Elemental by Kim Richardson

She took Jenny and Peter by their hands and pulled them closer to her into a tight circle.
    “I have to tell you guys something,” she whispered, and looked over her shoulder.
    “What?” said Peter and Jenny at the same time.
    “You have to promise not to tell anyone.”
    “We promise,” said Jenny, her eyes wide and glittering like jewels.
    Kara narrowed her gaze. “I’m sure you heard about what happened a few months ago. With me, the elemental child, the life-quest—”
    “Yeah. You kicked Asmodeus’s butt!” blurted Jenny.
    “Shhh!” Kara looked over her shoulder. “Listen. I think he’s back—”
    “Asmodeus? Are you sure? How do you know?” Peter pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose with a trembling hand. Kara thought for a minute that he might topple over.
    “Pretty sure. And I think he took my mother’s soul.”
    Both Jenny and Peter were silent for a moment. Kara wondered if she had done the right thing in telling them. A trace of regret started to form, but then Jenny and Peter shared a look and grinned, and she realized she had been right to trust them.
    “So, what are we going to do about it?” Jenny arched her brows and her smile widened.
    Relief washed through Kara. And she felt a weight lifted from her shoulders.
    “I was hoping you’d say that.” Kara couldn’t help but smile.
    “The archangels know my mother’s soul is missing. But they won’t look for it because their first priority is finding out who’s killing the guardians, and not one missing soul. So I have to look for it myself. I need to find a way to sneak out after the practice session—and go look for it.”
    Peter’s gaze moved from Jenny and Kara to the many onlookers around them. “It could be anywhere,” he said. “Do you have an idea of where it might be? If we had a location, it would be a lot easier.”
    Kara shrugged. “The only place I can think of…is the demon realm.”
    Peter didn’t seem to hear her.
    “Asmodeus is using my mother’s soul as bait. I’m sure of it. It’s me he wants, not my mom…probably to kill me. He’s threatening to destroy my mother’s soul—I can’t let that happen.” Kara suddenly realized she was nearly shouting, and fought to control her emotions. She lowered her head and ignored the questioning glances she got from the GAs walking by.
    Jenny met her eyes. “We’ll help you. We’ll find your mother’s soul.”
    Peter bent forward. “I’ll start looking on the holographic monitors when we get back. We can start looking for any kind of strange anomalies that are happening.”
    “We’ll find her, don’t worry.” Jenny rested a hand on Kara’s shoulder. “You saved our lives, girl. This is the least we can do to pay you back.”
    “She’s right. We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you, Kara.” Peter’s face twitched, and a nervous smile reached his lips.
    Kara nodded. She wasn’t sure how to explain how she did it. All she knew was that rescuing them was the right thing to do. There was no way to explain what really happened. The elemental power within her was wild and intense—and it wanted to kill. Kara didn’t feel comfortable about telling anyone that.
    “We should get going.” Jenny urged them on. “We’re being watched.”
    A group of guardians eyed them suspiciously, and Kara realized how alone she really was. While Level Five was a special division, the guardians weren’t different from the rest of the Legion.
    They walked to the elevator in silence. Kara hoped that she would find a way to distract Cassiel and the others long enough to sneak out.
    The group trotted across the red dunes and headed towards the blue tents where the angels practiced their combat skills. Kara wondered if she was to practice in the open. It wouldn’t be a bad thing, since nothing was going to happen anyway.
    Cassiel walked graciously inside the tent and pulled out a wooden bench.
    “Kara, stand in the middle over here—” said Cassiel. He