• thunder chapter five

    Maria and I had hardly any classes together. homeroom and sociology. And I didn't share that one with Matt, so anything was fair game.
    "Okay, okay, One more question." She asked.
    I sighed. she'd been asking me questions all day. It's not that I minded answering her, I just didn't think she was so curious. I've been answering her this whole time. Why quit, "Okay, but i have a question myself. How many questions do you intend on asking me?"
    She gasped and put her hand to her lips as if it were a surprise, "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to bother you. I'll stop asking..."
    I cut her off, "you've said that all day. you should realize by now that I don't mind answering these questions. And stop apologizing." I quietly and calmly demanded. she blushed.
    We were walking through the hall of this dreaded school. they tried to make it looke nice though.lockers sat neatly next to each other, the halls on each floor connected to each other by a small fountain with no water. on the east side, the hall and lockers were a dark, brownish yellow shade. the north side had red, and the south had blue. personally, their interior designer sucked, in my opinion. but, hell, thats public school for you.
    "Well umm" she studdered after a while, "Now what happens if you break the bracelet?"
    Damn, another tough one, "well, nothing, i guess. I'm not sure it has ever happened before. I wish that i could break the damn thing, though. every night it makes my hand go so numb, i can't even move it."
    She gave an apologetic frown, "aww, that sucks."
    I sighed. I've been down this road many times before. Especially whenever missionaries would stop by our town. The only difference was that they would try to get me to convert. I ate the damn t i'm not gonna just kick them out of here randomly. That'd be mean, even if they deserve it. I just decided to say what came naturally, "It does. but I've learned to get used to it.." She hugged me tightly (for the eighth time i think? Hell, and that was just for today) and I'd sware that every single student, teacher, and whatnot was looking at us like we were a cute couple. Hell, the first three times were in Ms. Tenor's class, and she wouldn't shut up about how cute a couple we'd make. Christ in hell, could this chick ever lay off the hugs?
    "Hey, do I still get to come over to your house? At this point, I really want to know what kind of job you have." She emphasized really. I have no idea why. She already knew twice as much as we originally planned on telling her. Owell, i guess.
    "Yes, m'lady." I answered like some butler..three letters. l-o-l.
    As if they knew what kind of joke I was pulling, everybody in the hallway laughed hysterically. then the bell rang, and we all rushed to our respective classes.
    It was finally the last period of the day. Sociology. I hate the subject, personally. But Mr. Nicks was a nice teacher.
    I don't think I was listening when The phone rang. It was some lecture about...hell, I don't remember. Mr. Nicks picked it up, and answered. There was a small conversation, then he yelled for me, "Mr. Winters, The music appreciation teacher, Ms. Tenor..."
    i cut him off, "I know who she is. What does she want?" I said quietly as I began packeing my stuff in my bag. Why the hell does everybody keep calling me by my mom's last name? I don't get it.
    "She didn't tell me why, she just asked me to send you down to her class." He hung up the phone. I already knew what Ms. Tenor wanted. And I'm so glad she called. I was gonna die of boredom.
    I left quietly. No need to cause a ruckus by teling everyone that Ms. Tenor and I were elementals and that whatever she knows about may help me out with death's freaking curse. I certainly hoped she did.
    I As i was headed for Ms. Tenor's room, my head began throbbing. It felt as if someone was pounding my head in with a hammer. I began hearing a voice. It was old,crackling, it sounded like the one being I could ever say I truly resented, "Give your curse time, Adrian. I gave it to you as a gift. and you will soon learn why, child." It was death. the sinister, scratching voice echoed throug my head. the words he was saying weren't clear, but i understood what he was mainly trying to tell me.
    I tried to contact him. If he was actually talking to me, then I could talk to him as well, "Why, death? Why have you been doing this so long? To what avail will killing people without reason be?"
    "Death is necessary for life, as you will learn, Defiant." He said defiant as if he were calling me that.
    "Defiant? What kind of name is that? And why did you curse me?" The throbbing worstened so bad that I fell almost immediately to my knees. At this rate, my head was going to explode. And what was all this about death being necessary? Why was he calling me defiant? And, most of all, what did all this have to do with my curse? I had so many unanswered questions.
    "Do not question me, Defiant! I was charged with supressing your most magnicifent power! so I challenged you that day. I could care less what signifigance the day has with you. And when your power has grown to its full strength, and only then, will the curse be broken. You are the traitor to the heir, Defiant. look back to Geryon to find the answers you seek so diligently." With that, the throbbing had come to an abrupt halt, the hall was completely quiet, except for my panicked breathing. I hurried on to Ms. Tenor's room.
    I had no Idea what that was. but it showed me more that I thought, at first. But who was Geryon? I'd heard the name once. It was supposed to be the name of a mythical horse who had the ability to control time. It was said that when the horse died, It's soul went into a human state of reincarnation. And that he was reborn into what was known as the eternal clan (Whatever that was. I learned most of this stuff by sneaking into the most restricted of areas in the high circle's library. What else would you expect?)
    And what did he mean "Traitor to the heir"? Why did he keep calling me Defiant? And what sort of power was he talking about? My head began spinning as I opened the door and entered Ms. Tenor's room. She looked up from some papers, and smiled, "Glad you could make it, Adrian." She thought for a moment, "Or perhaps I should say Defiant."
    I slammed my stuff down, and she jumped slightly, "What's with the whole 'defiant' thing? What am I? What does all this stuff have to do with the dance of the dead?" I began interrogating her.
    Much to my surprise, she seemed calm the whole way. As if she actually could answer sll these questoins. but I didn't expect her to, and I bet she didn't, "I'm afriad I can't answer all of your questions, Adrian," See? told you, "But you are the traitor to the heir, and each traitor is marked with a name. Yours is Defiant. you are an elemental, but unlike any we've ever seen. An elemental's power is..."
    "Generated through a weapon that usually acts as a conduit." I finished. Either I'd read that before, or I'd been tonld about it. I forget which.
    "True," she stated, "but that's not what I was going to say."
    "Then what were you going to say?" I asked.
    "An elemental's power is a great, binding chain. Do you know what it binds us to, Adrian?"
    I had so many possible naswers to that question, but only one materialized int voice, "Fate?" It sounded corny, but hellishly scary at the same time. does it mean to say that all my life, i've done what whoever commanded me told me to?
    She nodded coldly, "yes, Adrian. Fate. We are bound to the timeline, and sometimes more," But something was wrong, the air began to feel stiff as she hesitated, "But you, Adrian, are different. You are sort of like a," she paused, looking for the right word, "A break in the cycle. Ypu aren't bound to fate, and you have more choice than any of us. That is why we call you Defiant. There was only one other elemental who wasn't bound by time. His name was Geryon." The name struck me suddenly, I remembered what death had told me. He said "find Geryon for the answers you seek" but I didn't think he meant that.
    Ms. Tenor went into her storage closet and came back out with ann oddly shaped shoulder plate. It was made out of a metal that I wasn't sure I'd ever seen before. With a crimson hue and a row of spikes going down the side. It also had draped from it a square cloth with an odd symbol that resembled a sundial. It had one to twelve in an awkward, twisted writing style that may have resembled the timeline itself. I stared at it for a few minutes, then Ms. Tenor held it out to me, "This is your mark. wear it proudly."
    I examined it a bit more, then put it on. It was surprisingly very lightwieght. and fitted on my shoulders perfectly. She then handed me some gauntlets and greaves, "Has your element revealed itself yet?" She asked. Like I know the answer to that one.
    "No," I said, "I'm only just now discovering that I even gad these powers. How would I know how they work, let alone what they are."
    She pulled a small stick of what looked like an herb that could only be found in the demonic realm. It was a blue looking shade of purple, and it smelled like decay. Yep. Definitely from the demonic realm.
    "What do I do with it?" I asked, partially engrossed from the poisonous scent of the plant.
    "Eat it." She said plainly. You've got to be kidding.
    "What? No, it smells like old demon!" I cringed at the thought of eating it. It wasn't the look that bothered me. It was the smell. The very decaying earthy smell that any evil demon had. I always hated that smell.
    She withdrew the herb-stick, "Then I guess we'll never learn your power."
    Dammit. She had to tempt me with something. I took the plant, "If I die and Matt brings me back, I'm going to haunt the hell out of you." I told her as I took a bite. It was so literally and utterly tasteless, It felt like I was eating water. I finished it anyway, Then I blacked out.
    When I opened my eyes (or at least i thought i was) everything was red. I looked down and saw my hands, my feet, and my other parts of the body. but i didn't even see what I was standing on. I felt a solid ground, but didn't see it. There was no wall, no ceiling, not even a floor. It was just red. I began hearing a voice somewhere. At first, I thought it was death, but then I saw another figure. It was a tall, thin man with black hair and yellow-ish green eyes just like mine. His posture was even similar to mine. I couldn't believe the resemblance. he spoke in a calm voice, "Hello, Defiant. I understand that you've been seeking my aid."
    I paused a little bit, but mustered the sense to answer, "Yes, but who are you? Are you Geryon?" I asked. That was a stupid question. Of course it was Geryon. I really am slow.
    He chuckled, and pulled out a pair of daggers, bearing them in an awkward fighting position. Then, just then, the scent of that herb that Ms. Tenor made me eat. Why was that smell coming in on me? Geryon must've heard my thoughts as he responded, "Your teacher made you eat the herb to bring you into your concience while you are unconcious."
    Alright, i'll admit. i was baffled, "What? Ok, enlighten me if you will please?"
    He lowered his daggers, "Oh, dear child i can't believe you," He still smiled warmly and protectively, like a father who just wouldn't give up on his son, "The herb was to help you with your power, as am I. We will fight until you learn how to manifest it. Just remember that even for elementals, power can be temporary, but it is never useless." He held the daggers back up, ready to fight.
    I still had a whole bunch of questions, but I would have to put them aside for now.
    that was one quote I'd heard in so many different ways by so many different necromancers, I prefered the way he said it the most, though. But, as I've said before (somewhere, I forget where.), That had to wait. I got ready to fight.