The Elementalist

Luis Gomez- Atlanta, Georgia

12:30 am EST

Luis's sister blinked and blinked, staring at him in shock and awe. "What?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper with a small hiss in her tone. "Are you sure? Please tell me that you aren't sure."

He grimaced but slowly nodded in confirmation. "Unfortunately, I am positive, Ari," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "She is a prostitute, and she has been hiding that part of her life from you, from us."

She scowled and narrowed her eyes, studying him and trying to see if he was lying to her. "How do you know?" she asked coldly. "Are you some sort of prostitute too?"

Luis bit back a small snort before he shook his head.

"Did you sell cocaína (cocaine) or something along those lines?" she asked and raised an eyebrow in question while she studied him.

Again, Luis shook his head no but stayed silent.

"Then what did you do? How do you know that she is a prostitute?"

"Because I saw her out and about one night with some guy," Luis replied and shrugged, grimacing while he pressed his lips into a thin line. "I have snuck out multiple times before that, and then I saw her one time while I was out and confronted her about it."

"¿Por qué? (Why?)" she asked and cocked her head, studying him. She furrowed her brows in confusion and cocked her head, and Luis could tell that she did not like the idea of him sneaking out of the house and leaving them unprotected, for he was the oldest out of the five of children that lived here. "Why did you sneak out?"

Luis shrugged and grimaced while he pressed his lips into a thin line before he shook his head. "Don't worry about it, Ari," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. He cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. "I didn't do anything bad. I promise."

Ariella hesitated and cocked her head to the side, studying him, and Luis couldn't help but feel slightly uncomfortable underneath her hard gaze. "Did you do drugs?" she asked and raised an eyebrow in question. "Or did you sell them?"

Luis bit back a small laugh and shook his head. "No," he said. "I do not do drugs, and I do not sell them. I just wanted to walk around for a bit to clear my head." He shrugged and grimaced before he cleared his throat and shifted in his bed. "I know that it isn't safe to do that, but I wanted to do it, and I made sure that I stayed safe."

Ariella sighed and shook her head, pursing her lips in annoyance. "You could have gotten shot, Luis," she said with a small bit of annoyance in her voice, "or killed. Why didn't you think about that?"

Luis bit back a small snort and rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, Sis, I would have been able to take care of myself," he said, his mind wandering back to one incident in which he had almost gotten shot by someone but had stopped the bullet by controlling the air around him.

Ariella pressed her lips into a thin line and stared at him, studying him with a dark look on her face. "Have you been shot at yet?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "It's dangerous out there, Luis. Atlanta isn't that safe at night, no matter how many people are coming to live here. You know what is happening out there. You've heard the stories and have been through some of it."

"I know," Luis said and nodded. He didn't say a word about him being shot, not wanting his sister to worry about him when he knew how to protect himself.

Ariella scowled and narrowed her eyes, studying him as if she knew the answer without him saying a word. "Well?" she asked, her voice turning slightly darker, and Luis raised an eyebrow in question. "Have you been shot at before?" She paused and cleared her throat while she shifted in bed. "Do not lie to me, Luis," she warned. "I will know."

Luis sighed and moved a hand through his hair before he shook his head and grimaced. "Yes," he said and nodded in confirmation, answering her question. "I have been shot at a couple of times, but I have not gotten hurt because of it."

"What?!" she exclaimed, her voice becoming a pitch higher than he would like it.

"Shhhhh," Luis shushed her and moved his hand a little to the side. "Be quiet, por favor. (please). Do you want to wake up our other siblings with your yelling?"

Ariella opened her mouth to say something else before she closed her mouth and relented with a shake of her head. "Fine," she said and huffed, rolling her eyes and pursing her lips in annoyance. "How have you not gotten hurt?" she asked instead, making sure that her voice was soft.

Luis smiled sadly and shook his head, his eyes becoming filled with pain and sadness. "I can't say," he said softly. "Lo siento. (I'm sorry.)"

His younger sister pursed her lips further in annoyance and narrowed her eyes. "¿Por qué no? (Why not?)" she asked bitterly. "What did you do?"

"Nothing," Luis said and shook his head.

I used magic... he thought, and I am not sure if I am allowed to tell you...

"Anyway, are you going to sleep in here for the rest of the evening, well morning?" he asked and changed the subject, silently praying that she was going to let it go, at least for a little while.

His sister groaned and moved a hand across her face. She shook her head and sighed, and Luis had a feeling that she knew that she wasn't going to get anything else out of him. "Fine," she said coldly.

She paused and shifted on the bed, pressing her lips into a thin line. "Does that mean you are going to stay inside and stay here?" she asked and raised an eyebrow in question while she studied him. "Please?"

Luis chuckled and nodded. "I will," he promised, even though he had this weird feeling in his chest that he wouldn't be able to keep that promise. "Now, come on and lay down, Ari. Let's get some sleep before Mama comes home. Ok?"

"If she comes home," Ariella replied, rolling her eyes while she pursed her lips in annoyance. She did what he suggested and laid down beside him, and he followed suit. "Good night, Luis," she said and closed her eyes. "I love you."

"Hmph." Luis smirked. "I love you, too, Ari," he said softly, his voice barely above a whisper. "Never forget that. Please. I'm begging you to never forget that."

And with that, they both turned away from each other and fell fast asleep, enjoying each other's company for what might be the last time...

Oh, Gods, keep his siblings safe...