Power Revealed (The Elementers) (26 page)

Her thoughts were wrapped up in Justin as she walked through the sliding glass doors and into the main lobby of the hospital. She heard a familiar voice that yanked her sharply back to the present. Her heart lurched and began racing in place. She searched in the direction of the voice. Even from the back, Raven recognized Boris, the Earth Elementer that had been part of Alexei’s trap. Raven had seen him before when she had met a group of Earth Elementers. His heavy Polish accent was unmistakable and his massive size made it easy to recognize him, even from the back. She could sense that the guy in surf shorts, t-shirt, and sandals standing beside Boris was an Elementer too. He must be Diederik, the Water Elementer that also escaped. Raven hurried down a side hall out of view and leaned against the wall. The painted cement bricks were cold and hard against her back and hands. She strained to hear Boris’ voice over the murmur of other voices and activity in the lobby.

“Yes, I’m here to visit my sister, Anya. I forgot her room number.”

“Just one moment, please.” A voice interrupted him over the sound of a ringing phone.

Raven peaked around the wall into the lobby. Boris was impatiently strumming his fingers on the desk making it obvious to the receptionist that he didn’t appreciate the wait. But the look on the woman’s face made it equally clear she didn’t like his pushiness and she rotated her chair away from him. Raven scanned the lobby. The elevators were on the far side of the lobby. She’d never get across unnoticed. A sign identifying the stairs gave Raven hope. The stairwell door was in the lobby, but only about ten feet from where Raven stood. She could possibly slip past them undetected. Trying to come up with a plan of action, Raven’s attention was pulled away by the sound of a screaming toddler being carried by her mom down the far hallway. Raven’s eyes passed over Boris and the other guy and realized that they were equally distracted by the scene. Figuring this was her chance, she pulled her raincoat hood over her hair and hurried into the lobby and toward the stairs as quickly and quietly as possible. She pressed on the large metal door handle and slid into the stairwell.

Leaping the steps two at a time, Raven tried to come up with a plan. Anya was in no condition to fight with a broken leg and ribs and they certainly didn’t want a confrontation in a hospital of all places. Raven reached the fourth floor breathlessly and rushed down the hall into Anya’s room.

“Raven?” Anya looked up from her bed noticing the girl’s anxiousness.

“Where’s Selena?” Raven scanned the small, bare room quickly.

“The bathroom. What’s wrong?”

Raven banged on the bathroom door. “Selena, we’ve gotta go. Boris and the other Elementer are here.”

Selena opened the door. “Here? At the hospital?”

“Yes, they’re on their way up. I saw them in the lobby. We have to get out of here.”

“Let’s get Anya in the wheelchair.” Selena pushed the chair next to the bed. “Help her sit up.”

Raven hurried to the bed, slid her arm under Anya’s back, and paused to look at Anya’s face. “Ready?” Anya gritted her teeth and nodded. “One, two, three.” Anya gasped in pain as she used muscles near her broken ribs. But she pushed through the agony and together they helped her into the wheelchair.

Selena peeked out into the hallway while Raven pushed Anya right behind her. “It’s clear. Let’s go.” They hurried down the hallway as fast as they could without drawing too much attention to themselves.

“Wait!” Raven called to Selena. “They’ll likely be coming up the elevator any second. Let’s hide in a room and let them pass first.”

Selena stood for a moment, trying to decide the best course of action, but finally conceded. “Okay, over here.”

Raven followed her to a door with a window facing the hallway that opened to the elevators. They’d be able to see Boris and Diederik pass. Selena pushed open the door and Raven pushed Anya into the room.

“Well, hello.” A man’s voice made Raven jump. She turned to see an old man with gray hair and a mischievous grin. “The workers here get prettier every day. I wasn’t looking forward to my physical therapy, but if you’re going to be doing it, maybe I won’t mind.” Raven’s cheeks heated up a deep shade of red and she stood there not knowing what to say.

“She’s just a volunteer,” Anya spoke up. “She’s returning me to my room, but I can’t seem to remember where it is. All the rooms and hallways look the same. Sorry.”

The man’s smile dropped a little. “Could you help me with my pillows?”

Anya and Raven looked toward Selena who hid around the corner out of view of the man. Selena nodded an affirmative to Raven without turning away from the window.

“Sure. I can help.” Raven released her hold on the wheelchair handles and stretched out her fingers to release some of the tension in them from holding on too hard. She walked over to the man’s bed and arranged the pillows as quickly as possible. “Is that good?”

The man patted her hand. “Much better. Thanks, Honey.” He had a southern drawl. It made Raven think of Justin. His Texan accent was light, but right now she really wanted him here. Raven was backing up toward the end of the bed when she noticed Selena jump to the side against the wall. Raven’s eyes opened wide and she held in her breath. Selena turned to Anya and nodded.

“Sorry for intruding,” Anya said to the man, “but I should get back to my room before they wonder what happened to me. Raven?”

Raven exhaled and grabbed onto the wheelchair with another vice grip as if it were her life line. “Goodbye,” Raven said to the man.

“Thanks for the help. You’re welcome back anytime.”

Selena slowly opened the door, peeked down the hallway, and after a few moments, frantically waved them forward. Raven didn’t bother to look down the corridor, she simply darted across it and into the elevator alcove before Boris and Diederik had a chance to see them. She pressed the elevator’s down button multiple times. “Come on.” Raven urged the elevator to come, but the two elevators had the first or second floor numbers lit. She thought of using her Earth powers to raise the elevator, but that would only alert their attackers of their location, so instead Raven continued to press the button multiple times every couple seconds.

“That won’t make it come any faster,” Anya said quietly.

“But it makes me feel better. How can you be so calm?” Raven asked as she watched Selena standing near the edge of the hallway keeping an eye out for the return of Boris.

“Freaking out doesn’t help. We can’t access the elements if we’re too out of balance.”

Raven knew Anya was right, but knowing something and doing it were two very different things. The number above one of the elevators changed from one, to two, to three. Raven gripped onto the wheelchair handles getting ready to go, but the light halted at three. “Hurry up,” Raven wanted to yell, but she certainly didn’t want to attract Boris’ attention. She was definitely out of balance, but she simply wasn’t used to this kind of stress. Weather could be incredibly unpredictable when flying, but she always had a back-up plan and a back-up, back-up plan for every possible scenario. This was not a scenario she had prepared for so she had no plan and that seriously rattled her nerves.

“It’s here,” Anya said.

The number four lit up above the elevator. “Selena,” Raven loudly whispered. The heavy metal doors slowly slid open. Once they were open half-way Raven wheeled Anya into the elevator. Selena hurried in behind them as Raven pressed the ground floor button and then held down the close-door button. The doors began sliding closed causing Raven to breathe a sigh of relief. But her breath caught in her throat as she saw Boris rush into her view from across the far hallway. Raven held still hoping to go unnoticed, but as the doors closed the last six inches, Boris’s scanning eyes locked with Raven’s. The cold look in his stare gave Raven the same feeling as the time she jumped off the dock into Lake Whatcom early last spring. The sudden cold had locked up her chest making it impossible to take in a breath until she swam over and pulled herself out of the water. This time, it took a few attempts to successfully suck in some air. The heavy steel doors closed, but they didn’t give Raven any sense of protection. Instead, the elevator now reminded her of a cage.

“He saw us, didn’t he?” Anya tried to turn to face Raven, but winced in pain from trying to rotate.

Raven’s throat gummed up so she simply nodded and focused on the numbers above the elevator door. The number lit changed from four to three. It was possibly the slowest elevator on the planet. Finally, the number two illuminated, but then Raven felt a buzz of Earth energy and the elevator jerked to a halt.

Selena turned to Raven. “Get it started again.”

Raven reached out to the element and tried to move the elevator cable, but it wouldn’t budge. If she pulled any harder, it might snap. “It’s stuck. I think he welded the cable to the gears somewhere.”

“We don’t have time to find the cause. Boris could cut the line if he wanted. Raven, open the doors,” Anya said.

The heavy metal doors resisted, but Raven forced them open half way and stopped. Her heart sunk. The floor of the elevator stopped at least four feet below the second floor.

“Help me out of this chair,” Anya said.

Selena put her hand on Anya’s shoulder. “You can’t climb up there with broken ribs and legs.”

“Do you have a better idea?” Anya said.

Raven looked at Selena, but both of them were mute.

“Me neither. Besides, one of my legs is only a sprained ankle. So help me up. They’ll be here any moment once Boris finds Diederick.” Selena and Raven bent over, placed one of Anya’s arms over their shoulders, and wrapped one of their arms around her back and helped her up. Anya gasped in pain and sucked in pockets of air as she stood up. “Raven, you first. Then both of you can help me from each end. Go!”

Selena bent down on a knee and Raven used it as a foot stool. Raven was thankful for her days in gymnastics making it easy to swing up her leg over the side and pull herself over. As she pushed herself up on her knees, she could feel the energy pulsing near her. An ominous feeling crept up from behind her. She turned and noticed the door to the stairwell across the other hallway. Raven could sense their attackers running down the stairs.

“Raven, give me your hands,” Anya called.

Raven turned to Anya and then back at the stairwell. She had to slow Boris down to give her time to help Anya and Selena. Raven reached out with the energy to the door and melted the lock and then reached down with her arms to grab Anya’s wrists.

Anya’s eyes locked with Raven’s. “Don’t pull, please. My ribs won’t like that. Just help steady and direct me.” Anya took a deep breath. “Now.”

Selena helped Anya step onto the seat of the wheelchair. Anya’s legs started to buckle. Raven held tight to Anya’s wrists, but the extra tension wrenched against Anya’s ribs. “Ughh!” Anya gasped. Selena wrapped her arms around Anya’s thighs preventing her from collapsing.

“Anya—” Raven began suggesting something else, but Earth energy erupted toward the stairwell door behind Raven. Before Boris could finish opening the door, Raven enveloped herself in the energy and melted the entire circumference of the door to its neighboring floor and door frame. It would definitely look suspicious, but she needed to earn them some time to get away.

Raven turned back to Anya. Pain etched deeper into the woman’s face, but determination stood out even more prominent. “Are they stopped?” Anya asked. Raven nodded. “Okay, let’s get me out of here.” Selena crouched down and guided Anya’s left foot that was in a cast onto her shoulder and held it in place. Anya gave a Herculean push and Raven helped her over the ledge. Selena began lifting up the wheelchair.

“Forget the chair,” Anya said. “We’re going to have to take the other stairs, so the chair won’t help us. Besides, you can use it to help climb out. Come on.”

Raven helped Anya stand while Selena climbed out of the elevator. Anya shifted back and forth deciding to favor the leg in the cast. She leaned heavily on Raven, the exertion clearly taking its toll on Anya.

“Take Anya and get out of here,” Selena said.

Anya looked up. “What? You can’t stay and fight both of them alone.”

“I’m not going to fight. I’m just going to slow them down. Head to the hotel, but just don’t let them follow you there. I’ll meet you there. Now go!” Selena said.

Raven hesitated, but then Anya’s legs buckled and Raven had to grab around Anya’s waist to keep her upright. Anya was in no condition to be moving around, never mind fighting. Raven needed to get her out of here. “Okay. But please be careful.”

Chapter 37

Justin ran up behind Mr. Hamilton’s jeep and banged on the metal frame of the passenger door. Mr. Hamilton jumped in his seat, saw Justin, and unlocked the door.

“You surprised me. What are you doing out here.  I didn’t see you leave the house.”

“It doesn’t matter. Start the car. Raven, Anya, and Selena are in trouble at the hospital.” Justin climbed in the car and closed the door. “Please. We need to hurry!”

The drive to the hospital wasn’t far, but it felt like forever. Mr. Hamilton wanted details, but Justin didn’t have many to give. He wanted to Earth Talk or call Raven on her phone, but right now the most important thing was to keep her hidden till they arrived and he didn’t want to do anything that would draw attention to her.