Envisioned (The Elemental Prophecy) (7 page)

“Such as?” she inquired.

“Well, like I told you last night, we cannot be apart for long without getting extremely sick. Most can't go for longer than a few hours without feeling some kind of pain when away from their twin flame. Our powers would be weakened, also. We will die if apart for too long, and if one of us dies, the other will, as well,” I somberly told her.

Her eyes welled with tears again, which I hated. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you, but you should know what we are getting in to,” I told her, pulling her to me and wrapping my arms around her. My need to protect her was so fierce, I knew I would never let anything happen to her.

“I know, and I'm thankful that you're telling me since everything has been kept from me for so long, but the thought of losing you is devastating. I've had to relive you being taken from me over and over again in my nightmares. Every night, I would wake up, sobbing uncontrollably at my loss of you. It's like my soul already knew you were mine,” she confessed.

“I had the dreams, too, so I know how you feel. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, but there is nothing that will keep me from you now. I will always protect you. You know that, right?” I asked her, stroking her hair to soothe her.

“I know,” she said, wrapping her arms tightly around me, resting her head on my chest. We sat in silence, and I buried my face in her neck, taking in her scent. She smelled exotic, like pomegranates and tangerines, a scent that was now my favorite because it would always remind me of her.

“So, what are we going to do about being away from one another since you don't live here? I obviously can't leave the island without putting us all in danger. I don't even know where you live.”

“I live in Long Beach, but I was thinking about renting a condo here so we wouldn't have to be apart,” I replied.

“You don't have to do that—I don't want you to uproot your life because of me,” she proclaimed.

“I want to. Besides I would do anything for you, mi amante,” I said, kissing her on the forehead. I couldn't believe I was feeling and saying such things. Just last night, before meeting Brielle, I was thinking about which of the girls I was going to take home with me from the club. Monogamy was never my thing, but now I couldn't stand to think of being with anyone but Brielle. Just the thought of another guy even touching her enraged me. I was never the jealous type—I would just move on to the next girl, no drama, no time wasted. I still didn't understand how I could feel so strongly for her, but I definitely knew not to question Fate.

She blushed, saying, “I don't want you to have to spend extra money because of me…this is all my fault!”

“Don't worry about money—I have plenty of money. There is only one you, Brielle De Luca. Besides it will be more convenient training you if I live here,” I said.

“Wait...what? You're going to train me?!” she excitedly asked.

“Of course—you need to learn how to defend yourself, and I am the best person to teach you, being an undefeated UFC fighter and all,” I said cockily. “I will also teach you more about controlling your Fire Element, and Kimber and your dad can teach you about using your Water Element.”

“What about Air and Earth?” she asked.

“We will have to figure that out later. I don't want you to take on more than you can handle—look what happened last night,” I pointed out.

“You're right. I'm just anxious to take control of my life now that I know all this—how important I am to our race,” she replied, weariness heavy in her voice.

“You are very important, which is why we have to take it slow and be careful. There are people, like the Elementals last night, that want to stop you from fulfilling the prophecy, and they will do anything,” I said, my anger rising.

“Why? I still don't understand what the whole prophecy means—what am I supposed to do?”

“Well, it is said that the One that controls all of the Elements will be able to stop the Apocalypse.
'The Sky will fall to reclaim the Earth
' is interpreted to mean that Uranus, the Sky, who was the first ruler and father to the Titans, wants to reclaim his wife, Gaia, who is the Earth, and the mother who created us all. When Uranus and Gaia ruled, many horrible creatures were created because of their union, including Cyclopes and Hekantonkheires, which are one hundred armed giants. Uranus hated his children, so he cast them into Tartarus, which upset Gaia, so she had one of her Titan sons, Cronus, castrate him,” I informed her.

“Ouch!”

I chuckled, “Yeah, and from the blood of his castration came more terrible creatures, including Furies, Telchines, and Gigantes. Having Uranus return would not be a good thing—he would release them from the Underworld in order to attempt to overthrow Zeus and the Gods.”

“What's stopped him from returning already?” she questioned.

“Well, Zeus punished Atlas, a Titan who led a rebellion against him, by forcing him to hold Uranus up and keep him from merging with Gaia. It is said that Perseus, a Greek man from our race, used Medusa's head to turn Atlas to stone, and he is part of what is now the actual Atlas Mountains. That is the part of prophecy referring to
'the mountains cast from Medusa's gaze,'
which is where you are supposed to go with four other Elementals to prevent Uranus from returning,” I concluded.

“Wow…I can't believe I'm capable of so much power. I'm not sure I can live up to this prophecy. I have no idea what I'm doing,” she said, astonished.

“I will help you every step of the way, so don't worry—we will get through this together,” I promised her.

“Thank you. It means so much to me that you're willing to help me even though you just met me. I don't know what I would do without you,” she admitted.

“We may have just met, but I have known you almost my whole life—you know that, mi amante. Our souls have known each other since time began, and our bond magnifies our connection, so never, ever, doubt what I feel and what I would do for you. I couldn't control it, even if I wanted to, which I don't,” I honestly told her.

She leaned against me, wrapping her arms around my waist. “I just can't believe you're actually mine,” she replied. “Do you know why we have the dreams?”

“Some Elementals have the gift of prophecy through dreams,” I answered.

“So, you're saying that what we've been dreaming is really going to happen?” she asked, bewildered and frightened.

“It's a version of the future. The future is always changing, and I don't plan on letting our nightmares become our future,” I said. “I will do everything I can to prevent it. I won't let anything hurt you.”

She nodded. “I know…I'm not going to let anything take you away from me,” she said, pausing. I wiped some tears from her cheekbones that had escaped from their beautiful pools of hazel. She looked up at me and asked, “When can we start training?”

“Well, first, you need to recover from last night, and I have the perfect idea of how we can do that.”

“And what would that be?” she asked, her expression morphing from upset to intrigued as she anticipated what we would be doing.

“A nice lunch on the beach, and then looking at houses. I made an appointment with a realtor first thing this morning after everything that happened. I do not want to chance anything happening to you, and me not being here to protect you,” I concluded.

She smiled, the worry on her face erasing, “That sounds perfect—I can't wait! Get out so I can get ready!”

“Aww, can't I stay?” I joked.

“No! Now get out!” she laughed.

I pouted as I walked out. As I closed her door, a feeling of dread washed over me. What if I couldn't protect her? What if she was taken from me? Neither of us would survive it, and it would be all my fault. I wish I could talk to the Oracle about the dreams, and if there was a way to prevent them. There was no way I was letting them become reality.

I excitedly got ready after Jace left, still contemplating everything he had told me. Was I really the One the Prophecy spoke about? I didn't feel like I had the power of four Elements inside me, let alone the blood of the originating Gods of those Elements. When was the Prophecy supposed to occur? How was I supposed to stop a God? Of course I would think of all these questions after Jace left.

I needed to find out more, but for now, I was too excited that Jace and I would be having our first “date.” I was even more excited that he would be moving to Avalon to be with me. However, another part of me felt guilty that he was forced to move here because of his bond with me. I felt like he was stuck with me, and I wondered if he would really choose me if he had the option.

I looked in the mirror and gasped—had Jace just seen me like this? I looked terrible! My hair was a mess of frizzy, weighed down curls, and my make-up that was so flawless the night before was the total opposite now. My eyeliner and mascara were smudged under both eyes, which were puffy and red. My foundation and concealer were non-existent, and my eyeshadow was rubbed off. I was going to kill Kimber for not cleaning me up before Jace saw me.

I quickly showered, washing away the residue from the night before. I thought about how wonderful it was to have found Jace, but how terrible it was to have been attacked. I was certain that I would be experiencing both of those feelings more frequently from now on, and I realized my life was going to be completely different. I wasn't quite sure how I felt about that yet, especially since I had been relatively comfortable with everything that had happened thus far. I don't think I was reacting the way a normal eighteen-year-old girl would, but obviously I am not normal. I always knew I was different, but that was an understatement given my newly discovered knowledge.

After I finished showering, I blow-dried and straightened my hair before putting on a pink sundress with a pair of sparkly gladiator sandals. I applied some light make-up and some subtle shimmering lip balm to soften and accentuate my lips, hoping Jace would be kissing them soon.

I walked downstairs, where Dad, Kimber, and Jace were sitting in living room. Jace stood up and walked over to me, a huge grin plastered on his face. I shyly smiled, remembering that he had seen me in such a horrific state earlier, which embarrassed me, making my cheeks blaze with heat. Dad also rose, coming over and hugging me tightly as he said, “I'm so glad you are okay, sweetheart. I don't know what I would have done without you.”

“I've been hearing that a lot lately,” I joked.

“Very funny,” Kimber shouted from the couch.

“Jace told me your plans. Are you sure you are up for it?” he asked, his voice laced with concern.

“Yes, Daddy, I'm fine. I think I need a day out after all this madness,” I replied.

“Fine, but if you start feeling tired or dizzy, I want you to come straight home, OK?”

“I will, Daddy, stop worrying about me. I'm an adult now,” I reminded him.

“You are still my baby, and nothing will ever change the fact that I will always worry about you,” he said lovingly.

“I love you, Daddy. I will be fine—I'm protected on the island, remember?”

“Yes, but knowing you, you will try to sneak off again,” he retorted.

“I won't, Daddy,” I promised, giving him my innocent face.

“Alright then, have fun. Not too much fun, though,” he said, directing his eyes at Jace.

“Dad!” I exclaimed, exasperated and mortified with embarrassment. I grabbed Jace's hand and led him out the front door, yelling, “See you later, Kimber!”

As we walked down the sidewalk towards the beach, Jace threaded his fingers through my hand, something that felt so natural, like his hand was made for mine, which I guess it technically was. He was the best part of all this madness, and I knew that he was keeping me grounded—without him, I would surely go insane from all that I've learned. “I'm really sorry about my dad. I haven't really brought boyfriends around before so he's super defensive,” I honestly admitted.

“Well, I'm more than a boyfriend so don't worry about that,” he said, pausing. “Have you never had a boyfriend before, or what?”

“Oh, I have had plenty of boyfriends—I just never brought them around,” I answered.

“Why is that?” he asked.

“Well, my dad has always held high expectations for me—he wanted me to focus on school, not dating, so I didn't want him to be disappointed in me for dating and ...” I stopped, not entirely sure how to discuss my sexual experience with Jace without being completely embarrassed.