AN

Hello my lovely readers. Thank you for reviewing! I'm almost hitting the 300 mark, right now I'm at 299, so I'm pretty proud of myself. Shoutouts are at the END of this chapter.

Also, ‘Silly Siren, Sex Appeal Isn't For Kids’ of the story has been nominated for the “Quirkiest Chapter Name” SKoW!

-does a sad excuse for a dance-

XD I wonder which of you nominated me. Anyway, THANK YOU. And remember to please vote at

w w w. f r e e w e b s . c o m / s k o w

---

I pushed Pierce away. The pain inside had been replaced with shocked anger.

“What do you mean I saw the future?!” I exclaimed.

“Exactly what it means. You most likely caught a glimpse of the future.”

“How? I’m an Elemental Guardian, not Madam Vandalia!”

Pierce looked puzzled. “Who’s Madam Vandalia?”

“I don’t know, or care! Why can I see the future? I thought that I only had to deal with elements. Last time I checked, the future wasn’t an element!”

“Bailey, please calm down. Why is this bothering you so much?”

I gnawed on the inside of my cheek. Pierce was only trying to help. It didn’t help for me to yell at him. I took in a deep breath.

If he didn’t think I was crazy before, he probably does know.

“I don’t want to see the future, especially if it’s as desolate as what I saw. I don’t want to have more shit to deal with.”

“What were you thinking about earlier?”

“The lake.” I paused. “Then I drifted towards the planet in general and modern comforts…”

“Okay. I think I know what happened. Magic, at the lack of a better term, is a fickle thing. I wanted you to see, and you did but not really.”

“Uh-huh. That made no sense.”

“You first thought of nature, that was good. However, you slipped and added humanity, as it is now, into the equation. The magic showed you what would happen to nature if humanity stayed the same.”

“So I saw the future, like what would happen if we don’t pay attention to global warming?”

“Pretty much.”

“How long do you think we have until then?” I asked grimly.

Pierce looked away, his eyes becoming sadder by the minute.

“If things don’t change, probably another decade or two.”

---

I lied in bed, staring at the soft blue paint of my ceiling. It had felt like an eternity since I last saw her. Kind smiles haunted me but when I reached for them, they ran away. Already my memory was senile like a toothless crackpot. However, she was coming back tomorrow. I missed her.

I’m so damn retarded, why do I even like her?

I rubbed my temples, taking deep breaths to clear my head. My fingers instinctively traveled to my messy brown locks, teasing them. I smiled. It was a remnant of my former life with my mom. The real one. Memories were indistinct, but I could remember vaguely that my mother played with my hair whenever I was fussy.

Mommy.

I had recollections of the smell of her perfume, her laughter, the day she went away, and when she was pronounced dead. I spent a while in the foster care system, moving city to city, before settling back in Seattle. I didn’t think a lot about my old life, it hurt too much.

Aging hinges groaned as the door opened. I rolled over to face the door. It was Monty.

“Hello son.”

“Hey. What do you want?”

“Miss Smith-Tran is returning to school, right?”

“Maybe. Shouldn’t you know? You’re supposed to be keeping tabs on us guardians as a teacher,” I said wryly.

“Make sure Bailey’s here tomorrow. She’s been skipping lessons, even though I went to the trouble of changing them, TWICE, so they fit everyone’s schedule. The kid isn’t even taking everyone else into consideration.”

“Maybe Bailey is, and is smart enough to leave while she still can.”

“That’s more than I can say about you, son. You’re still chasing after her,” Monty said coolly.

“What?”

“You’re obsessed with a girl who doesn’t know you exist. I’ve seen you take house visits, make countless phone calls and cast spells for her, but at your own expense. Just get over this silly infatuation before you hurt yourself anymore!”

“It’s not silly!”

“Bailey’s either oblivious or cruel. Guardians are Guardians, but you’re all still human.”

“No, we’re not.” I said bitterly.

Monty raised an eyebrow. “What on Earth are you talking about, son?”

“Don’t call me that anymore. Stop lying to people. I’m not your son. I’m not even the same species as you!” I yelled.

“Damn it, Kenny! Leslie and I already know you’re a siren. Don’t be such a baby about it…”

I choked on my surprise. “You know?”

“Yes, and it didn’t stop us from adopting you.”

“You only adopted me because I’m a Guardian then.”

Monty shook his head, watching back with disappointed eyes.

“We never cared about what you were, only for who you were. You’re our son,” He said softly before shutting the door on the fussy child I was.

Kenny’s POV

---

So the planet is really dying.

“Bailey, I know this is a lot to take in but I want you to focus on the lake this time. Ignore everything, until you see something else.”

I sobbed in protest, “I’m going to see the future again and I don’t want to!”

Pierce’s thumb grazed my cheek, catching a tear before flicking it away.

“I know it hurts, especially since you have a stronger bond to Nature as an Elemental Guardian of water. It calls out to you, and the future thing almost certainly was a fluke. You have the potential to help a lot of things, and your powers are a bonus. Just try.”

I let out a breath that I didn’t notice I had been holding.

“Okay.”

I stared at the water, a deep blue color now. The waves rushed forward, lacing the shore with a sliver of white foam, before ebbing away. Molecules made from hydrogen and oxygen roared as they obeyed the moon’s gravitational pull. Lake Washington was alive, breathing with every tide. I could almost hear it crooning. I closed my eyes, trying to listen to the water’s song.

The faint music became louder. Words were sewn into the crashing sounds.

Holy crap.

The water was literally singing.

My eyes opened wide as I absorbed the sight before me. Small wispy bodies, as delicate as the film of liquid around bubbles, were in the lake. The little beings covered the water’s surface in hoards. Their identical faces were sharp and angular. They glowed slightly, sending a shiver down my spine. They were different from any of the strange magical creatures I’ve seen before.

Expecting them to vanish, I blinked. They were still there.

“What are they?” I asked.

“Elementals, specifically water elementals.”

“Uh-huh,” I said lifelessly, still watching translucent imps scamper across the water. “So what do they do?”

“Elementals are everywhere, and made out of pure energy. Pure magic manifested in a body. They help supernatural creatures use their powers, but only a handful can see elementals.”

“Okay, what do I do now?”

“Control them. Visualize what you want and tell them. Practicing is easier if you can see what you’re doing. It’s like learning to hit a baseball, before moving on to being blindfolded.”

“Erm, all right…”

I stared at the tiny figures zooming in the air. Elementals looked familiar, like something from child’s storybook. Logic was out of place. Then again, I was part of this world so I had nothing to talk about.

“Elementals, I want you to create a fountain of clean water.”

Nothing happened. I frowned, feeling a little sheepish and annoyed.

Okay… Maybe I don’t literally talk like before.

I took in a deep breath and I felt my forehead scrunch in concentration.

Hit me with a jet of water!

The ground grumbled beneath me, and a loud creak split open the air.

Oh my god, is this an earthquake?

My question was answered as the ground stopped moving. Simultaneously, a nearby fire hydrant burst. A blast of water shot out like a cannon and rammed into my side, knocking me over.

---

“Lousy little gremlins.”

I shot down the frolicking elementals in my mind. Each figment spiraled down like ducks in that old Nintendo game.

“Bailey,” Pierce chuckled. “Stop glaring at the elementals. At least you were able to consciously use your powers for once. Besides, they’re made from energy. You can’t hurt them. Perhaps you should’ve thought about your wording more thoroughly.”

“I don’t care,” I grunted. “But thank you for shutting the stupid hydrant off.”

Pierce sighed, “You’re welcome. Let’s just go home now. ”

“Okay.”

He picked me off of the ground and held me to his chest. I clung to his body like a magnet. His clothes were still damp and smelled like me. We smelled of the lake.

Maybe it’s a good thing that we didn’t hitch a ride on the metro.

He squeezed me slightly and a prickling sensation danced on my skin. Our surroundings began to fade, as if a veil was wrapped around us.

“Is there a spell on us?”

Pierce grinned. “You’re learning quickly. Don’t worry. It’s only a minor invisibility spell. Now, watch this…”

His clothes started to melt, sinking into his skin like ink on paper. He was wearing a bright green shirt, and now it somehow blended with Pierce’s skin tone! I could feel the tense muscles between the shape-shifter’s shoulder blades. Flesh became less stable, turning into something like wet clay. The skin on his back rippled before a shower of warmth brushed against my fingers. Pierce had wings now.

I wonder if all of the supernatural transform differently…

AN

So like I promised, shoutouts to these wonderful people:

Noelle- Thanks. It means a lot that you'll stick around

Here's your gift- Yeah, I can see what you mean about Kenny. But I thought that he was a little neglected, again.

haayleyy- Yay! Another new reviewer. I'm glad that you love the story

Lady Wolfine- Ah, I'd love it if you update Werewolf of Seattle soon.

And remember everyone, review and/or vote