Finding ELE (ELE Series #2) Written By: Rebecca Gober and Courtney Nuckels (3 page)

"Yes ma'am. I will get on that right away."
He moves to the far side of the room and begins talking quickly
into a handheld radio.

I push my shoulders back and stand up tall
as I turn and tell my mother, "I will fight with you."

A proud look flashes in her neon yellow
eyes. "You are too young to fight."

A flame of heat hits my cheeks as I respond.
"I am not too young! I can learn to fight. I need to fight. My dad
is in there and my friends are somewhere on the outside. I have to
help them." I point my finger towards the mountain in emphasis.

She gives me an appeasing look and says. "I
know you can learn honey. You would be a great fighter but you
would be much more useful here. Your healing gifts alone would be
instrumental to our cause."

"I need to help with this. I can do a lot
more than heal mom." This may seem immature but I feel as if I've
been through too much in the past few weeks to just sit on the
sidelines now.

"I know you can." She says.

I open my mouth to argue but she holds her
hand up between us to stop me. "Look, we can talk more about this
tomorrow but right now you need to get some rest. You have been
through a lot and you need to allow your body time to
recuperate."

I want to stomp my feet and throw some form
of teenage fit but I know that it wouldn’t help my case.
Surprisingly, I do feel a little tired now. "Fine. We will talk
about this tomorrow before the search party leaves. But first, can
I see Sebastian?"

She smiles. "He's actually already in bed
for the night but I will bring him in first thing in the morning. I
promise." She pulls me into a hug. "Now get some rest."

The bedside clock tells me that it's only
seven p.m. I decide not to argue about the time. "Okay, goodnight.
I love you." I give her a hug.

"Goodnight." She says. She pushes the
blackout curtain back across the window.

"Goodnight Willow." Anthony calls out.

I had totally forgotten he was in the room.
He walks over and hands the mirror to me. "Thank you. Goodnight
Anthony."

"You can call me Tony." He smiles but the
smile doesn't quite reach his yellow eyes. Anthony, or Tony, is a
rather good-looking guy with that copper hair of his that looks
almost auburn in this light. I would think he would even be
considered handsome. There's something there though, in his eyes
and the way he carries himself, that tells me he's been through a
lot. He looks almost haunted.

I nod my head in acknowledgement before he
turns to leave the room. My mom gives me one last hug and exits a
second later.

I take a deep breath and plop down on the
bed. This has been a crazy day. At least I hope it's still the same
day. I really should have clarified with my mom before she
left.

The last time I woke up in a strange room
was when I fell and broke my arm in the tunnels that led to our
cave. Alec had carried me all the way to the medical station. That
time several days had passed. That can't happen now. I need to find
my friends and I need to do it soon. I decide that one way or
another I will be joining that search party.

I lie back against my pillow and pull the
mirror up to examine my eyes. The first thing I notice is how tired
I look. I position the mirror closer to look at my eyes. They both
match now. The blue is the most predominant color but I can still
see all of the other colors swirling together here and there. The
red fleck is noticeable and can be seen in both eyes. Weird.

Feeling overwhelmingly exhausted all of a
sudden, I place the mirror on the bedside table and close my
eyes.

The next morning I’m awoken by the sound of
the door handle turning. Still on edge from last night I grab my
blankets, hugging them to me tightly. I can see a little bit of
light creeping out from under the doorway, followed by shadows of
several pairs of feet…one of them smaller than the rest. The door
opens letting in light from a lit candle that dimly illuminates the
room. I sit up on my elbow out of curiosity hoping my mother is
among them. Then I hear sweet whispers from a voice I would never
forget.

“
Is she here mommy? Is that Wello?” I
can’t help the smile that is breaking on my face.

“
Sabby?” I ask. My eyes adjust to the
light allowing me to see those soft brown curls bobbing towards me.
I open my arms to welcome my little brother. It all seems so
surreal. I thought I had lost this little guy forever.

I hear my mom’s voice a second before
Sebastian reaches me. “Remember Sebastian, be gentle!”

I feel his pudgy little arms wrap around me
and I go to squeeze back but my breath is taken away by a crushing
sensation. I gasp for breath. It feels like an elephant has decided
to set up camp on my chest. I manage to get a small ‘help’ out
there before someone takes the weight off my chest. I cough and
sputter trying to get my breathing to return to normal. What just
happened?

“
I so sorry Wello,” says Sebastian.
How on earth did he…? I stop mid thought finally understanding. It
must be his power; his ability.

I cough once more. “Sabby, it’s okay. I
guess you just need to be a little gentler okay?” I see his little
head bob up and down beside me. Scooting over on the bed and
patting the spot next to me. “Here, come sit by me. I’ve missed you
so much!” His little face lights up with pure delight as he crawls
onto the bed. For the first time in a while, everything feels
right. It feels like it did before all this craziness happened.
Before life in the shelter and the chaos that erupted. I revel in
the simplicity and put my arms around my baby brother. He puts his
arms around me and I tense up a bit hoping he won’t squeeze too
hard. I relax when he curls up in my lap and snuggles close…just
like he used to.

I kiss the top of his curls and look to the
others in the room. My mother stands holding the candle, leaning
against the doorframe. Mr. Leroy and Anthony…I mean Tony stand next
to her. She smiles at Sabby and me as a tear rolls down her cheek.
She wipes it away quickly. I guess now that she’s considered a
leader she has a certain persona to live up to, which would include
no crying.

My mother breaks the silence, “I see you’ve
found your little brother.” I smile and nod my head in
affirmation.

Sabby lifts his head from my chest. “I’ve
missed you Wello!”

My throat tightens with emotion. “I’ve
missed you too Sabby.”

“
Alright,” my mother interjects. “Time
to get up.” She checks her watch. “We’ve got breakfast in ten.
Willow, I set some clothes at the end of the bed for you. Hopefully
they fit.” She comes and picks up Sebastian out of my arms.
“Alright you. It’s time to get some breakfast, then you’re off to
Ms. Wallobee’s.”

She swoops Sebastian up and twirls him in
the air. He giggles loudly and a small tear escapes my eye. I can’t
stop smiling. It feels so good to see him again and to know he’s
okay. Before they exit the room my mother sets a candle on the
small table.

“
Wait, mom…who’s Ms.
Wallobee?”

She clasps the handle of the doorknob.
“We’ll talk about it at breakfast. Once you get dressed, meet us on
the first floor. Just follow the smell, you can’t miss the
canteen.” She smiles at me sweetly and Sebastian gives me a pudgy
hand wave before she shuts the door, leaving me alone with my
thoughts.

I shimmy into the clothes she left for me, a
pair of cutoff jeans and a tank top. It feels bizarre to wear
anything but scrubs, but I like it. I feel my age again. I run my
fingers through my tangled mane and grab the candle. Sadness runs
through my blood momentarily as I think about my friends and my
dad. It feels so bizarre now that things have flipped over. I used
to worry about my mom and Sebastian. Now I worry about my father,
Connor, Claire and Alec.

Alec…A vision of his face flashes before my
eyes. A vision so clear I can almost reach out and touch it. The
hole in my heart that was once reserved for my mother and Sebastian
has been replaced by a new loss. I take a deep breath and right
myself. I have to remain strong if I hold any hope of finding my
friends. I turn the doorknob the rest of the way and make my way to
the first floor.

The smell of cooked grits and eggs fills the
entire floor. I hear laughter and conversation at the end of the
hall. Rounding the corner, I spot my mother at the head of the
table on the far end of the room. Everyone’s heads turn as I walk
in. ‘New meat’ they must be thinking. Probably wondering if they
can even trust me or not. I give a small smile and hurriedly make
my way across the room to where my mother has graciously saved me a
seat.

“
Hey sweetie, glad you could finally
make it.” That is her way of saying I’m late.

“
Sorry,” I whisper under my breath. I
sit and she pats my hand. I hadn’t realized how famished I was
until the smell of grits permeates my nose. I dig in, not really
caring about the unseasoned blandness of the meal. All around me
table conversation is in session.

“
So,” I say to my mother. “Who’s Ms.
Wallobee?”

She takes a bite of eggs, swallows and then
answers. “Ms. Wallobee is the head caretaker for the children.
There are a few more kids here that need supervision. Along with
some other teachers under her, she provides a small bit of
education for the children like reading, writing and
self-defense.”

I nearly choke on my eggs when she says
this. “Self-defense?” I question.

My mother’s face turns grim. “Yes honey,
self-defense. We all felt it was necessary, what, with all that’s
going on.”

I break eye contact. The thought of
Sebastian having to defend himself makes my stomach roll. Suddenly
I’m not very hungry anymore so I push the rest of my eggs
aside.

My mom gives me a look and I quickly pull
the plate back to me. She nods her head happy that I understood her
nonverbal message. "You’re going to need the energy if you want to
come with us today."

My eyes open in surprise. "Really?" Last
night she didn't seem too excited about my tagging along.

"Yes, but you have to follow directions to
the T. If I say jump you jump, etcetera. Do you understand?" I nod
so she adds, "It's imperative that you do this. Things can get
crazy really fast. I can't let anything happen to you out
there."

"I understand. You don't have to worry about
me mom." I gladly shovel some more eggs in my mouth.

"Asking a mom not to worry is like asking a
polar bear not to eat penguins." She smiles pointing her fork in my
direction. "It's impossible."

I give her a strange look. My mom has always
been one to come up with the most bizarre analogies ever. I change
the subject. "So, when do we leave?"

"We’re meeting in one hour in the foyer. We
have a group of twenty who are traveling with us. Do you have any
idea where they might have headed?" She asks.

I didn't know any of them before the shelter
so I don't know if there is a special spot they may choose to hide.
"I honestly don't know. I would think they would stick close to the
mountain. However, Connor could be looking for his parents too.
They didn't go into the shelter." I hadn't thought of that last
part till just now. It would seem natural that he would search for
them once outside.

My mom's expression turns serious. "You need
to understand honey that it's possible your friends may not have
survived. If the Reapers saw them, they certainly wouldn't have let
them walk away unscathed."

I have thought about that. It was one thing
that kept me up last night. I also thought about my friend’s
abilities too. "Yes, but Claire can go invisible. If Connor could
use his powers to help them get out, then I can't see why Claire
wouldn't have been able to make them all go invisible to get
away."

"Oh, she can go invisible? That’s a rare
gift; very useful." She pats me on the leg. "There may be hope for
them yet. Now finish up. I’m going to take Sebastian to his class.
Meet me in the foyer when you're done." She stands up and calls to
Sebastian. "You ready sweetheart?"

"Yep!" He jumps up from the table and runs
to me. "Bye Wello! You read me a story tonight, right?"

The sun is starting to rise, better
illuminating the canteen. It also makes Sebastian’s eyes more
noticeable. While the neon yellow is still extremely odd it doesn't
take away from his absolute adorableness. "It's a date!" I ruffle
his curls.

"Eww, Wello. No date, we just hang out. K?"
His grossed out expression makes my mom and me laugh.

"Deal." I smile and give him a hug. He gets
a little too enthusiastic and hugs me until I let out a little
grunt.

"Sowee." He shyly smiles up at me.

"It's okay. I’ll see you tonight." I give
him another hug and he heads off with my mom to his class.

I take a look around the large eating hall.
Most everyone's eyes are on me. Some look curious, some look
disgruntled and others look afraid. My cheeks flush at all of the
attention and I quickly avert my eyes.

Someone scoots closer to me and I look up to
find Tony. "Don't worry. They’ll realize soon enough that you
aren't dangerous. You’re just the new commodity around here, that's
all."

"Commodity?" I raise my eyebrow at his
strange word to describe me.

He shrugs his shoulders. "It's been a while
since anyone with another power has been around us. Most of
them...Well, most of them aren't with us anymore." He looks
sorrowful.

I nod my head understanding what he means. I
can't help but wonder who he may have lost.

"So, how old are you Willow?" He changes the
subject.

"I just turned sixteen." The memory of
spending my birthday with Alec comes to me and I quickly store it
away. This isn't the time to be emotional. "How about you?"