Inferno : Elements Series Book One
Chapter Twelve

Gwen

I sleep better than I ever have before, the fragrance coming from my bed and, well, my entire apartment, seeming to help a lot. I look at the clock on the wall, a flower with twelve petals and a small leaf moving around the outside indicating the minutes. Its 5:44am, Derek won’t be here for just over two hours and I have an incredible new apartment to explore. I reluctantly get out from underneath my flower petal covers, move over to the large window in my bedroom and move the curtains to the side, revealing a stunning view of the Grand Canyon and the river below. I don’ know how, but my room must be built into the cliff face. It’s stunning and as I look around my room I notice dozens of flowers beginning to open. They must respond to sunlight explaining why the windows are so big. They’d have to be; for an entire apartment made out of plants, large windows that allow plenty of sunlight to get in would be pretty important. Moving around, I begin opening every window there is and being blown away by it all over again. The petals, leaves and woods take on a whole new glow in the sunlight and it just takes my breath away. Feeling hungry, I walk into my small kitchen and open the refrigerator to see if there is anything to eat and find that the whole thing is filled to the brim with fruit, vegetables and bottles of water. Garret really thought of everything when he put this place together and I decide that I will make an effort to find him and thank him while I’m out and about today, rather than waiting for tomorrow morning. After eating a small fruit salad I head into the bathroom. It takes a minute for me to decide whether to use the gorgeous bath or the luxurious shower, but I eventually settle on the shower. As I walk toward it the two closest petals open, welcoming me. Warm water begins to flow from the large shower head the second I step under it, making me feel like I’m walking through summer rain. By the time I get out it’s almost 8:30am and I’m feeling a little bit guilty for using so much water. As I dry myself I notice that the water bracelet that had formed on my arm yesterday is gone, however my arms are traced with thin, silver-blue lines in the exact pattern of the water. I don’t really know what to make of it and, hoping Derek is close enough to hear me, extend my mind to ask him about it.

“Derek? I don’t know if you can hear me but I have a question.”

“I can hear you,” he replies, almost instantly. “My apartment isn’t that far from yours so we should always be able to communicate like this. What’s wrong?”

I ignore my curiosity over his apartment, I didn’t look around at all last night, so I didn’t get to see how it is built or what it actually looks like.

“Remember that weird watery bracelet thing that was around my arm yesterday?”

“Yes, did something happen?”

“Nothing bad, at least I don’t think so. The water is gone but there are silvery lines across my arms in the exact place and pattern that the water was. It looks like ice, but it isn’t cold. I was wondering if you had any thoughts over what’s going on with that.”

There’s silence for a moment and then I hear a knock at my door. Shit. I’m naked. I quickly put on a pair of underwear and wrap my large, plush towel around my body and go to my door. I open it just wide enough for me to stick my face out and see who it is.

“Derek?”

“Yeah, it’s me. Are you going to let me in?”

I think about it for a moment, I mean, I’m in a towel!

“Uh, I didn’t think you would come here. I was in the shower when I was talking to you and I’m wearing nothing but a towel right now.”

“Thinking about me in the shower were we?” He smirks. Talking to him so soon this morning seems to be a major mistake on my part. In response I simply open the door and let him in. Why not? It’s not like he’s going to see anything, my towel is HUGE. I can feel his eyes on me as I turn my back and shut the door and I’m embarrassed to admit that I kind of like the look on his face when I turn around. I hold my arm out for his inspection to distract him, and myself, from the fact that I’m completely naked beneath my towel. He begins running his hands up and down my wrists and forearms, trying to figure out the silver marks, and I take the time to reflect on the electricity that suddenly begins shooting out from beneath his fingertips.

“I think it’s ice,” he says.

“It can’t be, it isn’t cold.”

“Yes it is, at least to me. It feels like ice, it just doesn’t melt when I touch it.”

Ice, embedded in my arm and looking like an intricate tattoo, that isn’t cold. Seems like the tone for today has been set and it’s probably just going to get weirder from here.

“Well, uh, okay then. I guess if it isn’t doing any damage then there isn’t any point in worrying about it.”

“We should get your water tutor to have a look at it. They might be able to tell you something.”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea. So, what’s the plan for today?”

“Well, you might want to start by getting dressed. You have this incredible habit of losing your clothes when I’m around.”

I laugh. Damn it, why did I have to laugh? It was funny, but I don’t want to encourage him.

“Finally she cracks a smile! Nice to know you’re warming up to me.”

“Warming up to you? I have a chuckle at one of your jokes and you take it as me beginning to actually like you? Your ego is insatiable, Derek.”

“I guess it’s a good thing you’re here to bring me back down to earth then,” he grins.

“You’re welcome.”

I curtsey and retreat to the safety of my bathroom.

Apparently I’m adjusting pretty quickly to this new life of mine and I suppose that means being relatively comfortable around Derek as well. It could be worse, his first impression could have stuck around, it would have absolutely sucked to be stuck with the ‘creepy stalker’ I first saw outside my house. I quickly throw on a pair of denim shorts and a tank top, because it seems like it’s going to be pretty hot out today, and walk out to find Derek cross legged on my bed and looking through the sketch pad I left out last night. The sight of Derek in my bed distracts me for a minute but I regain my composure before he notices… at least I hope I do.

“You have a habit of going through my things.”

“I like you’re art work. You draw in a way that brings out all the great things about what you’re seeing,” he pauses, seeing something that surprises him. “You drew me?”

I would give anything right now to just sink into the lake in my bedroom and never resurface. I feel a blush heat my entire face and stutter out a response.

“I, uh, yes, I guess so. I draw whatever catches my attention and you d-definitely made an impact over the last week.”

Made an impact? What was I thinking!

“I suppose stalking you, being creepy and turning your life upside down would ‘make an impact’. How many drawings have you done of me?”

He starts flipping through the rest of my book and finds what he’s looking for. I’ve drawn at least ten pictures of him, and looking back at them I see that they begin looking dark and sinister and the last one, which is of us soaring through the canyon yesterday, looks light and fun.

“There wasn’t much of a life to turn upside down. It was pretty boring,” he looks up at me, clearly thinking about how he should respond. “Just say whatever you’re thinking, Derek. No need to sensor yourself, you haven’t done it so far.”

“Okay then,” he shrugs. “You’re right; you were living a pretty boring life. Why did you keep yourself locked up?”

I pause for a moment, trying to think of the best way to explain my hermit ways.

“I’m not interested in what everyone else is interested in,” I reply, moving to sit on the edge of my humungous bed and dangling my feet in the water. “Everyone is usually thinking about who is dating who, what the Kardashians got up to over the weekend or the next party they’re going to attend. I don’t care about any of that. Plus, everyone is always so superficial. It’s all pretty face, fancy clothes, money, sex and a lack of regard for anything that doesn’t benefit them. I’d rather sit at home and get lost in a good book.”

“That’s a pretty harsh view of people.”

“It’s not a view of all people, I really like talking to new people and getting out, I’m just awkward and not really that interesting. Plus, as you may have noticed already, I have a pretty abrasive personality sometimes. I’m opinionated and can be pretty stand-offish.”

“That’s for sure,” he laughs. “I wasn’t spying on you for those three weeks, not really. I was trying to figure out how to talk to you. The first time I ever saw you, you beat the hell out of three huge, armed men! You even got stabbed and you acted like nothing had happened. I was in your head the whole time, you didn’t even flinch. You acted differently to anyone I’d been sent out to Guard and I had to take a minute to figure you out.”

He was in my head during the robbery? I’ll have to ask him about that sometime because I don’t even remember what I was thinking at the time. Maybe he can fill me in on some things.

“And you thought waiting on the street at some god forsaken hour of the morning, rocking up at the club I was at and then invading my head while I slept was the way to go.”

To my immense satisfaction my statement makes him look uncomfortable.

“Well, I figured I should probably keep some distance. You can’t kill me in a dream.”

“I wouldn’t have killed you, maimed maybe, but never killed,” I smirk, nudging him with my elbow.

What is happening here? To distract myself I ask what the plan is for today, again, he never actually answered me before.

“I spoke to Hank and he said not to worry about taking you to any classes yet. We don’t know what you can do, and we don’t know if you can control it, so we are going to organise a training schedule for you where it’s just you, your trainer and me. That way, if something does get away from us, we can get it back under control without worrying about anyone getting hurt.”

So, basically, me being here is dangerous for everyone else.

“Okay, so what do I do between now and whenever Hank figures things out?”

Standing up on the walkway of lily pads and holding his hand out to me he says;

“We explore.”

I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face as I take his hand and let him help me up. I’m excited to see what little secrets this place has to hide.

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