The Elementalists

Having magical powers but working in a diner seemed like a waste. Another long night, and I am dreading it even more because I know it will end in another long morning.

“Jordan, stop daydreaming over there and get these pancakes to table 4 and this cordon blue to the corner booth.” My boss, Henry, yells me awake; I look over his shoulder though and exchange a smile with Jack. As long as we were in it together, we could make it through; I couldn't abandon my one friend I have.

“Here are your pancakes ma’am.” I set the syrup by her pale arm and continued to the lonely man sitting in the corner booth. He ordered the most expensive thing at the crappy dinner, don’t get me wrong, the food is pretty good. It’s still a crappy place. Setting the plate down on his table, time slowed. I felt dizzy as if I were being drained of life. The kettle in my hand started to whistle, the energy in the air dissipating as I reeled it back in. That feeling stirred something inside. Then it was gone, maybe I just need more sleep.

“Sir, here is the cordon bleu..” I stopped all movement. My lips were glued shut. He looked familiar to me, but in a wrong way. The plate fell the couple of inches I had it above the table, and he took it and began to eat, no acknowledgment of my existence. We got some weird unfriendly customers, this may take the cake. Mysteriously enough, he tipped me $20 and left without saying a word to anyone. He came back every Thursday from then on, he somehow was always waited on by me. He pointed at the cordon bleu, ate it, and then tipped me. His presence started to feel less daunting. I would bring him the cordon bleu before he even ordered it. I got off earlier than Jack on Thursday and decided to go up to the man and find out his intentions. I slid into the back booth across from him. His cup of coffee steamed in a whisp that drew my attention. The extra attention caused a freckle of frost to form on the cup before I looked away at the face of the mysterious diner.

“Thank you for your generous tips, sir, I feel like I should talk to you a little out of respect and curiosity, do you mind?”

He looked up, quite surprised. His eyes were everchanging like ocean waves, and I was lost in them until he replied in a very husky voice, “My name is Owen Dvorak.”

“Nice to meet you, I am Jordan Wayhunter.” I stretch out my hand to shake his. I was so absorbed in the cloud around Mr. Dvorak I didn't notice...

“Jordan lets go.” Jack stands at the edge of the booth, trying to look intimidating. I start getting up and notice Mr. Dvorak’s intense gaze directed at Jack. His eyes were dark and sunken like his life source was tied to that cordon bleu he had just finished. The strangely hostile feeling was back.

“Nice meeting you Mr. Dvorak, I will see you next week.” I felt the gaze follow Jack and me as we walked out of the diner.

“Was that your regular Jo?”

“Yeah, I finally got him to speak. He was friendly until you arrived, then it got strangely intense.”

“I could feel something weird was going on before I got there, that is why I acted so rude, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize for looking out for me Jack. I will always do the same.” I unlock the door to our tiny apartment. We shared the place while we were both searching for our parents, which sadly has had no leeway. I flip the switch to turn on the lights, and they flicker like usual, but in the darkened corner, something rushes toward me. I went back into Jack, and he wrapped an arm around me, looking in. A bit later, the lights were on, and it showed the normal living room.

“What was that?” Jack says, releasing me and walking in first. “It’s okay; whatever spooked you is is gone, Jo.” I walk in cautiously and hug him for comfort. The thing that rushed me had the same bad feeling as earlier. I always trust my senses.

“I don’t know what it was, but I am a little shaken up,” I speak into his chest, and he holds my head there. I shed the fear and breathe in Jack’s smell, restaurant grease, old boxes, and there, deep down, his smell of warm cotton with a hint of mint. We release each other, and I look up at Jack, slightly embarrassed. I still found myself blushing when I used him as a resource for my comfort. He was just so good at being comfortable. He looked at me with that one look I could barely explain, was it worry, or stress, or empathy? All or none?

I hop into the shower and return to Jack asleep on the futon. He looked so tired. I know I had it much better at the restaurant than him, but he stayed for me. I walk by him, stealing another glance at his dusty red hair and pale skin, calmly lying there.

Another morning begins with the crackle of bacon. Jack woke before me and showered. His shaggy hair sends droplets of water everywhere as he greets me.

“Morning Jordy, sleep well?”

“Could’ve been better, I can’t get yesterday out of my mind. I’m on edge.” I say between crunches of bacon. It was a normal long Friday, the morning we spent at the public library searching for records of Jacks birth family then the afternoon took us back to the diner. More intoxicated kids and tired adults came in than usual. Toward the end of the night, I had a familiar feeling, an unwelcome one. I turned around, and Mr. Dvorak was sitting at booth 13, but it was Friday…? I wouldn’t be so startled, things happen, routines change. After yesterday and the looming bad feeling that kept coming up, I felt like it related to him, Mr. Dvorak. I put in an order for chicken cordon bleu and was bringing it to him, but he was no longer there. Was my mind playing tricks on me? I quickly snuck into the back about to inform Jack, and Henry yells at me to help the new family at table 3. Flustered, Jack and I can talk later, I guess. The rest of the shift went normally. No mysterious customers, no chicken cordon bleu.

Jack and I walked along the cracked sidewalk back from the restaurant. It was a long shift to cover this month’s rent and nothing else. Jack’s feet were dragging. As the youngest man in the restaurant, he was tasked with hauling boxes and trash all night while I was a waitress.

“Jack, I think we are going to have to cut the water or electricity. We just don’t have enough.” I delivered the grim news as softly as possible.

“I can go out tomorrow and find a manual labor job that pays more than the restaurant Jordan, just wait we can…”

“Jack, I don’t want you to do that. I like working together, we can wait until the lease is up than finding a cheaper apartment. It will just be a month. I saw a swish of black move in the corner of my eye, but it was gone just like that. I grew suspicious about the rest of the walk home. The intense feeling I had been telling myself was just my tired brain returned. Too many instances of this were telling me it was related to something else, something a bit more magical.

It was quiet by the Coolridge apartments. Usually, there were kids on the basketball court, no matter how late it was. It was silent without wind, no rustling of a stray cat or groan of an old building. My senses were on guard. There was a presence around the corner, and before I could drag Jack back to my side, he just disappeared. I had no option. Well, I did have the choice to run, but how could I live with that?

“JACK?” I screech. Maybe I was overthinking it, and he would pop out and scare me. I usually wasn’t wrong about my intuition, though; everything has led up to this. No sound, just like earlier. I round the corner into complete darkness. There was nothing there but a shimmer, a little sliver of a new world. As I stared at it expanded, and finally, there was a man holding a hand over Jack’s mouth. I ran towards them and tried to connect a punch to the man’s face, but he dissolved into water. Jack was gasping for air, and then we were surrounded by water. This was something that felt familiar but terrifying. The man in the trench coat reappeared outside the circle. Mr. Dvorak.

“I’m not here to harm you, Jordan and Jack, I am here to inform you of your powers. And ask that you come with me to our training facility. We will protect you from the world.”

“Who is we?” I daringly ask.

“Everyone with abilities just like me and you, there are hundreds. Everything I am saying you know though, you know it in your soul, you are drawn towards the elements.” Mr. Dvorak in the trench coat was right about that, at least. But how could Jack be one, also? All these months, I have been holding in these thoughts and powers. I knew the slightest about this world from my mother, who protects me from afar from unknown dangers. She tried her best to hide me, make me independent, and never let me use the boiling element inside me. I was scared of it because she was, but if others were embracing this part of them, why couldn’t I? Others existed, people close to me. I had been in the shadows all my life, picked on by managers and men like Mr. Dvorak, who thought I was weak. I will not be. Not anymore. And no one is here to tell me I can't.