“You don’t know what I’m thinking.”

“You’re thinking they might help you,” he proposes. “They aren’t interested in helping people.”

“Then what are they interested in?” I let out a frustrated groan. “What’s their goal?”

“Ultimately, power, the continuation of their power.”

“Power over what? Their rule needs a purpose. What do they rule?”

“Existence, Sheyla. It’s as simple as existence. Life. At the end of the day, death is the only showstopper.”

“But what are they living for? What’s their purpose?”

“They’re searching for that answer the same as anyone. That’s the only thing making them like you and me. Destiny, and reaching out to meet destiny, is the driving force for existence. Why are we here? What are we meant to do? Those are million dollar questions. The whole purpose of living is figuring that out.”

“That’s a pretty human notion for such non-human entities.”

He grins.

“Did you know my mom?” My question catches him off guard.

“No.”

“If Air took Mom’s memories, could she have made it so no one would remember her?”

“Maybe.”

“Why would she do that?”

“No clue.”

“Did you know Fire Supreme was my biological father?”

I’ve been doing my best to turn a blind eye to the impossible truth I learned in Sheelin. My fire fuel donor isn’t the man who raised me, the man who graciously took on the role of mother and father.

“I’d have told you if I knew.” He rolls over to face me. “I promise you, I wouldn’t have kept that from you.”

“You haven’t talked to me about it, either,” I challenge.

“What do you want me to say?” He coils one of my new curls around his finger. “Do you want me to apologize for it? I’m sorrier than you can understand. You asked about goals. I only have one. My goal has always been to protect you, which I’ve never done by omission. I’ve faced everything head on.”

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“Why is that your goal?”

“Because that’s the goal I was given by Phelan, who was given the goal by your father.”

“You knew more than you realized.” That truth stings him, and I wince in solidarity. “It’s okay, Brody. I’m glad to have you with me. Whatever the reason was, I don’t want to be without you.”

I feel his strain from restricting the surging power as he sweeps away a tear trailing down my cheek. This time, I don’t flinch. Yeah, I’m crying again. Won’t miss that if I transition. Not expelling anything? Definitely a can. The biggest. The days of my friends protecting me are well past. It’s my turn to protect them.

“You’re stuck with me now.”

“Cool.” I smile. “I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

“We’d all follow you to the ends of the earth.”

“I’m not a leader, Brody. I’ve told you that.”

He grunts. “We’d follow you all the same.”

“Can you just walk beside me for a while?”

“Whatever the Captain wants!”

Punching him is worth the risk of getting shocked by the electrical current. He feigns pain. Bright side: I don’t feel any real pain. With every passing moment, he’s doing a better job of containing the energy. Like my fire, his control will improve over time. Eventually, they’ll work together like he and his creature had. Alignment requires patience.

We stop talking and gaze at the sky until we’re rudely interrupted by surprise presenters. Kiley’s jumping up and down with glee, Derry’s smirking, and even Tally’s grinning from ear to ear.

“Are you ready?” Derry prompts enthusiastically as he approaches us.

Whatever the surprise is, it’s something they’ve all worked very hard on for several weeks, though I’ve announced on several occasions they lack appeal.

“What is it?” I defer to Brody.

“You won’t like it,” he admits.

“Can you short-circuit the force field so I can make a run for it?”

“Nope.”

“Traitor,” I mutter.

Running would do me no good. Where would I run? In a circle? Sighing, I let Kiley and Derry lead me inside.

“Blindfold, please,” Kiley requests.

My eyelids snap closed. Forcefully. Declan’s looking for a throat hug of appreciation…once I can see again. I reflect on what Brody and I accomplished today. Feel the feelings. Locate the source using familiarity. I sense exactly where Declan is. Unlucky for me, he’s to my right, just out of reach. Point to Declan.

The experience is weird. I see him in the darkness, outlined by a gray aura marker. More, I see them all, each outline matching the aura color of their elemental magic. Why did I not notice this before?

There’s pressure on my eyes again. Forced open this time. I’m standing over a vault door.

“Open it!” Kiley demands excitedly.

I pull the hatch lever. Metal screeches through the otherwise silent basement. Everyone’s holding an anticipatory breath. While the prospect of crawling into the hole isn’t overly appealing, their enthusiasm encourages me down the ladder.

At the bottom, I scan my surroundings. From the steel roof trussing to the reinforced steel walls, it’s my deprivation chamber brought to life. My emergency shut-off switch is on the wall directly behind me. Derry pulls it on my behalf. The mechanical gears controlling the entrance echo in the enclosed space.

“Do you love it?” Derry places his hands on my stiff shoulders. “Total protection.”

I blink rapidly, trying to keep the pending tears at bay. I don’t love it. I feel more trapped than ever. I can’t breathe. My oxygen is being vacuumed out by the mechanism sealing the vault door. Not only was I confined to the compound they created to protect me, but they’ve taken it to a much higher level. Lower level, rather. Below the basement. My surprise, the surprise they’ve been happily collaborating for weeks on, is a bomb shelter.

“I hate it,” I whisper.

It’s not a bomb shelter. It’s a tomb. My tomb. They’re locking me in. How am I getting out?