Awaken the Elements (Elemental Trilogy) (36 page)

             
Autumn remembered what came next. “Nothing, My Lord.”

             
Drake looked down at Autumn. “Nothing?” he asked.

             
“Nothing,” Autumn said again.

             
“
How? Nothing will come of nothing, speak again,”
he told her in a low tone.

             
“
Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave my heart into my mouth. I love your majesty according to my bond, no more nor less
,” she said.

             
“You know what this means, don’t you?” he asked.

             
“My Lord, if you come down, I will tell you the real truth of why I speak so.” She hoped it would work.

             
“Autumn,” Rowan pulled on his cape.

             
“Stop.” She balled more of it in her hand.

             
“I want to see if I can fly. After all, I am faster than a speeding bullet,” he said, looking over the edge.

              “That’s what he said,” Linden said, making Stefan laugh and River frown.

             
Autumn’s eyes widened. “No,” she said, pulling him away from the edge. She turned her attention to Drake as he made his way down off the Lears sign. He ended up on his feet, and she sighed in relief. He walked over to her, and she noticed his fake, lopsided crown on his head.

             
“Speak the truth,” Drake stopped in front of her.

             
“You must first accompany me to my room,” she started walking toward Hot ‘4’ Boyz while dragging Rowan behind her. The others followed him closely. Stopping in front of the store, she walked in. This was one store she hadn’t been in much since they moved into the mall. After all, she did have her very own boy band. What need did she have to visit a boy band store? Autumn glanced around quickly at the store’s merchandise, hoping it worked.

             
“Well?” Drake asked.

             
“Can I have my football back?” Stefan asked.

             
“Please give me back my pony,” Linden whined.

             
“I can fly!” Rowan tugged on his cape angrily.

             
“I think Anatha is coming,” River peeked around her toward the entrance.

             
“My Lord,” Autumn addressed Drake. “Please go to the back of the room where I have set up a thrown for thee. I shall be there soon.”

             
Drake walked to the back. “This better not be a jest,” he said.

             
Autumn threw Stefan’s football toward the back of the store. He ran to retrieve it. She did the same with Linden’s horse. She whispered to Rowan that if he went to the back for a while she would let him fly later. And then she told River to hide in the back, Anatha would never find him back there. She left the store quickly and pressed the security gate button to close the guys in.

             
“What are you doing?” Anatha asked.

             
“I’m
   
” she looked at her, “Never mind.”

              The guys slowly drifted to the front of the store at the sound of the gate closing. They all looked at her through the gate. “Autumn, let me out,” Stefan said.

             
“Sorry, can’t do that,” she said.

             
Linden grabbed Rowan, “Get us out.”

             
Rowan studied the bars, and then looked at Autumn. “Will you let us out?” he asked. Autumn shook her head. “Fine, I will bend the bars.” Rowan grabbed the bars and tried to bend them.

             
“I’m glad I got back in time to see this,” Angel said as he hissed at the gate. “Can I burn one of them?”

             
“No!” Anatha replied. No one paid attention to her.

             
“Darn, then I is leaving,” he slithered away with his head down.

             
“I’ll let you all out when you guys can see what you’re doing,” Autumn explained.

             
“What we’re doing?” River mimicked her. His eyes got wide when he saw Anatha. He ran to the back of the store.

             
“I’ll kill you all!” Envy screamed. Autumn wondered how she was going to get everyone sane again.

             
“Please, Autumn,” Rowan pouted.

             
Autumn turned around and went over to take a seat on the closest bench. River walked back to the front, holding something in his hands. “Hey, guys,” he said. Everyone inside and outside watched him. He held up an object. It looked like a small doll. “Check it out.” He made the doll move side to side. “It’s mini me.”

             
“Minnie Deer?” Linden asked.

              “No, mini me,” River went over to Linden, showing him the small doll.

             
“It is you,” Linden laughed. “When did they redo the dolls?”

             
The others crowded around River, looking at his doll. Autumn smiled in spite of herself. Was it wrong to lock Tune N’ in a teen store? They were already crazy. Would this be any worse? She sat patiently, watching the outcome.

             
Anatha looked over at her cousin. She had just locked the guys in a store, and she was sitting there with a smile on her face like she expected something was going to happen that no one else was noticing. “Autumn, what’s going on?” she asked.

             
“Watch.”

             
“Autumn?”

             
“Watch,” Autumn whispered.

             
Anatha sat, holding her pet pig in her lap. Not thinking, she quietly watched the guys as she pet it.

             
“Where are we?” Drake finally showed a bit of sanity as he looked around.

             
“Autumn?” Rowan turned back to the security gate. Autumn looked away. She didn’t want to hurt them, but this was the only thing she could think of to help.

             
“My god, she locked us in a tween store,” Linden piped up. “Look, there we are. Oh no, it’s Maven Beaver.”

             
Stefan walked over to the Boy Toyz pillows that cluttered the floor. He kicked one. “I hate those guys,” he said, kicking another pillow.

             
“Me too, look,” Drake held up a poster of their rivals. He ripped it in half.

             
“I hate that we’re still labeled a boy band. When I was solo, I was a
 
” River said.

             
“Pop singer,” Stefan finished for him

             
“Better than creating the next boy band,” River said, throwing his doll at a shelf of glass cups with their insignia on it. A handful of them fell to the ground, shattering.

              “Oh, tell us, Miss Diva, I’m a movie star now. I have been considered for an Oscar,” Linden taunted.

             
The noise of the shattering cup inspired them to destroy the store. If it was glass, they shattered it. They ripped doll’s heads off, ripped out the stuffing of the bears, and so on. And they ripped into each other. Their anger flared, and they growled at each other.

             
“They’re going to hurt themselves,” Anatha said, concerned.

             
“Maybe, but it’ll wake them up,” Autumn replied.

             
“Wake them up from what?” Envy asked, stabbing Jaime with her fork.

             
“Stop,” He swatted her.

             
“From what you all have.”

             
Everyone got quiet, and the guys slowly came out of the crazy. “Did we do this?” Rowan asked, breathing hard.

             
“Yes.” Drake dropped the half destroyed stuffed bear he held in his hands. They were quiet and looked away from each other, ashamed.

             
“I’m sorry,” Linden said.

             
“Me too,” River said. “I never wanted to make any of you feel like crap.”

             
“You are a talented kid, always was. Most of us were riding you into fame and fortune,” Stefan said, putting his arm around River’s shoulder.

             
“I held a grudge against you for a long time,” Drake said.

             
“I was so happy to sing with you guys,” Rowan said. “I was tired of failing.”

             
“You were never a failure to me,” River said, giving him a small punch in the arm.

             
“What am I wearing?” Rowan looked down at the
Superman
costume. “I need to change.”

             
Autumn stood up and walked over to the bars. She pressed the button, and the security gate went up.

             
“Thanks,” Stefan said. She nodded.

             
Rowan grabbed Autumn and held her. “Thanks,” he whispered before planting a big kiss on her. Him holding her with the suit on might have been a turn on, but everyone was watching.

             
“I’m confused again,” Linden said.

             
“Dude,” River said. “You just got to roll with it.”

             
“Go get changed,” she said. He nodded and ran off.

             
Drake dropped the crown to the floor. River came over to Autumn. “How did you know to do this?” he asked, pulling her into a hug.

             
Autumn watched as Linden walked out without his horse. “I did it earlier.”

             
Anatha watched all this with interest. She then looked at the pig on her lap. The thing snorted once, and she put it on the ground. Slowly she got a hold of herself. She joined Jaime, Envy, and Ivy Lee, heading to the elevator, talking. Autumn took the escalator down to the second floor. She was tired enough to sleep. She went to the fountain and laid on the edge, closed her eyes, and hummed to herself.

             
Some time later, she heard people talking, normal talking, not crazy blabbering. Autumn could still hear Envy yelling at people, and Ivy Lee complaining about being sick to her stomach. She didn’t want to open her eyes, but a gentle kiss made her open them. She saw River smiling down at her and smiled back at him. She reached up and touched his face.

             
“I woke the sleeping princess,” he replied in a whisper.

             
“Cheesy,” Anatha called over to them.

             
Autumn flipped her off and grabbed River for another kiss. He pulled away, and she sat up. “You did that on purpose,” he said.

             
“Of course.”

             
“Ouch!” Linden cried out in pain, his hands on his head.

             
Autumn looked up. It looked as if a miniature comet fell from the roof and knocked poor Linden on the head. Autumn noticed the white golf ball bouncing near Anatha. Another one came barreling down. When it hit the floor, Anatha was close enough to catch it. She examined the ball. Another one sliced through the air and another. Everyone went to seek shelter.

             
“Who the hell is up there hitting golf balls?” Anatha screamed.

              Laughter floated down to them. Anatha walked to the middle of the floor, looking up. “Mama, I know that’s you! Stop ‘cause you’re going to hurt someone!” she yelled up. She received more laughter and more golf balls.

“Fine!” Anatha yelled. She
heaved the golf ball in her hand, but it didn’t go that far. She tried a couple more times. One ball hit Linden again, and someone laughed. But the next one almost hit Autumn. She had just moved out of the way before it could.

             
Autumn picked up the ball and threw it at her cousin. Anatha moved, and threw another at Autumn. Soon the air was full of golf balls as everyone launched them at each other. Golf balls came from every direction. No one was safe. Everyone was letting out their anger and frustration. Autumn was hit by two and knew that she was going to be sporting purple welts later.

             
“Fore!” Anatha screamed, tossing another ball.

             
“I’ll fore you!” Envy wailed after Anatha’s ball hit her on the arm.

             
Anatha ran from Envy, and Autumn laughed. Someone threw a ball, hitting Autumn’s leg. “Ouch!”  Looking around for shelter, she noticed no one was on the other side of the fountain. Quickly, she went over and hid. She sat with her back pressed firmly against the fountain and laced her fingers over her head. She didn’t want to get hit in the head by a ball. Lucky for her no balls made it that far.