The White Halls Convention Center sounded far more remarkable than it truly was. The building, much like the rest of the town in which it resided, was anticlimactic when seen up close. Standing outside the glassed entryway, Xander thought it looked far more like a high school gymnasium. In a town like White Halls, however, there weren’t a lot of better options when hosting an event as large as the spring formal.
The event was themed—Alice in Wonderland, as Xander noted from the myriad of posters and banners hung around the building—but he wasn’t dressed for a part. He had rented a dark grey suit and tie, though the tie had been intentionally left behind in his car.
Other students filtered past him while he waited for Sammy. They wore assortments of bunny ears and stovepipe hats with hand-drawn playing cards stuffed into ribbon bands around their brims. A few girls arrived in the traditional blue dress with white apron, though the sheer number of homegrown Alices made the outfit far from special. There was one remarkable Queen of Hearts that entered but she was really only remarkable because the outfit left little to the imagination. Some strategically placed hearts on the Queen of Hearts were the only solid pieces of fabric on the whole ensemble.
Xander waved to a few friends he recognized as they entered. Some of the men had dressed up as well but most were variations of the Mad Hatter.
He admired the costumes as an excuse to keep his mind busy and stop waiting impatiently for Sammy to arrive. Since their class together on Monday, he had thought of little else but her. Sean had even remarked at his lack of focus when experimenting with his new powers.
Xander reached up and scratched his stubbly chin. Not two weeks before, he had discovered the ability to control the wind. Yet even that seemed to pale in light of his infatuation for Sammy. Xander wasn’t a stupid man. He could see that something was wrong. He had never been the type to grow infatuated with anyone. Even his attraction to Jessica had always been tempered with logic and common sense. Common sense had been the first thing to go when he met Sammy.
His attraction to her, he hated to admit, bordered on something supernatural.
Before he could follow that train of thought any further, his eyes saw a flicker of luscious blonde hair. Sammy wore a dress of layered lace that fell just above her knees. The upper part of her dress hugged her body like a corset before billowing again at the sleeves. Her milky skin flowed from the dress as she moved. Xander couldn’t take his eyes off her.
As soon as she saw him, a smile broke across her face. She hurried up to him, slipping past the other couples that slowly moved inside the convention center. Stopping just short, she placed her hands behind her back and smiled sheepishly up at him.
“Do you like my dress?”
Xander’s mouth moved but he couldn’t find the words. “You look amazing,” he finally stammered.
Sammy blushed. “I wanted to go with a more contemporary Alice, something a little different from the blue and white.”
“Mission accomplished,” he said. “You look ready to dive down a rabbit hole.”
“Maybe we can just start with a drink and dancing.”
Xander offered his arm, which she quickly took, and led her inside. The inside of the convention center had been transformed into its own Wonderland. A snack table to the left as they entered offered tea and small pieces of cake. Despite the general corniness of the event, Xander was genuinely impressed with their details.
His attention, however, kept drifting back to Sammy. “You look amazing.”
She smiled. “You said that already.”
“It’s worth repeating.”
They found a couple open seats at one of the round tables. An assortment of drinks in various stages of consumption was spread around the table but their owners were busy on the dance floor. A cascade of conversation topics ran through Xander’s head but he dismissed each in turn every time he looked at Sammy.
She looked over and caught him staring, not for the first time that night. “You’re unusually quiet.”
Xander cleared his throat and chose to take a sip of his drink.
Sammy smiled. “Don’t tell me you’re the type of guy that only talks a good game right up to the point where the girl actually likes him.”
“This is our first date,” Xander finally said. “I don’t want to scare you away just yet.”
She placed her hand on his. Her skin seemed to burn against his clammy hand. “You’re not going to scare me away. I’m a big girl. If you have something you want to say, just say it.”
Xander turned his palm over and slid his fingers between hers. “This is going to be a horrible conversation piece for our first date but I really have to say it. Ever since I met you, I can’t stop thinking about you. I don’t want you to think I’m some crazy stalker or anything. This isn’t even really me. I’m normally so standoffish and—”
Before he could continue, Sammy grabbed a hold of his lapel and pulled him into a kiss. Her lips were warm and smooth against his. She pulled back as quickly as she had begun.
“You talk too much,” she said.
Xander’s eyes were still closed but a smile was plastered across his face. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”
He risked opening an eye and caught sight of her coy smile. He suddenly felt more relaxed than he had in weeks.
“Do you want to dance?” he said.
She stood without saying a word and, with their hands still interlocked, pulled him onto the dance floor.
He felt awkward pushing their way past the dancing students. He wasn’t the best dancer and the fast pace of the music currently playing left him very self-aware.
The song that was playing ended as they reached the center of the dance floor. The flashing multi-colored lights shut off and the room was cast into a dim glow. From the speakers around the room, a gentle melody began.
Sammy slipped her arms around his neck and laid her head on his shoulder. He slipped his hands around the small of her back and she let herself sink into him as they danced.
Xander wasn’t sure how long the song actually lasted. It couldn’t have been more than three or four minutes, but it felt like a blissful eternity while they shared their moment on the dance floor.
When the song finally ended, they both seemed satisfied and walked back to the table. Someone had walked around the room during the slow dance and lit candles in each of the centerpieces. The Wonderland decorations became hauntingly beautiful in the dim candlelight. Patterns danced on the faux trees. The cardboard smoke rings from the caterpillar’s pipe seemed to sway in an unseen breeze.
Before Xander could admire the ambiance for too long, Sammy nudged him to get his attention. Following her gaze, Xander frowned deeply. Jessica was walking purposefully through the crowd, followed closely by a stocky football player whom Xander only mildly recognized.
Jessica’s expression told him that her civility would be kept to a bare minimum. After the amazing evening he’d had thus far, the last thing he wanted was a confrontation with her.
“Let’s just leave,” Xander offered.
“No,” Sammy said adamantly. “There are some things that probably need to be said before we go.”
Jessica and her date stopped at the far edge of the table. The rounded table offered just enough distance between the two couples that physical contact was an impossibility, though Jessica’s spite knew no such bounds.
“That’s an awfully cute dress,” she said wickedly. “Did you make it yourself?”
Sammy stared at her but didn’t reply. Xander felt like the temperature in the room had suddenly been turned up by a few dozen degrees. Sweat began beading on his forehead and he was glad he had an undershirt to catch the moisture beginning to roll down his back.
“You know what?” Jessica continued. “You don’t have to answer that. I’d rather you didn’t talk right now and let me say what I have to say. I don’t know who you are. I don’t even know your last name.”
Xander frowned slightly. He
was on a date with Sammy and he just realized that he didn’t know her last name either.
“But since you’ve shown up,” Jessica said, leaning across the table as far as the space would allow, “you’ve caused me nothing but trouble. I happen to be president of the largest sorority on campus. If I wanted to, I could make your life a living hell. And you may think to yourself that no one is that petty—but you’d be wrong.”
She leaned back a little, having said what she needed to say. “Now, is there anything you’d like to say before I walk away from here? An apology, maybe?”
Sammy nodded softly. “Your dress is on fire.”
Jessica looked down in horror as a small flame ignited the end of her sleeve. She screamed and her date grabbed the nearest drink and threw it on her. The cranberry juice soaked the entire front of her dress, staining the white apron. Jessica’s wrath toward Sammy was immediately forgotten as she stormed furiously away, her date trailing further and further behind.
“That was the best rebuttal I’ve ever heard,” Xander said in awe. “I don’t even think she realized she’d leaned across the candle.”
“I certainly wasn’t going to tell her,” Sammy joked, though the humor felt strained.
“Are you okay? That was a little harsh, even from Jessica.”
Sammy nodded. “Do you mind if we just get out of here? I don’t really think I want to be around when she gets back.”
“You got somewhere in mind?” he asked.
“I don’t live that far away,” she said. “Maybe you can walk me home.”
The cool night air felt wonderful against Xander’s flushed face. They hadn’t spoken since leaving the convention center but he was satisfied without meaningless conversation. They walked hand in hand, strolling down the vacant and quiet streets of White Halls.
He didn’t recognize the part of town through which they walked but that wasn’t entirely unusual. The town was pretty well separated by College Street and he rarely had a reason to come to this side of the small town.
Looking over, he saw Sammy’s distant stare. The jovial attitude he’d come to appreciate over the past week seemed curiously absent, as though she had a lot weighing on her mind.
“Penny for your thoughts?” he asked.
She shook her hair and reached up with her far hand. She brushed some of her hair out of her face but he swore she also wiped the corner of her eyes as though wiping away a tear.
Xander stopped and pulled at her hand, forcing her to stop as well. “What’s wrong? You’re not still bothered by Jessica, are you? I told you that you shouldn’t worry about her.”
“It’s not Jessica,” she replied sadly. “You’re just such a nice guy and you treat me so well. You’re just so different from what I expected when we met.”
“Shouldn’t that make you happy?”
“It should,” she conceded. “I’m just not a good person, Xander, I’m really not. I’m going to break your heart and you’re going to hate me.”
“Unless you tell me that our first date was really horrible or I’m a terrible kisser, I don’t think you’re going to break my heart.”
His attempt at humor elicited little more than a weak smile. Sammy looked down at her feet, unable to even make eye contact.
“Our date wasn’t all that bad, was it?”
“No, it was perfect.” She seemed nearly on the verge of tears.
“Then what is it?”
Sammy pointed to an abandoned house across the street. The windows were boarded over but someone had removed the planks from the front door. With only a few interspersed street lamps on the road, the house looked dark and foreboding.
“Come with me,” she said softly. “I have to show you something.”
He followed without question, eager to find out what was bothering her so badly. “You don’t live here, do you?”
She squeezed his hand as she led him across the street.
The front door opened with an ear-piercing screech as the rusted hinge fought against the intrusion. The smell of dust and mold assaulted his senses and he had to bite back a sneeze. A few footprints crisscrossed across the foyer but they looked old. New layers of dust and dirt had already settled into those ancient steps.
The hardwood floors groaned with each step they took, betraying the otherwise stagnant air of the abandoned house. Looking around, Xander appreciated what the house once represented. Despite most of the crystal having been stripped away, he could still tell that the chandelier above the staircase was impressive.
“Why are we here?”
Sammy didn’t reply but led him to the staircase heading upstairs. He could see her shoulders heave with emotion as she walked and a sense of dread settled into his gut. Good news didn’t come from an emotional woman in a decrepit building.
Each stair creaked in turn as they climbed the stairs. Debris—a collection of empty cans and stained bottles—littered the first stairwell landing. On the upper floor, he could see small scorch marks against the wall where the wallpaper had bubbled and peeled against the heat. More empty cans sat nearby, remnants of what Xander had to assume were small cooking fires.
Sammy led him to a back room, the door of which was already ajar. As they stepped inside, she turned toward him. Her eyes sparkled with tears and the mascara had run at the corners of her almond eyes. The sight was heartbreaking and he only wanted to reach out and comfort her.
“Wait here,” she said, placing a hand gently on his chest.
The room was empty, aside from the pair of young lovers. A set of windows was cut into the far wall but plywood had been placed over the glass ages ago. Only faint slivers of light from the streetlamps outside filtered around the edges of the wood and softly illuminated the room.
Sammy walked to the center of the room before stopping, her back facing him. Her shoulders rose and fell as she took deep breaths. Xander looked around, wondering what all this was about. He was so consumed with his curiosity that he almost missed her gentle whisper.
“I’m sorry, Xander,” she said in a barely audible voice. “I’m really sorry.”
She spun on her heel and the room suddenly illuminated with vibrant reds, oranges, and yellows. With a flick of her wrist, a ball of flame leapt from her hand and flew across the room.
Her aim was slightly off and the ball struck the wall just beside Xander, showering him and the room in a blossom of sparks. He could smell the pungent aroma of sulfur mixed with the toxic scent of melting wallpaper and plaster.
Her hands were sheathed in flames and the flickering colors were reflected in her smoldering eyes.
Reflexively, Xander raised his hand and the room was filled with swirling wind. The flames on her arms danced wildly in the wind, alternating growing smaller against the breeze before flaring even brighter as it burned away the oxygen in the room.
Sammy raised an arm defensively in front of her face. The power swelled inside Xander, seeming to feed off his fear and adrenaline. As the wind flowed through him, he felt it pressurizing around her. He closed his hands into a sphere in front of him as he squinted against the gale-force winds.
As quickly as they had begun, the winds died. The glow from the fires diminished as well as Xander realized that Sammy was completely encased in an air bubble.
She stared at him through the shimmering bubble but it wasn’t with animosity like he had expected. Her expression was deeply colored with sadness.
“What is going on?” Xander yelled as he approached the bubble.
“I’m sorry, Xander,” she cried. Tears rolled down her cheek. “I don’t have a choice.”
Pockets of flame began to ignite around her arms again but she had to cough as smoke began filling the bubble.
“I wouldn’t do that,” he said, feeling horribly deflated. “If you don’t burn all the oxygen out of the bubble, I’ll pull all the air out and let you suffocate.”
She looked at him again and bit back a body-wracking sob. The flames on her arms were r
eabsorbed into her skin, leaving them both in relative darkness.
He wanted to rail against her but all he could hear were her continued sobs. His mind fell time and time again to the flames that had engulfed her, seemingly without harm.
“Why?” he asked quietly.
She reached up and wiped away her tears with the back of her hand. “I don’t have a choice. I’m a Fire Warrior. I had to do this.”
“I don’t understand. What is a Fire Warrior? Why did you have to attack me?” He felt his ire growing. “You could have killed me!”
“I couldn’t,” she blurted out in the darkness. “I was supposed to. I was supposed to bring you here and kill you but I couldn’t. Please, you have to believe me. I couldn’t do it!”
Xander felt crestfallen, like he had been stabbed in the chest. This woman who he had fallen for so completely was his assassin.
“So this was all a lie. You toyed with me just to get me here?”
“Yes. No,” she cried out in the darkness and it took her a long moment to regain her composure. “I was supposed to get close enough to you to get you here. That was it. But we have a real connection. I know you feel it too and it’s way more than just love at first sight.”
“Stop,” he demanded.
“There’s something tangible and unnatural between us. I know you can feel it!”
“Just stop!”
He wanted her to stop talking, not because he was angry with her but because he knew she was right. Whatever they felt for one another transcended simple puppy love or physical attraction.
His eyes finally adjusted to the gloom of the abandoned house and he could see her puffy eyes and streaks of tears that had been traced down her face. The woman he was staring at might be a liar but she wasn’t a killer.
With a wave of his hand, he dismissed the air bubble.
Sammy stared at him in surprise but he spoke before she could say anything else that would hurt him.
“Just explain to me why? Why did you have to do this?”
She stared at him as though he had asked her a trick question. When she realized he was serious, she tried to stammer through an answer.
“It’s the cycle of the elements. Earth gives way to the sea, the sea bows to the wind, the wind feeds the flame, and the flame burns the world of man down to the earth.”
Xander stared at her sternly. “You’re not making any sense.”
“The time of the Wind Caste is coming to an end. It’s the time for the Fire Caste to take over.”
“You’re not making any sense!”
“You’re a Wind Warrior!” she cried.
He shook his head. A part of his gut twisted as his mind began theorizing about the truth.
“What’s a Wind Warrior? What’s the Wind Caste?”
Sammy staggered in surprise. “You really don’t know, do you? This wasn’t all just an act. You really have no idea.” Her hand flew to her mouth as she stifled another cry. “Oh my God, I almost killed you and you don’t even know the truth.”
“Please, Sammy. No more games. Tell me the truth.”
“You’re a Wind Warrior, Xander. You can control the wind like a weapon. Your kind has protected the Earth for thousands of years but your time is coming to an end. It’s time for the Fire Caste to take over.”
“How…” he began, before choking back the question. He cleared his throat before continuing. “How does someone become a Wind Warrior?”
Sammy looked devastated as she told him the truth. “It’s passed down through your family. Someone in your family had to be of the Wind Caste.”
All the cryptic conversations between his father and grandfather came pouring through his mind. He stripped away every conversation he could remember, trying to put it into the context of what he had just been told. He felt his anger returning but not directed at Sammy.
“Go,” he said, motioning toward the door.
“What?”
“Go. Run, before I change my mind.”
Sammy didn’t need a second invitation. She skirted well clear of Xander as she rushed to the door. He heard her footsteps pull up short of the doorway.
“You weren’t like they said you’d be,” she said. “They said you’d be evil—an oppressor who would stop at nothing to keep us from claiming our right to reign. You’re a good man, Xander.”
Xander refused to reply and kept his back to her, though her words burned him deeper than her fire ever could have.
“I have to warn you before I go,” she said, the strength returning to her voice. “I didn’t come alone. If you have any other Wind Warriors in your family, their lives are in danger. You need to go warn them.”
Xander nodded without turning to face her.
She took another step but stopped and turned toward him again. “You wouldn’t really have sucked all the air out of the bubble, would you?”
When he didn’t reply, she turned sadly, walked down the stairs, and out of the house.
He waited until he was sure she was gone before he whispered into the room, “No, I wouldn’t have.”
His anger was reignited when he thought about his family and the lies they’d told him. He wasn’t entirely sure he could make the same promise to them.