Julia Lelieveld and the fifth element
~28~

“And Max, what’s your specialty?”

He started laughing.

“Fire,” he said proudly.

“Ah, I already suspected that.”

It couldn’t be otherwise. I had only been able to observe him for a short time, but judging by his attitude, he radiated fire.

“And how do you view the whole situation?”

He looked at me for a moment and shrugged.

“To be honest, I like that there is a bit of excitement. Rob has told us a few things, but judging by his reaction, this is very unusual.”

I looked at him for a moment. He was someone who needed a challenge.

“Okay then.”

“I’ve got your back.” And he gave me a nudge with his elbow.

“Thank you.” And I laughed again.

“Have you fought with evil yet?” I asked cautiously.

“Fight? No dude, are you stupid? We’ve only trained.”

“Oh, but I wonder, were there before you… us other practitioners? Have we relieved someone or is something like this happening?”

He seemed to think for a moment.

“Obviously there have been other practitioners, but at the moment we are the only one in a large area. It often arises when evil is imminent or has already occurred.”

I just nodded.

I really had to think about this for a while. Could it really be that we had to fight against evil? I still couldn’t get my head around it. This morning I didn’t know anything about it and now I’m sitting on the couch talking about the supernatural with an almost complete stranger. Something I thought only happened in movies and books.

“And you as a group, does that click a bit?”

He had to laugh at this question.

“Yes, fine. You are connected in one way or another, this makes your bond very strong.”

“What about you and Kate?”

I knew it was a cheeky question, but I might as well know all the ins and outs. Especially considering Kate’s reaction just now.

“Kate is Earth and I am Fire, we can work well together. Just like Leo and Sarah. Leo is air, as you already know and Sara is water. It is already predetermined. The four of us form a very strong team.”

Oh, and now I come in. What the hell am I supposed to add if there’s always been four, and four is the magic number?

“And that whisper?”

“That is very useful if you want to talk to each other in a busy environment and no one is allowed to hear you. We are all connected. Rob, Leo, Sara, Kate, me and now you too.”

And I indeed, what was this about? Was I really part of it? Was that that simple?

Of course I wanted to know more about it. Something like this violates privacy terribly, but then again, they probably don’t have any secrets from each other. Of course you have to know each other through and through when you are in a fight together.

“How exactly does it work? Does it work unlimitedly or can it only be done within a certain radius?”

He laughed a little.

“It is not so far. You have to be really close to each other. You have to see it a bit, that if I were to scream and you could just hear me, well from that distance we can whisper. It’s weird isn’t it? I also had to get used to it. Just like that conversation you had with Rob in the other room. We’re not supposed to pick up on anything like that at all. We respect each other’s privacy and do not eavesdrop on just anyone. It’s that the situation had us a little confused and that’s why we were listening. When we hear something we don’t want, we really hate it. Sorry about that.”

He looked at me apologetically. I looked back. He really meant it. I just nodded. Jesus, they must have heard. I automatically grabbed my wrist. The weird thing was that I hadn’t thought about it at all since I’d run out of the classroom. Of course I felt the pain on the bike, but still. I don’t know if I was wrong, but it seemed as if the bruise was already less.

I didn’t want to think about it anymore. I tried to put the thoughts in some dark corner of my brain. Now think about something else.

“Are you hungry?”

Max seemed to need a moment to switch around. He thought for a moment.

“Yeah, actually,” he finally said.

I led him into the kitchen and grabbed the ground beef I’d taken from the freezer for the spaghetti from the fridge.

“Okay, what can I do?”

I looked at Max in surprise. A boy who can cook, nice.

“You can turn the mincemeat, we’re going to eat spaghetti.”

“Amazing.”

He took a pan from the cupboard I had indicated and got to work. I myself put the spaghetti on and cut the vegetables. After ten minutes we threw the vegetables and red sauce into the meat. When that was ready, we also threw in the spaghetti and it was ready. I got a bag of grated cheese from the fridge.

As the smells entered my nose, I felt my stomach start to rumble. Gosh, all those events really made me hungry. I should really be going crazy by all that had happened, but somehow I had already accepted it. I felt a power growing within me that my body completely accepted itself, why wouldn’t my mind do that?

Max was already eating with relish and I followed his lead.

I was wondering the whole time and I was just going to ask Max. He could only say no.

“Max?”

“Yes?” He looked at me mischievously.

“Can you show me something? As for fire, then.”

He started laughing. “I was wondering when you were going to ask.”

He put down his knife and fork and held up his right hand just in front of my face.

With one movement he snapped his fingers and a small flame came to life on the top of his thumb.

“Cool.”

He chuckled at my response.

The flame slowly grew into a large flame. Cautiously I moved my hand towards his flaming thumb. I held out my fingers, I was so curious how his hand felt.

When he realized what I wanted to do, his eyes widened and he said:

“Watch out, don’t do that!”, but he was too late.

My fingertips were already touching his hand. His hand felt tingly. It was as if tiny electric pulses shot through it. I didn’t dare touch the flame, afraid I would burn my fingers. When I examined his hand, I slumped to his wrist and forearm. The tingling gradually diminished. Carefully I removed my fingers from his forearm and looked at him. He looked at me wide-eyed. I did not know what I saw. Confusion? He didn’t look angry.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have just done that,” I told him, in case he was angry.

He shook his head.

“No, that’s not it.”

“What then?”

“When I’m on fire no one can touch me, but you without difficulty.”

Me without difficulty?

“I do not get it.”

He let a laugh escape from his throat. “Then you’re not alone.”

“Julia, no one can touch me when I practice fire. That is well known. Rob tried once in front of the others, but he almost got thrown off me and got a burn. Nobody did it after that.”

He shook his head briefly.

“I tried to warn you, but it was too late. But when you touched me it just felt regular. Not like I hurt you?” He looked at me in amazement.

“It didn’t hurt either. I felt a kind of tingling.”

“We have to tell Rob this tomorrow.”

Shit, again something that was not normal in this very unusual situation.

I sighed. I wasn’t hungry anymore.

“What is it?”

“It’s all so weird that I’m here. And now this? What else is going to come or happen that is not according to the “standard”?”

Max nodded briefly.

“I know what you mean. Try not to think about it, maybe Rob will have answers tomorrow.”

Max didn’t know either. He didn’t know what was going to happen. I had one more thing I really wanted to know. Well please, something I needed to know.

“Have you ever had an e-warrior in front of you?”

He shook his head. “No, fortunately not. I don’t think I’m ready for that yet. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t there. Like Rob said, they can be your best friend. That is why we are often together, so that if something happens we are together.”

I just nodded. Would I be part of that now? I didn’t want to stay away from Eva and Bas at all. Or at Lucas or Renzo. And the other friends. But then again, if I put them in danger with that, maybe it was for the best.

“You’re in the same class.”

“Yes, that’s right, that makes it all a lot easier.”

I felt an unsettled feeling bubbling up inside me. I glanced at the clock and saw that it was almost eight o’clock. shit. Dad could come home in a minute. I stood up.

“Come on Max, pack your things, we’re going upstairs. I think my father will be home soon.”

“Upwards? Am I not sleeping on the couch then?”

“No, are you crazy? My father won’t approve of you staying the night anyway.”

Thinking back to the conversation we had after I spent an evening with Daan. Max didn’t seem at ease.

“Come on, he’ll never find out if we go to my room.”

We cleaned up the kitchen, Max grabbed his school bag and we walked upstairs. Once in the bedroom, he looked around uncomfortably. It was a comic sight. He looked like such a tough guy, but now he looked like a scared little boy.

“Look, this is a sofa bed.” I walked over to the sofa and turned it into a bed.

He seemed a little more at ease.

“Do you need anything else? A shirt or a toothbrush or something?”

“No, I always have sleeping gear with me.” He held up his backpack. “In case the training runs late.” I nodded. I had to remember that.

“Look, here’s the bathroom.” I walked to the bathroom and opened the door.

“Here.” I gave him the TV remote. It was fair that he was allowed to choose something. I thought it was very sweet that he stayed here. It must have been weird for him too.

He took it and immediately started zapping. He got caught up in an old football game that was being repeated. I sat down next to him on the sofa bed and picked up a book. It was still too early to go to sleep. Then again, last night really sucked, so I wouldn’t make it late.

“Don’t you have any more questions?”

He looked at me questioningly.

I nodded. “Enough, but I’m just trying to let everything I’ve heard and seen sink in. I know to beware of e-warriors and evil.” I shrugged my shoulders. “But there’s not much I can do about that either, since we can’t recognize it.”

Max nodded. “They can recognize each other.”

“You don’t mean that,” I said, horrified.

“Yes.”

“That’s not fair either. With us it takes a lot of hassle to find out whether or not I belong with you. But they can just recognize each other. That’s useful for them in battle.”

“I hadn’t thought about that yet. You’re right.” He shook his head.

“Just between us. I don’t want to scare you or anything, but how on earth are we supposed to fight against such advanced fighting machines?” He looked a little desperate.

“By the time it comes down to it you’ll know exactly what to do, take it from me.” And the weird thing is, when I said it, I believed myself too.

I was sure we could stand up to evil. Of course we have to train. And find out exactly what’s going on with me. I still couldn’t believe how down to earth I was about it. Somehow this felt like my destination.

“Thank you.” Max looked at me gratefully.

After sitting like this for a while, I heard my father come home. I turned off the lights in the bedroom so he would think I was already asleep. Of course we couldn’t stand that he would suddenly come into the bedroom. Then he would be shocked. I did feel a little guilty. I’d love to go downstairs and chat with him for a bit, but I can’t now.

Not long after, we went to sleep.

“Don’t forget to set your alarm clock earlier. Rob wants us to be in the library by seven thirty.”

I set the alarm for six thirty. We said goodnight to each other and went to sleep. I soon heard Max sleeping. His breathing went up and down slowly. I tried to listen to it, maybe it helped me fall asleep quickly too. Surprisingly, it helped. I was awakened at 6:30 am by the alarm going off softly next to my head. Gosh, I hadn’t even dreamed. I automatically looked at the sofa bed. Max was still sleeping soundly. How innocent could a person look when he was asleep.

I got out of bed and gently woke him.

It was not until the third attempt and with a lot more force that he woke up.

“Yes Mom, I’ll be right there.” He waved me away.

I had to laugh a bit.

“Max, I’m Julia, you remember?”

He brought his eyebrows together for a moment, then opened his eyes. He looked at me and then another light went on in his eyes.

“Maybe.”

“Good morning,” I said back.

“Take your time, it’s still early.”

He wouldn’t let that be said a second time.

After getting dressed and doing my makeup, I walked over to him and woke him up again. This time it went better and he was out in no time. He quickly dressed and freshened up. We were done at ten past seven.

I looked out the window and saw that Dad’s car was still in the driveway.

“If you go down through the balcony. Then we have no chance of him meeting us.”

Max nodded and went to the balcony. I grabbed my bag and walked downstairs. I quickly made some sandwiches and put down a note that I had left for school early. In the garage I opened the door leading to the garden and Max stepped inside.

“I’ll cycle, you go on the back.” He nodded at my bicycle.

We quickly walked out of the garage and headed for school. It was quiet on the road. No other students who already went to school. Max was in good shape. We were at the school after ten minutes without any problems. We put the bike away and went to the library.

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