Earth elemental: Lillian Smith

  As I step off the plane, I take a deep breath of the cool air. The slight chill of the air doesn't bother me whatsoever, though the humidity of the air is nice. The plane had made it here ahead of schedule, so my ride was likely to be a while. I didn't have contact with Miss Yesman, so I can't ask her to pick me up early, nor do I want to. It feels wrong to ask for extra from a woman already doing so much for me, giving me a place to stay and feeding me. I'd been offered the option of a dorm, but I had almost forgotten what it felt like to have a family. I wanted to experience that again, if I wasn't truly a part of the family. Apparently she had a daughter, only a year younger than me, which was nice. Selena, I think her name was.

  The airport into the town is small, and I find myself liking it. My suitcase bumps and rolls on the runway, occasionally catching a rock under it's wheels. With a subtle flex of will, the rocks that might hit the wheel simply roll out of the way. I know the general of the army (yes, that's his full title(and it's different from “general” in some way) had told me not to use my powers where anyone could potentially notice them, but I'm careful enough. I won't let anyone see. Plus, there's a little wind. It could be blamed on that. It's not like I lifted an entire building off the ground, only a few rocks.

  eventually I make it inside the airport building, where I ask a kind security lady for help and she points me to the baggage pickup. I then simply wait for my other suitcase. Both my suitcases are fairly large, but the fact alone that I could fit everything I own into 2 suitcases, no matter how big, is kind of sad, at least in retrospect. I had a nice job gardening for some rich couple, and I had a little apartment, though no car or anything. It was fine though. I had my own fallback fund from my other job as a lifeguard. Hmmm… perhaps I could become a lifeguard here too. I doubt too many people that are rich enough to be able to splurge on a gardener here, so I'm going to have to become a lifeguard instead. Would I have to retake my first-aid or lifeguarding courses here? In fact, how long am I going to stay here? Until I'm done my schooling? Perhaps. Maybe I'll leave sooner. I hope not. I like being grounded, staying in one place rather than moving around too much.

  After picking up my second suitcase, I glance around, unsure where to go next. I put my other suitcase, which had shoulder straps, on my back. I scratch at the back of my neck, where the chip lies, as I begin wandering towards the exit, which isn’t too far from where I entered, given the small size of the airport. I glance around and eventually just decide to stand at one wall and wait.

  “Waiting for someone?” A woman asks, and I glance to the side to see it's that nice security guard who pointed me to the bag pickup(which had been just around the corner if I'd just walked a little further).

  “Yeah, I am.” I nod, then sigh. “My plane got here early so I'm just waiting for my pickup. I'm Lillian by the way.”

  “Lillian? Hmm… I swear I heard that name somewhere…” The woman hummed, then seemed to remember. “Oh, you're the exchange girl, aren't you?”

  “I… think so? How many exchange students named Lillian come here?” I smile, then tilt my head. “How do you know me?”

  “The woman taking you in is an old friend of mine, almost a sister to me. Caroline Yesman is her name. I'm Jamie.”

  “Nice to meet you, miss Jamie.” I say respectfully. “Anything I should know?”

  “Just that you're in good hands.” She smiles. “You'll love her daughter. Her name is Selena. She always hangs out with my son. His name is Will, if you get to meet him. Likely since he goes to the same school you'll be going to, and hangs out with my daughter constantly.”

  I can't help but smile at the kind woman and her enthusiasm. If this is how everyone in this town is, I might just ask to stay forever. Not actually, I’m loyal to my country, but you understand my meaning. My point is that I like this place already. The first person I've met is nice, the air is nice, the look of the place is nice, All of it's nice.

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  “Ah, she's here.” Miss Jamie gives me a gentle nudge on the side, and I perk up. I turn to see a woman with long black hair tied into a bun and blue-green eyes entering the airport. “She must have got a notification and came early. That, or she intended to wait for you.”

  “She didn't have to do that…” I say, but smile. “It's nice of her, though.”

  Once she reaches us she smiles. “Hey Jamie, how's work going?” She asks, pulling the security woman into a hug. I stand awkwardly to the side as I watch the interaction unfold. I think they forget I'm even here for a few minutes before she turns to me and smiles. “You must be Lillian, am I right?”

  “Um… yes.” I nod sheepishly. “And you're miss Yesman?”“I am.” she nods with a kind smile on her face. “Are you ready to head home?” she asks me, and I nod. Going to see my new temporary home for the first time sounds nice.

  I say my goodbyes to the nice security officer, then leave with miss Yesman. We reach the car and I sit in the front passenger seat by her request. “Do you have a favorite music?” She asks me and I shake my head. “Mind if I play some of my own?” Another shake of the head.

  We spent the rest of the drive listening to Taylor Swift.

  …

  “We're here.” The car pulls in and I step out. I take my luggage, which Miss Yesman had put in the back for me, out, and drag it to the front door of the house with me. The house is two stories tall, though I think there’s a third story with just the master bedroom in it if what I'm seeing is right. The house sits on some strong stone too. I feel through the rock and like the stability of it, though I feel something… off. Something from a few houses away down the street. Everything over there feels all wet and slippery to my earth senses. I frown at the foreign feeling, but slot it away for later. Now is the time to meet my new housemate.

  Opening the door I immediately notice the girl passed out on the couch with a youtube video on autoplay in the basement. The girl has short black hair, and light skin like her mom, though I can’t see her eyes since shes asleep. I pause, not really knowing what to do in this situation, and eventually just shrug and begin walking upstairs to the main floor instead. The entryway is between floors. As I reach the top and begin looking around I hear Miss Yesman making the girl on the couch wake up. After a minute they both come up together. Now shes awake I can see the almost emerald color of her eyes, far more green than her moms. The girl immediately perks up when she sees me, though, and shoots a hand out with a wide grin on her face.

  “You're Lily, right? Can I call you Lily?”

  “Um… sure?” I say, gingerly shaking her hand.

  “Sorry for not being awake. I was up all night studying with Will, then I had classes this morning.” She says. Miss Yesman seems very unconvinced and disapproving that they were actually studying, giving her a look at the term, though I don’t know what that’s about. “I'm Selena.”“Nice to meet you, Selena.” I say politely.

  “Want to come see where you'll sleep?” She asks, and I nod. With that I'm dragged down to the basement to have a look at my new room. I manage to remember grabbing my suitcases as I'm brought down. The room is a bit larger than my old room in my apartment, as well as my room at the military base they studied me in, which I like. The bed is big too, with white sheets and 2 pillows, which I also like. I set my stuff down in the corner and tentatively sit down on top of the bed.

  “This is really nice.” I say after a while, smiling. “I like the room.”

  “I'm glad you do.” Selena smiles as well, sitting down beside me. “We didn't want to decorate it until you got here, though.”“That's fine.” I run a hand along the sheets. “So, what now?”“My friend Will comes over in an hour, if you want to meet him.” She offers. Then her eyes narrow slightly. “He's mine, though. No touching.”

  “O…kay?” I say hesitantly. I think I know what her mom thought they were doing instead of studying.

  “How about we watch some TV while we wait for him?” She offers, all hostility gone just like that. I have a feeling this girl it going to be… a little much sometimes.

  “Sure.” I say without much debate. We both exit my room and sit down on the television. The time passes quickly after that as we flick through various shows on netflix before giving up and going on youtube. We share complaints over how much the selection has dried up over time until we eventually settle on a video of some people making some habitat in the forest using only sticks and rocks. After an hour and a bit has passed, I freeze up as I feel… something. It feels like a raging tsunami and a gentle rain all at once. It's like the wet feeling I got from the distant home, but a thousand times stronger and denser. I turn to the door just before a knock sounds. Something deep in me knows exactly what that is.

  Selena perks up at the sound of the doorbell. “Oh, Will's here.”