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  Dark Fire

  Bethany Wicker

  Dark Fire. Copyright © 2017 Bethany Wicker.

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Printed in the United States of America

  First Edition, 2017

  ISBN: 978-1542345576

  Cover Design Copyright © 2017 Erica Petit

  For Henley, Lucien, and all you Dark Lightning fans

  Thank you BB for all you do.

  Chapter One: Kyler

  I ambled down the mocking halls. The candles along the walls teased me as they flickered and danced. This would be the last time I strolled through the hallways of Westville Boarding School. It was created to house young Elementals so they could learn the tricks of the trade. That was what I was. An Elemental. It was a creature that could control one of the elements.

  My parents were the elders, or leaders, of the Elemental race. As leaders, they wanted to set an example, which so happened to be me attending a human school. Yay me. The boring world of humans.

  My eyes rolled at the thought. I didn’t see what was so great about their species. Just because we avoided the catastrophe of starting a war with them didn’t mean we had to be best friends.

  My parents were currently living in a human neighborhood where my mom grew up. I hated going home to that house. I wasn’t allowed to use my elements or talk about school. Mom wanted us to fit in with the humans before showing them what we were.

  “Yo, Ky! Wait up,” a voice yelled from behind me.

  I turned and saw my friend Jeremiah trying to catch up. He was a year older and stood a good foot taller than me. His wavy brown hair was a mess and the blue flecks in his brown eyes flickered. The specks in our eyes were the signature sign of an elemental.

  “What’s up?” I asked and drew my eyebrows together. I was surprised he wasn’t already in class since I was running late. Mr. Derek was going to be furious at us.

  He drew in a breath and said, “I was waiting for you at the dining hall, but you never showed. Since it’s going to be your last day, I want to escort you to class like I usually do.”

  My left shoulder pulled up in a half-shrug. “I wasn’t hungry. I thought I’d walk the halls, committing everything to memory. I’m going to miss this place.”

  “It certainly won’t be the same without you. Who will be my partner in crime?”

  “You’ll have to be your own partner in crime,” I teased and shoved him lightly.

  “That doesn’t even make sense.”

  “Meh, you’ll figure it out. At least you’ll be here instead of some dull human school. I won’t even be able to use my elements.”

  “I still can’t believe you have two of them. You get to do everything exciting. I think it’ll be fun at the human school. It’ll be a change of scenery at least.”

  His comment about my two elements made me bristle. It was a sensitive topic because it always drew extra attention to me, which was something I didn’t like. Elementals usually only had one element that they could control, but for some reason I had two: fire and darkness. Now at the age of seventeen, I had full control over them, but it was a nightmare in the beginning.

  Mr. Jay, the current head of Westville Boarding School, thought it was because both my parents were Elders. Usually, an Elder found their soulmate, who was usually a non-Elder, and mated with them. Well, my parents were each other’s soulmate, even though they were both born Elders. My life was full of rule-breaking and abnormalities.

  “I’m sorry, Ky,” Jeremiah’s voice broke through my thoughts. “I know you hate talking about your elements, but they’re a part of you. It’s what makes you, you.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” I mumbled as I pushed open the door to Mr. Derek’s class.

  Silence and stares met Jeremiah and me. One stare in particular burned into us and that was Mr. Derek’s.

  “What did you two animals get into this time?” Mr. Derek folded his arms together and faced us full on. The fire in his glance only grew hotter.

  I guessed we deserved that. Jeremiah and I were always getting into something we weren't supposed to. It was a fun way to pass the time. Plus, having two demanding, strict, and powerful parents made it hard to not get into some type of trouble. It was expected of me to be a well-behaved addition to the elemental society. Maybe that was the real reason my parents were pulling me out of an elemental school. They were hoping I’d get into less trouble at a human one since I couldn’t use my elements.

  I gave him a tight smile, not in the mood to joke around. “Just taking one last stroll through the halls.”

  His stern expression softened. “You’ll be fine, Ky. Now, have a seat so we can make the most of your last class with us.”

  Everyone was oddly silent as Jeremiah and I took our seats. You would think I was going to my death instead of a human school with the way everyone was reacting. The glare in my gaze forced them to avert their eyes.

  I zoned out Mr. Derek’s words and started running through possible scenarios that could occur at a human school. Hopefully, there would be better looking guys. None here had caught my interest and I wasn’t one to date around. Nope. The only man in my life besides my dad was Jeremiah, and he was more of a brother than a love interest.

  My eyes drifted to Jeremiah at the thought and I knew I was going to miss him. He’d been a prominent figure in my life since birth. If only he could come with me.

  A rap at the door halted Mr. Derek’s discussion about the weaknesses of each element. Mr. Jay poked in his head with a blinding smile.

  “I’ve come to steal Kyler away for a little bit.”

  Mr. Derek nodded in response as I followed Mr. Jay out of the classroom. His dark brown hair was brushed neatly to the side and his gentle golden eyes always filled me with ease. Mr. Jay was our headmaster, the rule-maker and the punishment-disher, but he was also one of the sweetest and coolest adults I knew. He’d helped me when I was struggling with controlling two aggressive elements when I first acquired them. He was also a fire wielder and the only person I knew to have blue flames. It was because he was a level five. There were a total of five levels in the elemental society. Most only made it to level four, but some rarities made it to level five. An elemental’s current level was based on the strength of their element and the control they had over it. I was only a level four, but would become level five one day soon. At least, that was my goal.

  Instead of going to his office like usual, he led me outside and took a seat under the tree that provided the most shade from the bright sun.

  Mr. Jay’s golden eyes twinkled in the sunlight. He inhaled deeply through his nose and said, “Isn’t it such a beautiful day today?”

  The sun was shining. The birds were chirping. There wasn’t a dark cloud hovering above us. That had always been his definition of a nice day.

  “I guess. You always did like pretty weather and nature better than me though. Rain or shine. It doesn’t really matter in my book.”

  He laughed. “You’re still just as sour as when you were little. Completely different from your mom.”

  “I try to be. So, what’s this really about Mr. Jay?”

  He shrugged his shoulders and seemed years younger as he leaned against the tree with a carefree expression. He didn’t act like the headmaster in times like these. He was more like an uncle to me than anything.

  “I only wanted to talk to you before you’re unleashed into the human world.”

  “You say that like it’s going to be fun and it’s by my choice.”

  He sighed loudly, exaggerating it a bit. “Your mom just wants us to all blend t
ogether. Who knows, you may have the time of your life. At least it’ll be something different. It’ll be a whole new adventure.”

  He sounded like Jeremiah.

  “I don’t like adventures,” I stated bluntly.

  I was a creature of habit. I didn’t like anything new, nor did I like the idea of an adventure. I was perfectly content here, at this school. The human world held no excitement for me.

  “Well, you really aren’t anything like your mom.”

  I grunted and shot him a scowl. “Why do you get off on comparing my mother and me? We’re nothing alike. She likes to read, do new things, and be a leader. I like to stay in my little bubble. People don’t interest me and neither does reading or doing anything new. Why change what isn’t broken?”

  I didn’t even look like my mom. I had my dad’s dark blue eyes with purple specks and facial structure. The only thing Mom and I had in common was our brown hair.

  Mr. Jay sat a little straighter at my rant. “It’s not that I’m necessarily comparing you two. I’m still trying to figure you out. I’ve known you your whole life and still don’t know what makes you tick. I don’t even think you know who you are or where you belong in this world. That’s why this change might be good for you. Shake something alive inside of you. You just go through the day, trying to get in as much trouble as possible, including setting things on fire. I’m not sure what you’re aiming for but I hope you figure it out soon. I guess that’s the main thing I wanted to say before you left. Go into it with an open mind and don’t be afraid of change. It’s not always a bad thing.”

  After listening to him patiently—even though I wanted to rebuke it until I turned blue—I responded with, “I know exactly who I am and I know I don’t care to socialize with humans.”

  The lie tasted bitter on my tongue. He was right. I never felt like I truly belonged here—not that I wanted to be transferred to the human society. Everyone here compared me to my mom and only saw me as the powerful daughter of two Elders. Having two elements I could control didn’t help my case either. I strived to make myself appear to be the complete opposite of my mom—to make my own identity. Mr. Jay’s cold truth made me notice what I didn’t want to see, but I wasn’t going to admit that to him and be forced to watch him gloat.

  “Believe what you will, but I think this will be a good thing for you.”

  “You make it sound like you’ll never see me again. Our families are close so I’m sure I’ll see you one of these days.”

  “Most likely.” He grinned. “I only wanted to give you one last piece of advice as your headmaster.”

  “You’re so weird.” My hair tickled my neck as I shook my head at him.

  “I won’t argue about that. It’s almost lunchtime so enjoy your last meal with us. Your plane is scheduled to leave before dinner.”

  I nodded my head and he remained where he was sitting as I walked back to the school. Jeremiah was waiting for me outside the cafeteria. He grinned as soon as I came into his line of sight and caused my mood to lighten a little. Everyone was surprised we weren’t soulmates with how close we were, but it wasn’t like that. It never had been. We were simply best friends who’d grown up together. Our moms had been good friends and were also both elders, so of course we’d be close too.

  “Getting into trouble without me on your last day?” He waggled his eyebrows and it made him look silly.

  “You know I wouldn’t without including you. I think we should do one more prank before I leave though.”

  “You read my mind.” His smile turned mischievous as we retrieved some food. We sat at an empty table and began plotting our last big trick.

  ~*~

  “Ready?” I whispered and he nodded eagerly. We were hiding behind one of the statues in the main hallway on the second floor, invisible to the eyes of those who were meandering down the hall. I finished tying the knot to the string that was holding up a pail. After he received the ‘go ahead’ from me, Jeremiah filled it with ice water, since he had the affinity for water. We’d skipped our afternoon classes and this was only a small prank that prepared us for the big finale.

  We sunk further behind the statue as footsteps approached. Manipulating the darkness around us, I pulled it to make us completely hidden. My darkness was usually the reason we didn’t get caught.

  A girl in our class named Jenni walked by our hiding spot, unsuspecting. A splash followed by a string of curses was all we heard. We contained our laughter to keep from being caught and poked out our heads. The darkness followed to keep us concealed.

  Her dark hair was soaked and her clothes clung to her. She darted her head all around, searching for the culprit while chills racked her body.

  “Ky and Jeremiah, I know you guys can hear me wherever you are and I want you both to know you guys suck.”

  Okay, so we never got caught, but it was a well-known fact that we loved to cause mayhem whenever the opening presented itself. A smile broke on her face, but she still stomped her feet as she stormed off, probably to her room to change. We burst out laughing when the coast was clear.

  “Did you see her face?” Jeremiah asked between laughs.

  “Yeah and it was so red. She looked murderous.”

  We sobered up long enough to refill the bucket with water and hang it back up. We made sure to get the water off the floor too as we waited for our next victim. Most of the students were in class, so it took a while before the next person came. Jeremiah and I were excited when we saw it was Mr. Chris, one of the other teachers who taught the younger ones. He used to be our teacher before Mr. Derek.

  Jeremiah almost broke but luckily he was able to keep the snicker behind his lips. Mr. Chris yelled so loud someone was bound to come see what was up. We didn’t even risk looking out as more footsteps headed our way. Instead, I made the darkness thicker and was thankful for that when Mr. Jay was the one who’d come check on what was happening.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, but the amusement was clearly written all over his face.

  We couldn’t see what Mr. Chris was doing but we heard him growl, “Do I look okay?”

  “You do realize who’s behind this, right?” Mr. Jay started looking in the shadows of the statues lining the walls. His eyes seemed to land on us, but moved on to the next one instead of lingering. He was unable to see us, and I gave myself a mental pat on the back.

  Mr. Chris grunted. “Of course I do and wait until I get my hands on them.”

  He was still out of our line of view, but I could imagine his expression.

  Mr. Jay chuckled. “Well, you two,” he said loud enough for us to hear, “since this is your last day, I’ll let this one slide. However, this better be it. If not, Jeremiah will receive double the punishment for the both of you.”

  He gave one last look around before walking with Mr. Chris. I had no idea where they were heading, but it was probably to the teachers’ lounge.

  Jeremiah and I shared a glance as we stepped out of our hiding place. It was time to set up for the finale. Neither of us were concerned about Mr. Jay’s threat. He never followed through on them and I had the assumption it was because he secretly enjoyed our tricks. They kept him on his toes and brought entertainment to his otherwise boring day.

  The last prank involved the cafeteria and dinnertime. Unfortunately, I would miss how it would unfold, but I was sure Jeremiah would fill me in.

  Once we dyed most of the liquids red and finished the other preparations, we went to my room to finish gathering all my stuff. Time passed a little too quickly and it was time to say our goodbyes.

  “I’m going to miss you, squirt.” He messed with my hair.

  “I told you, you aren’t allowed to call me squirt when you’re only a year older.”

  We fell silent and just stared at each other. I promised myself I wouldn’t tear up and was glad that I remained strong. We moved closer and hugged each other for a good full minute.

  “It’s not like we’ll never see each other again,”
Jeremiah tried to brush it off when we pulled away.

  “Yeah, but it’s going to suck without you.”

  Jeremiah tried to smile, but it fell flat. “It’s going to suck here without you too.”

  We hugged goodbye one more time and said it about ten more. Finally, he handed me my suitcase he’d been pulling and we reluctantly turned away from each other. He went to get ready for dinner and I made my way down the hall. The suitcase felt heavier and heavier as I walked, like a weight that was trying to keep me here.

  “Release me,” a strange whisper called as I was walking.

  It made me pause and my feet soon led me to the fourth floor as if I was in a trance. There was nobody around as I stopped in front of a tapestry with a man in black armor holding a glinting sword. He sat atop a black horse and I could almost hear his battle cry.

  My hand moved of its own accord, as if it was being controlled, and pushed the tapestry aside. My palm fell flush against the cold wall. I had no idea what was happening, or what I was doing, but soon, my hand started to go into the wall. Panic seized me, but I pushed it down as I continued to press forward. I was literally moving through the wall. This had to be the craziest thing I’d ever done, and I’d done some pretty insane stuff before. How was I doing it? I had no idea. I’d never even given the tapestry a second glance before now.

  Darkness was the only thing visible, but luckily it didn’t hinder me. Using my ability to see through it, I noticed candles on the walls and lit them with my fire, illuminating the room. My body continued forward and stopped at a shelf that held a silver sword. The inscription on its blade read ‘Death Brings Life’ and my hands wrapped around the hilt.

  It was cold to the touch and I lifted it, surprised to find it weighed more than I was anticipating. It pulsed in my hand and I felt the power that resided within it. It was odd for a sword to feel so alive. Not wanting to leave it and not wanting to be late for my flight, I wrapped the sword in a blanket that was lying on the couch. It barely fit into my suitcase, but I made it work.