Caloric

“Phoenyx, wake up,” a pretty, concerned voice wafted through her unconsciousness. She felt light slaps on her cheeks, and then the blackness dissipated and she was fully conscious again.

She opened her eyes to see three distressful faces looking down on her.

“Are you okay?” Lily asked, pulling Phoenyx up to sit.

“What’s going on?” Sebastian asked, his hand sneaking through the bars to rub her arm.

The blackness had taken none of the pain or the guilt with it and the panic quickly returned.

Tears streamed from her eyes, a dam over-flooded with unrestrainable emotions. “I killed him,” she sobbed, her voice cracking and her face wrinkling. “It’s all my fault. He was only trying to protect me, to be a good dad and I killed him. I’m a horrible person. It should have been me!”

No one spoke as she broke into a heavier sob. She didn’t care to look up at their faces. It didn’t matter what opinion her confession wrought in them, because no one could judge her as harshly as she was judging herself. “I never wanted to believe it, but…what Skylar said is true. I can start fires with my mind. Or at least I did once. I…” She half-hiccupped, half-sniffled. “I killed my father!” The sob took over and her shoulders shook.

“Oh, sweetie,” Lily crooned, rubbing Phoenyx’s back comfortingly.

Phoenyx could hardly feel the touch. She was so deep inside herself, in a place where nothing felt good.

“You didn’t kill him,” Skylar said. “You may have unknowingly started the fire but his death was an accident. You have to know that’s true.”

“If I hadn’t lost control, if I hadn’t gotten so angry that the fire sparked, my dad would still be alive!” She wept. “Whether or not I intentionally killed him, it’s still my fault he’s dead!”

Sebastian reached in further and took her chin in his hand. He gently turned her face toward him.

“Do you really think your dad would blame you?” he asked. “If he’s up there somewhere watching down on you, do you think he could actually blame his only daughter for an accident that ended his life?”

“God, I hope not,” she cried.

“I’m sure he doesn’t,” Sebastian said. “You can’t beat yourself up about it your whole life. All you can do is learn from this and move on. Don’t you think that’s what your dad would want for you?”

She nodded. She sucked in through her nose as hard as she could and wiped her eyes. Then the knowledge that all their lives were in imminent danger came back to her. They couldn’t afford for her to get caught up in her remorse right now. She had to get it together, for them. She had to bury these feelings, at least until the time came when she could deal with them in private. That was one thing with which she had lots of practice.

“It’s okay. I’ll be okay,” she managed to say convincingly. She swallowed hard, forcing her feelings back down with it. “We have more important things to deal with. Now that we’ve established that I’m a freak firestarter, that means the legend is true to some extent. They chose right with me, and seeing as you all have powers, too, I’m guessing they weren’t wrong about you three, as well. So…which of the elements do you all think you are?”

It was clear on all of their faces that no one wanted to abandon their concern for her, that none of them were convinced she was okay but they did slowly give in to ponder the question she posed.

“Air, Water, and Earth are left,” Sebastian mused. “I know it’s probably too soon to joke about but I’m a little disappointed that Fire is already taken.”

Phoenyx mustered up a fake smile for him. He returned one, and she saw his compassion for her in his eyes. How could he still like her after what he just learned? His affections were completely undeserved.

“Maybe our powers have something to do with which element we are,” Sebastian said. “The core of Phoenyx’s ability to control people’s will is rooted in sensuality, right? Doesn’t fire have something to do with sex and sensuality? People always say things like passion burns. Fire is unpredictable and wild, just like lust can be.”

“That’s a good point,” Skylar said. “I think you’ve got something there. So then, what do our powers say about us?”

“Well, I see a connection right away,” Lily said. “With you, Skylar. You are telepathic and telekinetic. Everything about what you can do deals with the air. Thoughts are a frequency, frequencies move through the air. Moving objects with your mind—isn’t that manipulating air in order to move things?”

“Wow, that’s…an amazing observation,” he said with a look of revelation on his face. “I think you’re absolutely right.”

“Lily’s ability to heal,” Sebastian said, looking like he just had a eureka moment. “Earth is always referred to as Mother Nature, and isn’t Mother Nature supposed to be nurturing and healing?”

“She loves to garden,” Phoenyx interjected. “She told me, before you guys were brought in, that she was in the garden club at her school. Didn’t you say your nickname was Green Thumb?”

“Actually, I…I do have a knack for growing things,” Lily admitted. “My ability to heal isn’t limited to people and animals. It works on plants too. I can accelerate their growth. I can make a flower go from a seed to a blossom in minutes.”

Of course Lily would be Earth. She was sweet as a garden in spring. She was selfless and loving and friendly, and yet so frail, a flower requiring the utmost care. She was the best of all of them. And Phoenyx believed she was the worst.

She felt Skylar’s hand on hers then. She looked up at his face. He shook his head, and his gray eyes were full of sincerity. She appreciated the gesture but it didn’t change how she felt. Thank you, she thought, and then she did what Sebastian said he did—she visualized a bubble all around herself, so tight and thick, to close her mind off to him. She saw the change in his face, so slight, so subtle, as was everything else about him. He nodded, patted the top of her hand gently, then pulled his hand back through the bars.

“Well then, that leaves Water,” Sebastian said. “I’m Water?” The words turned into a question as he spoke them.

“Come to think of it, your illusions have always had a ripple look to them—when they fade anyway,” Skylar said. “You’ve always loved water. You’d swim all day everyday if you could.”

“Oh yeah, didn’t you tell me you were the youngest kid on the swim team before you left school?” Phoenyx recounted. “It would make sense if you were Water.”

“Sure, I love swimming and playing in water, but that’s just the kid in me,” Sebastian said with a shrug. “What do illusions have anything to do with water?”

“That’s simple,” Lily said. “Think about reflections. Water reflects and even changes images.”

“Yeah, like mirages,” Phoenyx added. “Mirages can make people see all sorts of illusions. Water can be tricky.”

“That’s definitely Sebastian,” Skylar said. “Tricky.”

“Water is also adaptive,” Phoenyx said. “It’s kinda like Bruce Lee’s famous saying. ‘When you pour water into a cup, it becomes the cup. When you pour water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle.’ From what I know of you, whatever situation or environment you are put in, you mold yourself to fit into it and best it.”

“She quotes Bruce Lee,” Sebastian said, looking at his lap and shaking his head. “Let’s say I am Water.” He rolled his eyes at the last word. “All three of you can manipulate your supposed element: Phoenyx starts fires, Skylar moves things through thin air, Lily makes plants grow. I have never manipulated water.”

“Actually, that’s not true,” Skylar said, pointing at Sebastian with his index finger. “There have been countless times that I’ve seen you stay under water for longer than is normal. I think your record is thirty minutes. That must be because you are manipulating the water to stay submerged longer, and you don’t even realize you’re doing it.”

“Thirty minutes?” Lily asked. “He’s right. That’s not humanly possible. Most people tap out at three minutes, a tenth of your time.”

“Really?” Sebastian asked. “I guess I never really thought about it. It’s always just been natural to me to stay under that long.” He fiddled with his fingers on his lap. “I still think this whole thing is ludicrous. I refuse to believe that thousands of years ago, a band of cracked out wizards trapped the most basic laws of nature in human form. I mean, it’s just fucking bonkers. Hell, what’s next? Are you going to tell me the Tooth Fairy is real? That unicorns and mermaids exist? That there really is a jolly old fat man named Santa Claus who travels the entire world in one night, delivering presents to good little boys and girls? If that’s true, that bastard owes me ten years of presents.”

“It doesn’t matter if the story is true or not,” Skylar said. “The fact is, we do indeed have the powers they say we do, for whatever reason that may be. Regardless of the reality of spells and rituals and ancient spirits, these people are going to kill us. I don’t imagine they expect us to walk away from being stripped of these elements.”

“Our only hope is that Lucas returns quickly with the key,” Phoenyx said. “Before the effect of my compulsion wears off.”

“How long does it usually last?” Skylar asked.

“I put every ounce of will and force I had into the order I gave him,” she said. Maybe a little too much, for she barely had enough left to compose herself after her harsh realization moments ago. The void of pushing out all her willpower left her vulnerable. What horrible timing!

“Depending on the purpose and the effort I put in, the effect can last anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes to a few hours. This one will be on the latter end of the spectrum for sure but it’s not an exact science. I can’t predict a definitive time frame.”

“We’ll just have to hope it’s enough,” Skylar said.