September 20th, 2015
The brunette eventually gets out of bed, her feet touching the ground as she looks around at the white room before her. It was plain, with almost everything white. Even the pots holding plants were white. The flowers and plants gave the room a small amount of color, though not much.
She walks towards the door and wraps her slender fingers around the handle before turning it. She steps out into the hallway and finds it lit with a few lights lining the walls. Lyria steps out of the white room cautiously, her eyes scanning the corridor before she fully exits and begins to walk on the carpeted floor.
Upon reaching the end of the hall, she looks both ways before stepping into a large kitchen. The tile floor is cool under her feet, not bothering her at all. Then some voices echo through another long hallway, it sounds like two teenagers. She's right when Shaye and a boy her age walk into the kitchen. "Lyria," Shaye says, "what are you doing out of your room?"
"The white walls are making me sick," Lyria says and Shaye smiles, "it's awful in there." Shaye nods before having Lyria sit down at the island in the middle of the kitchen.
"Who's he?" Lyria asks and Shaye laughs before responding.
The boy joins Shaye's side before she introduces him. "This is Bastion. He's an Ice Elemental. Anything to do with ice, snow or the cold is what's under his control," Shaye explains to the new Elemental before getting her something to eat, "here. Eat up. You need some food in you," Shaye says, setting some utensils beside her plate of food, "do you want something to drink?"
"Milk please," Lyria almost whispers as Bastion grabs an apple to eat. Shaye serves her some milk and gives her a smile.
"You're wearing a lot of green," Lyria comments and Shaye laughs.
"Yes, we're required to wear the colors assigned to our element. Earth is green, Fire is red, Metal is silver or gray, Ice is white or blue-white, Sound is a light purple or lavender...there's a few others," Shaye tells the young teen who looks completely confused, "don't worry about anything right now. You'll be given a new wardrobe by tonight. You'll also be given a room upstairs, near me or Fleur. The boys have their own corridor," Shaye informs her.
"Corridor?" Lyria asks in disbelief. Bastion smiles before shrugging.
"There's more than the five of us teens. There's some younger kids and adults staying with us. We have a large community," Bastion informs the girl.
Lyria is still sizing him up, considering he has white-blonde hair and gray eyes. "How large?" She asks them and Shaye looks at Bastion before taking a deep breath.
"Our home country is Wales, most of our kind reside there because of the climate. Not too many people live in the northern parts. We survive because we're nothing like humans," Bastion informs her, "I can survive the coldest temperatures because of what I am. I've never gotten frostbite, not even close. Shaye is pretty tough herself, she-"
Shaye puts her hand up and looks at him. "I think she gets it. Just let her process the information for a moment," Shaye says, "would you like to see your room?" Shaye asks, turning to look at the blue-eyed girl. Lyria nods, desperate to have some solace. Shaye seems to understand how all of the information isn't helping Lyria one bit. Bastion takes her dirty plate and utensils so he can wash them. "C'mon," Shaye says and shows Lyria upstairs.
"I thought you said..." Lyria trails off, not knowing what else to say to the taller girl.
"Delilah told me which room would be yours," Shaye says as they hike upstairs, "this is the girl's corridor. For any girl under the age of eighteen or whichever woman isn't married," she says and Lyria smiles a little before Shaye opens a door and shows the shorter girl in.
Lyria looks around before going to the window, pulling the shades aside to see Dartanian jogging up the driveway. "Where did he go?" Lyria asks and Shaye smiles softly as she joins Lyria's side.
"Running. He likes to exercise a lot," Shaye murmurs before going to show Lyria everything in her room.
She shows her the wardrobe, showing her which clothes might fit her, which ones might not. "Have you taken a look at your Mark yet?" Shaye asks her as Lyria plays with her necklace.
"No..." she whispers before looking up at Shaye, "I didn't ask for this. I...I just want everything to be the way it was..." Lyria murmurs as she sits on her new bed. Shaye sits beside her and gives her a small smile.
"I know you do. But we can't change what's happened. We can only learn from it and understand it. Don't stress yourself out. You only learned about this world a few hours ago, just keep yourself calm and relaxed for now. What's your favorite thing to do?" Shaye asks her and Lyria sighs quietly.
She bites her lip before replying. "Photography," Lyria answers, "I was part of the school newspaper and Yearbook class. Guess I can't be anymore," she murmurs and Shaye smiles before shrugging. She takes her phone out and hands it to Lyria. "What-"
"Take some pictures," Shaye insists and Lyria smiles before taking some of her bedroom, then stands and takes one of Shaye. Lyria hands the phone back to her and Shaye looks at the pictures. "You're good. I think I might use this for my profile picture," Shaye says before smiling at Lyria, "actual cameras are better right?"
Lyria nods before responding. "Yeah. They're better when you're trying to take pictures for the yearbook or even a profile picture. I like to take pictures of scenery, my friends...even my house," Lyria murmurs and pushes her hair behind her ear before closing her blue orbs.
Shaye gives the girl a side hug before squeezing her shoulder. "It'll be okay. I'll see if we can get you a camera," Shaye murmurs and Lyria looks up before nodding, "Don't be sad, you've got people here who you can trust, especially me." The Earth-Marked girl pulls her hair into a ponytail and gives Lyria a small, reassuring smile.
"Thanks," Lyria whispers before Shaye stands, "wait, your necklace is like mine," she says, noticing the pendant Shaye's wearing. Shaye smiles before taking it off and showing her. "It has a different symbol on it."
"My family name in Welsh, Price," Shaye tells her, "yours is Crimson, that's your family name on the pendant. You'll be able to understand it now that you've been chosen by an element," Shaye tells her and Lyria looks at her.
"'Chosen?'" Lyria asks and Shaye laughs softly before answering.
Lyria watches her as she traces the lettering on the pendant. "It was your mother's family name. Your father took her name because he liked it better than his," Shaye tells her before putting the necklace around her neck once more, "and yes, chosen. The element chooses us. Even if our parents are the same Elements, it doesn't mean their child will be."
Shaye finally leaves, going to her own room. She sits on her bed and begins to play with her hair, untying it and tugging on it nervously. She doesn't want to tell Lyria about her family history just yet, but she might find out soon enough.
She remembers when her parents were still alive. Before they were murdered by humans in Russia. Her mother was beautiful, and her father was tall. She shares their common looks and their Element. They would show her what they could do, and she hoped she'd be like them one day, strong and able to manipulate Earth.
Her mother and father would take her to a large field, where it was lush with greenery, beautiful flowers and trees...then her life changed when they were found out. Townspeople came after them and burned them as though they were witches. Shaye was forced to watch.
Dartanian enters the large house, shutting the door behind him before heading into the kitchen. "You missed Lyria," Bastion tells him as he grabbed some water for himself.
"What?" The silver-eyed boy asks and he smiles before crossing his arms.
"She came out of the med room and got something to eat. Then Shaye showed her upstairs," he tells Dartanian who looks a bit surprised and also slightly annoyed.
"She's upstairs?" Dartanian asks and Bastion nods before he runs upstairs, trying to find Lyria's room. He finds a door slightly ajar and peers inside to see Lyria sitting on her bed, her knees pulled to her chest. He knocks on the door and she turns her head to see who it is. "Can I come in?" He asks her and she nods before he pushes the door open and walks in, shutting the door behind him quietly.
She eyes him intently as he sits down in a chair, drinking some water to cool his body down. "You exercise?" She asks him and he nods. "Will I have to?" She asks quietly and he shakes his head before searching her eyes. "Why do all of you...the way you guys look...your eyes...Shaye's eyes and her hair...you guys embody the elements..."
He nods before smiling a little. "I'm surprised Shaye didn't tell you. She's usually very honest," he says before taking a deep breath, "Yes, we embody the elements we control. That's for a reason. Both my parents are Metal Elementals. Bastion's parents are both Ice Elementals, and so on. Fleur is a Sound Elemental like her mother and father," he informs her, "so hence why they all look the same. Same color eyes, hair, so on. But you...your parents were two different elements. Your mother, Erika, was a Fire Elemental. Your father, Pierce, was a Water Elemental, you have his eyes," he murmurs and she blinks before speaking again.
"So...I'm an oddity, even in the Elemental world?" She asks him and he shrugs.
"No, there's been others like you. No one really knows what will happen with a child born from two different Elementals. They don't know which way you'll go. Usually they take after their mother's," he says quietly, smirking a bit, "sometimes they don't. It all depends."
Lyria pushes her hair from her face and looks at the window. "Why can't I be semi-normal?" She asks aloud and Dartanian nods in understanding.
"All of us wish we were, but we aren't," he tells her as she plays with her necklace, "did she tell you about the pendant?"
Lyria nods before actually speaking again. "Yeah...it's my last name in Welsh..." she trails off and he nods.
"Yes. This is mine," he shows her the small pendant he had hidden under his shirt. He hands it to her and she studies it for a moment.
"It's...is it Stone?" She asks and he smiles before nodding.
"Yes, that's right. Dartanian Stone," he says and she smiles a little before looking down, "Do you want me to leave you alone?" He asks her and she shakes her head no.
"It's nice to have someone to talk to. What was it like when you...got your Mark?" She asks timidly and he takes a deep breath before speaking.
He remembers the night he got his. "It was painful...excruciatingly so. The Mark I received is larger than what some others get. Shaye's is small, so is Bastion's. Fleur's is a little bigger, not by much. Mine is huge as far as I'm concerned. It hurt, a lot. Screws came flying out from the walls, a doorknob crumpled in on itself...I broke windows because they had metal framing...and it didn't just happen in my room alone. It happened to the entire house. That's what made us move here eight months ago. I was just beginning to learn how to control metal. I was just as terrified as you are," he assures her and she watches him, interested in him.
"Mine was a little different," she whispers quietly, "I got a fever and I couldn't sleep. So I got out of bed and my hands caught on fire. That didn't hurt, getting the Mark did. It felt like someone had taken a blowtorch and pushed it against my skin," she tells him, "it hurt so badly that it made me scream and cry. Then my room became consumed in flames, two minutes later the windows blew out and...then I woke up here," she explains and he nods, "was there anyone helping you?" She asks him and he shakes his head.
He keeps quiet about his brother, since Lance is no longer present. "No. I was alone like you were," he tells her and she nods before smiling a little. He gives her a slight smile before getting up and going to the door.
"Wait, what if I make this house catch on fire like mine?" She asks him and he has her sit down again.
"You won't. When you first get your Mark, that's when your element is completely out of control. Now it's a little more controlled since you've been told what you are," he informs her and she nods before thanking him, "anytime. But you should get some rest, you'll need it."
"For what?" She asks him and he winks at her.
"For training, tomorrow," he tells her and she sighs before shutting the door on him. He chuckles before heading to his own room.