Page 9 of Cleansed By Water (The Nature Hunters Academy 3)

Gabby looked at Tara.

“Yes, she’s completely serious. And yes, it really is ultimately about her.”

“My girl knows me,” Shelly said as she rested her arm on Tara’s shoulder.

A throat cleared, saving Gabby from having to answer. Which was a good thing because she was dancing on the fine line of possibly having a cry fest in front of Shelly and Tara, complete with begging for a friendship bracelet or just kicking their asses. That would ensure that they wouldn’t want to be her friends. She thought back to when she’d met Tara for the first time and how she’d gotten chummy with her. Initially, it was because Gabby knew how important it was to trust your fellow warriors. That sentiment had been drilled into her over the course of her three years at Crimson Academy. So, she’d been focused on getting Tara to open up to her, but then she’d found that she actually liked the girl. The realization had destroyed the badass persona she had built and reduced her to the scared child she’d been.

Now, Gabby felt unsteady, as if the foundation she’d built was beginning to crumble. She wondered if she looked in a mirror, would she even recognize herself? Damn her parents and all they’d done to screw her up. And damn herself for not being strong enough to keep her emotions out of her relationship with her teammates, Tara and Shelly. Just damn everything.

Shelly grabbed Gabby’s wrist and pulled her along as she and Tara headed across the room to where the guys were. “This conversation will be continued, and we will plan a time for the blood bond to be done.”

“Shelly,” Tara said, her voice sounding as if she was talking to a child, “if you want her to be your friend, it’s probably best to leave out any blood bonding stuff … at least until you two have gotten to know each other better.”

“Just a warning,” Gabby said. “You stab me, and I’m going to get equally stabby.”

Shelly groaned. “She’s perfect, Tara-bear.” She paused and then squeezed Gabby’s wrist as if something had just dawned on her. “What is your last name?”

Gabby’s eyes darted to Tara, who just shrugged. Real helpful, chick. “Gellar.”

“BOOM,” Shelly hollered, causing the room to go completely silent. “Her first and last name both start with the same letter, just like ours Tara. It’s fate. Shelly Smith, Tara Thompson, and Gabby Gellar. We’re the freaking next Charlie’s Angels. We have to keep her.”

“Bloody hell, lower your voice, and she’s not a freaking pet,” Tara said as they turned to face the center of the room where Terrick was standing.

Gabby ignored the eyes that had turned to stare at them as she looked around the room. The space had filled up while she’d been talking to Tara and Shelly. All of the people Professor Frost had mentioned were in attendance except for the royal elementals. Gabby recognized Professor Zuri from the training sessions as well as Professor Briggs from Hydro Academy, and Professor King from Tempest.

Headmaster Terrick stepped forward and looked at the people gathered.He was at least six-and-a-half-feet tall, and his broad shoulders seemed to fill up the space around him.He was handsome, with deep, rich, brown hair, a chiseled face, full lips, and eyes the color of green moss. Gabby noticed immediately that he had kind eyes, but also a fierceness that made it clear he was not weak.

“I believe you all know me, but for decorum's sake, I will introduce myself. Then we will go around the room and let everyone do the same. Please announce your name, your school, and your position there.” He paused, glancing around the whole room, and then added, “I am Terrick, the Headmaster of Terra Academy.” He turned to the woman standing next to him and smiled while making a motion with his hand for her to take her turn. Gabby listened as, one by one, each person introduced themself. She had a pretty good memory and didn’t think she’d have any problem keeping track of who was who. The uniforms helped keep everyone identified to their respective academies. Also, she knew the ones from her own school and the three students from the other academies who had been with her group during the training sessions. The last person to speak was the guy that Gabby was trying hard to ignore. He stood behind her, leaning against the wall along with Tara’s man Elias, Ra, and Aston. She could feel his eyes on her. She felt like prey that had caught the attention of a hunter. Now, she squirmed in the sights of his gun, waiting for the shot to come.

“I’m Liam Nash, Hydro Academy. And I’m utterly smitten with that firecracker right there.”

Gabby knew he was pointing at her. She could practically feel his finger stabbing into her back. She tried to keep her eyes from going wide, but she knew she probably failed. Still, Gabby forced her head to stay up, watching the people in the room. She would not let this … this …boy’sridiculous need to garner attention embarrass her or make her feel small. She would, however, get revenge. A small smirk formed on her face as she contemplated the many ways she could burn him, both literally and figuratively.

“Look at that wicked smile, Tara,” Shelly’s whispered voice said from beside her. “I told you she’s perfect for us.” She tapped Gabby and asked, “You’re totally plotting his demise, aren’t you?”

Damn this girl's niceness. I don’t want to feel included. Any friend I make I’ll only lose. “He’s got it coming to him,” she answered through gritted teeth.

“Tara and I love plotting the demise of the males. We know how to hide bodies.”

“What the?” Tara whisper yelled. “No, we do not.”

“It can’t be that hard. People do it all the time on television,” Shelly countered.

Okay, maybe being this chick's friend is worth the possibility of pain. The girl is twisted.

“That’s all well and good, Mr. Nash, but it certainly has no bearing on this meeting,” Headmaster Terrick said dryly. “Would the object of Mr. Nash’s affection please introduce herself?”

Don’t be a dick. Don’t be a dick. Don’t be a dick, Gabby mentally chanted as she pulled a sucker from her pocket, unwrapped it, and popped it in her mouth before finally speaking around it. “I’m Gabby Gellar, a student at Crimson Academy. I like to burn things.” Okay, maybe she should have left that part out.

“She’s my hero,” Shelly announced to the room as if it were a completely necessary and appropriate thing to say.

“It’s nice to see that you are making new friends, Ms. Smith,” Terrick said with a humorous glint in his eyes.

Before anyone else could speak, the wall to Gabby’s right shifted. Professor Frost, Professor Warren, and Professor Hart all shifted out of the way as a cyclone came through the stone. When the wind dissipated, a woman stood in a white gown bearing flowing strips that moved slowly as if they were being gently blown by the wind. Her head was covered with a crown of snow-white hair. Like the fabric of her dress, the woman’s hair also gently undulated. Her skin reminded Gabby of that of a Geisha, porcelain and flawless. Her eyes were pale blue, nearly translucent.

The woman didn’t speak. She simply stood looking at the wall from which she had just emerged. Suddenly, the surface began to shimmer, and a few seconds later it looked like lava flowed down the wall. A leg stepped through, followed by the rest of the body it was attached to. She recognized the man immediately as Aviur, the light elemental fire king. He bowed to the white-haired woman, and then both watched the wall again.

The stone turned into a cascading waterfall, and a figure stepped through. She was made of water, or appeared to be, but the liquid quickly evaporated, leaving her looking human, stunning, but human nonetheless. Her hair was blue and rippled like water running over small rocks in a stream. Her skin was pale but with an aquamarine tint. She had eyes as blue as the water in the Caribbean.

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