Page 17 of Elemasters

He made an explosion gesture with his hands, accompanied with a cartoonish “poof”.

“Wait, what?!” Dustin’s eyes went wide, “you saying you set the car on fire?”

“Nah!” Chris quickly clarified, “but I did go all Human Torch on my favorite leather jacket, a real American fucking tragedy. I missed first period because I had to turn around and pick out a whole new outfit,”

“You think that’s insane? When I was leaving the house this morning I was making a mental list of all the shit I have to do today, and then my veins started glowing too, but white instead of red. The next thing I knew every piece of metal in my living room was sticking to me like fucking fridge magnets. It took fifteen minutes to get them unstuck,” Chloe groaned.

“Something similar happened to me in the shower,” Dustin admitted, “glad to know I’m not the only one losing my shit,”

“I’m kinda jealous,” James said, sounding mildly annoyed but with a deeper disappointment lurking beneath, “I’ve got nothing yet,”

“Me either, but we need to get a handle on this before something ends up on fire… or worse, on the news,” Bailey said, “we should meet up somewhere after school to work out the kinks. I’ll call my manager and tell her I’m sick; Dollar General will survive a single shift without its most glamorous cashier,”

“I smell a training montage and I’m fucking in,” Chris grinned widely, that familiar chaotic glint in his eye, “I can ditch basketball practice for one day. Not like I need it much anyway,”

“I was supposed to go to a gala with my mom tonight; she styled Mayor Hampton’s wife. But it’s probably better for everyone involved if I blow it off,” Chloe said, clearly holding back an elaboration that seemed almost… painful, “just let me know when and where we’re meeting and I’ll be there,”

“My place will work if everyone’s cool with it. My parents are off on a nature retreat with their camping buddies. I’ll have the place to myself all week,” James offered, “we live way up on Berry Mountain Rd, so it’s nice and secluded,”

“Sounds like as good a place as any. I’ll let my coach know I’m taking today off, and we’ll all meet up at James’s place after school, deal?” Dustin said, looking around at everyone to confirm. They all nodded, and thus the plan was set in motion.

Sima Yao said something about their powers deepening being tied to his ability to maintain a physical form, so maybe getting things under control would also lead to more answers sooner than later.

And for the first time in years, Dustin wasn’t sure how to endure whatever was coming next.

Chapter 7

That's What You Get

When James said his house was secluded, Dustin wasn’t aware that he was making a submission into the “Understatement of the Millennium” competition. The house was so far up Berry Mountain that Bailey had to MapQuest directions just to make sure they didn’t end up turning down some dead-end road and getting eaten by mountain zombies or something.

Usually Chris would’ve insisted on driving, but he absolutely hated driving on the narrow mountain roads, so he let Dustin take the wheel for once… much to Bailey’s satisfaction since he didn’t need to fear for her life this time.

When they finally rounded the corner to James’s house, Dustin’s jaw dropped, and he almost forgot to hit the brake.

He wasn’t sure what he expected the Zhang household to look like, but it certainly wasn’t an old manor house; two stories and made from beautiful white brick, with moss growing up the sides in a way that looked almost manicured. Even from the front yard, a large greenhouse was visible, peeking out from behind the main house like a secret waiting to be revealed.

“Oh shit… this isn’t just a house. This is the Zhang Estate!” Bailey leaned forward from the backseat and looked from Dustin to Chris expectantly. Her expression melted like runny mascara when she realized they had no idea what she was talking about, “built in the 1800s by Bartholomew Zhang? The first Chinese American millionaire who helped found Pacific Cove? Jesus, do you boys even pay attention in history class?”

“Not really,” Chris replied with a shrug… but then his eyes lit up with a realization, “wait… does this mean James is rich? Dustin, bro, do not fumble this! If you stick it out, we’re set for fucking ever!”

“We’re not even dating!” Dustin replied, exasperated as he parked the car in the long driveway, behind a pristine pink Mercedes that likely belonged to Chloe.

“Not yet, but don’t count yourself out! You’re hot, we share the same face remember? And he’s also clearly fucking whipped for you. Just let me know if you need some tips from a true guru,”

“You don’t want him to fumble the opportunity, but you’re gonna give him advice? There are TRL episodes longer than any relationship you’ve ever had… besides the one with Chloe, but if I remember correctly, you ‘fumbled’ that one, yeah?” Bailey snickered.

“Oh, don’t worry, I’m so close to getting her back I can basically taste it,”

“Whatever ‘guru’. Come on, let’s head inside,” Dustin said.

The moment the trio hopped out of the car, James skipped through the front door with a wide grin plastered on his face. He was just wearing a black tank top and loose-fitting gym shorts, but in Dustin’s eyes he may as well have been on a runway. The sheer amount of silky skin on display (in conjunction with the colorful flower and butterfly tattoos dotted along his upper left arm) was enough to send him spiraling, but he desperately had to keep it together.

“You guys made it!” James pulled Dustin into a tight hug, “I ordered pizzas if that’s cool with everyone! Figured I’d keep it classic,”

Dustin knew he’d technically heard everything James said… but the physical contact and the sweet musk of his cologne made it impossible for him to actually process any of it.

“Y-yeah, pizza… that’s totally cool,” Dustin stammered, the ghost of James’s touch still clinging to him after the hug was over.