the first one—a number which discussed the use of bows and arrows by Genghis Khan for his Military History class—and began to read the first chapter. Or he tried to anyway. He breathed a heavy sigh as soon as he realized he had read the first sentence several times. He closed his eyes and clapped a hand to his forehead. Ever since working with Christian yesterday, his thoughts had been elsewhere. He couldn’t help but run the afternoon through his mind over and over. It was like that annoying song that gets stuck in your head and never goes away; it just replays over and over. But if James was honest with himself, there was a single word which described the undertones of each rerun: jealousy. The lingering doubts of himself as the element of air
Fire and Water Chapter 40
And so it was that he now found himself after dinner the very next Friday, the uniform of a Centurion laid out before him—leather sandals, burgundy-red cape . . . thingy, breastplate and helmet, and whatever you call the leather-like kilt contraption—when he suddenly realized what he had forgotten to do. With the party going on so late, there was no way that he and Eliza would be up in time for training in the morning. James swore at himself for being so forgetful. He checked the time and dashed from the room. Taking two steps at a time, he ran down the stairs and didn’t break stride as he hit the ground floor. He jogged around the lounging students and the massive statue of Athena, before darting down the main hallway and entering the area where the staff offices were. James slid to a stop in front of the door marked: Director. He slowed his breathing and knocked on the heavy wooden door. “Come in,” a voice sounded from the other side. He opened the door, stepped through, and c
Fire and Water Chapter 41
They climbed from the car, made sure the doors were locked, and worked their way through the sea of cars. He held out an arm, Eliza slid hers through the crook of his elbow, and they stepped up on to the decorated porch. Making their way to the front door, numerous costumed party-goers gawked as they walked past. “I think everyone’s staring at you,” she leaned in and whispered. But James shook his head and fought down a laugh. “Nope, not me. You.” “What?” she started to protest, but they’d already arrived at the door. James opened it up, the bass hitting them like the blast from a shockwave and allowed her step in first. She was a little shy and overwhelmed it seemed to him, especially eyeing all the revelry. There were extravagant decorations everywhere, black lights in random places, but that wasn’t the sight of her searching gaze. It was the students doing shots and making out and various other lewd activities in dark corners of the rooms. “It was never this wild when I came
Fire and Water Chapter 42
Start at Chapter 27A dank, musty breeze whispered inside the dark cavern. The lit candles and crackling fire in the large, black marbled fireplace flickered like fireflies. With the smells of the place and the dim, depressing atmosphere, you’d think anyone would hate it here. But to Nicholas Clurife, it was home. In fact, he despised having to leave this temple-like structure which had been forged from an underground cavern. Every time he came back into the deathly environment though, his blood sang exuberantly. It was as close as he could come to being at his father’s temple in the Underworld. His sharp features were half in shadow, but his pale skin glowed a light gold as he stood facing the warmth of the fire. From the expression in his cold, gray eyes and the strain on his face, he was filled to the brim with a quiet fury. He spun on the spot impatiently as he detected her soft, stealthy footfalls. “I have brought him for you, master,” Kali bowed slightly at the waist. Her
Fire and Water Chapter 43
The palpable tension in the air every time Christian and Dieter were near each other refused to abate. They were so close to continuing the fight which had started by the pool that it was as if heat waves could be seen between them like an asphalt blacktop on a sweltering summer day. James thought it was incredibly immature and he couldn’t believe how the two of them could act like such kids. Because of this, half of the time he normally would have spent focusing on homework or being with Eliza, he now spent making certain a brawl didn’t erupt. If Christian lost control and abused his abilities, hell would literally break loose. At least Christian was helping some by staying to himself whenever possible. Apparently one of the ways in which Christian relieved stress or vented or whatever was to grab his board and skate like a mad man. So, most afternoons, when he wasn’t training, Christian could be found skateboarding around the parking lots and setting up various obstacles to sk
Fire and Water Chapter 44
Surprisingly, a stampede did not spontaneously materialize. He figured that most of the people realized that the quickest way to get in would be for everyone to file in as orderly as possible, thus preventing any kind of clog. Now if only drivers on the freeway around D.C. could figure that one out, James thought. When he, Tres, Christian, and Adonis finally reached the doors the wave of tantalizing smells nearly knocked him over. Seared, roasted, and smoked meats filled the air, sizzling spices and butter, melted, bubbly cheeses and steamed vegetables, all mixed with the scent of cinnamon, pumpkin, and sugar which danced across the dining hall. His mouth was watering. Tres seemed to be n some kind of a food-induced daze and Christian and Adonis were eyeing the meats on the other side of the hall avidly. James spotted the girls at a table not too far from the serving lines and headed their way. As they pulled closer, he saw that Eliza and Svet were guarding the e
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