Children of the Elementi Read Free Page A

just make out some symbols, but these were far too small to see clearly.
    Fascinated, Jake stared into the depths of the stone. In the lamplight, it glowed a soft yellow, green to blue and finally red and back to yellow from deep in the center. Feeling an irresistible urge to put it on, he slid it over his head and tucked it under his black t-shirt. A warmth began to emanate from the crystal, making him feel drowsy. As it crept though his body, Jake felt more relaxed than he’d ever felt before.
    He lay back on to his pillows and closed his eyes. This was amazing, he felt like he was floating. His awareness expanded, taking in the whole room. He could see but he knew he had his eyes closed. Turning, he saw his body below him. Underneath the t-shirt there was a glow in the crack between the t-shirt and his skin. Wow.
    This is weird, he thought. His legs hung off the bed at an odd angle while his upper body lay on his pillows. His arms were folded on his chest and obscured the logo underneath. However, his face seemed relaxed. He couldn’t help comparing himself to his friend. Where Karl was relatively short and ginger, Jake was tall and blond. Jake grinned; he was taller than some of the teachers!
    Thinking of school, he suddenly remembered about his promise to meet Karl at the beach. Without warning he was floating towards the wall. Jake raised his arms over his eyes as the wall loomed closer. Of course, he didn’t have arms! Silently yelling he passed through the bedroom wall. With horror, he felt rather than saw spiders scuttling in the wall and he was through to the outside. Taking a few seconds to gain his bearings he realized he was far from the ground. He was floating in mid-air! The realization hit him. Oh my God, I’m floating in mid-air! He told himself not to panic but vertigo began to set in. He began to fall. His thoughts froze as fear gripped his mind. The grass was getting closer but his friend filled his thoughts. He was supposed to be meeting Karl. What a time to be thinking of Karl! But he stopped falling and began to move along again. He was off, heading towards the sea.
    As he floated, Jake became more confident. He tried to take in all the details. Everything was so clear. He’d always had good vision but he’d never seen anything like this! He could see the details of every brick of every house he passed.
    He began to notice sounds and realized they were muted. A brown moth fluttered against a window across the road. His progress slowed as he concentrated on the insect and his hearing sharpened. Jake could hear the wings hitting the glass with a large regular thump, thump, thump. Suddenly, he began to hear other sounds. People were shouting in the house across the road and a baby was crying in another. A bat passed, the clicks a counterpoint to the other sounds. They were getting louder, Jake’s instinct was to cover his ears, but he didn’t have any hands. Karl. Karl he had to get to Karl. He was off again, the sounds muted once more.
    Within moments he passed his school. It was dark now, its gates closed. It reminded him of a haunted house he’d seen from an old horror movie. He concentrated on the boy's wing and felt himself slow down. He circled over to Karl’s window to see if he had already gone. The curtains were open and he saw two rows of beds. Jake looked to the left through the glazed windowpanes and sighed. He could tell from the shape on the bed that Karl had rolled up clothes to look like a person. Matron should be wise to that trick by now. Maybe she didn’t care?
    Thinking of people who didn’t care, he was glad his uncle hadn’t made him board here. He thought he might when he first arrived but Ben kept him at this school for appearance’s sake. Fortunately for him, Ben hated spending more money than he had to on him. It was cramping his style. Paying for Jake to board there would mean he had less money to spend on his girlfriends . But again he wouldn’t want his friends at