Mark of Four Read online

  Alayne squared her shoulders. This would most likely be the last day she had with her parents for a while, and she was determined to stay positive.

  She walked into the kitchen. “Mm, smells good, Mom.” Alayne looked over her mother’s shoulder as Wynn flipped the last hash brown patty onto a serving platter and carried it to the table where the bacon, eggs, and grits already steamed, fragrant and mouth-watering.

  “Sit and eat then.” Wynn raised her voice. “Bryan, breakfast!”

  “It’s about time.” Alayne’s father hurried through the door. “Thanks, Wynn.” He dropped into his chair and scooped a hash brown patty onto his plate. “We have a present for you, Layne.”

  Alayne swallowed the bite of salty bacon she’d just crunched. “You do? For what?”

  Wynn sat at her place and forced a smile. “What do you think? A going away present.”

  Alayne tugged the water element from her glass across her plate and rinsed her fingers, letting the moisture evaporate into the air. “Let me see!”

  Bryan raised an eyebrow as he watched the moisture flow upward. “You really shouldn’t do that; you’re not even assessed yet.”

  Wynn hurried to the window, anxiously peering through the glass to the street outside. “Yes, Alayne, you must be careful. You never know who might be watching, and since the news yesterday, I think that—”

  “Skies, Mom, haven’t you worried enough? I’m fine. We’re fine. We’re in our house. There are no Shadow-Casters anywhere in the vicinity. It was just a simple element twist. That’s all. Can you let it go?” Alayne’s barrage of statements brought a flush to her mother’s pale cheeks.

  Nevertheless, Wynn’s nervous fingers pulled the curtains shut before she returned to her seat. “I’m just being careful, that’s all, Alayne.”

  Alayne’s mouth tightened. She took a deep breath, renewing her determination to stay positive. She leaned back in her chair and looked at her dad. “Can I guess what the present is?”

  “Knock yourself out.” Bryan shoved an entire stick of bacon in his mouth and crunched with obvious enjoyment.

  Alayne pulled the grits close and plopped a glob onto her plate. “New running shoes?”

  “Your mother wouldn’t tell me your foot size. But good guess.” Bryan took a swallow of juice. “Guess again.”

  “A paper-journal?” Alayne shot a sly glance at her mother. “Just because I know Mom would want to read it if she got a chance.”

  Wynn’s cheeks pinked. “I would not snoop in your personal stuff, Alayne.”

  “Kidding, Mom.”

  Bryan shook his head. “Wrong anyway. Last guess.”

  “A dog?” Alayne had pleaded for a dog for years.

  Wynn threw her hands in the air. “Where would we keep a dog, Alayne? You couldn’t take it with you to school, and we certainly wouldn’t want one here.”

  “It would only be for the four years of school.”

  “I hope you’re not serious.” Wynn eyed her daughter as she dabbed at her lips with a napkin. “Bryan, go get Layne’s gifts.”

  “Gifts? As in more than one?” Alayne asked as Bryan pushed himself up from the table and disappeared into the other room. When he returned, he carried two small packages wrapped in brown paper and taped shut.

  “Here you are, Bug.” He handed them to Alayne, clearing his throat noisily. “We hope you like them.”

  Heaviness descended on the table, noticeable in her parents’ expressions. Alayne tried to lighten the mood. “Two presents, you guys. You’re going to break the bank.” She picked up the small package first. The tape ripped under her fingernails, and she tore the paper open.

  It was a tiny ring box. She lifted the lid and gasped. An ornate silver ring, its metal twisted into intricate detail, sparkled even in the dim light of the room. Alayne touched it. “It’s beautiful. Thanks.”

  Bryan plucked it from the box. He grasped Alayne’s hand in his and slid the ring onto the middle finger of her right hand. “Perfect fit.” He smiled at Wynn. “You were worried about that.” He let go of Alayne’s hand, and she held it close to inspect it. “It was your Grandmother Keene’s. It’s supposed to help its wearer recognize true evil; it gets hot when someone intends to harm you.”

  “Really?” Alayne was dazzled by the multitude of sparkles that glinted from the ring.

  Wynn smiled. “Well, that’s what she always said. I think it’s just a pretty ring, and I hope you’ll take good care of it.”

  “Of course.” Alayne held up her hand to admire it better. “Thanks, guys. It’s beautiful.”

  She turned her attention to the second package and snapped her fingernails through the tape. As she pushed the paper out of the way, she smoothed her thumb over a small wooden plaque. Across the top in all capitals, the word “ELEMENTAL” was carved in beautiful calligraphy.

  An empty gold placard decorated the wood below the word, and beneath the placard, Alayne’s full name and a picture of her family etched the wood. Bryan and Wynn’s captured faces grinned behind a skinny sixteen-year-old Alayne.

  She touched the calligraphy with her fingertips. “Wow, this is nice, Mom and Dad. Thanks. But—what’s it for?”

  “It’s your ticket into an Elemental instructional facility,” Bryan said.

  “Clayborne, with any luck.” Alayne smoothed her hand over the wood grain, the sudden lump in her throat choking her words. “Thanks, guys. This means a lot.”

  Wynn’s nearly inaudible sigh hid behind her fragile cup of tea. “Hurry along, Layne. We’ll be late for your assessment.”

  * * *

  Alayne had vague ideas of how the earth had operated before the Great Deluge, or GD, had nearly destroyed it over two hundred years ago. Mr. Conroy, her Basic School history teacher, had lectured at length about it. Continents had been divided into countries—where Alayne lived had at one time been the eastern ridges of the United States of America. Since the Great Deluge, however, elements had rearranged and separated the major land masses so no Continent retained the exact same geographical—or political—structure.

  The people who had made it to high ground were the survivors. Everyone else had been washed away. Spires became the normal skyline decoration; fear of rising water made tall structures preferable.

  The world’s first awareness of Elementals, humans with the power to manipulate elements with an ability ungoverned by any known rules of science or logic, had come when four of them, drunk with their newly discovered talents, nearly destroyed the earth in the Great Deluge. Power hungry, they had ripped the world apart in their quest for supremacy over those around them. Volcanoes had erupted, earthquakes had split open the earth, geysers had spewed out boiling water. Tsunamis and tidal waves had wiped out cities miles from the coast; tornadoes and landslides and avalanches had rocked CommonEarth. The world had shuddered under their onslaught.

  Eventually, the four power-hungry Elementals had ended up destroying each other, but their legacy had shifted society until it depended on Elementals for even the most basic things: heating systems, water filtration networks, landscaping, air purifiers. Elementals were required to follow strict laws about using their powers these days. The memory of the fate of the four had never been forgotten.

  Served them right, Alayne thought as she followed her parents onto the boat dock two blocks from their house. Boats were a common form of transportation as a result of the Deluge. Even in the intervening two centuries since the destruction, the water table had never returned to its original level.

  Alayne’s dad carried one of her bags; the other one weighed down her arm. She squinted at the sunlit water and hitched her bag higher on her hip. The Shadow-Casters could learn from the four who started the Deluge. Power-hungry people always get what they deserve.

  The water taxi rested in the river, rocking gently in the minimal current. The captain stood on the dock as he took the tickets for four other individuals before he grasped the three tickets Wynn offered him.

  A
s she passed the captain, Alayne wondered fleetingly if he had received his education at Clayborne or Andova, and if he had dreaded his assessment, too. He was a Water-Wielder, of course. Since the High Court had banned electricity and other forms of energy in favor of the much safer and more efficient element twists, it was almost impossible for a Natural Human to gain a job that required elements to engineer it.

  Captains were almost always Water-Wielders. Pilots for the shuttles that transported thousands over the City Centre every day were almost certainly Air-Masters. Air-Masters also drove the airbuses that clogged roadways. She’d seen them yelling out their windows at each other as they were stuck in traffic jams, sometimes layered five, six airbuses high.

  Alayne preferred boat travel, but she’d never been inside a shuttle before. Today would be her first time. She only wondered if it would carry her to Clayborne or Andova. A spark of panic sizzled in her stomach. What if they sent her to Andova?

  “Alayne,” Wynn hissed. “Pull your hood up higher. Anyone would be able to recognize you out here; it’s hanging half off your head.” Wynn gave her own jacket hood a tug.

  “Mom, more people’ll be watching us because we’re the only ones wearing hoods on a sunny, hot morning.”

  “Just do as I say,” Wynn commanded in an undertone as they took their seats in the back row of the water taxi.

  Alayne dumped her bag on the ground by her feet and adjusted her hood. Her mother was making it more and more difficult to part on good terms. Wynn’s fear shadowed the day’s brilliant sunshine and any anticipation Alayne felt about her upcoming assessment.

  Alayne rested against her father’s shoulder, numbness creeping in. Part of her wished to turn the boat and go back to the safety and comfort of home. But then she would be just like her mother. She focused on the captain’s blue-uniformed back and the near-silence of the craft as it cut through the water currents.

  The City Centre rose around the boat, spire-like buildings stretching into the clouds. Alayne had only been in the heart of the City Centre a handful of times. She felt no taller than an ant on the pavement.

  The boat stopped at the dock, rocking as Alayne and her parents stepped onto the wood planks. The captain tipped his hat and shut the half-door, announcing his next stop to the remaining passengers. He steered the boat downriver, disappearing between the tall buildings.

  “I guess my career choices are limited to something I can do with water.” Alayne broke the silence.

  “Well, for specialized jobs, I suppose.” Bryan shrugged. “There’re jobs where you wouldn’t need element bending, though it could be a part of your job. Teaching or politics.”

  “Great.” Alayne rolled her eyes. “I’ve always wanted to be a Justice.”

  Bryan picked up both of Alayne’s bags and said seriously, “While you’ve got your sights set so high, you should just try for Leader.”

  “Enough, you two,” Wynn hushed them. “Let’s take one day at a time, shall we?”

  They walked through crowds that clogged the city streets, heading for a huge silver spire that dwarfed most of the others in the city.

  Alayne followed her parents across the cobblestones toward the courtyard entrance, taking the steps through the archway in a single bound. The spire’s entrance arched above them, with “Student Assessments” carved in the marble facade above the doors.

  Alayne took a deep breath and opened the glass doors. Her jaw dropped. The lobby had no roof, or none that she could see. She gazed at the distant clouds above and then back at the round lobby.

  Bryan steered them to a row of booths. An attendant sat behind each one, filing lists of names that scrolled through the air, shot upward by an MIU at each desk.

  A young lady with bright red curls smiled at Bryan. She waved, and the list of names disappeared. “How can I help you today, sir?”

  “My daughter is here for her assessment.”

  “Ah, yes, this way, please.” She motioned to an archway behind her. Her heels echoed on the marble floor as she led the way.

  They followed her down a hallway with white doors on either side and into a waiting room at the far end. Marble benches filled the room, and Alayne sat down with one parent on each side. Four other families occupied the other benches in silence.

  After the red-haired receptionist had gone, another woman leaned toward Wynn. “Is this your first one?”

  Wynn nodded. “Our only one.”

  The woman clicked her tongue. “It’s hard, isn’t it?” She nodded at her daughter, who sat chewing her bottom lip. “She’s our fifth and last one. Her papa and I are going to be lonely.”

  Wynn’s eyebrows arched. “Five in one family. That’s amazing.”

  “Yes, the gene pool was kind to us.”

  Alayne watched the other girl. Black hair frizzed down her back in a bush. Freckles covered her nose and cheeks. Alayne smiled at her. The girl’s face lit up.

  “Hi.” The sound echoed in the marble room. “I’m Marysa.”

  “Alayne.”

  The girl glanced at the hall door. “I’m so scared, I’m about to wet my pants. Please don’t tell me I’m the only one.”

  Alayne shook her head. “I’m nervous, too.”

  The door opened. “Marysa Blakely.”

  The color drained from Marysa’s face. She shot a panicked look at her parents, and the three of them rose and went through the door.

  “Almost there,” whispered Wynn, squeezing Alayne’s hand. “It won’t be long now.”

  As soon as she’d spoken, the door opened again. “Alayne Worth.”

  A stone dropped into the pit of Alayne’s stomach. She rose, steadying her trembling knees. Her parents grasped her hands.

  The man in the doorway smiled. “Welcome, Alayne. Follow me, please.” He led the way down the hallway to the third door on the left. “In here, please.”

  As Alayne stepped into the room, her parents let go of her hands. She turned, panic racing through her mind.

  “This is where we’ll leave you, Layne.” Her father squeezed her arm. “We’ll be waiting outside when you’re done.”

  A ghost of a smile trembled on Wynn’s lips. “You’ll do well, Alayne.”

  “But...”

  “Ace it for me, okay, Layne?” Bryan pulled Wynn out of the room, closing the door behind him.

  Alayne stared at the closed door before turning to the man. He slid a chair from behind his desk and sat in it, smiling at her. On the desk, four MIUs pointed toward a chair against the wall where the doctor motioned Alayne to sit.

  Alayne perched on the edge of the chair, trembling.

  “No need to be nervous. I’m Dr. Grath. I’ll be seeing if you qualify for an Elemental Training Facility today.”

  “Okay.” Alayne’s teeth chattered when she unclenched her jaw.

  “Why don’t you start by telling me about yourself, Alayne?” As Dr. Grath spoke, he pulled some words up from a fifth MIU near his elbow. He scrolled through the lists that wavered in the air. “What were some of your favorite activities as a child?”

  Alayne took a deep breath. “Swimming, running, hiking, tubing, water-skiing—”

  “Whoah, hold up.” The doctor moved words into sentences in the air before filing them away.

  Alayne swallowed her words.

  “Which of those activities were your favorite? Which did you enjoy the most?”

  “That’s a hard question to answer, sir. It depended on circumstantial factors—how much sleep I’d gotten, if I’d had a shower that morning.”

  “Understandably.” The doctor waited.

  “Swimming,” Alayne decided. “I’ve always loved to swim.”

  The doctor made another note in the air. “What about swimming did you enjoy the most?”

  Alayne twisted in her chair, shooting a glance at the door. She tried to answer honestly. “I—I felt peaceful, no stress, no worries.”

  “Did you find yourself able to pick up the skill easily?” Dr. Grath pul
led a pair of spectacles from his top drawer and slid them on his nose, concentrating on the words highlighted by the MIU.

  “Yeah,” Alayne shrugged. “Water has always, I don’t know, fit. I used to create things with the water to help me relax—candles from water that sparkled in the light, a water piano once, though I liked the water harp better. It played music, but nothing great. It sounded plinky. I couldn’t get the strings formed exactly right.”

  She stopped when she saw the doctor’s expression, and her pulse thudded in her neck. She knew she wasn’t technically supposed to wield water before her training had begun. Had she ruined her chances at school because she’d admitted too much?

  The doctor spoke slowly, as if he had trouble forming the words. “How old were you when you created your water instruments?”

  “Mmm, eight maybe?”

  After a long pause, the doctor picked up a thick, aged book that rested on his desk. He flipped a page in it. “How much do you know about Elemental history, Alayne?”

  “Mostly what they teach in Basic School.”

  Dr. Grath cleared his throat. “Good, good.” He glanced down at the book. “So you’re aware of how Elementals gained their standing in our society today?”

  Alayne nodded. “It was because of the GD. The Natural Humans couldn’t cope with the destruction of CommonEarth, so they stepped back to let the Elementals take over the cleanup effort.”

  “Even though the Elementals were responsible for the Great Deluge in the first place,” Dr. Grath murmured absently. He smoothed a hand over his receding hairline and flipped to another page. “Four Elementals, four elements. And yet...” His voice trailed off, and he shook his head.