Element, Part 1 (19 page)

The woman and guy looked at each
other. Natalie knew what they were thinking. They probably thought she got
drunk at a party and passed out. How embarrassing.

“Okay.” The woman shot her a
sardonic look and then slid her phone back into her arm band.

The guy shrugged his shoulders
and yanked on the dog’s leash, instructing him to follow. The dog sniffed her
foot one more time and then turned to follow his owner and the lady.

“Thanks.” Natalie blurted out,
feeling bad for the way she acted. They didn’t bother to acknowledge her
gratitude and kept walking down the street.

She checked her phone wondering
what time it was.  It showed 8:42 a.m. Saturday morning. A list of several
missed calls flashed on her screen, all from Ryan and Lise. What would she tell
them? She started to dial Ryan’s number, but stopped. She had to figure out
what happened before she called him. However, the throbbing in her head made it
nearly impossible to think.

A horn sounded and startled her.
“Hey there baby? How much?”

She looked up and saw a car
passing by with a guy hanging out the window yelling. She turned around,
wondering who he was screaming at when she realized it was her. She wanted to
run and hide. To make matters worse, a few people walked by her, staring at her
and making sly comments under their breath. She had to get off The Drag and out
of this dress.

She knew she couldn’t go back to
the dorm. Lise would have too many questions for her. The safest place was the
condo.

She limped her way down the
sidewalk, stopping midway to remove the one shoe she had on. Going barefoot
would be easier and her feet ached from wearing the stacked heels. She flagged
the next taxi cab passing by and got into the car.

“Where to ma’am?” the driver
asked.

“Ummm, 300 Bowie Street.” It
took her a minute to remember her aunt’s address. Everything seemed so foggy
and faint in her mind. She leaned her head back against the headrest and closed
her eyes. Images flashed through her mind, recalling how she changed and
transformed. She opened her eyes and looked at her hands.
Did all that
really happen?

“Rough night? Frat party?” the
cab driver asked, looking at her through his rear view mirror.

Natalie crinkled her nose. She
didn’t owe him an explanation, but she didn’t want to be rude. “Yeah, I guess
you can say that.”  She didn’t like to lie or make up stories, even if she
didn’t want to tell others her business. In reality she didn’t lie to him. She
had a rough night and she did go to a party. Maybe not a frat party but a party
nonetheless. How would she explain this to Ryan?

It didn’t take long for her mind
to drift back off, recollecting the events that took place inside the bathroom
of the mansion. A shudder quickened through her body, recalling the
excruciating pain her body went through. It made her feel sick and weary. She
didn’t want to think about that right now. She had to figure out how she
blacked out and ended up on The Drag.

She smiled when she remembered
how exhilarating it felt flying through the air. Flying had to be one of the
best things she had ever experienced. Nothing compared to it.

When they passed through
downtown Austin, she recalled soaring around the buildings, and zipping by the
bright neon lights glowing against the dark night sky. Being nearly invisible
had to have been the best part of all. It had allowed her to fly without being
seen by anyone.

“We’re here. Spring Condos,
right?” The cab driver interrupted her thoughts.

“Oh. Yes, thanks.” Natalie sat
up quickly. She looked at the meter and then paid the cab driver.

She walked into the four-hundred
and fifty-five feet tower, sliding past the front desk security guard. The
newspaper kept his undivided attention, preventing any further embarrassment.
Luckily, the lobby was empty and the elevator opened immediately when she hit
the button.

She went straight to the guest
bedroom and fell back on to the bed. 
This did happen, I’m not going crazy,
or am I?
She ran her hand over the intricate ribbon design on her dress. It
did happen, otherwise why did she wake up on The Drag, still wearing her
clothes from the night before? She would have awakened in her pajamas at the
dorm or the condo if nothing had happened.

Her cell phone rang and she
flinched. Ryan’s name flashed across the screen. She let out a huge sigh. What
would she tell him? She couldn’t avoid him any longer.

She answered the phone. “Hello?”

“Natalie. Thank God you finally
answered. What happened? Where are you?”

“I ummm… took a cab to my aunt’s
condo.” She picked at the nail polish on her thumb, thinking of the right thing
to say.

“I was so worried about you. Why
didn’t you let me take you home?”

“I don’t know,” she muttered.
She got up and started pacing back and forth, trying to figure out what to tell
him. Should she say that she had turned into some type of freak-a-zoid and flew
home instead? No, she definitely couldn’t tell him that.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I
was leaving. I didn’t want to bother you.”

“Natalie, c’mon. You were sick.
Besides, you could have at least told me you were at the condo. I worried about
you all night. I didn’t know if something bad happened to you.”

“I know. I’m sorry I didn’t text
or call you. When I got to the condo I ran to the bathroom and couldn’t leave.
I must have fallen asleep because I woke up next to the toilet.” Natalie
pressed her lips together. She couldn’t believe that she lied to him. What
choice did she have? He would never believe her.

“You poor thing. I wish you
would have let me drive you home. I would’ve taken care of you.” Ryan’s voice
turned from upset to soothing and caring.

Natalie sat back down on the
bed. “Thanks. I didn’t know if I caught a bug or if being overheated caused me
to get so sick. I’m still not feeling that well.” She hated this continual
lying but didn’t know what else to say.

“I’m sorry, beautiful. Do you
want me to come over and take care of you?”

“No!” She stopped and changed
the tone of her voice. “I mean, thanks. I think I’ll sleep the rest of the
day.” She swallowed hard and tried to fight off the tears. It broke her heart.
She needed Ryan more than anything and wanted to see him. However, she knew seeing
him would be dangerous.  She couldn’t risk changing in front of him. She had to
wait until she knew exactly what had happened to her.

“Okay. Is there anything I can
do for ya?”

“Yes, can you let Lise know I’m
okay? She’s been texting and calling me too.”

“Of course I will.”

“Thanks. I’ll call you later
this evening,” Natalie said in a low voice. It killed her inside to lie and
pretend that she didn’t want him to come over.

“Okay. Call me if you need
anything.”

“Alright, I will.”

“Promise?”

“Yes, I promise. Ryan…” her lip
quivered and the tears welled up in her eyes.

“Yes, beautiful?”

“I love you. I love you more
than anything.” Tears streamed down her face and her breaths shortened.

“I love you too, Natalie.”

She hung up the phone, not
wanting Ryan to hear her tears turn to sobbing.  Her heart ached. This is not
what she wanted. She wanted to be with Ryan, her love. Staying in a
relationship seemed to be impossible for her. Why was it every time she fell in
love with a guy something bad happened? Maybe she wasn’t meant to love anyone.
She turned and buried her head into the pillow, weeping and crying, wishing she
could wake from this horrible nightmare.

***

A few hours later Natalie woke up, tangled in the sheets and
covers. She threw them back, checking herself to make sure she hadn’t changed.
She sighed in relief when she saw that she was still normal. However, it didn’t
explain what happened to her last night. She had to figure this out. She closed
her eyes, thinking back on what happened. She couldn’t concentrate. Fogginess
clouded her thoughts, blocking all her memory. Her stomach growled and she
realized she needed to eat.

She dragged herself out of bed and went to the kitchen. She
opened the fridge and poked around. There wasn’t much food since Sharon had
been traveling and she hadn’t bothered to go to the grocery store. Checking the
freezer she found a few frozen dinners. She popped a lasagna in the microwave.

She sat down at the bar, waiting for her food to cook,
thinking about the night before. Vivid images of what she turned in to flashed
through her mind. Not only were they in her mind but also etched deep in to every
muscle fiber of her body. She ran her hand up and down her arm, recalling the
sensations she felt when her body changed and morphed. Her muscles were sore
and her body hurt. It felt like she had worked out for hours.

She clearly recalled turning into a burning inferno with
glowing crimson and orange flames.  No human could have tolerated the intensity
of the heat that had flowed from her head to her toes. How could she? 

It shocked her, how she had gone from burning red hot to a
cool body of water within seconds. She took a deep breath, filling her lungs
with air, remembering how she had become as thin as the air she’d breathed. She
shook her head in disbelief.  Her ability to fly had been the most amazing
thing ever.

She took her food out of the microwave and waited a minute
to eat it, allowing it to cool off. She filled a glass with ice cold water and
took a few sips. She continued to analyze each and every phase she had
transformed into; the heat, the water, the air. They were all clear to her now.
However, the vibrant green glowing thing had her stumped.

She ate her food, allowing her mind to recharge. When she
finished, she twiddled the fork in her hand, continuing to think. She tapped
the fork a few times against the granite countertop and that’s when the idea
hit her.
Fire, water, air, and earth
.
The elements of the earth, of
course.
The green thing she turned into had to be earth.  She had changed
into the four elements of the earth. Why? How come? She needed to know what
caused this and why it happened.  Most importantly, would it happen again? She
shook her head in dismay when she thought about Ryan.
What am I going to do
?
I can’t tell him about this.
 

She needed to get out and clear her mind. She thought of the
one place that helped her relax and figure things out, the lake. Sure, it’d be
risky but the sun would be setting soon. The darkness would prevent her from
being seen if she changed. She grabbed Sharon’s car keys and headed out the
door.

***

Before she got out of the car she sent Ryan a text message.

I’m feeling better so I went out to get some fresh air.

A few seconds later he responded:

Is everything okay?

She texted back:

Yes. I need to clear my head. I’ll call you when I get
back to the condo.

He replied:

Okay

She got out of the car and followed the same path that she
and Ryan walked a few weeks back. How she longed for him to be next to her,
holding her hand and talking with her. Things had changed so quickly. They had
just confessed their love for one another and were barely spending time
together to only have this freaky thing happen to her. Would they ever be able
to be together again?

She kicked off her shoes and sat down on the shore, gazing
out into the blue water. Purple and pink rays stretched across the sky and over
the lake, creating a peaceful and heavenly sun set. She closed her eyes and
focused in on everything around her. The gentle breeze blew through her hair
and the warmth from the setting sun made her body feel cozy against the sand.
She listened to the sound of the water, splashing against the rocky shore inviting
her in for a swim. For some reason, she couldn’t completely relax or clear her
head.

Thoughts of what her grandmother told her kept circling
through her mind.
That God would send the right guy. 
She knew Ryan was
the right guy for her, perfect in every way. She could taste his lips on hers
and smell his scent. His love intoxicated her and she couldn’t imagine not
being with him. She had to slow things down until she figured everything out.
She wouldn’t take the risk of changing in front of him. If he knew what she had
become he may stop loving her. Her heart told her it would be difficult, if not
impossible to stop seeing him.

If only this hadn’t happened to her. What if she never
changed again? She wouldn’t have to stop seeing Ryan. Slowing things down
between them wouldn’t be necessary. However, she knew that was wishful
thinking. Her body had changed into something out of this world and it was only
a matter of time before it happened again. What if she changed into one of the
elements and never changed back to her normal human form? She shuddered at the
thought.

She looked up at the sky, watching the colorful hues fade in
to the darkness. Why did everything in life have to be so difficult? How would
she explain to Ryan that they needed to slow things down and not see each other
for a while? She sucked at lying and it went against all her principles. She
loved him and didn’t want to hurt him. She refused to break his heart but
didn’t know any other way to protect him.