No. 17: Emotions

Part 2:
Water and Earth









No. 17: Emotions

Cliff gazed out the window as he watched Kaleigh get off the back of Brandon's green motorcycle. It wasn't that he actually hated the guy. It was just that he didn't like the site of his sister on a boy's bike. Maybe it was just a brotherly instinct, maybe it was that once he had a crush on her, or maybe it was just the fact that he didn't like how she was going off after night fall with guys.

"I still don't like that idiot."
Cliff sighed and looked up at Venn who was standing behind him, looking over his shoulder.
"Don't be to hard on her. She needs someone other than us."
"Hey what's wrong with us?" Venn snapped. "Or at least me. You've got Terra." Venn muttered, but Cliff heard him anyways.
"Wait, what? Terra? What about her?"
Venn rolled his eyes and moved away from his brother.
"Don't give me that crap." He mumbled.
"Venn, nothing is going on between Terra and I." Cliff said moving away from the window. Venn rolled his eyes as he collapsed on the couch.
"I'm serious Venn. You of all people, should know I'm not about to get into a relationship with a girl."
"Well there's always a first time."
"What is with you? It's like you aren't even you any more!"
"I'm not okay Cliff?! I hate to bust your perfect little bubble, but apparently Kale is the only one who's the same as she was before. I, apparently, am a grumpy guy who can't have a girlfriend." Venn snapped at him. "And honestly I could care less about that if it weren't for the fact that you seemed to change as well. It's like we some how switched roles and your life sucks!"
Cliff wasn't sure how to take that. Especially since he wasn't with Terra, but Venn wasn't believing him at the moment.
"Venn we're the same we just have -"
"Save it." Venn growled, jumping up from the couch and walking out the back door. Letting it slam shut behind him.
Kaleigh walked into the room just as the door closed and she looked at Cliff wide eyed.
"What did I miss?" She asked, putting her purse on the counter.
"Uh maybe the fact that you didn't call to let us know you were gone?" He snapped.
She cringed and ran a hand through her hair.
"Yeah...and I feel real bad about that. I was really stressed and - "
"Kaleigh we get it okay? You wanted to spend time with your boyfriend that would have been totally fine with us, but you could have at least told us! We were worried half to death until we finally figured you'd be with Brandon and phoned his mom who confirmed that you were there."
Kaleigh sighed and walked up to Cliff, resting a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry. Honestly. I - something happened and it triggered a huge emotional collapse from me and so I called Brandon because I needed someone to talk to."
"You could have talked to us Kale. That's what we're here for. We have to be siblings for a reason, or else God wouldn't have put us together. We need to rely on one another or it's all going to get screwed up. Okay?"
He brushed her hand off and walked away, closing the door of his bedroom quietly and collapsed on the floor with his head in his hands.
All the anger towards Venn, and the worry towards Kaleigh was boiling inside him and he needed to get it out.
Looking around the dark room, he grabbed his notebook from his bed and wrote viciously for two minutes non-stop. Letting all his emotions out like some kind of dam broke and nothing could stop him.
He groaned under his breath when the ink started to run on the page, but kept writing.
It startled him to see that the ink just kept coming, and coming. He finally stopped and lifted up the pen, it shook in his hand until it exploded, sending ink and shards everywhere.
A weird, foreign feeling was running through his veins like a river coming to the edge of a waterfall, going faster and faster 'til soon he couldn't stop what happened next.
The ink stopped in mid air, in perfect little droplets that hadn't hit anything yet. They just...froze.
Cliff watched in awe as his hand moved on it's own, his left hand gripped a small vile that had appeared out of no where, his right hand moved, the droplets moving with him. He forced the ink to go into the vile, once they were in there he put the cap on and realized it was a necklace. Not sure of what else to do, he slipped it over his head, holding the small vile in the palm of his hand.
He shook his head, his eyes huge as he realized what had just happened.
"No. Freakin'. Way."

.:+++:.

Kaleigh chased after Venn, things hadn't gone too great with Cliff and she wanted to make amends. It was hard to have her brothers not trust her, and she wanted the horrid guilty feeling and metallic taste in her mouth to go away as soon as possible!
Venn was standing close to the forest that covered the back end of the school property. Usually everyone avoids it, but sometimes on the weekends a group of stupid guys would go trekking through there and get lost, forcing the Professor to call the police to go in for a search. But other than that it's usually avoided.

"Venn!" Kaleigh called.
Venn let out a deep breath and tried to tell himself not to snap at her, but things were to confusing for him to think strait.
He was mad at himself for being one of those jealous idiots, and than for snapping at Cliff who seemed to be playing dumb at the moment just ticked him off more. And then Kaleigh decided to ditch and go do who knows what with that guy and she even had the nerve to ride home on his motorcycle!
   White hot anger was boiling so hot that he wanted nothing to strangle something or someone. The feeling was so overwhelming that it took over his mind.
Subconsciously he heard a high pitched screech but didn't do much about it except turn around. He wished he never did though.

Kaleigh was gone from where she had been standing behind him, when he scanned around to see where she had gone he heard another noise, only this time it was more like a choking sound.
He glanced around once more and nearly fell over. His sister was up in a tree, or at least that's what he thought at first. But he noticed her feet flailing for a grip on the bark, and her hands were wrapped....around a vine that had wound it's way around her throat, and it was squeezing tight as his anger boiled.
Her eyes locked with his as the redness from lack of oxygen covered her face.
"...Venn..." She gasped.
His eyebrows rose in shock and horror as he realized that whatever was happening to Kaleigh, was because of him.
"Let...it go..." She gasped.
Anger flared once again in him. How could he just let it go? She had broken that trust bond by first going out at night and nearly getting beaten, and then by ditching them at the mall to hang out with that stupid idiot that kept following her around like a little lost puppy!
   But one clear thought rang through his head. He didn't want her to die. He didn't want to loose anything else of his life, and he also knew that what was happening was because he was angry.
After several seconds passed by, he closed his eyes and took deep breaths, calming himself down and slowly the white hot anger slipped away from him.
A thud was heard followed by deep gasps and he figured Kaleigh was fine.
But he didn't check.
He spun on his heel and ran, as far and as fast as he could.

No. 16: Bonding

No. 16: Bonding

Kaleigh had given up trying to figure out where they were going a several minutes ago.
"Relax Kale. I won't drop you." He said after she hadn't relaxed since he'd picked her up.
"It's not the drop I'm worried about." She answered. Honestly, she had no idea why she was still tense, maybe it was just the fact that he was holding her. No, that wouldn't be it. No she was tense because, even though she had seen Brandon use his powers in training, he had never used this much for so long, t hat's what was making her tense.
"You do remember that we're stronger together even if there is no Bond right?"
She looked at him, startled.
"How do you do that?" She questioned. "Know what I'm thinking. It's a little creepy."
Brandon laughed a little as he gazed down at the city below.
Kaleigh saw in relief that their altitude was dropping, though she still had no clue where they were.
   When his feet touched the ground of an alley, he set her down gently.
"Come on, I want you to meet someone."
As soon as he had landed, he moved away quickly, the spark that always flared up between the two, stopped as soon as the physical contact was gone.
She took a step to the side so he could walk past her, as he did he shoved his hands in his pockets, though she could tell they became fists.
She followed right behind him quietly and was subconsciously pulling her sleeves down to cover her hands.

Brandon led her onto the street and she had to practically hold his arm to keep from getting separated. When ever she brushed his jacket he'd glance down at her with a reassuring smile.
"So you're not mad at me or anything?" She blurted out before being able to stop herself. His face came over with a shadow of confusion.
"Why would I be mad at you?" He asked.
"Because I snapped at you? And probably would have done worse if I had continued."
"Really?"
Okay so maybe adding that last bit wasn't the best of ideas. She thought to herself as she saw the playfulness in his eyes.
"Well to answer your question, no I am not mad at you. In fact I had been expecting you to lash out sooner or later."
That made her feel as if someone had just taken a weight off her chest that she hadn't even realized was there.
However, she didn't have time to reply because he stopped at a town house and opened the door.
"Mom! I'm home!" He hollered as he stepped in, leaving the door open.
Kaleigh was suddenly hit with the realization she was at his house. And the 'someone' he was talking about earlier was probably his family. She didn't know why, but she was seriously hoping they wouldn't hate her.
"Are you coming? Or are you just going to stay there like some kind of idiot?"
The jab was what she needed to cross over the threshold and smack him.
He grinned as he pushed the door closed behind her and led the way into the living room.
A small woman came out of the kitchen completely covered in flour. Her brown hair was done up in a bun at the back of her neck and she wore a friendly smile when she saw Kaleigh.
"Hey honey. I wasn't expecting company today." she said as she wiped her hands off on her bright yellow apron and kissed her son's forehead.
"Mom." He groaned, though didn't pull away.
Kaleigh couldn't keep the smile from her face, she certainly hadn't imagined this side of Brandon before.
"You must be Kaleigh."
Her eyes went to the woman's soft brown ones with a smile.
"That would be me."
The woman walked over to her and gave her a hug, which Kale hadn't been expecting but after a moment hugged her back. Suddenly realizing how much she had been missing not having a mom, and was now envious of Brandon for having one.
"You can call me Tracy." She said as she pulled back. "And it seems I have gotten flour all over you. I am so sorry!"
Kale shook her head, the smile still obvious on her face.
"Don't worry about it. It's not going to kill me." She said with a little laugh.
"Brandon!"
A little angelic girl came bounding into the room, her curls bouncing as she moved.
Brandon's face lit up in a way Kale had never seen before. He hugged the little girl and started to move his hands in a way that jogged something in Kaleigh's memory of her past life.
"Hey Maddy. How are you?" His hands asked.
"Good." She signed back, but then caught sight of Kaleigh. "Oh! So this is the 'very interesting person' you were pain -" The rest of the words got cut off as Brandon suddenly jumped on her hands, his eyes wide with embarrassment.
"Okay that's enough of that Maddy." He spoke aloud. "Kale," She looked at him with a smile as he called her nickname. "This is my little sister Maddy. She's uh..."
"I'm deaf." The little girl spoke for the second time.
Kaleigh nodded, not letting that fact change the way she'd treat her. She walked up to the little girl and knelt in front of her.
"Well hi there Maddy. I'm Kaleigh." She said with her hands. The other three people seemed to gasp as they watched her speak perfect sign language.
Maddy suddenly started clapping, and jumping up and down, squealing with excitement. Then she almost toppled Kaleigh over in a bear crushing hug.
"She's so awesome!" Maddy declared. She ran over to Brandon and hugged his waist.
"I like her. You should keep her."
Kaleigh laughed quietly at the look of pure shock and awe on Brandon's face.
"Well....that was....interesting." He breathed. Kaleigh chuckled as she got up to her feet.
"Well the cookies are in the oven," Tracy began, addressing the two teenagers. "but I promised Maddy she could decorate them, so they might take a while, but you're welcome to stay around and have some if you'd like."
Kaleigh smiled, and didn't really feel like she could turn down Tracy's hospitality. Not that she wanted to either.
"I'd love to."
Maddy grinned, and Tracy smiled.
"Well alright then. I'll leave you two to it than."

Once Tracy had taken Maddy into the kitchen once again, Brandon beckoned Kaleigh through another door which led into the garage.
Only it was full of paintings, and art supplies.
When she first stepped in, she had to stop and take it all in. Canvases both empty and full were everywhere, cluttering up the floor. Easels were also everywhere, full of course. As she walked into the room further, she noticed all the paint spots on the concrete floor and for some reason just had to smile.
"So I finally get to see some of your pictures huh?" She asked as she gapped at some of the paintings.
"Uh...yeah I guess..." He said, inwardly sighing in relief as she passed the one painting that had a blanket covering it. He didn't want to look creepy having painted her face, and scare her away.

"So," She sat down on one of his bar stools that were by a desk that he was now clearing, so he could start a sketch on a piece of paper.
"how does this whole Bonding thing work?" She asked.
"We have to use our powers at the same time, while we're linked together."
"Linked?"
"Yeah uh..." He glanced at her confused face. "Like holding hands kind of thing."
"Oh...Okay and that's going to do what?"
At this he shrugged. "Beats me. The book wasn't too clear on that."
Kaleigh knew he meant the Elemental book that the Professor had shown her a few weeks ago.
"We've also got to say a vow while we're like that." He went on, not looking at her, concentrating on the sketch he was working on.
"And that's what?" Her voice seemed quiet and he suddenly felt her breath on his neck. He tried not to let it get to his head. She was just curious as to what he was doing, that's all.
"Do you remember the exact words?" She added.
It was driving him crazy with her so close, but he did his best to ignore it.
"Yeah. The Professor had me memorize them back in the early days."
He moved away from the desk, bumping into Kaleigh as he did, though she moved back with a jolt.
"I bind myself to thee, to guard and to keep. I will follow thee everywhere 'til thee walk down the path of death. I will give up my life for thee before I let thee die. If I have to take a bullet for thee I will, if I have to cut out my own heart for thee I will. I bind myself to thee."
Kaleigh didn't move, didn't say anything, didn't even breath as he recalled the vow.
"Whoa....that's....specific." She managed to say after a minute of looking like a complete idiot.
"Yup. You still want to do it?" Brandon asked. She knew he was offering her a last chance to reconsider but she shook her head.
"Yes. We don't have much of a choice anyways."
"We always have choices." He mumbled under his breath. "I worked on a sketch, but you do realize it might not come out the same right? I don't know what'll happen honestly." He said admittedly.
Kaleigh nodded.
"Then I suggest we go outside huh? Wouldn't want your paintings ruined by who knows what."

They actually ended up on the roof of Brandon's house.
Kaleigh didn't mind it, especially since she wouldn't let Brandon just fly her up. She had climbed through Maddy's window and had let him help her up from there.
Now they stood in middle of the roof, the sun beating down on their backs, but the breeze kept them cool. Brandon offered an his right hand, and Kaleigh took it with her left, both of them grabbing onto the wrists.
"Now, you'll have to -"
"I know what I have to do." Kaleigh said, cutting in gently. Brandon's stormy eyes locked in on hers and he nodded.
Kaleigh took a deep breath and searched for that chest she had stored the alien feeling in in her mind.
Through reflex she gripped Brandon's arm tighter as she opened the chest and let the alien feeling take over. She heard him gasp as the electricity flowed through her, until she channeled it through her whip she had clutched in her free hand.
What had been a steady breeze soon started to churn around them becoming a sort of twister joined with electricity.
Brandon said the vow first.
As he said it, silver moved down from his eyes. Kaleigh watched wide eyed, not sure to be scared or in awe. The silver moved like veins down his skin until they ran down his right arm and crossed over on to her own arm. She couldn't see it as it moved up her arm and around her neck to her right shoulder, but she could feel it. Like a warm finger's touch running across her skin, sending a shiver down her spin.
Brandon said the last word, and she knew it was her turn. He had drilled the vow into her a few minutes ago, and it was still fresh in her mind. She allowed the words to run out of her mouth, as she did, she knew silver was leaving her own eyes and that thought alone was freaky enough, but when she caught sight of the silver veins running down her own arm, she got a little panicky.
Brandon's grip on her arm tightened and she quickly looked back up at him, trying to ignore the silver veins that were running around his neck.
"...I bind myself to thee." When the last words left her lips, the silver veins had moved to his left shoulder, and stayed there.
The wind died down and she locked up the alien feeling once again, happy that she could now access it now on her own accord.
Their grip on each other weakened as their breath came out hard. Kaleigh was the first to move. She let go of his hand and pulled her sweatshirt over her head and dropped it on the roof. Pulling the neck of her long sleeve down over her shoulder, her eyes grew wide when she saw the silver mark now on her bicep.
She pulled her shirt back up as she looked at Brandon, who had been watching her.
"I guess it worked." Kale said.
He nodded as he pulled up his own short sleeve to show the same mark on his more defined bicep.
"Guess so...The question is...Now what?"

No. 15: Help the Outcast

No.15: Help the Outcast

Stryder let out a sigh and rubbed away the on coming headache.
The letter was weighing him down like an anvil in his pocket.
He shook his head and tried to force his mind to concentrate on the triplets, who were eating at McDonalds in the mall.
He had ordered himself a chocolate milkshake and tried to busy himself with a comic book so he didn't seem obvious.
Kaleigh acted normal enough around her brothers he thought. He knew she had tried to tell her brothers what the idiot told her. But he also knew they didn't believe her.
When he had seen her face at that moment, something stirred up in him. It had scared him at first because it was a foregn feeling. But he found that it wasn't at all connected with what he was. It was a human feeling, he had seen it plenty of times in their eyes. He just hoped he was able to hide it better than everyone else.

Kaleigh and her brothers walked out of Mickey D's and strolled through the mall for a little while. Stryder always kept back like usual, observing them from a distance.
Cliff seemed quiet and seccluded, where as Venn was loud and roudy. he seemed to take it upon himself to keep everyone happy and their minds off depressing stuff.
That's got to be a pain in the butt. Stryder grumbled to himself.

But it didn't matter how hard he tried, he couldn't keep his eyes from wandering back to Kaleigh.
Her senses were heightening, it wasn't hard to tell. She kept glancing around when ever he got to close, but she was new, she didn't know how to use her power.
Not like he could talk.
She was very energetic and full of life. She still clutched her vintage camera to her chest as if it was her life line, but it hardly ever left her eye.
Her laughter stood out to him over the dull hum of everyone else in the mall as she listened to her brother retell her his adventure hunting for an old car.
Silver necklaces shone when her neck moved -
"Get your head out of the clouds Stryder!" He barked at himself.
"Hey guys I'll be right back," Kaleigh said. "I'll meet you at the arcade."
The boys nodded a little hesitantly, but when she urged them to go on, they finally left.
Stryder blended into a wave of teenagers, ducking his head and kept his eyes off her as she passed.
But he couldn't ignore the hard hand gripping his arm, pulling him along away from the teenage crowd and into an exit hall.
"What the heck?!"
He found himself pinned up against the wall with a girl smaller than him keeping him there.
Kaleigh's blue and silver eyes shone bright and fierce, showing what kind of soul she had.
One that probably wouldn't appreciate being stalked. He thought grimly.
"You. Again." She said through gritted teeth. "What is with you and why are you following me?"
"What makes you think I'm following you?"
She cocked a perfectly arched eyebrow, keeping her arm pinned across his chest, her fingers touched the silver necklaces on her throat.
"Think these are just for decorations? I saw you looking at them. Though I'm not entirly sure it was just them you were looking at but I'm not even going to go there." She growled. "So, unless you actually want to know what these are, I suggest you start talking."
For the first time since he had known her, he saw that she wasn't just the pretty, dainty girl she looked like. That was just a shell, and it was proven with the strength she was using to keep him pinned. Stryder had spent most of his life body building, ever since he was twelve. And here comes this girl, who probably hasn't been at it long, pinning him against a wall using nothing else but her own body!
He couldn't wrap his mind around it.
Kale got impatient and used her free hand to punch his stomach. Feeling slightly guilty when she did, but quickly reminded herself that he had been stalking her. He was probably some kind of pervert and deserved it.
But then again, he did know what Brandon was going to tell her so maybe there was more to him than met the eye.
"You're not talking." She said.
"Okay, geez. You didn't have to punch me fore it." He said, trying to breath.
"Payback."
He met her gaze and nodded.
"Fare enough. Now would you mind easing up a little?" It wasn't that he wouldn't be able to push her off, he was stronger, but he thought being polite might go a father distance.
She did ease up, but not too much.
"Why are you following me?" She asked.
"It's my job."
"You're job? What kind of sick, sadistic person would follow a sixteen year old girl around a mall?!"
"Okay first off, I'm not a sadistic person, I'm only seventeen!"
"That does not mean you're not a pervert. Most seventeen year old guys are."
"And yet you're the one pinning me to the wall." He pointed out, holding her gaze steady. His words did exactly what he wanted them to do. She glared at him but moved away.
Kaleigh didn't like the fact that he could get away, so she unwound her necklaces and held the silver whip in her hand nimbly, knowing exactly what to hit and how to move her body to get the right angle if he were to run.
"Now, first off I can't actually tell you who hired me. Need to know basis and you don't need to know." Stryder went on to explain, running his hand through his black curls. There was something unnerving about his eyes. They were just black holes. She couldn't see the difference from the dark brown they must be and the pupil, she began to wonder if he even had pupils.
"But all I know is that I was hired to watch out for you." He finished.
"Watch out for me? As in be my guardian angle sort of thing? Or just simply take creepy pictures and put them up on a wall like a stalker?"
Stryder hesitated for a moment, trying to come up with the best words.
"Uh...something in the middle? I'm not a stalker, or your guardian angle, that's what that idiot's for, but I just keep an eye on you."
Her chest was rising and falling fast, adrenaline still pumping through her veins.
"Why?" Asked Kaleigh after she studied him a moment. Trying to decide what to believe.
"Because it's my job...?" He sound a little hesitant, as if she should have already known that.
"Are you asking me or telling me?" She reminded herself of a foster parent she once had who said that all the time.
Amazing who rubs off on you! She thought moodily.
Stryder shot her a look that almost pulled a smile out if she hadn't clamped down on it quick enough. Despite his black holes for eyes, she was strangely attracted to him. Something about him was bait to her, something she couldn't get enough of.
He's a bad idea. A passing thought stated. She shook her head, trying to clear it.
"Well obviously your little stalker thing isn't going to work anymore, since I know you're there. So what do you plan on doing now?" Kale asked.
Stryder replied gravely. "You're not the only one I'm keeping an eye on."
She didn't know what to do with that.
"Uh-huh. That's comforting. If I see you around me again, I swear I will use this, and it wont be comfortable." She threatened, before turning on her heal and marching away.
Stryder watched her in a daze. Trying to figure out what that was all about.

Kaleigh's emotions were boiling up, threating to explode.
"Oh no..." She whispered as her hands began to tingle.
She knew what was going to happen next, the Professor had warned her. Scrambling to find the closest exit, she fumbled for her phone.
She needed someone. Someone who understood. Her brothers would do anything for her she knew that. But they couldn't fix what they didn't know.

Outside, she leaned against the building and forced her shaking fingers to hit speed dial.
She tried to remember how to breathe right. To slow her heart beat down, but with her new encounter with Stryder it was impossible.
"Hello?" The familiar voice brought her back to the present.
"I need you." Even her voice shook. "Now. Before teh whole block suddenly has a black out."
"Okay, where are you?"
"At the mall, on 14th and Irving street."
"I'm just a few blocks away. Be there in a sec."
She hung up and felt her body go into spasms. Kale slid down the wall 'til she was crouched, with her arms wrapped around her legs and her head braced on her knees.

So many things were confusing her.
Who had hired Stryder to watch her, and why? Was it the bad people he had warned her about?
No of course not, don't be silly. If he was a bad guy he wouldn't have warned me. She thought rationally.
But then her mind came up with a thousand different arguments for that, like he could really be working for the bad guys, but was good at heart and didn't want her to get hurt. Or, he could just be plain evil trying to win her over so he could stab her in the back.
The list could have gone on, but then she heard the motorcycle, and her thoughts were drawn to Brandon.
Over the past couple of weeks, he had asked about the Bonding only once. When she had answered that she wasn't sure about it, and there was a lot of other things going on, he understood and let it be.
That was what she liked about him, he wasn't pushy.

"Kaleigh." A firm hand gripped hers, the other touching her hair. She lifted her head to see Brandon kneeling in front of her. His stormy eyes deep with worry.
He immediately noticed, besides the shaking, that something was scaring her. But he had to deal with one thing at a time.
"Deep breaths Kaleigh. Just take deep breaths." His tone was firm but not harsh.
Kaleigh's gaze didn't waver as she forced herself to inhale deeply, and exhale slowly.
"There you go." Brandon was good with praise. He gave it when it was deserved, and was always encouraging.
"Okay, now focus on that alien feeling," He went on. "and everything that it does to you, and force it to become small. Don't let it cross the boundaries. You're the one in control."
Kaleigh did as instructed, closing her eyes and searching for the alien feeling.
Finding it, and all that made it up, she imagined herself taking it, and locking it away in a chest in her mind.
The spasms stopped, and the tingling left her fingers. Relief spread through her, allowing her to open her eyes.
"I'll do it." She said suddenly. Brandon looked at her confused. Not remembering what he had asked her to do.
"I'll perform the Bonding." She clarified, rendering Brandon speechless.
"Uh...Are you sure? You seemed really adamant about it. What happened in there?"
"I..." She hesitated, so many things added up to that why, she wasn't sure she could explain it all.
"There's someone who keeps following me around."
Brandon's eyebrows pinched together.
"I-I only know his first name. And I don't even know if it's his real name." The tears surprised them both. She didn't know how scared she had been until she was safe.
"What did he do to you?" Brandon asked. She noticed the protective brother instinct taking over him.
"Nothing." She admitted. "Except give me a warning. I was the one who jumped him actually." She said a little dazed. Brandon's eyebrows joined his hairline.
"Well...I guess I should be reasured that your training has started to kick in."
Kaleigh laughed with him despite herself, but thankful for the stress reliever.
"Where are your brothers?"
"Oh! THey're at the arcade. I promised to meet them there. They're probably freaking out right now."
Brandon helped her to her feet and led her through the mall door again.
"Well I don't think they'd appreciate it if they found out you ditched them for me. They still don't like me much."
"Give them some time. They'll come round." She encouraged, as she wrapped her whip back around her neck. It still freaked him out every time she did that, he was scared she'd strangle herself.
"They'll have to if we're going to go through with the Bonding."
"Of course we are." Kale had gotten over the emotions, and had found her courage again. The emotions weren't gone, but being around Brandon had a calming affect on her.
"I just had to work through things," She went on. "and clear my head."
   They joined the flow of people, keeping close to each other. Kaleigh tried using her senses to see if Stryder was still following her. It was possible, forcing her senses to expand, but it took up a lot of concentration.
"No one's taking a second glance at us." Brandon whispered, catching on to what she was going.
"So your....encounter, was the deciding factor to form the Bond?" He asked a bit louder.
Kale gnawed on her lip. "Well a lot of things added up to the deciding factor. The encounter was just the last straw."
They walked onto an escalator, and Brandon turned to her.
"If this is just because that encounter scared you and you need someone there that understand, you don't have to go through the with the Bonding. We're not exactly sure what the Bonding does exactly, and if you just want someone to watch your back, your brothers and I can do that just fine. No need to give up privacy or whatever with the Bonding."
That just made her feel bad. Part of her had said she'd do it just because she was scared and wanted someone there that understood what was going on with her. But the other part knew there was something much bigger coming. Something that would require the Bond and she would regret not performing it for the rest of her life.
She shook her head, setting her jaw.
"No. I want to do it. I can't explain it, but we're going to need it, and not just to help the Savior." She said as she stepped off teh escalator, and led the way to the arcade.
"So you got that feeling too huh?"
She stopped shock still and gapped up at him. She thought that the gut feeling of dread was just her being an overemotional female.
Brandon adjusted his baseball cap and stopped in front of her. Just from the look on her face he knew he was right.
"Guess we're more connected than we thought huh?" He asked, putting on a grin to make the statment less awkward.
Kaleigh nodded numbly and turned to start walking again.
"We still have to come up with the emblem though." He said, easily falling instep with her.
"Yeah. About that."
Uh-oh. He thought.
"I want it to be nice enough I can still wear a tank top."
Brandon threw his head back and laughed.
It startled Kaleigh, but it wasn't unwelcome.
"Out of all the things you could have said, you said that?" He asked through laughter that coated every word.
Kaleigh let a small smile hit her lips, but just than she walked into the dark arcade lit only by blacklights, so he didn't see it.
"I didn't mean that as a bad thing." He quickly added, worried that he had hurt her. "I just meant that it was kind of funny how girls are always worried about their looks and all - "
"Whoa! Don't you start comparing me to other girls." She stopped and looked at him. Her feelings from her other life welded up in her, all of the judgment, being different, and hating it. And she thought Brandon was different!
"I've spent my entire life, fake or not, living inside a shell. I was never anybody, I was never anything. I was just the orphan that kept to herself and didn't talk to people. That's who I was, that's what I was use to. Then to come here, and find out I can - I can do things that shouldn't be possible! I just - I'm always going to be that girl no one pays attention to, that girl no one wants to see, or talk to. I'm always going to be judged and alone. I should have known you were no different."
Kaleigh turned to walk away. She had forgotten her brothers, her promise to meet them.
Brandon knew more was going on in her, but couldn't help but let her words affect him.
He grabbed her arm as she walked by, knowing what he was going to have to do to prove that he wasn't like the rest of them, he walked her through the arcade, not letting go of her arm as he pushed Kaleigh ahead of him. He opened the exit door and they found themselves standing on an emergency exit ramp, with stairs on the left that led to the lower floor.
"Don't think you know me. We've known each other for what? Two weeks?" He asked, Kaleigh pulled away from him and shifted uncomfortably, refusing to meet his eyes.
"Yeah but at least you had a family that loves you. That's something I never had until a month ago!" She shot back. "Even now, at school, I feel like I have to live a lie because everyone else would think I'm a freak! And you know what? You might claim to be an Elemental, or whatever, but you're still human! And It's in your nature to judge."
"Kaleigh." He walked over to her and grasped his shoulders. "Just shut up."

Kale wont deny it. She thought he was going to kiss her. And because of that thought, her heart pounded like she had just ran a marathon. But her surprised her when he bent down and picked her up. Her arm instinctively going around his neck.
"Brandon what are you doing?" She asked.
He shot her an impatient look, before a strong wind whipped around them. He channeled it by years of practice, but starred into Kaleigh's bright blue eyes the whole time.
Kaleigh gasped as she suddenly realized they weren't touching the ground anymore.
"Oh gosh!" Her grip on Brandon's neck tightened. It wasn't that she was scared of heights or anything, but she was just shocked.
"Do you trust me?" He asked.
"Like I have a choice?!" She shot back.
He just laughed and flew off.

No. 14: Training Hard

No. 14: Training Hard

The Professor met them outside the mansion. He was leaning on his cane with a smile on his face as he saw them walk over.
"So I see you have come to an agreement then?" He asked as they drew closer.
"Well lets just say we understand each other better. We still haven't talked about the whole, Bonding thing." Brandon explained.
The Professor nodded.
"Well you'll have plenty of time for talking latter. But right now we have other things to tend to. Come."
The two kids followed the elder man to the strangely shaped building Kaleigh had noticed when she first came to campus, though other things had kept her mind from dwelling on it too long.

The building was made entirely of glass, and seemed to made up of several pyramids all connected together by halls.
"Who cleans all that?" Kaleigh wondered aloud. Brandon chuckled beside her.
"What?" She asked, suddenly getting defensive.
"Nothing! It's just that anyone else would ask stuff like 'what's inside it?' or 'what could it's purpose be?' or even 'why is shaped that way?' and you ask 'who cleans it?' It's just funny."
Kale shrugged, as they walked up a gravel path to it.
"Yeah well the glory of being me. I don't see things the way everyone else does."
"That is very true Miss Kaleigh. Very true indeed." The Professor agreed.

He pushed the glass door open and when they had gotten closer, she found that it wasn't actually glass. It was some kind of other metal that simply glinted in the sunlight like glass, but was not clear.
"What kind of metal is this?" Kaleigh asked.
"It's one that is made up of all four Elements. Only made by Elementals, very powerful, nearly indestructible." The Professor explained. "It's called ealantean."
Kaleigh had a look on her face as she nodded that said 'well duh, I should have known that.' Making Brandon try extremely hard not to burst out laughing.

The Professor led them inside and Kaleigh stood shock still in awe.
The inside looked much like she would have imagined a pyramid to look like. Just with out the stone walls, sand, hieroglyphs, freaky dog faced statues, and mummies.
The first pyramid was practically empty except for a couple benches on the far wall, and the floor was covered in black mats, which she could only assume were for tumbling and learning to do flips. Filling the floor looked like what might be an obstacle course. Beams of wood hung from the roof on cables that was attached to the tip of the pyramid on a pulley system. Targets of various sizes and shapes were everywhere, giving testimony that someone had the precision to hit a fly.
However, along two walls, cases that took up the entire length of the wall were full of various weapons. Almost anything she could think of, it was there, except, to her surprise, guns and hand grenades. Actually, nothing modern was in there, it was all knives, and swords.

"Holy molly." She muttered. "You've got an entire arsenal in here."
Brandon nodded in agreement, he was standing at the edge of the mats with his hands shoved in his pockets.
"Yes, we do have that. Now listen carefully Kaleigh." The Professor agreed.
Kale turned to the older man and waited for him to say what he had to say.
"Air has always been an Element that needed something to help channel it, most of the other ones besides Fire can be used on their own, but Air and Fire are harder to master. Now don't take this as a discouragement, they're hard, but not impossible." He added when he saw the worry line in her forehead.
"So, for example, if you wanted to use your Lightening to hit an enemy, with out something to direct it, you could hit your ally next to you. Do you see what I mean?"
Kaleigh nodded.
"You will not have to use it for everything, somethings will be so little it wont be needed, but especially in combat you will need something to direct your Element."
He turned and started walking to one of the weapons cases.
"All of these weapons have at least a hint of ealantean in them, making them stronger and more durable with Elements. I would suggest you try to get something that is made of pure ealantean so it would have the best chance of lasting longer." He picked up a dagger that was made entirely of the silvery metal, but already she could feel that the alien feeling inside her had rejected the object.
"Now this is a dagger from the Yuan Dynasty in China, we modified it of course but it's still in prime condition. That's the lovely thing about ealantean. It doesn't corrode like normal metals."
Kaleigh respected his knowledge, but shook her head when he offered it to her.
"Not your type I see. Yes it does take a bit more muscle to wield." He added on second thought. Kale sent Brandon a glance who was just grinning like usual and shrugged at her look.
   The Professor continued on in this manner, providing various weapons, all the way from swords, to ninja throwing stars. But none of the ones he showed her struck her as something she'd want to fight with.
"So really, none of these hold your fancy?" The Professor asked halfway through the second wall.
Kaleigh shrugged with an apologetic look.
"No. I'm afraid not. I'm sorry Professor."
Wallace sighed and walked over to a bench.
"Well why don't you look around and see if maybe you can find something on your own."
Kaleigh nodded and wandered around, trying to take in all the various weapons. It seemed so overwhelming seeing so many at one time.
She almost gave up when she saw something twinkle in the corner of her eye.
Turing around, and looking up she noticed a silver string hanging between two pegs.
Captivated, she reached up to take it down, only to find she was too short. Once she saw she was defeated she let out an exasperated sigh.
"Brandon could you...?" She didn't need to finish the sentence. He was already by her side, reaching up and pulling the silver string down for her.
"Yeah. Here you go." He said with a genuine grin.
The first thing Kaleigh noticed, was that it was only slightly bigger than her thumb at one end, then grew smaller at the opposite end.
It was cool to her touch, there was something about it that made her know it was both beautiful, but deadly.
"It's a whip..." She muttered in surprise.
"Yes. I'm not quite sure where that one came from. It's just been here since the beginning. Nearly as old as I am." Professor Wallace proclaimed.
"It looks like a decoration." Brandon observed. "A pretty thing, but not really of any use."
Kaleigh was already shaking her head.
"Haven't you ever seen Indiana Jones? Whips can be very deadly, no matter how pretty they look."
"Indeed. But they are also extremely hard to train with. It will bit you before it lets you master it." The Professor warned. "It might not be the easiest weapon to use, the knives would be more gentle."
"No. This is the only one I can actually see myself using." She explained. "All the others seem menacing and not exactly gentle."
"Plus that one looks more girly." Brandon chipped in.
"There is that. Girls are known to be graceful." She teased. He rolled his eyes and scoffed.
"No one told my little sister that." He murmured.
"You have a little sister?" She cried in shock.
"Yeah. Why? You think I was an only child?"
Kale shrugged. "The thought crossed my mind but I didn't really think about it too much." She admitted.
Brandon shrugged but didn't say much else.
"So you are sure you want to use this particular weapon?" The Professor asked once again.
Kaleigh nodded as she twirled the whip between it's fingers.
Despite the fact that it was made of metal, it was extremely, and shockingly flexible.
"Very well."
The Professor walked over to a dark cupboard that had blended into the shadows, evading Kaleigh's notice.
He opened the doors and pulled out what looked like pieces of fabric.
"These will be your training clothes. They're just light weight cotton, so they'll allow you to move about freely. You will find changing rooms in the hall just through that doorway on the left."
Kaleigh and Brandon set off across the room to the doorway.
"So, what weapons do you use?" She asked, her hand still clutching the whip tightly.
"Anything I can throw really." He answered. Kale laughed out loud.
"That could be a whole lot of things. So are we talking throwing knives or battle axes?"
Brandon's eyes bulged at the suggestion.
"Can you really imagine me hurtling a battle ax around?!"
Kaleigh's nose crinkled as she shook her head.
"Yeah I didn't think so. I use various throwing knives."
They came to the doorway, and Kaleigh noticed that darkness was the only thing that waited beyond it. She shifted slightly so Brandon was now in front of her.
He didn't seem to notice the movement and went into the darkness with out hesitation.
"Does that include ninja stars you can throw at people while your running from roof tops? Please don't tell me you can perform air assassinations!" She pleaded.
Though she couldn't see him, she could hear him laugh up ahead of her.
"I probably could if I wanted to, but no, I don't. At least not the air assassinations."
Kaleigh rolled her eyes playfully but chuckled just the same.
A shriek left her lips when she suddenly rammed into something quiet solid, only to realize it was Brandon's back.
"Here we are."
A light suddenly flared to life in front of her, blinding her eyes.
She peered around Brandon and saw that it was a locker room.
"Oh good gracious." She muttered.
Brandon made a sweeping gesture with his hand.
"After you."
Her eyes grew wide as she misinterpreted his words. He caught on and moved away from the room a bit.
"I'll wait 'til your finished."
Nodding numbly, she walked in and shut the door behind her.

She shimmied out of her usual warm clothes and put on the lighter ones that didn't prevent the cold air from hitting the skin underneath.
Kaleigh caught her reflection in the mirror above the long row of sinks, and looked down at her outfit. It was all brown, a long tunic that almost came down to her knees, and a loose fitting pair of pants. She hadn't been given any shoes so she had put on her orange converse again, which threw the outfit off kilter. Her dark hair fell in thick waves over her shoulder, and it looked even darker with the dull cotton underneath it. Her skin had always been darker than a sun tan, which had always made her wonder what her heritage was, people had assumed that she was part Native American, but she had never really given it much thought.
But now looking at herself in the mirror, in the brown garbs and her long black hair, she was shocked that she hadn't guessed it before.

When they both had changed, leaving their street clothes in the locker room on one of the long benches in the middle of the room, they both met the Professor back in the first pyramid with the mats.
He eyed them for a moment, Kaleigh still clutching the whip. He instructed to take off their shoes and called Brandon up to demonstrate what he had learned in his last lesson.
It came as no surprise to Kaleigh, she had figured Brandon had probably been training for a very long time.
She was sitting down on one of the observing bench as she pulled off her shoes and socks.
Brandon was dressed in similar clothes as she was, however he had on several belts. One strapped across his chest, another around his hips. He too, was barefoot as he crossed over to the middle of the mats.
He paused and eyed the beams for a moment.
Kaleigh started to quickly French braid her hair, knowing she was in for a work out and didn't want it in her way.
The sudden flurry of motion in the corner of her eye called her attention to where Brandon had been standing.
Only he wasn't there any longer.
Her eyes darted around wildly 'til she finally saw the brown blur that was jumping in between two poles and landing lightly on one of the beams.
He had his balance almost as soon as his feet touched the wood. He erected himself and looked down for a moment, that usual grin still on his face as he saw Kaleigh's shocked face.
"Didn't believe me when I said I could do parkour?" He asked her, raising his voice a little.
"Nuh-uh." She answered, making him laugh lightly.
"Please get on with it Brandon, we do not have all day." The Professor reminded.
Kaleigh quickly tied off the braid in her hair with one of the many hair bands she wore on her wrist, then she dropped her hands and looked up to watch Brandon.
The beams swayed slightly as he hooked himself up to a safety line that ran along the course. After a moment with fiddling with the harness, he took off at a run. He pulled out a dagger from his belt and held onto it by the tip of the blade lightly, keeping his wrist loose.
Kale was about to shout at him that the beam was coming to a quick end, but that's when he threw himself across the gap between the beam he was on, and the next one. Kale barely saw the flash of silver until she heard a low thud and looked in pure shock and awe as she saw the blade of a knife protruding in one of the lower targets, perfectly centered in the red bull's eye.
"Oh good grief..." She whispered, but her eyes were torn back to Brandon who was once again a blur of movement. It was hard for her to follow his movements, they flowed together so seamlessly, and he was moving with such speed she thought he was being propelled along, gliding not really running.
Flashes of silver kept coming, always hitting their marks and always dead center.
It finally dawned on her.
"Professor..." She breathed, hating the idea that her voice would break Brandon's concentration.
"Hmm?" The Professor asked, joining her on the bench.
"You said he was Wind right?" She asked.
"Correct."
"Ah..." She was right.

Brandon slowed down at the end of the last beam, coming to a stand still. He looked down at the Professor expectantly.
"You were better, though you seemed to have forgotten that the wires of the beams were there." He said.
Brandon cringed and nodded. Feeling the burses all over his body on where he had rammed into the wires. He hadn't let him stop him, but it still hurt just the same.
"But your even more swift with your blades as I've ever seen." The Professor glanced down at Kaleigh who was doing her best to look anywhere else but at the other two people in the room.
"I wonder if that's due to the fact that she's here." He muttered almost to himself.
Brandon had shimmied down a rope that was at the end of the course and was walking to a large pillar next to their bench. He flipped a switch and leaned against the pillar.
"You think so?" He asked. Kaleigh jumped slightly when the grinding of mechanisms working shook through the room.
The targets Brandon had shot at began to lower themselves from their various positions in the room so he could retrieve his knives.
"I did feel stronger than before." He went on. "Faster, like I had a strength I didn't know I had."
Kaleigh finally looked up at him with curiosity on her face. He wasn't looking at her, his gaze was fixed on the Professor. The line of concentration on his face deepening.
The Professor shrugged as he followed the boy when he went to retrieve his knives, with his eyes.
"It's possible. I haven't encountered a complete set of Guardians before so I am not sure how much of a connection you already have even with out the Bonding, but it is very possible that even just her presence would affect you."
"And I do happen to be sitting right here you know." Kaleigh jumped in. Getting sick of the way they talked about her as if she weren't even in the room.
Brandon looked back at her and flashed a playful grin as he pulled out the last of his daggers.
"Hit that switch for me?" He asked pointing to the one he had just used.
Kaleigh reached up and flipped the switch, the targets returning to their original position.
"And I know your here. It's very hard to ignore your presence." He added, addressing her statement.
"M-hmm. Sure it is." She was unconvinced. "So you used your Wind power for all that?" She asked.
Brandon nodded.
"So...you were cheating?"
His jaw dropped in mocked horror.
"It's not cheating using all of your skills." He said.
"It is if it's not exactly natural. And with out using your powers you probably suck." Her jab was challenging as she cocked an eyebrow, though the smile tugging at the edges of her lips told him she wasn't trying to be mean.
The targets had come to a complete stop, the grinding of the machine silent.
He was very aware of his surroundings and knew there was a target behind him just to the left a little.
Making a quick calculation in his head that was now second nature, he spun on his heel, brining his arm holding the knife back, then throwing it swiftly, letting go with a flick of his wrist. Sending the knife into the dead center of the target. He turned to Kaleigh was  smile.
"Professor wouldn't let me use my power 'til I could throw a knife as well on my own as with my power."
Kaleigh looked genuinely impressed.
"Alright fin. It's not that bad." She admitted, pretending to be a bit scornful.
The Professor had watched their conversation with interest. Seeing how they were already very familiar with each other, very aware of the other. He had a feeling they'd be very close friends and would lean on each other as if it was second nature to them.
"Come Kaleigh." He instructed. Setting down his cane and standing.
Kale watched in surprise as she realized the can and the hunched over man was just a mask.
Wallace had removed his own shoes as well, along with his tweed jacket. He had the sleeves of his button up shirt rolled up to his elbows. Any sign of an ageing old man who suffered with pains all over his body, melted away like a mirage.
His back straitened, his foot step steady and sure. Kaleigh saw ripples of muscle in his shoulders and arms.
Brandon's chuckle brought her out of her thoughts.
"Is he actually....?"
"Yup." Brandon answered her question as he took a swig of a water bottle he had brought along.
"It's weird at the beginning, but you'll grow use to it. Now go before he calls you a second time." He shoved her back, sending her stumbling forward.
"Okay, I'm going, I'm going. Sheesh." She mumbled.

In middle of the room, Kaleigh and the Professor stood in front of each other.
"So when your...alien feeling," Must have talked to Brandon. She thought. "came yesterday, what was going on in your head? What made it come out?"
She had already comet a conclusion of that very question when she had stayed up thinking about the whole thing.
"I was under emotional duress during both times." She answered immediately.
"Hmm...well we're going to have to see if you can access it with out the emotional strain. Other wise we're going to have to put you in some kind of situation each time you need your power, and that would not do us much good."
Kaleigh nodded absently, wondering what on earth the Professor had in mind.
"That will come in time when you're more aware of yourself. I've given instructions with Brandon and he will try to help you. I have a feeling that he'll be able to help you more than I."
"Then....what are we doing?" She asked.
"Teaching you how to use that whip you've decided to hang onto." He said as if it should be obvious.
"Oh..."
"Now get a firm hold on the thicker end. Yes there you go."

For the next two hours the Professor taught her how to use the whip for various things. This being just the first lesson, she was very clumsy at it all except for being able to wrap the end around the pole, that she was able to do, and when they provided her with a mannequin to practice on, she was still able to 'grab' things. Though not always what she wanted. It was hard to grow accustomed to how she had to move her body around in order to get it to do what she wanted.

Brandon practiced several things on his own, doing more of his parkour and his knife throwing. It was something to keep his mind off things and he found that it unnerved Kaleigh that he watched her from the hanging beams, which for some reason he found unreasonably funny. Laughing every time she sent him a glance that soon became a glare.

In the end they were both sweaty and hot. The locker room had showers and they each took a turn waiting outside for the other as they took their shower and changed out of their training clothes.
Kaleigh watched in surprise as Brandon slipped six ninja stars into his belt under his t-shirt. He caught her watching and looked up at her with raised eyebrows.
"What? Did you think we'd do all that training and not even be allowed to keep the weapon?"
"W-what?" She stuttered as they walked back into the first pyramid.
"You get to keep the whip. Is mainly what I'm saying." He repeated with fake exasperation.
He held the door open for her and she stepped outside, grateful for the cool air that whipped past her as she placed her beanie on her head.
She wasn't sure what to do with her whip, something where she could get to it easily, but wouldn't be obvious.
"You could use it as a belt...or...something." Brandon piped up from next to her, seeing her dilemma.
"I was thinking more like a necklace." She said.
"That could work I guess." He shrugged.
She wrapped the whip around her neck several times, finding that it was flexible enough to lay there limply and comfortably. She didn't have a mirror, so she couldn't see what it looked like, but when she asked Brandon's opinion, he said it looked fine to him. But then again he's a guy, and his fashion sense wasn't up there with a girl's.
"Well I've got to get to my brothers, they're going to freak out since we've been gone all morning." She said.
"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow. We've got training again."
"Okay. Bye!"
She ran off to her house with a wave over her shoulder.
Brandon chuckled and kept walking home. He'd be glad to get back to his art studio so he could finish up that painting.

No. 13: Bonds start at the Open Heart

No. 13: Bonds start at the Open Heart

The Professor had seen the shock on both of the children's faces, and suggested they go outside and talk. Let everything sink in and work through things.
Brandon jumped up and headed to the door immediately, Kaleigh hesitated a moment before following him.
Professor Wallace let out a deep sigh after the door shut after the young girl.
"Dear Lord, please guide what they do, and don't let them wander away from you and the narrow path." He prayed as he saw the two figures out on the lawn through the window.

.:+++:.

Kaleigh was a few steps behind Brandon, who was kicking high grass and muttering to himself in an angry tone. She wasn't sure if she should interrupt, or let him carry on.
A chilly wind hit her back, sending a shiver down her spine, her teeth chattered with out her consent for just a moment, before she clamped down on them and rubbed her arms.
But the noise was enough to draw him out of his thoughts. He turned back at her, stopping and shoving his hands in his pockets.
For a moment all they did was stare at each other. A million thoughts passing through their minds.
Kaleigh was thinking about all the things the Professor had said about being partners, what it would be like to fight at Brandon's side, trusting someone that much seemed unrealistic, and scary.
Brandon was thinking along the same lines, but from a different perspective. He didn't want her to fight, but knew she had no choice. And not only would her life be in his hands, his would be in hers. Would she crack under the pressure? Or would she actually be strong enough, not only physically, but emotionally to be up to the challenge?
There was also something about her angelic face that wouldn't let him see her actually fighting anyone. She didn't seem to ever be mad at anyone, or let anyone in either.

Kaleigh shifted slightly, but not out of nervousness. For some reason she couldn't explain, neither of them found it uncomfortable to see that the other was starring at them.
But she took it upon her self to break the silence once she came to a decision.
"Can I show you something?" She asked. Brandon nodded and she took off across the dead lawn, heading to her house.

When she came to the guest house she didn't go through the front door like he expected, instead she went over to the window in the turret of the house.
Picking her way through the flower bed, she shoved open the window with a bit of strain, but she got it open.
"Uh...Kale what are you doing?" Brandon asked finally as she scrambled through the window.
"Cliff would probably love to get his hands around your neck so just wait there." She whispered over her shoulder as she moved into her room towards her desk.
"So, her brothers hate me, and I'm suppose to be their sister's Bonded partner. Marvelous." He muttered under his breath
Kaleigh emerged from the window and nearly fell out of the window she was in such a hurry.
"Geez girl!" Brandon muttered, rushing forward and catching her waist and lifting her up before she fell flat on her face.
Once she was back on her feet she moved away hastily. Moving her hair out of her eyes, her cheeks flushed.
"Well...that was just embarrassing." She stated plainly, turning back and closing the window.
He couldn't keep the chuckle from escaping as she grinned at him.
"Yeah, yeah laugh all you want. See if I care!" She cried as she took off across the dead grass but away from the school.
He was going to ask where they were going, when she stopped in front of a tree.
Kale plopped down under the dying branches and set something on her lap.
Brandon moved over to her slowly, glancing from her to the branches.
"Yeah, I'd usually climb it, but I don't want to ruin this." She explained, running her fingers across what he realized was a book, fondly.
He sat down next to her and she hesitated for a moment.
"These...these show how I see the world." She said slowly, not looking at him. "It's my vulnerable side." Gently, as if it would break, she handed the book over to him, who took it gingerly.
   The cover was pink, and tan canvases, with the words 'The Door to My Soul' sketched across the top by a Sharpie. He glanced over at her, asking her permission with out even realizing it.
"Go ahead." She encouraged. Still slightly hesitant, he flipped the cover open and plunged into the world of an innocent, shy, and sometimes scared, sixteen year old girl.

It was full of pictures, sometimes there were notes or scribbling next to a picture. A lot of it was of scenery, but a few were of people. Brandon had to smile when he saw the goofy pictures of her brothers, knowing that they weren't always angry. Just at him. He was, however, shocked when he found himself in the book.
"Why am I in here?" He asked, his tone purely curious.
Kaleigh smiled and looked down at her fidgeting hands.
"Because, whether you like it or not, you happen to be a very important thing in my life. Besides I like that picture."
"Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?" He asked, gazing down at the note she had scribbled next to his picture that said 'pistachio ice cream, I have found is the best!', a smile crossed his face. At least she had had a good time before he dumped everything on her small shoulders.
"Um...I haven't decided yet." She answered. He nodded.
"Diplomatic answer. Huh..." He continued looking through the album but was bothered by something, all the pictures she had of herself were distorted. A shadow fell across her face, or she was just a silhouette.
"Why don't you ever show your face?"
Kale sighed and leaned her head back against the tree, her eyes wandering the sky.
"I guess...because I feel as if I don't belong."
"Yeah but every teenager feels that way." She was already shaking her head when he spoke up.
"No, my kind of 'don't belong' is different than everyone elses. Everyone else was at least born and raised in this world."
Brandon's brow furled as he heard the way she had said that sentence.
"The weird thing about you is that you talk as if you were raised on Mars by little green aliens. I don't get it."
Kaleigh hesitated. In side her head a turmoil was going on. She couldn't decide whether to tell him, or not too. And she also had to think of whether her brothers would like her telling him or not. They weren't exactly fond of him.
But in the end it boiled down to the fact that they would have to trust each other with everything, and that included her past.
"Well...not exactly." She said slowly. Brandon got the sense she was going to tell him something important, so he closed the photo album and gave her his full attention.
Kaleigh sighed, but kept looking up at the sky.
"I don't remember my parents...well except for one memory. But when I was six, my brothers and I were taken away from them. It was probably because of all this Guardian business but I didn't know that then.
We were taken here to the Professor. He put us into a comas in a strange glass tank full of blue gel, hooking us up to scuba gear to give us our oxygen."
She took a steady breath, careful not to look at him because she didn't want to see his expression. Which probably would told her he thought she was insane.
"For ten years our minds were locked in this...alternate reality. It was like another world, but yet, looked exactly the same as this one. Only that one was controlled by a team of scientists in white lab coats from a horror film.
In that life, I was an orphan as well, moving from foster home to foster home. While my brothers had rich parents that could give them everything they wanted. But I never resented them for it. I did wonder why the scientists would let that happen to me in particular..." Her voice trailed off, hitching slightly as she pushed down a sob. Getting a hold of herself she continued. "Well, when we finally found each other, we were taken out of the simulation and woke up in the real world. This world. We've lived here ever since, wondering who we really were. Was that person back there different? Or the same? Were the hobbies we had enjoyed then, still enjoyable now? Were we any good at them? Which apparently we are since Cliff is still writing, and I still know how to take a good photo. But...it's left me..."
"Shaken."
For the first time since she began to tell her story, she met Brandon's bright, sky blue eyes.
Shock filled her face and mind when she saw that he wasn't looking at her with a look of disbelief, but a look of complete trust.
"Yeah. Shaken. That's why when you told me the whole Elemental thing would rip the seam of the fabric that made up my reality, I said that ship's already sailed. Because it has in a must surreal way."
Brandon nodded for a minute.
"I'm shocked by your story." He admitted. "But I believe you."
Her eyebrows rose.
"Why?" Was her simple question.
"Because, I have to. If Professor Wallace has anything to say about it, the two of us are going to be doing everything - but sleeping and several other duh things - together. And he wont let us be apart for more then a night. And even then he'll probably make me bunk down in your living room."
Kaleigh's jaw dropped in shock and horror.
"Yeah, it's going to be tough, but it's all about making sure we trust each other with everything we say and do. We can't afforded not to believe each other. I know it'll take some time, but that's why the Professor is going to make us do all that."
"Oh..." She said in a small quiet voice.
"Come on, we've got to get back to the Professor, he wasn't through with us we've still got to get you started in your training." He said, pushing himself off the ground after grabbing the album. He offered Kaleigh a hand, who took it and hauled her to her feet.
"Well, I guess we'll just have to keep an open mind huh?" She asked, walking beside him as quiet as ever.
He smiled at her. "And open hearts." He added, making her laugh.
"Yeah, that too."

No. 12: Elementals

No. 12: Elementals

Cliff and Venn were still a little mad at Brandon, so they weren't to happy when he showed up on their door step the next morning. In fact they had half a mind to slam the door on his face when Kaleigh called from her bed room.
"Let him in or I'll punch you both."
They groaned, but let him in, though their hostility was all too evident.
"Kaleigh we really need to have a talk about your boyfriends." Venn said, leaning against the door frame of her room.
Kaleigh pulled on her converse and shoved her arms into a jacket. She shot him a look as she ran a brush through her raven black hair.
"He's not my boyfriend, and you need to lighten up."
She stated, ducking past him.
Venn sighed and turned around.
"We'll be back soon. What are you guys going to do?" She asked as she poured her freshly made hot chocolate into a silver and pink thermos.
"I'm going car hunting. I can't stand having to borrow the Professor's. It stinks like tobacco." Venn answered, wrinkling up his nose.
Kale smiled at him and nodded. Brandon's ears perked up at the word 'car'.
"There's some sales going on at a small dealer just down Eleventh. He's got some pretty good deals, but they'll be some fixer-upers." He said.
Venn nodded methodically, taking in his words, but still giving off the air that he didn't like him much.
"What about you Cliff?" Kale asked, leaning against the counter and sipping on the hot drink. Cliff shrugged from the couch. He had papers scattered all around him, and the wastebasket was full of discarded pieces of paper that proved his artistic talent wasn't flowing the way he wanted it too.
"I've got a paper to write, and I'm trying to get back everything I lost in that notebook I had back there."
She smiled apologetically, knowing it would take a lot to get all of that back.
"Well good luck! I'll see you guys a bit later." She called, zipping up the front of her jacket.
"Do you have your phone?!" Cliff called after her. She turned around and waved it at him in answer before setting off.

.:+++:.

Kaleigh repositioned her striped beanie.
"So what are we doing?" She asked, as they moved up to the campus.
"Like I said," Brandon stated, with his usual grin. "You've got to learn about us and figure out how those whacked out power of yours work."
"And...I'm going to learn this at a boarding school...?"
Brandon looked up at her with twinkling eyes.
"You should know that not everything is what it seems." He said as he held the door open for her.
"Right..." She let out a sigh and moved inside the mansion.

It was the weekend, so it was mostly empty. However the kids were still here, or at least the ones who didn't want to go home over the small break, or their families lived far off so it wasn't worth the trip for just two days.
However, there was one familiar face.
"Kaleigh!" Crystal cried, bounding up to her and wrapping her up in a warm hug.
"Hey..." Kale smiled at the small girl as she pulled away gently. "How have you been adjusting to school?" She asked.
Crystal swept her blond hair over her shoulder with a flick of her wrist.
"It's been great! Professor Wallace has been helping me out and making sure I feel welcome, and all the teachers are really nice. Thanks for asking."
Kaleigh smiled as she met the girls bright green eyes.
"Don't worry about it. Oh!" She had caught a glimpse of Brandon in her peripheral vision, and remembered her manners.
"This is Brandon," Kale introduced, gesturing to him. He smiled and shook Crystal's dainty hand. "Brandon this is Crystal."
"Nice to meet you." Crystal said in her small voice. Then she turned back to Kaleigh. "I really have to go right now. But I'd love to hang out!"
Kaleigh nodded and waved bye as the girl ran out the door.
"Who was that?" Brandon asked after she left.
"Crystal. She's new."
"Even newer then you?"
Kale nodded.
"Huh..." Was all he said, before taking off down the maze of halls, leaving her gapping.
"Whoa, wait a minute!" She cried, running after him in a full sprint so she could catch up.
"What do you mean 'huh?'" Asked, Kale breathlessly.
Brandon shrugged.
"'Huh' means 'huh'. I don't know what you're talking about."
Kaleigh shot him a look.
"She just looked familiar, that's all."
"Oh..."
"Now should I ask what that meant? Or did it just mean 'oh'?"
Kaleigh chuckled and could help the smile that spread across her face.
"Oh shut up." She teased.

As they were talking, Kaleigh realized he was taking her towards the Professor's office.
"Brandon why are we here? I thought..."
"Like I said, not everything is as it seems. Come on."
He gestured up the stairs that lead to the Professor's office. She took a deep breath and walked up the stairs, knocking softly on the door.
"If you ever want to get any attention, you have to be louder than that." Brandon said, coming up behind her.
"Well what if I don't want attention?" She hissed, waiting anxiously for the Professor to let them in. She didn't like Brandon being so close.

When the Professor did let them in, Kale moved through the door as fast as she could.
"Am I really that bad of a guy you just can't wait to get rid of me?" He asked as he waltzed in after her.
Kale rolled her eyes and turned her attention to Professor Wallace.
"Good morning Professor." She said with a kind smile.
Professor Wallace looked up at her with tender eyes and a kind smile.
"Ah, Kaleigh. It's good to see you again." He moved the paper he had been working on, across the dark, mahogany desk.
"So, to what do I owe this pleasure?" He asked.
Kaleigh sighed and plopped down on one of the chairs, crossing her arms over her chest, looking at Brandon to explain.
Professor Wallace saw the exchanged and settled in for a long talk.
"She knows." Brandon stated simply.
The Professor nodded and waited for a minute, looking at the two of them.
"So, you know of the Elementals then Kaleigh?" He asked.
Kale nodded. "And Ordinaries, and how I can't make a toaster work with out it blowing up in my face."
Professor Wallace chuckled quietly.
"Yes. One's power can always get out of hand even if you had years of experience." He said wisely. "Now, I see you have questions floating around in your eyes. Let me do my best to enlighten you."
He rose from his chair and walked over to one of the many book shelves lining his walls.
Picking up an old volume, he handed it Kaleigh, who took it gently.
She gazed down at it. The book was old, an intricate design covered the front, the title was made up of fancy, flowing letters, caressed by silver, blue, green, and brown.
The letters formed only one single word.
Elemental.

"This...is a book..." The Professor started. "About our race. In it, every recorded history of us is right there for you to read. And it includes, why only a selected few have silver around their eyes. Eight to be more specific. These chosen Elementals, are known as Guardians."
Kaleigh's head snapped up.
"Whoa, wait, what do you mean 'Guardians'? Guardians of what? And why us?"
Wallace flipped the book open on her lap and turned to a well worn page.
"Guardians of this, the Savior."
Kale read the description, her eyebrows raising into her hairline as she did and her eyes getting huge.
"What....?"
"Yeah it was a bit hard to digest when I read it the first time too." Brandon said, breaking the ice.
"Okay, could you explain this a bit better Professor?" She asked quietly.
The Professor nodded and sat down in his chair again.
"We Elementals have existed ever since the beginning. We have kept peace in different parts of the world, and tried to keep from all the Ordinaries getting caught up in our conflicts. And yes, we do have conflicts amongst ourselves. Elementals are complex beings. Not only are we human, and have the feelings and emotions humans do, we also have added feelings and emotions because of our connection with the elements. With me so far?"
Kaleigh nodded.
"Yeah. Keep going." She encouraged.
The Professor nodded and continued.
"Elementals are usually very prideful. They hate working with each other, and when they do, it doesn't usually end well."
"But," Kale interrupted. "I like working with my brothers, and Brandon."
"Yes, and that is partial to your upbringing." He sighed sadly when he saw her flinch at the term. "But also because you have an open mind. This is probably why you are all Guardians. Guardians are to protect the Savior, which means they have to work together. So naturally, they have to have open minds and be willing to put aside their pride for the sake of the whole world."
He paused a moment, as his words sunk in.
"Why? What would happen if they didn't?" She asked. She glanced down at the book then back up at him. "I mean the book says the Savior will be sent to save the world, that part was obvious, but from what?"
"The apocalypse." He answered plainly. "I know it's usually one of those topics that are made fun of, or overused in fantasy novels. But the world is always on the verge of an apocalypse, and it's the Savior's job to keep it from happening if needed. Usually a Savior is born into every generation, but sometimes they are not needed, so they go on with their life as usual Elementals. But sometimes they are needed and therefore, they have to have Guardians to help them on their quest to keep the world safe."
Kaleigh was nodding in understanding as he explained the purpose behind her existence. She didn't resent it, didn't question God as to why he had given it to her. She just accepted it. Wallace was impressed by her strength, and understood why she was one of the chosen Guardians.
"So, you said there was eight of us..." She left her sentence hanging.
"Ah yes! Now here's the interesting thing of Elementals. One Elemental, himself, maybe part of Air. Yet he will not control the whole aspect of Air. Just like the two of you." He gestured to the youngsters. "Kaleigh, you control Lightening, which is part of Air in a whole. And Brandon controls Wind. Together, the two of you make up the whole. Just like the fraction, two halves make one whole." He smiled at his own wit, but the other two just looked at him before glancing at each other.
Feeling that the wit was lost on them, he cleared his throat and continued.
"Elementals may be prideful, but when they are of the same Element, and agree to work together, they become stronger then just the two alone."
He reached over and motioned for Kaleigh to put the book on the desk.
Once she did, he flipped back to another page. On it was a diagram that showed two silhouettes alone, and apart. Their Element marked by a dull glow around them.
But on the opposite page it showed them together, hands linked, and their usual glow, shinning brighter then when they were alone.
"So...what you're saying is that the eight is made up of two people per Element?" Kaleigh asked, looking up at the Professor.
"Exactly! I'm so glad you've caught on so quickly." He said with a kind smile.
Kaleigh nodded absently as she studied the diagram.
"Huh...So what does that...make us...?" She looked back to Brandon, then the Professor.
"Partners. Of a sort. As Guardians of the same Element, you will have to perform the Bonding, which will make you even stronger then the usual Elemental on your own, and also even more so when you're together."
Both Brandon and Kaleigh leaned forward with a look of shock on their faces.
"What Bonding?!" They cried in unison.
Instead of answering, the Professor turned to another page.
This showed four symbols, which Kaleigh assumed stood for each Element.
"Each set of Guardians, has come up with their own symbol that associates with their Element." He went on to explain. "These were the first recorded ones. You two, are to choose a symbol and then use your Element to..." He hesitated not sure how to put it.
"To...?" Brandon encouraged, though agitatedly.
"To...I suppose 'brand' would be a correct word, though it wouldn't be the one I would choose." He mumbled.
"Brand?!" Kaleigh nearly screeched.
"What do you mean, 'brand'?" Brandon asked more calmly.
"I simply mean you place the mark on your partner using your side of the Element." The Professor explained. "So Kaleigh, you would place the mark on Brandon using your electricity, and Brandon, you would place it on her using the wind."
"Okay first off how the heck would I use the wind to place a mark on her?" He asked.
The Professor just looked at him.
"This is also a test." He stated. Brandon sighed and leaned back in the chair. "It's confusing, yes I know. But the result of the Bonding will long out last the momentary pain."
Kaleigh let out a small groan as she too leaned back.
"Do we have to?" She knew she was acting childish, but she figured after all she had been through she had a right to be childish once.
The Professor looked at her with sad eyes and shrugged.
"If you chose not to, there will be consequences, but also if you chose to, there will be sacrifices. But it's up to you to decide whether the benefits out weight the costs."

No. 11: Phantoms in the Night

No. 11: Phantoms in the Night

Too many things were going on in her head for her to actually be able to know where she was, or where she was going.
Tears stung her eyes, fogging up her vision.
She angrily brushed them out, and stopped running. Knowing she had run long enough that Brandon wouldn't have followed her.
Kaleigh let out a shaky breath and tried to get her heart beat back down to normal.
She looked around and tried to figure out her surroundings. The sun had fallen, and all the street lights were lighting up the sidewalk that laid out in front of her from where she stood in an alley.
Taking shaky steps, she moved forward to get a better idea of where she was.
When she saw the Capitol Building, a feeling of both relief and slight anxiety filled her chest.
"Did I really run that far?" She whispered to herself, setting off down the street.
The streets were never truly empty, but they seemed less full then they had just a few hours ago. But any sane person would be relaxing at home at this hour.

Her breath came out in little puffs of clouds in front of her as she hiked up the hill to the center of the city. She needed to get to the outskirts, and she didn't have any money to take a bus.
Her hands came in contact with something cool and she stopped abruptly in middle of the sidewalk. People cursed as they ran into her, telling her to keep moving, but she didn't listen.
Kale pulled out the iPhone and sighed. She had forgotten all about it, and that meant she'd have to see Brandon again in order to return it.
She shoved it into her back pocket and pulled out her own phone.
The call with Venn hadn't gone well, but he eventually said he'd come pick her up at the bus stop on South Avenue.
Once she knew where she was suppose to go, she nodded and ran across the street quickly before the sign changed.
"Now just to get there." She mumbled.

Being a sixteen year old girl, walking around downtown DC wasn't the best idea, but she couldn't do anything about that except pull the hood of her sweatshirt and hunch her shoulders, hoping no one would notice her. It didn't matter in the end, they saw her anyways.

.:+++:.

Stryder watched from the shadows, trying to shake off the feeling that something bad was going to happen.
Everything had gone the way he had expected, except her running off into the dark. He had cursed her rash ways but followed her, leaving the idiot to stand there gaping after her.

The hair on the back of his neck had been standing on end for the past two blocks, and he knew she felt it too by the way she kept glancing over her shoulder and avoiding people as much as possible.
He too, had been keeping an eye on the people flowing around them but didn't notice anyone that gave her a second glance.

She was stopped at the mouth of an alley. She glanced around nervously, but no one was paying her any attention. Except him of course, but she never saw him. He made sure of that.
She took in a deep breath and plunged into the darkness with the brave heart of a lioness.
He followed quietly, dreading the fact that she had decided to go down a dark alley.
You'd think all those horror films would be running through her head right now. What kind of idiot would go down an alley at night?! He argued with himself.
But he didn't know that he was right.

Things happened just like they would in one of those horror films.
Stryder didn't notice them until it was almost too late.
Two dark figures walked calmly out of the shadows, seeming to melt off the dark walls.
Kaleigh paused in her steady step when she saw them. When they made their way towards her she turned on her heel and started walking towards him, and the end of the alley she had just come through.
Stryder's mind was spinning.
Yeah, his contract said he wasn't to make contact, but he had already broken that rule. However, he highly doubted that his employers would mind stepping in before something really bad happened.
Too late.

The men called to her, making her jump, but she didn't hesitate to run.
The men chased after her, surprising both Kaleigh and Stryder by how fast they were. It didn't take them long to catch her, Kaleigh thrashed and tried screaming.
Stryder saw the hankie come out of one of them men's pocket and knew he had to do something now.
He ran to the man and kicked the hankie out of his hand while grabbing his arm and twisting it behind his back.
With a low crack, he dislocated the man's arm and shoved him into the wall.
He didn't have time to think before the other man was on him.
His right cross stung Stryder's jaw. The man was strong, and the blow sent Stryder spinning into the wall.
The instincts that started to boil to the surface scared him. He hated those instincts. The instincts to use something alien, to harness it and bend it to his will.
No! He shouted, shaking his head and trying his best to push the instinct back. He couldn't use that. There was no telling what would happen if he did....last time he had used that...things hadn't turned out well.

The man advanced on him, and Stryder pushed away from the wall, trying to get back into position. But his vision was starting to black out and his head was still ringing.
Kaleigh screamed, breaking his concentration. The man took the opportunity and dished out several punches.
Kale didn't know what to do, but that alien feeling was back. She didn't want it there but she also knew she didn't want Stryder to get beaten up, so she let her instincts take over.
She jumped in between the two men and braced herself for the punch she knew would come since the man was in mid swing and it was too late to stop the blow.
What she didn't expect was the instinct to take over her body.
The feeling of electricity ran through her like she was made of water, the currents coursing through everything and coming out angry.
A bubble began to form around her, growing bigger faster then she could see. She watched as the man's arm went through it, but the volts were bit back at him, sending electric currents through his arm.

Stryder saw it all happen, but he also saw another figure jump down from the roof, only the sign of the orange baseball cap kept him from jumping him too.
Once he saw it was the idiot again, he took this as his queue to leave. He didn't want Kaleigh asking question.

The man howled in pain and jumped away. Kaleigh's chest was rising and falling fast, the force field gone as soon as it wasn't needed anymore. Leaving her exhausted and tired.
She didn't notice Stryder slip away, but she did notice the bright orange cap that showed when the man suddenly collapsed in front of her.
To be completely honest to herself, she was never more happier to see someone before.
"Do you believe me now?" Brandon asked.
She nodded and tried to hide the tears that were falling.
"Come on. Your brothers are probably going to kill me." He muttered, offering his hand.
She was so weary, she knew she couldn't walk with out help. So she took it gratefully, barely even noticing the spark that pricked her skin when she met his.
As soon as the feeling of safety washed over her, her guard dropped and so did all the anxiety and tension.
"Whoa!" Brandon caught her as she collapsed against him, suddenly feeling so tired her legs couldn't hold her up.
"I'm sorry..." She whispered, barely keeping her eyes open. "...I don't know what came over me."
Brandon nodded and held her weight.
"You probably shouldn't have done something so drastic for your first time." He answered. Scooping her up, and ignoring her weakly protests.
"But I will say that force field was pretty darn impressive." He glanced down at her face, her head laying against his shoulder. She smiled though her eyes were closed.
"Yay, I can be Violet now....if only I could turn invisible."

.:+++:.

Brandon was right when he said her brothers would kill him.
When he drove into the drive way he only met Cliff, who blew a gasket when he saw what looked like an unconscious sister.
Brandon tried to pick her up again, but Cliff stopped him, doing it himself.
"Don't touch her." He growled, the glow in his eye deadly.
Kale was in that place where she felt like she was asleep, but was still conscious of everything going on around her. She knew Cliff was carrying her, she also knew that Brandon was following them into the house even though Cliff kept telling him to leave.
She knew she'd have to be the peace maker or it could get ugly.
She forced to wake up completely, to get out of the fog and actually open her eyes.
When she glanced around she saw that she was now lying on her bed. Trying to ignore the sleepiness in her she rolled out of the bed and stumbled to the door.
She could hear three boys arguing quiet loudly. Groaning she sent up a prayer of peace and opened the door.

Cliff and Venn, who had come home as soon as Cliff had called that she was back, were ganging up on Brandon who was desperately trying to explain things, though it was obvious negotiations weren't going well.
"Would you all just shut up?" She asked. Her voice so quiet and insignificant that it was sad.
The boys heard her, however, just like they always have.
"Kaleigh." Venn's eyes were full of concern as he ran over to keep her from falling. She held up a hand telling him to back off.
Finding her strength she stood up strait and walked over to the two other boys.
"Now all of you go sit down." She ordered.
The boys looked at her like she was insane. But she was in no mood to play.
"Now." Her tone told them to obey or they'd be in huge trouble.
Cliff sat on the couch, Venn took the arm chair, and Brandon took a bar stool.
Kaleigh took a deep breath and moved so she could see all of them with out turning.
"Brandon had nothing to do with what happened tonight." She started, but was immediately cut off.
"What happened tonight?!" Cliff asked angrily. Kale glared at him.
"Well if you'd shut up long enough I'd tell you." She snapped. Brandon eyed her a moment and she saw the look.
"Are you sure....that's such a good idea?" He asked.
Her small shoulders shrugged. "They'd find out sooner or later right? You said they were one of us didn't you?"
Brandon nodded and gestured for her to go on.

And she did. Telling them everything Brandon had told her and everything that had happened after.
She could tell by the looks her brothers gave her that they didn't believe her. Brandon tried to back her up but they declared that it was all stupid and ordered Brandon out.
Kaleigh sighed and knew it was a lost cause.
"Sorry it didn't work." Brandon apologized when she walked him to the door. She shrugged.
"I didn't believe it 'til it happened to me. So that means they probably wont either."
Brandon nodded and stepped outside.
"I'll see you tomorrow." He said.
"Tomorrow?"
He grinned. "Yeah. Now that you know about us, you've got to learn who we are, and what to do, before you go and electrocute someone so bad their heart stops beating."
Kaleigh glared at him and his playful smile.
"That is not funny." Her hands moved to her sweatshirt pocket and she felt something metal.
"Oh hey!" She cried, running out the door after him. "You forgot this." She handed him his phone back.
"Thanks. See you later." He got on his bike and started it up.
"Yup. Bye." Kale waved before heading back into the house.