death has been announced publicly, his assets are being dealt with by Guardian Officials. They discovered that the apartment is in your name. I wasn't sure if you knew this?”
“No, I didn't.” The nervous excitement building inside of her now they had a possible lead to getting back the Outcasts, getting back Sacha, vanished. Her stomach hollowed out – she hated being reminded of how much Pablo had cared about her. It was easier to remember him as a villain, an evil monster who'd hurt people she cared about, because it took away some of the guilt about what she'd done to him. But it was moments like this that she was forced to confront his love for her, and her love for him, and it just. . .made her die a little bit inside each time. “I don't want it. Tell them to do whatever they want with it.”
“I understand your feelings, but you may want to take the time to think this over,” he said softly. “You don't have to live there. You could sell, and you'd have enough money to tide you over for a very long time, or. . . Well, it's up to you. But the Guardian Elders wanted me to assure you that it belongs to you, and after everything you did. . .no one will be taking it away from you. Just think it over, at least until after we've found the missing Outcasts.”
“Yeah. Thanks, Charles.” Her voice sounded empty, even to her own ears.
Seeming to sense her sadness, he let out a long suffering sigh. “Would it make you feel better if I let you call me C Man?”
She smiled despite herself. It was the first time he'd ever shown any kind of warmth towards her. “Maybe.”
“Not in front of Nicky,” he warned. “I'll never hear the end of it.” He touched her shoulder comfortingly before walking away.
Chapter 3
Fortune
Fortune ran his stub of chalk along the cold cement floor in yet another short line.
655 lines.
655 days.
It had been 655 days since he'd been hauled down to his underground prison cell, 655 days since he'd last felt the fresh breath of freedom.
He tried to remain cheerful and positive, he really did, because he was just a generally positive kind of guy. Always had been. But even he was seriously mourning the loss of his old life, though he tried not to let it show in front of the other inmates; there needed to be at least one person down there to keep everyone's spirits up.
He missed his family – his overbearing but well meaning parents, his four very loud, very high pitched sisters, their pet dog, Chow.
He missed his travels. He'd been born to travel, it was all he'd ever wanted to do. He'd given up working for his father's business to travel. He needed to roam, to be free. Which was why being stuck underground in a tiny cell was his worst nightmare. Or at least it had been until the scientists had started their experiments on him and then he'd developed a whole brand new set of nightmares, except he was really living them, every single day.
He even missed jolly old England, his home country, the place he'd been so desperate to get away from. How naive he'd been. He'd give anything in the world to go back to London, to feel the drizzly rain on his face, to breathe in the smell of fish and chips and sausage rolls, to get pissed down the pub.
But most of all he missed his freedom.
However, he would try to remain positive. What else did he have left but that? Pablo Nunez had taken away everything else.
Fortune had always been an anomaly, which was perhaps why Pablo had sought him out specially instead of one of the many others of his kind. A fire elemental born to a family entirely of humans. A fire elemental with complete control. A fire elemental who was calm and cheerful instead of angry and overly passionate and emotional.
There were only two times when he would have slipped had his powers not been temporarily stripped by leeches – when Pablo had kidnapped him during his travels, and then again when his least favorite prison guard, the sadistic Merche, had gleefully
“No, I didn't.” The nervous excitement building inside of her now they had a possible lead to getting back the Outcasts, getting back Sacha, vanished. Her stomach hollowed out – she hated being reminded of how much Pablo had cared about her. It was easier to remember him as a villain, an evil monster who'd hurt people she cared about, because it took away some of the guilt about what she'd done to him. But it was moments like this that she was forced to confront his love for her, and her love for him, and it just. . .made her die a little bit inside each time. “I don't want it. Tell them to do whatever they want with it.”
“I understand your feelings, but you may want to take the time to think this over,” he said softly. “You don't have to live there. You could sell, and you'd have enough money to tide you over for a very long time, or. . . Well, it's up to you. But the Guardian Elders wanted me to assure you that it belongs to you, and after everything you did. . .no one will be taking it away from you. Just think it over, at least until after we've found the missing Outcasts.”
“Yeah. Thanks, Charles.” Her voice sounded empty, even to her own ears.
Seeming to sense her sadness, he let out a long suffering sigh. “Would it make you feel better if I let you call me C Man?”
She smiled despite herself. It was the first time he'd ever shown any kind of warmth towards her. “Maybe.”
“Not in front of Nicky,” he warned. “I'll never hear the end of it.” He touched her shoulder comfortingly before walking away.
Chapter 3
Fortune
Fortune ran his stub of chalk along the cold cement floor in yet another short line.
655 lines.
655 days.
It had been 655 days since he'd been hauled down to his underground prison cell, 655 days since he'd last felt the fresh breath of freedom.
He tried to remain cheerful and positive, he really did, because he was just a generally positive kind of guy. Always had been. But even he was seriously mourning the loss of his old life, though he tried not to let it show in front of the other inmates; there needed to be at least one person down there to keep everyone's spirits up.
He missed his family – his overbearing but well meaning parents, his four very loud, very high pitched sisters, their pet dog, Chow.
He missed his travels. He'd been born to travel, it was all he'd ever wanted to do. He'd given up working for his father's business to travel. He needed to roam, to be free. Which was why being stuck underground in a tiny cell was his worst nightmare. Or at least it had been until the scientists had started their experiments on him and then he'd developed a whole brand new set of nightmares, except he was really living them, every single day.
He even missed jolly old England, his home country, the place he'd been so desperate to get away from. How naive he'd been. He'd give anything in the world to go back to London, to feel the drizzly rain on his face, to breathe in the smell of fish and chips and sausage rolls, to get pissed down the pub.
But most of all he missed his freedom.
However, he would try to remain positive. What else did he have left but that? Pablo Nunez had taken away everything else.
Fortune had always been an anomaly, which was perhaps why Pablo had sought him out specially instead of one of the many others of his kind. A fire elemental born to a family entirely of humans. A fire elemental with complete control. A fire elemental who was calm and cheerful instead of angry and overly passionate and emotional.
There were only two times when he would have slipped had his powers not been temporarily stripped by leeches – when Pablo had kidnapped him during his travels, and then again when his least favorite prison guard, the sadistic Merche, had gleefully
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