Ten

Beck slowly opened the door, trying to keep the creaking to a minimum. He hurried out, jogging down the long hallway and turning the final corner.

Adara sighed. What did he have to show her that was more important than talking to Gabe? Than getting Maia?

Staring at the digital clock, she willed it to turn to a five. She hated waiting more than most things.

The second it turned, she walked out of the building normally, seeing as she was actually supposed to be there. She wasn't the one that would get in trouble. How could she? It was her dorm.

She rounded the same corner as Beck and pushed on the door, shielding her eyes against the bright sun. She searched for Beck, quickly scanning the crowded parking lot. Her eyes found him standing next to a small car.

It wasn't a sleek, fancy car. It was a beat up little thing, only meant for two people to ride in. Adara half expected it to throw out a cough or two. She jogged a bit to get to the passenger side where Beck was standing. When she got there, he held the door open for her and shut it once she sat down. Soon, he was sitting next to her in the driver's seat.

She began looking around the interior of the car, and, once she looked up, she spotted the sun roof. She loved the way the wind came through them and blew through her hair. She hadn't been in a car with one in forever.

Beck followed her stare. "Don't get too excited," he said to her. "It doesn't even work. It's been stuck for a few years."

"If I scorched a hole into the roof, it would work," she replied.

Beck got a passive aggressive look on his face. "Alright, hotshot. Burn a hole in the roof, then."

Adara stepped up to the challenge. Was he questioning her ability? He had ample reason to, but he didn't have to say it like that.

She concentrated as hard as she could. Fire, now. Now, now, now! It remained as stubborn as her and did not move. She didn't even feel warm.

She tried concentrating on what she knew triggered it. She thought of Gabe, and Maia, and her ruined school. Still nothing.

Beck looked at her without pity. "Don't even try. You're still new," he explained shortly, staring the car and putting it into reverse. "You won't be able to command it."

They pulled out of the parking lot and onto the main road. "Where are we going, again?" she inquired, not wanting to talk about her lack of control.

"It's not that close. You're going to want to nap on the way there," he advised. She rolled her eyes at him, not wanting to obey.

Though she did have to admit, her crappy couch didn't really make for a great bed. Because of that, she took his offer. She leaned the seat back and turned on her side, facing Beck. She still didn't completely trust him. After all, how did he find her room, anyway? He said it was an accident, but Adara didn't believe that for a second.

After a couple minutes, she drifted off into the land of unconsciousness.

When she woke up, they were still driving. She decided not to give Beck any indication that she was awake again and watched him drive instead.

He was completely focused on the road. Not a single sound was coming from the radio, even though he was the only one awake.

Beck didn't use anything for navigation, even on the back roads. Adara found it peculiar; he drove like he knew the path by heart but still appreciated every inch.

Eventually, the car started turning into a short driveway that led up to a decent sized house. It was two stories and a little ruined but not indecently so.

Adara alerted Beck to her conscious presence by clearing her throat.

His head snapped over to her. "This is it," he said, a little panicked. Adara chuckled. He glared playfully at her. "Alright, let's go."

Beck stepped out of the car and into the humidity outside. Ugh.

Adara opened her door, too, and met Beck at the front of the car. Without saying anything, Beck pointed to the front door and began walking. At first, Adara followed without question. Then she began to wonder.

"What is this place? Why are we here?" She wondered why those weren't the first thoughts in her head.

Beck gave her a tiny smile. "I can't explain, but it'll be okay. You'll see."

She just nodded, taking his word. They took the front stairs by two and walked in without knocking.

Before she even stepped in, someone was running toward them. Her stark white curls bounced while she ran, and it was one of the most beautiful things that Adara had ever seen.

In addition to her bleach white hair, her skin, somehow, was lighter than Adara's. It looked as if someone had sprayed her with a sheen of white. She had no freckles, and the only naturally pigmented thing on her was a birthmark that consisted of a pair of wavy parallel lines. Her eyes were bright pink, which couldn't possibly be natural.

Beck muttered "Reva" just as the girl reached them. Her name, then.

Reva bounced toward Adara eagerly. She flashed Adara a pearly white smile. "My Oracle told me you were coming."

Adara's eyes widened. She looked to Beck for guidance, which she hated. "I'll explain after," he said.

"After what?" she asked incredulously. And then she saw. She saw what.

Another girl glided toward them in such a manner that Adara couldn't for a second doubt the nature of her magic. Fluid, graceful Water, just like Beck. They shared a similar complexion, along with similar hair and eye color, though Beck's eyes were a few shades lighter.

Upon reaching Adara, the new girl stood in front of her expectantly. Adara tentatively held out her hand for the other girl to shake. The girl looked at her like she was stupid, looked down at her hand, then slapped it away. Instead of a handshake, Adara received a hug.

As she was hugging her, the girl whispered, "My name is Hali." Adara noticed a slight accent- her a's sounded like e's, and she exaggerated her i's too much.

Once Hali pulled back, Adara noticed that a guy had made his way over. "The name's Kaj," he said. Earth, Adara thought. Earth all the way. There was no doubt in her mind. She had to be right about this one.

Kaj had dirt brown hair, skin, and eyes. Whoever made him had painted him in monochrome. His deep brown eyes were overshadowed by a pair of thick rimmed glasses that were slightly too big for his face.

She should have introduced herself, but she was too out of place there to even want to talk.

Probably sensing Adara's discomfort, Hali said, "Here, let's go to the kitchen. You must be hungry."

Maybe she meant it as a question, who knew. But her voice left absolutely no room for Adara's input. Like Hali would make her hungry just because she willed it.

So, their group migrated to the kitchen. In it, there was someone else. How many people are there?

A metal stool creaked as Beck pulled it out and sat down.

The guy looked just like Kaj from behind, but the second he turned around, Adara found what set them apart. Though his hair was the same as Kaj's, a deep, freshly-tilled, soil brown, his eyes were a vibrant plant green color. Distantly, she felt a wave of shock, remembering another pair of eyes from her past.

In front of him, on the stove, something was boiling. He noticed her stare and smiled warmly. "Pasta," he said by way of explanation. "I'm Axton."

Just being around Axton eased Adara's nerves. "I'm Adara," she replied confidently.

"Makes sense," he said. "Because I already adore ya." He punctuated his statement with a wink.

Adara laughed. "And you clearly use the ax a ton." She gestured to his large biceps that looked scary and teddy-bear-innocent at the same time.

That earned her a hearty chuckle. She decided then that she liked Axton. He was quite a bit more fun than the rest of them seemed.

Their eye contact was broken when Reva stepped beside him to begin making the sauce. "Get ready, guys."

Not even five seconds later, another person walked downstairs.

This one looked like storm incarnate. His eyebrows were drawn together, and his eyes spelled murder. Adara has just met him, and she already wished that she hadn't. Two sharp lines crossed in the middle of his face- one straight down his nose, one from the left side of his forehead to his right jawline- and they made him look even more dangerous.

Adara hated how related they already were. She could tell from his amber eyes and smoke colored hair that he was Fire. Just like her.

It was silent for a few beats before Reva suggested, "Keahi, why don't you show Adara to her room?"

Keahi snorted. "You're funny," he deadpanned, sparing Adara an unimpressed look.

The chair at the counter squealed as Beck stood up. Adara could've sworn that he seemed angry. "Keahi? Show her to her damn room. She's a guest."

"My lord..." Keahi trailed off, rolling his eyes. He spared a single glance at Adara before he walked back down the hallway and up the stairs. When Adara looked back to the group, Reva waved her in Keahi's direction.

She paused for a second, not trusting Reva. She looked to Beck for direction. Upon his nod, Adara began to follow Keahi.

But she wasn't stupid enough to leave them alone.

"Why did I encourage that?" Beck inquired. Adara has wondered the same thing.

Reva's breezy voice came next. "For good reason, I'm sure."

"Well, what was the alternative?"

Adara hadn't even been in that house for an hour, and she already felt out of place. She didn't understand any of what was happening. It was bothering her.

"She would've hit him," Reva said assuredly.

"So why wasn't that the immediate course of action?" Beck sounded happy just to be there with his friends. His family. Adara hadn't known that version of him in the past few days.

Something told her that he didn't volunteer to come and collect her.

Reva's incessant steps stopped, finally. Adara could feel the mood of the room change to a more serious one. "Because he would've hit back."

Adara shook her head, clearing it of the things that were coming from the kitchen. What did they expect her to believe? Yes, there was magic. That didn't mean that all of their nonsense was real, too.

She shook her head once more, then followed Keahi's fading footsteps.