--Nell? I had a bad dream...

[remi]

“Okay, I can do this. I can do this,” the earth elemental said as she settled on her bed to read a book. She loved reading, but most of the time she read in libraries or rooms where other people were around. It wasn’t a normal thing for Remi to sit somewhere by herself. Not normal at all. She flipped a page in her book and let out a deep sigh. So sitting alone wasn’t so bad after all. The reason she didn’t like being alone was because if she fell asleep when she was alone she had this re-occurring nightmare. She had pretty much grown out of the dream that haunted her childhood but the fear that it would come back was always there. Her father wasn’t an elemental but he came from a strong bloodline. Remi was glad he wasn’t an elemental because she believed he would’ve been a thunder. That’s what the nightmare she had was about.

She laid the book down and leaned back against the wall, actually enjoying the time alone. Big mistake, the next thing she knew she was outside, standing in a field playing with flowers, making them grow. It was a beautiful day, sunshiney and gorgeous, just like always. She looked down at the flower in her hand. She knew what was coming, the flower would crumble. Then the sky would darken, the rain would come, and next Mitch, her father, would be there. He would walk over to her like everything was fine. He would give her a hug and tell her that he loved her, then it was like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. He would start laughing like a maniac and start shooting lightning bolts everywhere. And every time the last lightning bolt hit the same target. A very afraid Remi Ann Montega Barlow.

Remi woke up in a cold sweat and stood up off of her bed. All of a sudden her earthy dorm felt suffocating. She traded her sweatpants and tank top in for a cute t-shirt and some jeans. After throwing her shoes on and grabbing her purse she set out to find someone, anyone. She walked down the underground tunnels running her hand along the wall. The feel of the cool ground against her skin made her smile. The tunnels were actually really comforting, with their flowery scent and it just always gave her a good vibe. But she was still freaked out from the dream she just had for the first time in months. She just wanted fresh air. Remi came upon the doors that led outside into the academy grounds and opened them welcoming the sunshine. Too bad the sunshine wasn’t there. The clouds were overcast and the air smelled like rain. Well that was just lovely.

Remi began walking not really knowing where she was going. Well she should have known, because every time she freaked out like this she went to the same place. She was getting close to Downtown Maple Hollow the first time she heard thunder. That was all the boost she needed to start walking faster. By the time she came upon the apartment building she was looking for, it was pouring rain and the sky was constantly being lit up by lightning. Her clothes were drenched and she was on the verge of crying when she got to the door of her best friend’s apartment. She knocked three times like she always did then opened the door.“Hey Nelly, Ima hang here with you for a bit,” she said with a shaky voice. “Can I have a towel?”

[NELL DOE DALE]

Nell skated into the apartment with her mail, nearly tipping over as she tried to use the rubber stopper to balk. She grabbed a wall to steady herself, letters in one hand as leaves from her ficus brushed against her face. The place was a practical jungle. Oh dear god, that was close. Wanting to learn as much as she could in life, she was working her way through the small things she’d missed as a child. One of those things—roller skating. She’d bought a pair at a garage sale, like where she’d bought her boombox, and thought them to be quite awesome. Rolling further into the apartment, her kitten—or rather, cat now, but she just couldn’t get used to calling him that—nipped at the laces of the skates. Afraid that she’d roll over one of his paws, she lifted her foot up and sifted through the bills and junk mail. It was still early morning, and she was clad only in shorts and a spaghetti strap that unfortunately liked to ride up and show off her naval so that she kept tugging it down. That area of her body made for some intense self-consciousness. The day was already hot.

Tossing them on the table that looked like a half-circle being swallowed by the wall, she made her way into the kitchen and heard the first peel of thunder. She liked storms, especially since it would cool everything off, but living in an apartment like this… she grabbed a bucket from under the kitchenette’s sink and placed it under the window, pushing her plants aside. They would like some water, but she also didn’t want them to drown. Making sure to not roll over the soft spot in the floor between the television and window, she heard a knock on her door in a repitition she recognize. In record time, Nell made it over and unlocked the door and was met with a bedraggled Remi. ”Oh, Rems, you got caught in the rain!” she said unneccesarily, not even bothering with normal pleasantries. ”You can stay as long as you want, come in!” She rolled out of the girl’s way to allow her in and shut the door behind her. Pablo was instantly at the other Earth student’s legs, winding himself through as if he didn’t want her to walk. ”Oy, Pablo, let her move!” she chastised the tiger-printed cat. Turning her brown eyes onto her friend, she asked, ”Were you planning on coming over and just got rained out?” After all, downtown wasn’t a very good place to hang out, even if Corrosion was a popular place for the rambuncuous sort.

Walking to the left of the door—over next to the bathroom—she opened a door that wasn’t even a foot across. ”I’m sure I’ve got clean ones…” Nell’s voice became indecipherable as she rooted through the tiny linen closet. Finally, she yanked out a rather threadbare towel—Nell found she preferred the thin, coarse material, especially in the summer—and headed over to Remi, patting the other girl's hair off and leaving the towel on top of her head. ”You can borrow some clothes if you want to change. Pablo likes to take naps in them, so they may be a little…furry.” His auburn coat was pretty noticeable on most things, so she’d invested in a lint roller soon after getting him. Noticing the lights flicker, the girl sighed and scratched the back of her head. ”Power might go out,” she said, half-observational, half-apologetic. ”Even with light rain, the electricity is more-than-faulty.” Nell shook her head. She always made due with power outtages, though she feared the food in the freezer may go bad if the power stayed out for too long.

As she scooted her way over to the kitchen, she heard a knocking from below. Oh. She forgot about her neighbors underneath her whp were forced to listen to her clopping around. Plopping down, she got her mouth as close to the floor as possible and called, ”Sorry, Mr. Varinski.” She pulled off the skates, and to explain why she had been wearing them, she told Remi, ”I went down to the park to skate today, and actually left because I had a feeling it would rain.” In her socks, she half-ran to the kitchen and pulled open the fridge. ”You want food, Rems? I don’t think I have hot chocolate to warm you up, but I have soup and top ramen. And a space heater I can pull out, if you want it. I don’t want you catching a cold.” And that was very much the truth. A big thing with Nell was health and staying well. She didn’t want anyone around her to fall ill, and she’d do something about it if it happened.