Aqua

  Chapter 11

  I stepped into the guest room, sleepy yet hyped up at the same time. I burped, said excuse me, and drank some more Mountain Dew. I plopped down on my bed and popped right back up. As all of the other girls came in the room I started wandering around the highly decorated room. There was a window, but you could only look out, not in. I smiled and watched the humans walk by. Being a human - well, thinking I was a human- had been so simple!

  I silently wished I were still about eleven when my main concern was if I would get paid for babysitting Breanna and Will. Such a simple time that had been... I remembered when we all turned twelve and we started loving the elements. We had all moved to our apartment building except Dylan, Ethan, Brooke, Emily, and Mal. My seventh grade year had been such a hectic one, on which I had tragically had only one class with Mallory, but I backed up a bit and thought about sixth grade.

  I remembered running around the middle school gym during our Halloween dance being chased by Dylan. I still remember now that I had wished to be a vampire, or maybe a werewolf. Dang, I was so foolish. Opening my locker for the first successful time had seemed like a dream. I sighed. My life seemed like a dream now.

  I began thinking about seventh grade, but I felt someone behind me. I turned ever so slightly to see Solace standing behind me. I looked up, strangely not dazed anymore and smiled. "Yes?" I asked. My voice was strong, but I felt squeamish at how close to me he stood.

  "You had a question?" He asked. He smiled, and I could see the smile reflect in his eyes. I smiled back.

  "Yes, yes I did." I answered slowly. He whirled around with a muttered 'Come'. I followed him and tried to hurry after his large strides. My friends were following me. I could feel it. I glanced backwards once to see that they were trying to keep up as well. I sighed and ran. He stopped abruptly in the element room. He gestured with his arm to the glowing ball of water.

  I walked forward until I was barely an inch from it and reached out a shaking hand. My fingers had barely touched the floating liquid, but already I could feel the presence of water. It was surging through my body, flowing in my veins. It was overwhelmingly cold, yet boiling warm. I smiled and shoved my hand to the middle of the water and held it there with a shriek. It was amazing! All the cuts and bruises from the journey here were disappearing. My free hand surged up and ran along my lightning bolt. It didn't hurt anymore, but its presence was still there.

  It was slightly sizzling from all the H2O in my body. I smiled with pleasure when the water actually started making me wet. It had been simply making me feel it before, but now it was making me physically soaked. My hair was splattered against my wet face. Through it all I was laughing and crying with joy. This was simply amazing. Something was in this water that was truly wonderful. Water dripped down in my open mouth, and it tasted just as well as it felt.

  I screamed, though, when the water touched the bolt and made me fall onto the dry floor. The bolt continued to sizzle and spark. It hurt, it hurt too much for words. I screamed as loudly as I could manage through the pain. I had always looked to water for help, so I instinctively reached for it. I cried out in agony when all the water began slipping to my forehead. My vision was blurring, as my brain was being shocked. I couldn't hear anything, and the pain was giving way to numbness.

  As I was slipping away into the dark depths of unconsciousness, I felt a strong hand pull me away from the water. Through the blur I could only see blonde hair and brown eyes. Who had just saved me? My eyes closed and I could feel nothing anymore.

  Mallory

  I was wondering absently where exactly we were, when I felt overwhelming pressure on my wrist.

  “Mallory.”

  I blinked at Skye through my reddish-brown hair.

  “What happened to Haley?“ I asked slowly.

  "She went someplace with that Solace guy. I don’t know where’s they’re going.” Skye looked right at me, concern glowing in his blue eyes. I intertwined my fingers with his, and began running.

  Dylan, Ethan, Brooke, Emily, Jessie and, *shudder* Mikey were behind us. I was wearing ripped skinny jeans with light purple tank top; over that was a darker violet see-through shirt with most of one sleeve torn off, so it hung down so that the strap of my tank top could be seen. It wasn’t the best outfit to be running in. Jessie caught up to me. I was about two inches taller than Haley, so Jessie was five inches shorter than me. I looked down at her questioningly, about to ask why she looked so freaked out, but Haley’s screaming shocked us all. "YOU! YOU FUCKING DILDO!” I yelled when I saw him. Austin whirled around. I thought of how he broke Haley’s heart, the lost look in her eyes as she left him, and the anger I felt as the doors closed on me. He obviously cared little for me, but I cared a lot for him. Cared a lot about him dying soon. Austin whirled around while I dove towards him, knocking him to the ground. I was digging my fingers into his skin in fury, letting the electricity that coursed through my veins slowly shock him, but he was beating me. Blood covered my face from where he had probably broken my nose, but that was nothing compared to the next. He took out a fucking knife and stabbed me in the shoulder. The blade buried into my skin, and I let out a shriek of pain. I cradled my arm to my chest, but he delivered a blunt strike with the butt of his knife to my head and I fell back onto the cold floor. A gust of wind reared back and crashed into Austin’s gut, knocking him backward and into a glass wall. I saw a flash of gray and dark brown and Skye appeared next to me. The world swung and blurred sickeningly, so I closed my eyes to clear my aching head. "Mallory, oh god, do you hear me? Squeeze my hand if you can.” I smiled inwardly at Skye’s worry and tried. But I was unable. "Mallory! No. Wake up!” Skye’s voice faded slowly as I drifted along the line of consciousness. And then, even the sticky blood pooling around my hand was gone.

  Haley

  I opened my eyes to see I had been moved during my 'slumber'. I was in another room of the elegant building. I knew this because everything was a different element color, and only a place like this could make the dull colors like brown and gray look beautiful. I tried to sit up, but a hand kindly, but firmly, pushed me down on the pillow. I looked over and almost shouted with glee when I saw Austin was the one holding me down. I grinned; I actually felt fine, just tired.

  "You were away for only days, and you hurt yourself in the presence of my loving uncle!" Austin chuckled with a bright smile. My Austin was back! I opened my mouth to laugh but he put his hand over my mouth and shook his head. "Rest, Haley. Hell you nearly killed yourself!"

  I nodded slowly and let myself sink into sleep, knowing the guy I loved would be the first thing I saw when I woke.

  I fluttered open my blue eyes to see Austin was still sitting where he was when I closed them. I smiled when he let me sit up. I leaned forward, unaware of the doctor in the room and kissed him for quite a long time. I pulled away when the doctor walked over and asked, "Miss Winn, are you aware of what danger you were in?"

  I looked up at the handsome man. "Uh, not really. I only know that I was killing myself." I answered. Austin held my shaking hand.

  "You could have died." He answered. Then continued, "You're very lucky you didn't lose a sense. Your brain was frying, actually frying from all the electricity. If he-" He pointed at my boyfriend "hadn't pulled you away, you would be dead right now. I considered making you immortal so that the procedure wouldn't be so dangerous." I frowned. I did not want in any way to be locked at thirteen my entire life.

  The doctor chuckled for a moment, but stopped when my frown stayed solid. "He told me that that wasn't the best way to go so I just began doing what I could." he said, referring to Austin again.

  I nodded, but bit my lip. "Can you give us a second?" I asked. Austin's hair was burned a little, and I had been too tired earlier to realize that he was looking pretty mad, but worn out at the same time. The doctor nodded and left the room.

  I turned to Austin, a worried look on my face. "What happened?" I asked. He frowned and leaned toward me.
I shook my head and shoved on him a little. "No, you are going to tell me." He sighed.

  "Haley, don't be mad at me," he said.

  "No promises." I said plainly. He had to have done something really bad if he thought I could be mad at him. When I said nothing more he continued.

  "When I got there, Mallory shot me with a lightning bolt-" he started, but I interrupted him.

  "She did what?" I asked. I mean, Mallory had tons of reasons to be mad at him, but still…

  "Just, just wait Haley." He said, looking a tad guilty. I nodded, sat up, and faced him. "So I... I kind of started beating her up..." His voice dropped at the end.

  "Au-" I began, but this time he cut me off.

  "No. You said you'd wait." I sighed, but nodded. "And we, I guess started battling. But I had a knife so I beat her." He had to cover my mouth to stifle my screaming. He said the rest in a rush. "While everyone else was trying to wake her up I rushed out with you, and I went to the only place I knew I wouldn't be found. Haley, we're at my dad's place." He uncovered my mouth, and I knew he was finished.

  "We're at your fucking dad's place?" I screamed. "Austin Silvers!" My hand made contact with his face with a sickening smack. "I can't believe you did that to her! Austin, she's my best friend!" I yelled.

  "What was I supposed to do? Let her kill me?" He huffed, clenching his fists. For someone with a short temper he sure could control himself around me… that made me all the angrier.

  "If you can watch yourself around me, why can't you do that with everyone else?" I screamed again. "You're such an asshole." I said through clenched teeth. I jumped from the hospital type bed and ran as fast as I possibly could out of the room. I could hear his footsteps behind me as I ran.

  I ran until I found the exit to the huge letter and shoved open the door with a cry. Austin had caught up with me and grabbed my shoulder. I spun around and tried to control the tears threatening to overflow. "Can't we just talk about this?" He asked calmly. I shook my head and continued to run. I ran until I was going without oxygen.

  I could still hear his footsteps behind me, but he needed oxygen. I was an Aqua, so I didn't need it as much. His footsteps stopped abruptly after a few more feet. I didn't look back, just kept running. When I was approaching the cliff Dylan had almost fallen off of I stopped and walked over. Suicide. I took tiny steps until my feet were less than an inch away from the edge.

  I began crying then and let my tears just escape. I began thinking about how I should probably make sure Mallory was okay, and how I'd like to see my mom again. I continued to cry. I closed my eyes, and, with shaking legs, jumped.

  On the way down I regretted my suicide attempt. It was like nothing else to see my death coming, but once gravity claimed me there was nothing I could do. I could only scream and wish I hadn't done this. I definitely was screaming, but there was a scream that wasn't mine. The voice was low, and it was above me. I glanced up and saw Austin running down the mountain. I knew he wouldn't make it, but I silently prayed he would.

  I shut my eyes and landed in Austin's waiting arms.

  We rolled quite a few feet. He was holding me very tightly. Man, his arms were going to be messed up. I screamed with I felt my leg break and heard the sickening crack. I was covered in my blood. I cried into Austin's shoulder. He was screaming just as loud as I was! I heard more cracks and some of them weren't from me. I groaned when we came to a stop. I could hear Skye telling me everything was all right, and Mallory's crying. I whimpered when Skye moved me. The pain was worse than anything I'd ever felt in my life.

  Mallory

  I watched as Haley landed in his arms. I was crying, crying for many reasons. The first reason being that Skye was upset. The second, and most important, was that my sweet best friend was about to die in his arms. Another was that the fractured and stabbed shoulder, broken nose, bruises, and other injuries were all throbbing. Skye’s arm tightened around me. “How are you?” He whispered, looking upwards in fear. “I am in something close to agony but let’s not talk about that right now.”

  Sure, Haley was blinded by love, but I would have given up as soon as he admitted who his father was.

  When my very best friend landed I guess the faggot-face did sort of break her fall. They went rolling as soon as he caught her. Austin was holding her close to him. I remembered the rumor in sixth grade that said if you touched a person for more than eighteen seconds it was considered...well, rape. They were touching for longer than that. I would have laughed, or shot Austin in the ass with a lightning bolt, but I had more important issues.

  Skye scooped me up in his arms and ran to Haley. Even my boyfriend's gentle touch was too much.

  I didn't know it then, but Austin had driven that knife between the sockets in my shoulder and screwed it to hell, given me a concussion with his goddamn knife, and broken my nose and a rib. I was only defending Haley and trying to get back at Austin for all he had done. My side throbbed where my broken rib bone was pressed against my side, and I flinched, almost tripping Skye.

  My Skye sat me next to them and rushed over to Haley. As far as I was concerned Austin could die then and there, but my bestie must be saved. I hadn't seen her jump, but I suspected she hadn't made the same mistake as Dylan.

  Haley whimpered sort of like a puppy when Skye untangled her from Austin's unconscious grip. "Haley it's alright. It's Skye, and Mallory is over there." My boyfriend said as he observed her wounds. I watched her roll her head towards me.

  "I love you, Mallory; dearly, but not queerly. Don't forget that." She whispered. I burst into a new set of tears when Haley said the words we always used to prove we weren't gay. Even Haley thought she really was dying.

  Haley

  I closed my eyes when Mallory started crying again, but through her tears I heard a small "I love you too." but that was the last thing I heard that made sense. Now there were many voices. I heard a squeal by Brooke and a shout that was probably from Jessie. I just let somebody -I wasn't sure who- pick me up. I leaned my head against their arm when they ran at the speed only a Powera could travel by. I opened my eyes a crack and saw a black sleeve in my face. I closed my eyes again, knowing Dylan was faster than my other friends. I heard Austin grunt and then the world went black.