"I am Called the Second Element" by Jaimie M. Dengler

          “Get out of bed you spoiled brats! I don’t feed the feebleminded!” Mistress Shogawn never had been one to be called generous. And bed was a crude word for the thin cloth that lay between the night air and the cold floor.

          I rolled, narrowly avoiding Truen’s kick. She had somehow gained the favor of the Mistress. She often accompanied her in kicking the workers awake.

          I grabbed the dress I kept at the end of my cot, slipped it over my head and headed down the halls of Whitefell. I reached the door that led into the washrooms and slowly turned the old rusted handle. I froze when a strange noise reached my ears.

          I stepped into the room and slipped into a stall. I looked cautiously around the corner. Unlike many places where children were housed after being abandoned by their families, Whitefell was in reality the place to go to for a girl to raise into a whore. When girls reached sixteen they were sold off to women who would feed and teach them the ways of their trade. I was nineteen.

          I had been there, however, I had been sent back to Whitefell seven times. I seemed to have an explosive temper according to the notes the used up Cyprians sent back with me. I ‘have a knack for burning alive customers’ of the harlots to whom I was to be trained by. How awful...not.

          I slipped from stall to stall until I was only a few away from the source of the sound. When I recognized it as a cry, I ran to it.

          I knelt next to the newer child and wrapped my arms around her. “Jareth. It’s alright.”

          She shook her small head viciously. “No. Ther told me what will happen to me when im old enough.”

          I winced. “Be glad that you were told at all. Many of us only know when we are under them.

          She snuffled a little then wiped her nose on a grimy sleeve. “Did you know?”

          I turned away. “No, I didn’t.”

          Small hands turned me back. “It was different for you though.” Her voice sounded distant, as if in a trance.

          Spirit. The word went through my mind like a saber. She was coming into her element and it was Spirit. If she was to... I couldn’t think like that. All children of Spirit they broken early, they very often went insane because of it.

          I looked at the top of matted gold hair curled in my arms. I couldn’t let that happen to this one.

          Four years earlier, a six year old Jareth had been led through the double doors of Whitefell. She would have been broken years earlier if I hadn’t interfered.

          I was more powerful than the Mistress, and had gotten a firm beating when I threatened her with my blazing fire.

          Shogawn was fire too, but had pitifully little magic which was why we were sent away when we first came into our elements. Her head shot up and looked at the doorway. Pushing her behind me, I called in a ball of fire.

          The tall blonde held up her hands. “Whoa! It’s just me, Dalian.” the girl relaxed as I vanished the flame. “You really have to be careful, Rejalla. You know Mistress keeps a firm eye on all of us but lately she been especially wary of you.”

          “Yes, I know.”

          She leaned in. “We have to do it soon. If were to come out of it alive, it must be done within the week.”

          I narrowed my eyes. “I don’t know what your talking about.”

          A wry grin was plastered on her face. “You know exactly what I’m talking about.” She looked down at Jareth. “We are of the same Unnamed Goddess. And I have seen it as so.”

          I was shocked. We had all assumed that Dalian wouldn’t have powers because of her background, a dead slut and a dark stranger. We all knew that her mother hadn’t even had the power to be called of an element. The stranger, who knew anything about him? The cloak had hidden the face while either steel or hard leather armor had hidden everything else. It was because of the steel that we had assumed he had no power. Why have a sword if you had power? I doubt any of the other girls even bothered to think about that when they saw Dalian. Obviously, they were wrong. “Your father was of Spirit wasn’t he?”

          She nodded. “As was my mother. She was the ruler of the Spirit element before it was overrun.”

          I realized I had my mouth wide open, shut it. “Tomorrow there is no moon, the cobras will pose a problem but not until we get to the hills.”

          “Then it will be tomorrow. I can discourage the snakes.”

          Jareth shifted in my arms. “Rejalla? Are we leaving?”

          I looked into Dalian’s eyes. “No, of coarse we aren’t Jareth. And that is a ridiculous thing to say in any case. Where would we go?”

          “Well I just thought-”

          “Well you just thought wrong.” I looked at Dalian. She mouthed a name and I nodded.

          The next night we snuck through the window...on the upper level. The lower doors were guarded by dogs and older Whitefell students. Older as in they were the girls who enjoyed what they did for a living. Torches illuminated the entire building at night to make it harder for us to escape.

          I watched Dalian jump to the ground. I put jareth out the window far enough to grab her hands and lower her to where Dalian could catch her ankles. She had put jareth in a deep sleep so it didn’t even wake her when her feet hit the ground when Dalian failed to catch her as I let go. She laid her on the ground and

          A noise caught my attention. One of the students. I looked down to warn Dalian. They were already gone. I looked into the plains, created a small ball of light as far as my magic could stretch. It happily danced along the trail before going out.

          “Over there!” a tall woman started to run toward the light. A long rail of dogs and girls followed. It was then I noticed the window below mine was open, the room was Truen’s. I quickly shut mine. Thankfully because a girl spun around looking carefully at each window. With her eyes so wide even I could see them with just the torchlight, she ran to the others yelling Truen’s name.

          I opened the window and held onto the ledge to close it as much as possible.

          “Hurry!” Dalian was standing below me fidgeting nervously.

          I jumped and grabbed the pack before running after the other two.