arc drove Kat home and they didn't say much. Halfway home Kat placed her hand on Marc's leg and he looked over and smiled. He pulled up and turned the engine off but otherwise didn't make a move. Kat undid her seatbelt and twisted in her seat so she could better see him. She watched as he seemed to open his mouth several times like he was going to say something. She waited patiently. A few minutes later he took her hand in his and looked directly into her eyes.
"You do know I love you don't you?"
"Of course Marc and I love you."
"I know just... I don't know what I would do if I lost Jade and I don't know what I would do if I lost you either."
"It's okay tarrishagh you won't lose either of us."
"I'm not so sure about that."
Kat raised her eyebrows but said nothing. She leaned over and held Marc in her arms ignoring the pit in her stomach that what he just said seem prophetic. After about ten minutes she pulled back.
"I should probably go inside, Dad's looked out through the lounge curtains four times already"
Marc laughed and Kat smiled back. She reached out and brushed his hair aside and kissed him deeply then got out the car.
"You should probably get back to the hospital."
"Yes, I will drop Jade's book back first and call Kate to let her know everything's okay."
"I'll call Sarah and Maya if you want."
"Thanks that would be great. Love you."
"Love you too, goodnight."
Kat closed the car door and walked up to the front door opening it and stepping through. She blew Marc a kiss before closing the door behind her.
Marc started the car and drove the short distance to his place. He noticed that Uncle John's car was in the driveway as he pulled up. He grabbed Jade's book and let himself inside.
"Uncle John?" Marc called.
"In the kitchen."
"What are you doing here?" Marc asked walking in.
"Catie called and told me what happened so I came over early to help with the shop. I just got here."
"Ahh. Well Jade's okay now she woke up just earlier."
"Wasn't natural?" John asked eying the book in Marc's arms.
"No. They don't know that though and want to keep her in overnight but she will be changing wards. Anyway I should put this back and call Kate to let her know Jade's okay then head back to the hospital."
"I'll make us a cup of tea and then we can head over together."
"Thanks."
Marc bounded up stairs towards Jade's room picking up the phone on the way and dialling Kate's number. He spotted the cat little tray and an empty bowl. A quick search and he spotted a black kitten on Jade's bed. Marc wondered if Jade knew she was a new cat owner as the phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Hey Kate it's Marc."
"Marc! How's Jade? Any change?"
"She's well, she woke earlier today after we went to the hospital. Kat said it was voodoo."
"Shit. Have you told the others?"
"No Kat's going to do that." Marc sat on Jade's bed and started thumbing through Jade's book of Shadows idly. Jade's handwriting was fairly artistic throughout the whole book and he could see she had spent a lot of time on her book. He didn't realise that he had stopped listening to Kate on the other end of the phone.
"Marc?"
"What? Sorry? Look I'll have to talk to you later okay."
"Yeah sure, I'll let Darren know."
"Yeah thanks. Bye"
He didn't wait for Kate to say goodbye before he hung up. He placed his hand over Jade's lettering and was swamped with images. He dropped the book in shock and looked up to see John standing before him.
"You shouldn't be reading that." John said calmly.
"You knew didn't you?"
"Yes."
"Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't she tell me?"
"Marc they are elements, they can't stay forever. That's why the powers that be made you guardians. That way they would have something to hold onto and not leave completely."
"Does that mean they will lose there power?"
"Not exactly. They will always be able to tap into it but they won't be the element anymore except..." John trailed off.
"Jade." Marc finished.
"Yes. Because she is the element Air."
"So what if she is the element air!"
"Marc you know well enough that the element air has no substance."
"Fire has no substance."
"You can see fire though Marc. You know why Jade wasn't born with the element, you know she isn't even human and you know that she can't stay when it's all over."
"That's why she went and saw you wasn't it?"
"Sort of. She knew from the beginning she wasn't going to be able to stay but when she thought Darryl was an element like Kat and Kate she thought he would have a guardian to keep him here but now that she knows he is her guardian she fears for him. He will try and make her stay, it's his job but she can't. So he will either die drying or he will have to become like her."
"A fae?"
John nods surprised a little that Marc knew her true form.
"Come the tea will be getting cold and your mother will be wondering where you are."
John picked up the book of shadows and put it back where it belonged and led Marc out of Jade's room to the kitchen where he poured Marc a cup of tea and then one for himself. He held the cup in his hands looking over the rim to Marc. He had told Marc part of what he needed to know because when time was critical Marc needed his wits about him to keep Kat grounded in more ways the one. He wondered however if he had done the right thing saying anything at all. He hadn't broken any rules John reasoned with himself but knew deep down that he had bent a few. There was another way of course, there always was another way.
After finishing his tea, Marc stood up.
"You go to the hospital, Uncle John. I'm going to Kat's."
Figuring that his revelation had upset his nephew, John nodded and cleared the cups.
"I'll tell Catie where you are."
"Thank you."
Marc showed John out, and watched as he drove down the driveway. Then, Marc went back upstairs, grabbed Jade's book, and headed over to Kat's.
Erick let him in at his knock with a smile.
"Kat's in her room, Marc, head on up."
"Thanks," Marc replied, and followed directions.
He tapped lightly on Kat's bedroom door, then entered at her call.
"Hi."
"Hey. This one's yours."
"That was quick."
"I haven't done the others yet. What's wrong?"
In reply, Marc opened Jade's book to the page, and handed it to Kat. She glanced at him, and then read the page he indicated. Then she looked at him quizzically.
"Jade is a fairy."
"Does she have wings?"
"No..."
"Does she bleed red blood?"
"Yes."
"Is she over 100?"
"No..."
"Is she ageing normally?"
"Yes..."
"Then she's not a fairy."
"But read it! It says she is. And Uncle John said she is."
"Marc... She wrote this. It's her thoughts. When the time comes, yes, she will have the option to become a fairy... Just as I may become a dryad, Kate a undine - a mermaid," Kat added when Marc looked puzzled, "and Sarah a salamander. Have you drawn Sarah yet?"
The expression on Marc's face told Kat that he had.
"This... battle... This... whatever it is that we are supposed to do... It's going to be bad, difficult. And there's a possibility that the elements may overwhelm the people that we are, and yes, then we will be the elements, and Jade will be a fairy... But that's what you're for. To remind us of who we are, to keep us grounded, to pull us back towards human form. It's just that Darryl's job may be a little more difficult - clearly Jade really does want to be a fairy."
"But it says she's a fairy!"
"Marc, it's in her "My Thoughts" section. I don't know why you were reading it in the first place, but it's not Lore. It's her Personal Thoughts. She wants to believe that she's a fairy."
"She wouldn't leave all of us just be become a fairy."
"Wouldn't she? Marc, you're the one who showed me this page, can you honestly tell me that you think the person who wrote it doesn't want to be a fairy more than anything else in the world?"
"Why?"
"Wouldn't you want to fly?"
"But... to watch everyone you loved die, to be disconnected from the world..."
"Marc..." Kat put the book down, and slipped herself into his arms. "Sweetling, before I met you, I would have gladly let the element take me. I lost my mother, I'd moved away from all my friends, and I'm sure that I would have seen this person that Dad keeps slipping out to go and visit as someone who could take care of him. There wouldn't have been anything holding me here at all. I would have gone without a fight."
"But Jade has us."
"Sweetling... I'm sure you're wonderful, but can't you see her thinking? She's adopted... Your parents got her because they thought they couldn't have you, and then they did, so they'd be okay without her. You have me now, so you'd be okay. Darryl is a popular guy, and Kate would surely stick around so he'd have her to look after him... And she's obviously told your Uncle John that she is, so he's accepted her going already. Who's going to keep her here?"
"But that's not true!"
"Baby... I know it's not true. I'm just putting into words what she must be feeling. Nobody said thought had to be rational. I'm sure Dad would be devastated if I left, but I wasn't seeing that. Maybe this episode with the coma will bring home to Jade exactly how much people would miss her if she went away."
"How do you know all this?"
"Jade isn't the only person with a spirit guide. I'm lucky enough to have two, now. She may be the only person who has any knowledge about what exactly we're supposed to be doing, but the rest of us have access to everything else."
"You have two now?" Marc queried.
"I had a conversation with my mother tonight," Kat murmured. "She likes you."
Marc's arms tightened around her.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, love."
"Do the others know what you just told me?"
"About Jade wanting to be a fairy?"
"No... About the becoming elements."
"Yes."
"How?"
"Sarah said that a clairvoyant told her. She paid $20 to find out if she was going to have any children, and he went into a trance and waxed lyrical about her becoming a salamander unless she clung to this body. He did, apparently, say that if she stuck around, she would have children, and the first would be a girl."
Marc laughed.
"And KatE?"
"Jade told her."
"She didn't tell me."
"Maybe she thought you knew."
"How could I possibly have known?"
"You drew the pictures, love. Why didn't you realise?"
"They're pictures, I'm an artist, I draw pictures."
"I know, sweetheart... I'm just pointing out that the clues were there for you, just like they were for the rest of us."
"So you think the others know?"
"Well, Maya was with Sarah at the clairvoyant, and I'd suggest that seeing as though until last week Jade thought Darryl was Fire, she would have told him just the same as she told KatE."
"What about Darren?"
"If you think Kate and Darren have any secrets, you haven't been paying much attention, love."
"Point. So everyone knows their roles."
"In part. We take the elements in, and then something happens. When it's over, we either stay as the elements, or come back to what we are now... It's up to us, and you're there to help us back to this form."
"So what's the "something"?"
"I don't know, love, and neither does anyone else. Jade's the only one who knows that. I expect she'll tell us when the time is right."
"It's hard, not knowing."
"I know, sweetling. How do you think I feel? I have to *do* the whatever it is."
"Do you really think she thinks we don't want her?"
"I don't know, love. Maybe she only wrote that when she was feeling depressed."
"Maybe, you're probably right."
Eventually, Marc straightened.
"I should head home."
"Probably. You'll want to be there when they get home."
"Yes, and put that away again."
"Yes."
Marc kissed Kat softly.
"Thank you."
"What for?"
"Being you."
"Like I could not be."
Marc kissed her again, gathered the book, then left her room. Kat heard him say goodbye to Erick before she saw him jogging towards his home from her window. Kat collected the other protection charms, and quickly finished them off before climbing into bed.
"Was I right?" she whispered to the darkened room.
"You were right," replied her mother, "and you did the right thing by that young man. He feels better."
"Good," whispered Kat.
"Mind you, I'm sure he feels quite good anyway, quite a nice bottom on that one."
"Mother!"
Kat laughed, then rolled over and slept.
***
Jade came home and life resumed as normal. The protection charms from Kat ensured that none of the group had troubles of a magical nature from Irene - though the mundane issues still remained, and were ignored. Jade and her kitten got to know each other, and the kitten became a much loved member of the family - though Jade was sure to point out that it was HER kitten. Jade also got to know Sarah and Maya, though still didn't tell anyone exactly what it was that they would be fighting - or trying to save. John returned home, and Marc did his utmost to make Jade realise he wanted her around, without letting her know he knew she wanted to leave.
Then the time came when Jade's spirit guide left her, and she knew the time was near. She mentioned something to Darryl, who then organised a camping trip for the group in the woods that joined the Bradshaw's and Kat's houses, but off either property, by a lake hidden deep within the woods. The eight of them met at Marc and Jade's house, then started the long track towards Darryl's chosen sight. Jade bid a teary farewell to her kitten, and firmly forbade it following her, and they set out. It wasn't until late afternoon that they reached the spot, and Sarah collapsed on the ground in relief, swiftly followed by everyone else.
"It's a nice spot, Darryl," Kate remarked eventually. Looking around the clearing.
"Yeah, it's nice," he smiled, "but we need to set up camp before the sun goes down. So let's get moving!"
The afternoon dwindled as camp was set up, the latrine dug and the wood collected. The campfire was lit, and dinner prepared and eaten, the dished scoured clean with the sand in the lake and packed away before night fell, and the eight sat around the fire, toasting marshmallows on long sticks. Jade looked around at the gathered faces, and knew that it was finally time to tell them all what exactly they would be fighting, and what they would be fighting against. Marc had told her that everyone already knew the processes involved, it was up to her to impart the knowledge needed for them to win the upcoming battle.
"So," Jade began, breaking the silence. "I suppose you're wondering what's going to happen?"
There were a few nods, but everyone remained silent and allowed her to continue.
"I'm sure you've all heard of the "last saiyan" - he who has the blood of christ in his veins... Well, we're similar. A long time ago, somewhere in our distant pasts, we had a relative who was an elemental. For whatever reason we've been selected to represent our elements. Some point soon, the elements will take over. Belief in elementals is dying out, and it's not just normal growing up... There's something that's stopping children from seeing them, and whatever it is, we have to get rid of it, or we'll simply stop existing. Our guardians will need to remind us of our purpose, and also remind us why we want to be human. Everyone understand?"
"What's the thing?"
"Don't know, but whatever it is, it's destroying innocence and we need to destroy it. We *have* to protect innocence."
"The task has been explained," chimed a voice. "The transformation will take place."
There was a bright flash of light, and shades of red, blue, green, brown and yellow swirled around. Kate wandered over towards the lake, and Sarah towards the fire. An instant later, Kat, Jade, Kate and Sarah vanished, leaving Marc, Darryl, Darren and Maya looking blankly at each other.
"More wood!" demanded a voice from the fire, and all turned, startled. "More wood! More fire!"
"Keep it contained," instructed Darryl. "And away from the trees. We don't want a forest fire, and us in the middle of it."
"Fire!" exclaimed an outraged voice. "Put it out This Instant!"
The four turned again, as Kat stepped out of an oak tree, crossbow in hand.
Marc choked slightly at what she was wearing - or rather, not wearing.
"I said, put it out," she demanded, leveling her crossbow at Maya.
"Um..." Maya stammered.
"Oh, let them have their silly fire," Jade cut in, iridescent wings fluttering behind her. "They're going to keep it contained, they said so."
Jade's tiny see-through form landed lightly on Kat's shoulder. Darryl leaned forward to peer at Jade's slight, perfect, naked, see-through form.
"Hello there," murmured Kat, shifting her crossbow to Darryl. "You're not going to run away, are you?"
Looking a little startled, Darryl straightened.
"I wouldn't dream of it."
"That's very good," Kat purred, lowering her crossbow. "My, you are a big one, aren't you?"
Kat lightly stroked Darryl's arm, and he tried hard not to look at the ample figure of the dryad in front of him.
From the lake, a splash sounded, and Kate seated herself on a rock, naked to the waist and a long silvery tail starting from her hips. The siren song she sung was obviously directed at Darren, as he was the only one affected and started towards the water. Marc and Darryl each grabbed an arm and hauled him back.
"It's not possible," Darryl hissed. "She can't open her legs."
Marc looked startled for a moment, then chuckled. Darren shook loose of the song, and backed away from the water, plugging his ears with his fingers as Kate started the song again. Maya had moved over to the fire, and was feeding a few small twigs to Sarah's fire. Kat planted herself firmly in front of Darryl again.
"Why don't you come with me?" she suggested.
"Um... well... I actually belong to her."
Kat turned her head to look at Jade in surprise, and Jade, who looked just as surprised as Kat, flew over to Darryl and landed on his palm to peer at the ring he indicated.
"Hmm... He's right! That's mine. I wonder why I gave it to him."
"Oh... well, you can share, right? I mean, we are practically sisters."
"That's true. But I need to go flying right now. Why don't we discuss it when I get back? There's that other one over there, try him."
"But I wanted both of them," complained Kat.
"Don't be greedy," Jade scolded, walking to the end of Darryl's finger. She was as tall as his middle finger, and she used it as a springboard to leap into the air. "We'll talk when I get back." Jade vanished, and Kat pouted.
"Now that's not fair."
Sulking, Kat stepped into a tree. Marc watched her go. Darren moved over to Maya and the fire, and Kate, realising her song wasn't working, splashed into the water and swam into deeper water.
