Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The next morning as I head out of Sky Hall for classes, Sam was waiting for me.  I’m shocked, but try not to let it show as I blow right past him.  Undeterred, he falls instep with me before I can blink. 

“We need to talk.”

“We don’t,” I say quickly. 

“Something happened yesterday.”

“Nothing happened,” I counter.

“Lie to yourself if you want, but not to me.  I felt it last night.  How did you do that, by the way?  Make me feel what you’re feeling?”

I stopped dead in my tracks.  “What?”

“I’ve never felt anyone’s feelings before, just their ability.  How did you make me feel what you felt?  Did you feel my feelings too?”

My mind bounces back and forth between continuing to protest and acknowledging what occurred.  Whatever yesterday was, neither of us has felt it before—that much is apparent.  I land somewhere in the middle of denial and acceptance.   “Look, that has never happened to me before.  I think you’re the one with the freaky powers, not me.  I would appreciate it if you left me alone.”

Sam studies me for a moment before speaking again.  “We have to go to Professor Anders.  She is the head of elemental magic.  She’ll know what happened.”

“Wait, what?  I’m not going anywhere but class!”

This kid was pretty arrogant if he thought he could tell me what to do.  Seeing Professor Anders was not happening for a number of reasons.  One: the last thing I need is to be anywhere near Professor Pompous.  She is an infuriating person who I was loathed to be around any longer than necessary.  Two: if something weird really was going on with me, I wasn’t about to let the enemy know about it.

“This is important, Delilah.  I could feel everything you were feeling last night, annoyance, frustration…attraction…” 

“Excuse me?” I snap.  I could Hulk Smash his face into oblivion for that remark.

“I could feel your thoughts like they were my own,” Sam presses, ignoring my obvious anger.  “You were really annoyed with me last night for some reason, but you were also thinking about how good looking I am…”  His voice trails off and his cheeks blush a little but he doesn’t look away.  In fact his eyes hold mine—daring me to contradict him. 

Now I just want to kill him.  Which is good since that is my job.  Still, my mortification isn’t complete until her utters five simple words that make me wish I was an earth user so the ground could just swallow me up.

“I think you’re cute too.”  It’s meant as a peace offering.  All it does is make my face flush red.  I don’t need a pity compliment.  Not from Sam Mason of all people.

“Screw you.  And how do you know my name?  Did you get that from touching me too?”

“I asked around about you.  Calling you beautiful is cute, but I think we’re beyond that.  I could feel your thoughts.  I could feel that you knew me, that I was bugging you, but that you were attracted to me.  I could feel a connection between us.  Like fate pulling us together…”  His voice got quiet as he continued talking. 

Fate was pulling us together, but not for the reasons he thought.

“Just drop it.”

“Delilah—“

“I’m going to class.”

He reaches for me, grabbing my arm again.  I feel a flash of emotion.  Desperation and…and something else I can’t pin down.  I break his grip in seconds. 

“What are you afraid of?” he asks, stepping forward. 

I take a step back.  What had he felt from me?  I need distance…and air.  He steps forward, but I call air to my side and suddenly there is an impenetrable wall between us.  Invisible to the naked eye, but the density of the air makes it nearly impossible to pass. 

“I’m going to class,” I say simply.  Turning, I walk away from Samuel Mason with one thought in my mind: I needed to kill him and fast.

#

It is impossible to concentrate on anything but my Sam problem, despite the teacher droning on in front of me about Calculus.  It is one of our general education courses and therefore not really all that important to me.  Plus, math has always come easily to me so my mind pushes it aside.  I have an assassination to plan.

I am beginning to think my secondary mission of keeping my good status at Cambridge is going to be sacrificed.  Especially if Sam goes forward to Professor Anders about this shared ability.  The idea that she will know about this freaky new ability before my own mother sets my teeth on edge.  But besides this newfound power, I have another reason to move up my timetables.  I get the distinct impression that Sam isn’t just going to drop this.  If he grabs me again while I am thinking the wrong thing he could discover the real reason I’m here. This newfound…whatever between us could get me into some seriously hot water.  Plus, more than anything I needed to get back to Jason and my mom.  Whatever is broken inside of me, they need to know about it.  Perhaps they could explain this sudden change—how I was able to feel Sam’s feelings.  There must be precedence somewhere.  If there is, mom will know about it. 

A test lands on my desk and I pick it up.  B+.  I probably could have aced it, but I’m trying to stay under the radar.  I set it down and try and focus on class and killing Sam, but my mind keeps wondering to what happened between Sam and me.  I’ve never heard of elementals being able to feel feelings through touch.  It is…weird.  What if there isn’t an explanation?  What if I’m just a freak of nature?  Or maybe I’m going crazy and this is all in my head!

Stop!  I have to stop thinking this!  I’m beginning to freak myself out which is useless.  Until I speak to mother there is nothing else to consider.  I must focus on my task: the reason I am here.  To do that, though, I need a plan.  Having felt his power, I know Sam won’t go down without a fight.  I am a strong air user—in fact, I’ve never met anyone stronger, but fire is unpredictable.  If I have any chance of winning, I need the element of surprise.  How am I going to do this?  Tactics have never been my strong suit.  I hate this.  I hate being some college-aged assassin when I’ve never killed anyone before except dummies in training class.  Mom said the hate in my heart would be enough, but I’m really not sure it is now.

“Delilah….psst…Delilah…”

I snap out of my musing to see my roommate, Sandy, pass me a note.  I grab it and open it up. 

You okay?

I look up at Sandy, surprised.  In the two weeks I’ve been here, we mostly don’t talk.  She is a partier and I hardly see her at night.  It is fine by me.  If I’m not staying here it is be better not to get close to anyone.  Still, the note touches my heart in a weird sort of way.  I scribble a quick response so she doesn’t think I’m ignoring her, but also doesn’t engage in conversation.

I’m fine, thanks.

I pass the note back.  She takes the paper, doesn’t read it, and passes it on.  I watch in mute horror as the note travels all the way to the front of the classroom where Sam was sitting.  Shit.

I put my head on my desk, banging it once.  Why does he care if I’m okay?  Is it just because of the crazy feelings flash?  That has to be it.  He is probably as freaked out as I am.  Whatever.  I don’t care how many notes he writes me, I’m not going to Professor Anders.  The more I stay off the radar, the easier it will be for me to slip away.

“Delilah…” Sandy hissed again.  I lifted my head just as she tossed the note back on my desk.  I groan.  I don’t want to hear from Sam again.  I crumple up the note and toss it in the trash behind me.  Putting my head back down, I wait for class to be over. 

When the professor releases us, I am the first out of my chair.  I hear my name being called, but I’m gone before Sam can reach me. 

I need to think.  To accomplish my mission I need to get Sam alone and take him by surprise.  So far, I hadn’t found a time when he is by himself.  He is always with his guy friends or one of the girl elementals.  He seems especially fond of water users I noticed. 

I shake that thought off.  It doesn’t matter if he likes water elementals or if he likes elephants.  I just need to get rid of him.  Tonight.  I need to do it tonight.  Maybe I can—

“Please stop running away,” Sam begs as he fell into step with me, gasping for breath.

My fist tightens.  I call air around me before he can reach out and touch me.  I wear the element like a suit of armor. 

“I could ignite a flame and burn up that air around you,” he says quietly.  It isn’t a threat exactly, but I don’t know how else to categorize it.

“What is your deal?”

“I just want to talk.”

I stop walking.  If he wants to talk, we can talk.  “Tonight.”

“Tonight?” he asks, sounding skeptical.

“I have class right now, I can’t think about this.  Tonight.  Behind the gym.  Nine o’clock?”

“Behind the gym?” he asks dubiously.

“Privacy,” is my only answer.  It is the best I will get.  Asking him to meet me at midnight on the football field was probably asking too much. 

“Tonight,” he agreed. 

“Please don’t tell anyone, Sam.  At least until we talk.” I try to look sufficiently nervous about our meeting.  I hope he takes this secrecy as my nervousness about our newfound ability.  I don’t think he’s on to my ulterior motive just yet and it needs to stay that way.

“Sure,” he nods amiably.  “I will see you tonight, Delilah.”

The way he says my name sends little shivers down my spine.  I hate that his voice has any kind of effect on me.  It makes me want to stab him in the eye with a spork.   With a grin, he takes off for his own class.  I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding and lean against the hallway wall.  Tonight. I am going to kill Sam Mason tonight.  Shit, I need to prepare.  Turning, I headed back for my dorm.  Class is not on the agenda today after all.

At my dorm I pack all of my things up into two bags in case I need to run.  I plan on leaving them by the gate so I can snatch them on my way out.  It is only the essential things I need.  A few articles of clothing (enough to get me through a couple days), my books and some personal effects I brought for good luck.  Everything else is superfluous and meant only for my cover as a college student.

The door to the dorm opens and Sandy walks in.  She takes one look at my bags, and then looks at me skeptically.

“Going somewhere?”

“Family emergency.  My grandfather…”  My voice trails off, unable to think of a good story.  Sandy seems to take my reluctance to say as a sign that it is bad.  That is fine by me.

“I’m so sorry.”

“Yeah.”

“Anything I can do to help?”

Leave me alone?  That will probably send alarm bells off.  I merely shake my head and continue what I was doing. 

“So…”  Her voice trails off coyly.  I know that tone.  My face heats before she can even ask.  “You and Sam?”

“No.”

“No?”

“No,” I reaffirm.

“But he was passing you notes in class.”  Her voice drops to a conspiratorial hiss and a smile spreads across her face.  If I was a normal girl who was going to a normal college, we would totally gush about this and dissect every exchange Sam and I had ever had.  But this isn’t a normal college and I’m definitely not a normal girl.  I think up a lie as fast as I can.

“We are partners in Elemental History. He just wanted to know when we could meet to go over our project.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, Professor Anders stuck me with him.”

“Lucky you,” Sandy smiles, a twinkle in her eye.  “He is yummy!”

“He is kind of a jerk,” I counter. 

“Sam Mason?” Sandy scoffs.  “He’s like the nicest guy on earth!”

“I hear he’s got a lot of girlfriends.  I’m not into players.”  I find myself sitting down on my bed and facing Sandy because for some inexplicable reason, I want to know what her response to this is.

“He has a lot of girls who like him.  And he’s really friendly.  I think it just comes off that he plays the field, but he really doesn’t.  Trust me.  He dated one of my friends last year and you couldn’t ask for better boyfriend material.  He’s a total sweetie.”

“So why aren’t they together still?” I don’t know why I want to know so badly, but I can’t seem to extricate myself from this conversation.  Or more truthfully, I don’t want to.

“Well, Sam is a sweetie, Emma…not as much. She isn’t a bad person, I swear, but she gets bored easily and the ‘good guy’ isn’t really her thing.”  Sandy shrugs this off as she starts to change into her running gear.  I turn away to give her some privacy, though Sandy has never been shy.    

“Well I’m sure he has a girlfriend now,” I say.  I tell myself it is only because I’m about to assassinate him and I should know as much about him as possible, but something deep inside of me laughs at my own naivety.

“He’s totally single, Delilah,” Sandy smirks.  “But that doesn’t matter, right?  Because you don’t like him, I take it?”

“Right.”

“Right,” she laughs a little.  “Well, hang in there, Dee.  Hope your grandfather is okay.”  Sandy gives me a sympathetic smile, grabs her iPod and then heads back out for her daily run.  I stare at the door after her, not sure what to make of our conversation.  I sit on my bed and take a deep breath.  She is the enemy.  So is Sam.  I have to remember that. 

Pulling myself together, I grab my dagger and stuff it into the back of my jeans.  I am going to do this.  I am going to make my mother and Jason proud.  I send a quick text to the number my mother had given me.  It is coded so that even if it is intercepted, no one will know what it means.

Samson @ 9pm. 

Tonight I was going to find Sam Mason’s weakness, and take him down.

#

It’s 8:57.  My stomach is doing flip-flops and my hands tremble as I hold my dagger way too tight.  I stare down at the heavy silver knife in contemplation.  Mom made it clear I need to use a weapon of mortals when I kill Mason.  I don’t know why, or why this particular knife she insisted on. She didn’t offer an explanation and I, as usual, didn’t ask.  But I can’t help but notice this dagger is not a weapon of mortals.  It’s ancient looking and the hilt is engraved with all sorts of reliefs reflecting the elements: a swirling patter representing air, water drops to represent water, flames for fire and dirt for earth.  At the end of the hilt is a five-point star and at the top of the point is a heart.  Mother says its so you know where to stick the dagger.  I think it means something else.

The reliefs make the dagger hurt to hold.  I think this really isn’t meant as a practical weapon, but mother insists upon it.  Every practice I’ve had trying to kill Mason I used this dagger.  I’ve practiced so much the weight in my hand feels heavy but familiar. I reflect on what I’ve practiced, formulating a plan.  When Sam appears, I will pull the air away from him, choking him with lack of oxygen.  It will keep him from being able to do anything with fire, and hopefully impair his reflexes.  Fire needs air and humans need to breath.  It is the reason I’m the only one who could do this mission.  Sam is a fire user, the strongest to come along in a century.  My air wielding skills however are just as powerful.  With the element of surprise, I will be able to knock him down before he even knows he is in a fight.  Then I will finish him off with the dagger—the heavily decorated, strangely ritualistic dagger.   I’ve practiced this over and over again.  My muscles know every move.  I can do this. 

Footsteps approach. I close my eyes and call air to me, saying a little prayer of gratitude for it flowing through me.  Then, as Sam rounds the corner, I pull the air from around us.

His eyes bug out at the sudden lack of oxygen.  He looks at me in astonishment.  I watch him reach for his pocket; he probably has a lighter, but I rush him instead, knocking him to the ground with a roundhouse kick.  He falls and I pounce on top of him, dagger in hand.  I raise it up, looking down at the fascist scum.  He is struggling to breath, his eyes imploring me for an explanation.  He grabs my wrist before I think to shield myself. 

Suddenly I am feeling everything he is feeling.  I jump back, unable to get air in my lungs, terrified, uncertain why I was being attacked.  My hold on my element loosens enough for him to push off the ground.  I pull it to me again, but he is ready this time.  He takes a deep breath while he can, and rushes me this time.  I don’t have time to react before he knocks me into the wall, bashing the knife from my hand and the breath from my lungs.

Our skin touches again and I can feel his determination to survive.  He has a sister and he needs to protect her.  He is all she has left.  He can’t die here.  He won’t die here.

I break our contact by kneeing him in the balls.  He falls back and I dive for my dagger.  I roll, grab it, and stand again.  Sam stands opposite of me, lighter out.  I try to pull the oxygen away again, but we are in the open.  I should have picked an airtight space but I thought this would be over quickly.  I should have planned better.  It’s what Jason would have done.  I’ve been so worried about it being away from people that I didn’t think about tactical advantage. 

He flicks the lighter and gets a spark.  It is all he needs to create a fireball in his hand.  I create a vacuum of air around me.  If he throws it my way, I’ll be prepared.  My protection makes me lose focus on draining Sam’s oxygen.  It is too hard to do both when air surrounded us.  He gasps in a breath.

“Why?”

I run at him, refusing to answer.  He throws the fireball and I dodge it, tackling him to the ground.  We grapple.  He has weight and strength to his advantage, but our close proximity put him in my vacuum.  No air for him again.  He lands on his back and again I pull the dagger up.  I can do it. I can kill him.  I have to kill him.  He stares up at me, panic in his eyes.  I just need to plunge the dagger down.  I need to do it.  Shove it into his heart.  I can do it. I can…I…I…

Suddenly I am on my back, my own dagger blade presses coldly against my neck.  Sam grabs my arm tightly and I feel his feelings.  If I don’t let him breath, he is going to slice my neck open.  If I hold on for another minute of two he will be dead, but he will cut my neck open before that happens.  If I use air to push him back, he will have oxygen to create a fire.  I’m not sure I have enough energy to create and hold another vacuum.  It is a no win situation.  I’ll die by knife or fire.  Releasing the vacuum, I chose knife.  Sam gasps in air.  The pressure of the cool metal blade against my neck doesn’t lessen though. 

“You tried to kill me,” he wheezes out.

“Quit talking and just cut my neck already,” I snap, putting up bravado.  It will be better than being burned to death.  I hate training with fire users because nothing hurt worse than being burned.  I hope Sam makes this fast. 

“I’m not going to kill you,” he breathes out.

Shit.  He can’t take me alive.  That is probably worse than dying.  If there is one thing that had been drilled into me since I was a child was: ‘never let them take you alive’.  They are evil and they will try to use me against my mother.  I can’t let that happen.

 “Why not?” I taunt.   I need to give him a push to finish this. “Not enough of a man.  I would have killed you in a heartbeat.”

“But you didn’t,” he shakes his head.  “You had your shot, and you didn’t take it.”

I don’t say anything.  He isn’t going to kill me, so I have to do something.

“Why didn’t you—“

Before he can get the full question out, I use a punch of air to knock him off me.  I am up and on my feet in an instant.  I run for the gate.  I have to get out here. 

“Wait!” he calls behind me. 

I press forward, running with everything I have.  It isn’t enough. I can feel him gaining on me.  I push my body, but he has longer legs and is an athlete—I don’t stand a chance.  I feel arms wrap around me.  Using air, I shove back, but the element costs me speed and within seconds he is on me again, grabbing me around the waist and pulling me to the ground.  We fall into the grass hard.  I take the brunt of the fall and feel my elbow and knee scrap against some rocks.  I don’t let it faze me though and immediately try to get up.  I kick at him, but he wraps his legs around me, pinning me down.

“Stop!” he shout.  “Stop or I’ll have to knock you out!”

I can’t stop though. I use air again, shoving him back.  It’s not much, but I get free of him.  I have almost nothing left in me, but I press forward. I run, but a ring of fire suddenly surrounds us.  I try to pull back the oxygen to extinguish the flames, but it isn’t working.  My influence over the air is powerful, but his influence over fire is just as powerful and I’ve been using a whole lot more of my element.  I am mind and body exhausted. 

“Delilah,” he says softly.  He speaks to me like someone might speak to an animal that was having a freak out.  Hell, I feel like an animal having a freak out.  I eye the flames.  I hate fire.  If one thing has ever truly scared me in training it has been those angry flames.  My fear doesn’t change what I have to do though.  I have to get away.  Maybe I could jump through them.  I will get burned, but burned is better than being captured.

“Don’t,” he cautions, sensing my decision.  “It’s not normal fire.  It will kill you.”

I don’t want to die by fire, but what choice did I have?  “Better than being captured.”

“Why are you trying to kill me, Delilah?”

“It doesn’t matter.  I failed so they’ll send someone else.”

“You’re just a kid.  Why did they send you anyway?”

I bristle at that. “I’m not a kid!”

“We’re both kids.  So why does someone want me dead, and why did they send you? I’m nobody.”

I can’t answer.  I need to get out of here.  I need to find a way out.  I can feel the air being consumed by the fire.  It frightens me.  I need air.  Without it, I felt weak.  I start panicking like I never have in a fight.

“Delilah...?”

“I don’t know,” I whisper, a moment of honesty escaping me.  “You’re powerful.  That’s what they told me.”

“You’re powerful,” he notes.

I don’t know how to respond to that, so I don’t.

“I’m going to touch you, Delilah,” Sam announces.

I look to the fire again.  Mom would want me to jump into the flames before I give away any secrets.  Sam Mason is the enemy.  I should sacrifice myself before I give him anything he can use against us.  As he approaches though, cautious like one might approach an unbroken horse, I can’t make my limbs move.  I stare at him.  At his eyes, so green, greener than the grass even.  My eyes search his face, scared and yet a part of me wants him to touch me.  The realization startles and frightening me.  Why on earth do I want the enemy to touch me?

“It’s okay,” he whispers. 

I opened my mouth to say it isn’t but his hands are on my bare arms, gripping them tight enough that I will probably have bruises in the morning—if I survive to the morning.

I flash on his feelings.  He is tried, almost as exhausted as I am.  His control over his element however is strong.  He is putting everything into it.  Nothing I do will break the fire.  If I try to jump through it, it will kill me, of that he is sure.  He doesn’t want me to jump for the flames.  He doesn’t want me to…hurt myself.  I just tried to kill him and he doesn’t want me to hurt myself.  What a conundrum his is.

Suddenly, his feelings are gone and there is distance between us again.

“You’re one of them.”  He says them like it is a swear word. 

Now is my chance.  I run for the fire. 

“NO!”

Sam has his arms around me again.  The fire roars higher than before.  I feel the air disappearing, being eating by the flames.  My head swims.  I try to hang on to consciousness, but my vision narrows.  Lack of air affects me worse than it might a normal person because air is my element.  Darkness surrounds me.  The last thing I hear is Sam Mason’s voice.

“It’s okay.”