Chapter 3
Cold. That was the first thing Isla felt as she wrapped her arms around herself.
Her body was trembling uncontrollably despite the sweat soaking her clothes.
She pressed a hand against her forehead before lowering it to the bandage wrapped around her shoulder.
The cloth was stiff with dried blood. But at least the wound had stopped bleeding.
After patching herself up the night before, she had collapsed inside an abandoned warehouse without another thought.
Now, as a cause, she felt feverish.
Isla dragged a pile of worn blankets over herself as quickly as she could, curling into the corner as more cold sank into her.
~
A sudden buzz from the concrete floor Isla had fallen asleep on caused her to wake up with a start. Why does she have this sense that someone was close by?
Isla forced herself upright. Pain immediately shot through her injured shoulder, stealing the air from her lungs.
But she gritted her teeth and pushed herself to her feet anyway.
Only for the room to start spinning.
She lost her balance before she knew it and crashed onto one knee.
A position that made it difficult for her to control the nausea building up her throat.
She gagged, vomiting onto the dusty floor.
“Damn.” She cursed under her breath. But just then, she heard it; what sounded like someone calling her name.
Her eyes snapped toward the darkness.
She could barely make out any face, which prompted her instinct to take over.
Isla lifted one of her hands, and a burst of flame flared out from her fist. It barely lit up the warehouse, but for a split second, she caught sight of the face.
And it was one that she recognized so well.
“Isla?” Her name slipped from his mouth.
She could feel her pulse running faster now, but before she could react, everything seemed to disappear. She found myself swept back to ten years ago.
“For goodness sake, Isla! For how long do you plan to sleep?”
A ray of sunlight spilled across Isla’s face until a figure moved and blocked it.
That was when she allowed herself to open her eyes.
Looking devastatingly handsome, Damian Lewis stood before her, hovering close with his hand flicking his chin as he tried and failed to look intimidating. If anything, Isla could only shake her head as she sat up.
“Why are you here?” She asked, rubbing her eyes as if to will away whatever drowsiness remained in her.
Damian’s lips narrowed into a thin smirk.
“I could ask you the same thing,” He stated cockily. “Skipping class again?” As if the answer wasn’t obvious enough, he asked thereafter, raising a brow.
Isla shrugged her shoulders. “I know you won’t get it but the rooftop is quieter.” Once she had spoken, she leaned back down on the rows of tables, ready to return to sleep.
Only before she even got to close her eyes, a handful of dirt smacked her across the cheek.
Isla jerked upright, as though a kid that just had her favorite candy kicked into the dump.
“Fuck. You seriously did that?” She asked in disbelief, the expression on her face screaming a thirst for revenge.
Which didn’t take a second for her to exact.
Isla bent and scooped up the dirt. She tossed it hard toward Damian. Or she tried.
Because before it reached him, the dirt changed direction midair and flew right back toward Isla.
She jumped aside just in time and gave him a deathly glare. “Can you just not use your earth bending power in school?” Isla complained, hands on her hip.
“You don’t want that? Then stop giving me reasons to,” Damian chuckled teasingly. “Also, don't you think you should be concerned about yourself?”
Isla merely rolled her eyes and got to her feet. Keeping her gaze fixed on the edge of the school’s rooftop, she strode past him.
He immediately dropped into a fighting stance and hurled another ball of dirt at her. Isla glanced over her shoulder to find a handful of pebbles hovering inches away.
Damian grinned from ear to ear from where he stood as Isla looked over her shoulder with a scowl.
“Continue this act and by all means, I’m surely going to make sure your clothes are stained.”
The school bell rang just then. With his signatory cocky grin, Damian turned toward the rooftop door.
Shoulders slumping, Isla reluctantly wove, watching him disappear downstairs.
Then she glanced down from the roof’s edge, where she was able to get a clear view of students pouring out of the school.
Isla had just started attending there only a few months back.
She couldn’t make any friends. Most days, she preferred staying by herself on the rooftop.
It didn’t help then because she’d have to see students exit school in groups, be everywhere hand in hand with their friends, while she was always alone.
But that soon changed when Isla met Damian.
Their bonds became tighter and they both learnt each other’s secrets; the fact that they both possessed earth magic.
They never trusted or revealed it to anyone else except themselves.
At the time, Isla also believed that earth bending was the only magic she possessed.
She had no idea she also was the Avatar.
Then came an unforgettable day. Isla was on the rooftop as usual. Damian came but this time, it wasn’t to get her to head to class.
Isla sat on the table, while Damian remained in front of her.
“Do you think I have any clue, Isla?” Damian questioned calmly, a hand tucked inside his pocket.
Instead of dropping the topic, just like Damian must have expected, Isla face twisted at the response.
“But you should know,” Isla pressed, fixing him with a stern look. Then sighed, crossing her arms. “Fine, think again. Think about the last time you attempted earth bending and tell me.”
He seemed like he wanted to protest, then fell silent. For the next few seconds, he looked like he was trying to be certain.
“I’m not sure. Probably a few nights ago?” He said, more like a statement than a question.
Before Isla could respond, an emergency alarm suddenly tore through the school.
Followed by the news, “Announcement, everybody! The campus is now under lockdown.”
It was the principal’s voice. She might be less strict than other school principals but when she’s serious, it was always unmistakable. And that was one of those times.
Isla could feel her heart pounding as she passed Damian and went to glance down the rooftop.
Her eyes darted around in disbelief at the scene below her.
Police vehicles were blocking the school’s gate. Fire trucks also lined up behind them.
Then three black range rovers speeding away from Isla’s sight.
“Damn. They’ve surrounded the school.” She blurted out, glancing back at Damian.
He didn’t seem bothered by the announcement before, until hearing the statement.
In a split second, he’d eaten up the distance between them.
“You mean special forces?” As he stepped up beside her, he glanced down to take a look and his face was instantly ridden of every color.
Isla sighed, her stomach tightening as more vehicles appeared.
When she looked away, unable to bear the sight anymore, she found Damian had his eyes already fixated on her. What looked like fear was written plain on his face.
“I only practice in my bedroom,” His voice was rough, barely louder than a whisper as he started. “Just a little earth bending here and there before I sleep. No one should have seen me. And you?”
Isla didn’t need to think about it. She shook her head, “No, not me.”
Damian’s face furrowed. “Uh? How are you so sure?”
By then, a nervous bile had risen in Isla’s throat. “Why else? Because I don’t practice.” She managed to respond, shrugging.
She found it hard to reveal to him how bad she was at earth bending. She felt like no matter what, she’d never be as good as him. After all, everything she had learnt came from secretly watching Damian practice when she passed by his room’s window.
“Why do I feel like you’re keeping a secret?” Damian looked unconvinced.
Isla’s lips parted, about to respond when she noticed Damian had stiffened. “Geez, they are coming.” He uttered in panic.
Isla looked at him in confusion. “What? Who?”
He couldn’t be talking about the special forces right?
Isla had watched him as he gestured down. “I can feel the buzz from the floor.” Damian had replied, the wariness in his voice jabbing Isla like needles.
Before they could both come up with what to do, the rooftop’s doorknob was twisted open.