Aqua

  Chapter 10

  Jessie was the last to jump down the twenty feet. She had merely peered over the edge for a good three minutes before jumping. She landed safely next to me. We all just stood around, not quite knowing where to go from here. "So does anyone have any idea at all what building it’s in?" I asked. Jessie nodded slightly "Well?" I asked, when she didn't say anything.

  "It's supposed to be in the center of L.A., so I was thinking that we go to the middle of the city." Jessie answered, a little embarrassed. I nodded and smiled

  "And then we could narrow down to a few possibilities." I added. Jessie nodded. I looked around the rest of the group. Mallory was smiling, knowing how close we were. Emily and Dylan were smiling as if they agreed. Mikey simply nodded his agreement. Skye said nothing, but didn't object. Ethan was looking anxiously at Brooke. She was pale, paler than Mallory was when she had Strep Throat one time a few years before. That scared me.

  We began to walk, keeping Brooke in the center so we could watch her. We were all in a big huddle. Jessie was standing next to me. I looked over and began to talk. "When was the last time you thought about how far away home is?" I asked. Her cheeks flushed.

  "Every two seconds." she murmured. As we walked Jessie looked straight ahead.

  "Me too." I replied. The silence had returned. I said nothing when we entered the large city. The crowd around us was very massive, and it was hard to act like regular teenagers. We started losing each other in the sea of humans, and, every few minutes, there would be a Powera or two. They would look at us intently, but then just walk away.

  A family of about four walked past me and I was jumbled farther away from my friends. I could only get glimpses of them, but most of us were separated now. Five teenage boys shoved their way through the crowd as if there were nobody in their path. As they got closer I realized they were Strengths. Just like Austin. When they were a few feet away from me they stopped. I continued to walk, but I was forced to walk toward them. One reached out and grabbed my arm. His grip erased any doubt that they were human.

  "Are you one of them?" The guy holding my arm asked.

  "One of whom?" I asked stupidly.

  "One of...one of.." he leaned down to my ear, even though humans walking by couldn’t have heard through the noise. "One of us. A Powera." he finished. Surely he could smell the Aqua scent on me right?

  "Yes." I answered, nodding. The boy stood up strait again.

  "Guys go get her friends and meet me back there." he told the other four. They nodded and then I lost their faces in the crowd. "I'm Jake. Come on," he told me.

  I didn't object, I wouldn't dare refuse an order from any Strength but Austin. Dylan too, but he didn't count because he just inherited some extra strength from his dad. I was willing to push my luck though, "Where are you taking me?" I asked Jake.

  He answered as we pushed through the impossible crowd. "Powera Central. Also known as The Place. That’s where you were going right? "

  "Yeah, but is this what you do? Go through L.A. and help random Poweras?" I asked. I ask to many questions as it is, but we were about to meet the leading Poweras.

  "No, only the ones She sees coming." He answered. That wasn't exactly an answer. I had no idea who 'She' was.

  "Who’s She?" I asked another question. When we walked past Skye, Jake grabbed his elbow and dragged him along with us.

  "Her." he answered. He sighed seeing my confused expression " You know who I'm talking about. The leading female." I nodded, getting it now. We stopped outside of a large closed door. There was a touch pad on the door.

  He entered about a twenty-digit number and then six letters "P-O-W-E-R-A" then enter. The door demanded a fingerprint. He touched his pointer finger to the pad lightly. Then it began to open. The door slid open, then another slid down. One went to the left. After about twenty seconds the final door slid to the right. He stepped inside and held out his hand so it would stay open. Mallory, Jessie, and another one of those guys stepped inside. I lightly hugged each of them. Dylan, Emily and another guy soon followed. Brooke and Ethan walked in with another about ten seconds later.

  After waiting for about two and a half minutes Mikey and the final guy stepped inside the doors. We all looked around nervously. It was then that I took in our surroundings. On many different tables were magical, glowing spheres that each contained an element. I looked at each one for a few moments.

  I looked up at the middle of the room. There were two thrones, each holding an extremely important-looking Powera. They were over two thousand years old, but they were immortal. One was a very beautiful woman named Ranae with a flowing dress down to her ankles. Her hair was brown, but with streaks of the color of the elements. Her eyes were all the colors, swirling together and always moving across her iris. Her dress looked like it was made of silk, and it was an array of colors.

  The man, whose name was Solace, had on pants and a shirt that had the same look to them as the woman's dress. His eyes were the same as hers, and his hair was almost like hers, just shorter and blond. They both smiled at us from their thrones. She rose from her throne, as did he. They both walked down to us, smiles still on their faces. "Hello, young Poweras." the man said. The woman nodded her greeting.

  "Hi." We muttered stupidly. I was looking from the elements on the tables to the two Powera leaders standing before me. I wanted to walk up to one of the element bubbles and touch it, just to see what would happen. I also wanted to look at Ranae and Solace, because I knew how large their value was to all Poweras, and I knew that if they got annoyed with me they could easily kill me. They say that if you do make one of them mad enough to kill you then they would kill you with your own Powera so that you would feel what others feel when you use it. I didn't want to drown to death. I looked up at them.

  "So you are here to help your friend?" She asked, looking at Brooke. "Brooke Gaddis. An Earth Protector. Fourteen years of age, favorite color is green." She recited some facts about Brooke.

  "Yes." Brooke nodded a bit and stepped forward. "How do you know all of that about me?" she asked. I was curious as well so I waited rather impatiently for the answer.

  The man spoke this time, "We know everything there is to know about all Poweras" he explained "For example. " He pointed at Jessie with his head "Jessica Garrett. A Firea. Fourteen years of age, favorite color is red. Nicknames are Jessie, Jess, and Jessiepooh." He came close to laughing when he said 'Jessiepooh'. That's what I call her sometimes. Jessie smiled and her cheeks flushed. The woman nodded in agreement.

  I found it hard to believe that I could use my voice around these god-like creators, but I did. "How does it work?" I asked weakly, then added, "Taking Brooke's pollution away I mean."

  Ranae clearly expected us to ask that "You see these element orbs children?" she asked, waving her hand toward the element bubbles. We nodded. "Well all she must do is touch the Earth Protector element and she will be cured."

  Solace beckoned Brooke forward and she slowly stepped toward the green bubble he was standing beside. She reached out with a pale, shaking hand and touched it with her fingertips. Green mist started creeping from her arm until it was covering her entire body. I gasped again when she began to look more like the old Brooke I had known. I wondered if we would get to touch our own elements.

  Her skin wasn't as pale anymore, and her eyes were no longer a dull green, but a bright green that made me smile with happiness. He reached out and gently pulled her hand away from the element thing. She smiled. I ran, hoping it wasn't considered rude, and hugged Brooke. Jessie, Emily, and Mallory soon joined me. Ethan walked over and patted her back. She pulled him into the group hug and we all laughed.

  The rest of our friends were standing back, watching. The man and woman were silent. I pulled away from the hug, because the man was eyeing us like we had done something wrong. In my mind I scrolled down a long list of laws that I could've broken. None seemed to pop out. I watched him curiously as he smiled. I looked behind me, maki
ng sure Mallory was behaving herself. She was merely looking at Brooke and smiling. "Would you all like to spend the remainder of the day with us, in our home?" He asked. I snapped my head back around while he was looking around our group.

  Some of us nodded, others murmured yes, and some were just too shocked to say or do anything. But Mallory beamed and pumped a fist in the air. “HELL YEAH!” She yelled, but I clamped a hand over her mouth and smiled apologetically at the leaders. I nodded my head once as his gaze filtered in our direction. "So you're all in agreement?" he asked. We nodded. "Then my wife and I will escort you to our guest rooms." he explained. I watched, and when the woman walked over to us I looked up at her. "And Haley?" my head jerked in his direction as he spoke my name.

  "Yes sir?" I asked in a frail voice. I wondered what he could possibly want with me.

  "You may ask one of us about your element question, we don't bite." he smiled, and turned to lead the guys off through a door to the left. I gasped. Had he read my mind?

  "Don't mind him, girls, he is little strange." The woman said through a laugh " after all, he is Rolega brother." she added. "Come. This way." She walked toward a hall on the right. I followed closely with my friends.

  We stepped into a grand bedroom with three twin size beds and about five sets of bunk beds. The covers felt like silk, and they had beautiful designs and colors. Slowly, I walked over to the bed that had light blue pillowcases and a blue bubble design on the comforter. I ran my fingers down the side of the twin size bed. I looked back at my friends, who were still looking at all of the beds. I sat on my bed for the night and looked around the rest of the elegant room.

  The curtains were splashes of different colors that resembled the elements. Next to each bed there was a nightstand. On each bedside table there were an iPod, a set of headphones, a glass of soda, and a box of makeup. The carpets were like the curtains, but even more colorful and neon.

  I glanced back at Emily, Brooke, Jessie, and Mallory, and watched them select a bed. Mallory's bed was next to mine, and it had neon yellow pillowcases with a purple lightning design on the covers. She plopped down on the bed with a smile; she must have admired the room as much as I did. I cast my gaze at Emily.

  She was staring at an orange top bunk with smiling eyes. She sat her bag on the bed and climbed up the ladder. She grinned and lay back to see a Gerard Way poster on the ceiling. She sat up to admire that she thought was the hottest man alive. Her eyes were orange, but a warm, dull, happy orange. It wasn't like the neon color they got when she became angry.

  I smiled and looked at Brooke, who had chosen the twin size on the other side of Mallory's bed. Everything was neon green, including the iPod and headphones. Brooke looked over at me and gave a short little wave. I couldn't help but laugh and wave back. This time yesterday, she was near death from the pollution.

  I looked over at Jessie, who was on a bunk bed that had flames on the covers and pillows. She was smiling and admiring every little detail on the pillow she had picked up.

  "Do you girls like it?" The woman asked, still smiling. I wondered if it hurt to keep your face so stiff. We all nodded or whispered a yes. The woman nodded, "Dinner will be ready in approximately ten minutes, so you can rest or talk or do whatever you like until then." she explained. She then stepped out of the room and closed the door behind her.

  As soon as the door shut I began talking, "Ohmigod this is awesome!" I said and reached for the Mountain Dew on my nightstand.

  "I know." Brooke smiled and walked over to my bed. I took a sip and sat it back on the table.

  "Would it bother you if I hugged you again?" I asked. She shook her head, frowning as if it was a stupid question. I hugged her again. "Are you and Ethan a couple?" I whispered in her ear.

  "Yes." she answered as we pulled away. She walked back to her bed.

  I knew everyone else would spend the ten minutes talking, but I wanted to lose myself in music. I picked the iPod up and discovered it was a touch screen. I plugged the headphones into the iPod. I put the headphones in my ears and scrolled through a list of every song ever written. My thumb tapped Paramore`s song called Decode. I leaned against the wall and began to think about all we had accomplished over the past few days.

  I remembered leaving, and having no idea I was going to meet Austin, and that we would meet Rolega. Then I remembered the first time I saw Austin. I remembered the way I had stared at him, and then I remembered what happened that night.

  I recalled watching, from the bottom of a hotel pool, Austin almost kill Ethan. I sighed; why did I keep thinking about Austin? This journey was about something more than him, yet he was all I wanted to think about. I sighed and pulled out my headphones, knowing I was just going to keep thinking about him. I sat straight up and sat the music player on the nightstand.

  Mallory was leaning back against her pillow listening to her iPod. Brooke and Emily were talking from almost complete opposite ends of the room about some rock bands. I smiled again, happy that Brooke was happy. Jessie was sitting with her hands in her lap, listening to Brooke and Emi.

  I stood up and walked over to Jessie's bed. I climbed the ladder and sat next to her. "Isn't this amazing?" I asked.

  Jessie nodded, and said "Yeah it is, I just miss home. I thought that when we got Brooke healed we would take the next flight back to Georgia and go home. "

  I nodded "Yeah, but we do need food and rest before we see everyone again. I mean, do you want to see your mom for the first time in almost a week looking like you're starved and beaten?” I asked with a laugh.

  Jessie smiled, and was about to say something, but the door to our room swung open and Dylan, Mikey, Ethan, and Skye stepped inside. "They said to tell you dinner's ready." Dylan informed us. I jumped from Jessie's bunk without thinking and landed flat on my feet.

  I followed my buddies out of the room. We walked in silence after Him, who had been waiting in the hallway. He led us to a large deck that had the illusion to me of being on a boat in the middle of the ocean. I leaned over to Mallory, "What do you see?" I asked.

  She looked around with her purple eyes. "A lightning storm and it looks like we are on a cloud," she answered. I nodded, overjoyed that I saw water, and not electric death. "You?" she asked me.

  "I see us on a boat deck, in the middle of the ocean. Water as far as I can see, no land at all" I answered. She shivered, as if the idea made her cold. She walked over to us.

  "Where would you like to sit?" She asked our large group. I cast my eyes around the large space. All of the tables were long, long enough to fit our group if we all wanted to sit together. Most people gave shrugs. "I'll give you a minute to choose, and then I shall send a waitress." the woman said and walked out of the room.

  Emily and Dylan went over to a shortest table by themselves. I looked over at Mallory and saw that she and Skye were holding hands and going to a table near the railing of the ship. Brooke and Ethan had scattered to a nearby booth, which left Jessie, Mikey, and me. I wished Austin were there.

  Jessie grabbed my arm, so I grabbed Mikey's as I was tugged along. We sat down in the middle of the boat type room. I watched the waves as we waited. I sighed. Jessie looked at me. "I wish..." I began, but I never finished, just averted my gaze because Mallory and Skye had walked over.

  Mallory pulled out the chair next to me, so I looked up. "We'll sit with you guys," she said.

  I smiled, thankful for good friends. Skye gave me an awkward nod, and sat next to Mallory. I looked over at Emily and Dylan as they walked over. Emily sat on the other side of me, with Dylan on her other side. I grinned as Brooke lugged Ethan over to our table. Across from me was Jessie, and Brooke sat on her right. Ethan sat on Brooke's right, and Mikey remained on Jessie's left. I wished Austin were there.

  A pretty woman, and a man walked over. The man's shirt said, "Tacos are the best!" I looked up; making sure it wasn't our human friend Brayden. It wasn't. I pointed at the man and Mallory laughed for a few seconds. The man frown
ed slightly, but grabbed his pen and paper to take our orders. I glanced around for a menu.

  "There is no menu, we shall serve whatever you want," The man said with a Mexican accent. I looked at his nametag: Mario. Could Mario read minds too?

  "I'll take a lobster with extra butter, and I'll take a Mountain Dew" I said and leaned back in my chair. I listened to everyone order, and realized we were all eating big. Mallory ordered some Sesame Chicken, Jessie ordered a pizza; an entire pizza for one person. Wow. I realized we hadn't eaten since the afternoon before in the hotel lobby. My stomach growled at the thought of a lobster.

  As we waited for out food Mallory tapped her fingers on the table, while rambling on about how incredible Twilight was to Skye. Jessie, Brooke and Emily talked about what they saw and stuff like that. The guys and I sat silently, waiting for our food. The man and woman came out from the kitchen with our plates. I grabbed a piece of lobster, dipped it in butter, and shoved it in my watering mouth.