• "Thunder" chapter two.

    The books were about the histories of necromancers (people who studied, practiced, and performed magic based on and around the dead) as well as, interestingly, a story about how Death came to be. Apparently, he was summoned by an arrogant necromancer when he was young in his afterlife. He had betrayed the one who summoned him and killed the poor man. By devouring the necromancer's soul, he gained tremendous power. He also seemed to gain the arrogance of his once-master. He challenged many greater spirits, as well as a few gods and goddesses. Unfortunately, he was defeated by each one. But each time he was struck down, it seemed to imbue one of his bones with an element.
    I see why Jessie wanted me to have these books. Being cursed with one of his bones had to mean that there was a good side to this it. The bone I wear on my wrist must have some elemental power. But how was I to figure out what power the bone has? How was I supposed to unlock the element within the bone?
    "Adrian, come down here for a minute." I heard mom call from the bottom of the steps. I wonder what she wanted.
    “You can't possibly be done with those books already." I yelled back.
    "No, I need you to go pick up some eggs for me. We're having breakfast for dinner."
    "Fine, let me get my shoes." ok, I was already wearing my shoes, but there was something interesting in this book. I began reading aloud, but tried to keep it to myself, "May the angel of death curse all who run from his challenge. His bone as their curse, though easily made gift. The element within can be mastered through focus of energy and strength of will, Just as is discovered through mastery." That means that I can learn to use the element within this bone.
    "Adrian, are you coming?" I heard my mom yell.
    “I’m coming." I rushed down the stairs and took the money, "I'll be right back."
    "And I'm the pope." She said giggling.Someone was obviously in a good mood.
    I sighed, "Oh, but you are." Then giggled a bit myself and left.
    On the way to the store, I ran into Matt, another of my friends. He was hitting on yet another girl. Matt was a kind of big shot in his mind. He tried to look tough in hopes that women would get with him. Half the time, amazingly, it worked.
    "Hey, Matt!" I yelled. The big shot looked and waved me over without a word. He knew about the bone on my wrist. He knew it was death's curse. He also studied the arcane language (A language that necromancers used to communicate with the dead.) with me. He was luckier than me, though. According to the messenger of the god of time, he wasn’t to fight death for another five years. I had fought and, escaped with the bone as a remnant of that horrid day, eight years ago.
    "How's your curse going?" He asked me as the girl left. We both knew why she left. She was afraid of me. Almost everybody in this hellhole is afraid of me. Except the people who lived their lives with me, or at least seen that day when I was Nine.
    "I'm kicking its a**, slowly but surely." I replied. He was there when I was cursed with the bone. He was my proverbial "partner in crime" I guess.
    "What makes you say that?" he asked, "You learn anything new about it?"
    "Yeah, apparently there's an elemental power to the bone that I can learn to use." I wondered what element it held within its marrow, though.
    "That’s great. How'd you learn it?" He asked enthusiastically.
    "Jessie gave me a few books. She said they were cluttering her storage closet."
    He laughed in response, "That girl could have a lost tomb in her storage closet, for all we know.
    "Even if she does, these books definitely weren't from that damn closet of hers." I replied.
    He looked curious, "What makes you say that?"
    "The texts in these books are some pretty sophisticated words and phrases from the arcane language. As much stuff as she has in there, not even she could manage to get her hands on stuff like this."
    Matt looked like he was a bit shocked. Though I didn’t understand why. "Alright, you got to show me these books. Especially if they make you think Jessie, of all people, lied about some books."
    "Fine," I answered, "but I got to go get some eggs. Mom’s making breakfast for dinner."
    He perked up, "Breakfast? Sweet, I'm in!"
    I sighed. That's Matt for you. The guy goes crazy over breakfast. I guess it wouldn't hurt to share with him. "Alright, but don’t eat everything in sight."
    "Yeah right." He smirked. I knew I shouldn't have said yes.
    We made our way to the store. An uneventful journey short of Matt hitting on every girl he saw. After getting back home, I took the eggs into the kitchen, but mom had left the food out to burn. I quickly turned it off, sat the eggs down, and went to look for her.
    "Where'd she go?" I wondered.
    "You don't think anything happened to her do you?" Matt asked.
    I began wondering that myself. But who would hurt my mom? Everybody in town likes her. "Something isn't right." I began calling for her, "Mom!"
    Matt joined in, "Mrs. Reynolds, Are you home?"
    I walked up the stairs, and immediately crashed into my mom who was getting laundry from her room. Clothes flew everywhere as I tumbled back down the stairs, hitting the bottom with a thud. Mom skipped past the clothes and immediately hopped down, Ear phones falling from her hair. Explains why she didn't hear us.
    "Oh my god, Adrian, are you okay?" mom asked frantically as she tried to help me up.
    I took her hand and she helped me pull myself to my feet, "I'm fine, mom. I've been through far worse than that."
    I brushed off the dirt and grabbed my mom by the shoulders, "You worried the living hell out of me."
    "I'm sorry." She said innocently. Sometimes, it seemed more like I was the parent, rather than her,
    "Stop playing your music so loudly. That will help a whole lot." I said as I took her MP3 player from her hand.
    "Hey, I can't help that one." She said as she snatched it back. "I just get caught up in the music."
    I blew a deep breath, "Fine, but try to listen next time. A serial killer could come in and you wouldn't know."
    With a loud clap, Matt caught our attention, "Anyway, I hear you're making breakfast for dinner."
    "You want some, don't you?" Mom guessed. Even she knew Matt's weakness.
    "Please?" He begged as he threw her some puppy eyes.
    "Okay, we have plenty to go around." She said, and shooed us back upstairs.
    "Well, in the meantime, show me these books that Jessie gave you.” He barged into my room.
    I pointed out the books, lying on my bed, one still open with a bookmark. "Over there. Just don’t mess with the open one, I'm still reading it."
    We walked over and went to studying the books. Matt was always eager to study the arcane language. And He always trusted Jessie to get him some good material. Matt was actually an apprentice necromancer, himself. He always talks about how dark studies can be used for good purposes. He delved into the ancient texts quickly. I went back to the book I was reading.
    Soon I made a new discovery regarding death's bone. He only gave it to elementals. "What's and elemental?" I asked aloud.
    Matt answered, "Elementals are people who, after training as extensive as a necromancer's, learn to master a specific force of nature. They commonly imbue their element into weapons and such."
    "Interesting, but I'm not an elemental. How come he gave me this curse?"
    "You'd be amazed." he stated, "Elementals are born every day. Few are ever trained, though."
    "How do you know you're an elemental?" I got more and more curious by the second.
    "Let's see,” He pulled a lighter out of his pocket, lit it, and put it up to my skin. It burned on contact
    I jumped back, screaming, "What the hell was that for?"
    "Well, you're not any type of fire elemental." He walked to the other side of the room, pulled something else out of his pocket, and threw it at me. It hit me in the forehead very hard. I screamed again, rubbing where it hit. He walked over, picked up the rock, and examined it. "Not an earth elemental, either." He thought for a moment, and pointed at the window. "Jump out the window."
    I stared, "Are you insane?" It was a two-story landing devoid of anything that could comfort that kind of fall.
    "Just jump." he stated plainly. I went over and looked out the window. Sadly, it didn't seem nearly as high as it really was.
    "If I die, I'm going to let you bring me back, then kill you." I didn't think I was going to die from that but you never know...
    I jumped. The fall was actually pretty quick, and I landed solidly on my feet.
    "Interesting." I said as I moved my limbs around, testing each one for any damages. Nothing was out of the way or damaged at all. "Can I do this with any height?" I yelled back.
    "You can jump from as high you want, but you're going to get hurt. The only reason you didn’t feel anything from that fall was because you're body sensed you were falling, so it created an updraft to soften the fall. Once you master your element a bit more, you'll be able to sense when it’s at work." He explained.
    "So I'm an air elemental?"
    "Not technically. It's a sub-element of air, though." But which one? And, moreover, what's a sub-element. I thought to answer those questions later. At least, after dinner.
    "Boys, dinner's ready. Come down here and eat." Mom yelled from the kitchen. Perfect timing.