“I don’t know, Eva, sounds like you’re still harboring some rage there.”
“We’re a team,” Gemma said quietly. “We can talk this out if you want.”
Eva laughed. “I don’t know how Jason wormed his way into the center of this conversation, but I really have nothing more to say about him. I meant what I said—I just want us to become a stronger team. And what better way to expose one’s strengths and weaknesses than one-on-one combat.”
Gemma shrugged, giving up, and Pete just rolled his eyes again. Jamie studied Eva carefully, but her poker face was firmly back in place, and she met his eyes will cool indifference.
“Fine,” Jamie said eventually. “If all you want is to improve us as a team, then prove it. You obviously know how an Inferno might defeat an Oceanic—so show me.”
Eva grimaced. “The whole point was to offer you an opportunity to innovate and learn.”
“Well, maybe I’m not the quickest of students. So, in the interest of time…”
“Understatement of the year,” Eva muttered. “Okay, listen carefully, because I’m not going to repeat myself.”
“Yeah, whatever. Spill.”
“You’re too focused on the Fire Element being just fire.”
Annoyance flooded through Jamie. Eva was testing his patience, which already felt thin and frayed.
“Are you trying to be cryptic? I’m an Inferno. We mold and control fire. What else is there?”
“Fire is not just flames and smoke. The Fire Element covers more than that. I don’t just control water. I can control ice and steam, waves and raindrops.”
“But all that is still just water.”
“Sure, but out Gifts are really just about manipulating energy. Our respective Elements only define the box in which we’re able to do so. Other than the Elementals, Infernos are considered to be the most powerful of the Gifted. Because Infernos have the biggest box to play in. The Fire Element is about manipulating heat energy, and these days—how do we get heat?”
“Gas?” Pete supplied.
Eva groaned dramatically and slapped the palm of her hand to her forehead. “Do you ever bother to think before you open your mouth, or do you just blurt out the first thing that pops into your head?” she asked, exasperated. “No, not gas. Think!”
“Electricity,” Gemma said softly, her voice barely more than a whisper.
Eva’s eyes lit up. “Yes!” she exclaimed, pointing at Gemma. “Exactly. Electricity. I’ve been told the stronger Infernos can sense electricity everywhere, in the overhead cables, in our walls, in our appliances.”
Jamie nodded slowly. He could sense electricity just about everywhere. It had become so commonplace he barely noticed it anymore, relegating it to the back of his mind.
“Electricity isn’t as malleable as fire,” Eva continued. “Almost invisible except for the strongest Infernos, and I hear you’re powerfully Gifted.”
The last bit was aimed at Jamie. There was an unspoken challenge there, written into the intensity in Eva’s eyes and the ironic twist on her lips.
“Electricity and water don’t mix…” Gemma said quietly.
Eva tapped her nose with a grin.
“Which is how an Inferno defeats an Oceanic,” Jamie concluded with a smile.
So simple. How had he never thought of it? Possibly, he conceded, because, until six months ago, he’d never spent much time thinking about how he might use his Gift as a weapon.
“Now,” Eva said with her eyebrow arched. “Can we please get back to it?”
* * *
Jamie turned the key in his hand. It was big, unwieldy, and definitely rough around the edges. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a long way from the lump of metal it had started out as. Forging the metal into a key had taken longer than he’d expected; it had been intricate work, requiring delicate and skillful manipulation of his Gift. He’d spent many nights laboring over it, and now, after a full month of frustration, it was finally ready for him to test in the lock.
Training with the Cleaners was extremely regimented. Every minute of the day was accounted for, and they were never allowed to explore without an escort, and at night, they were confined to their rooms. All of which meant he’d achieved little by way of information, which was particularly maddening because he realized on the very first day that the information about Emma that he so desperately wanted lay hidden within the Archivist’s books. He’d caught a glimpse of all the names contained within the book and realized that Emma’s name was surely just above his own. If he could just get a few minutes with the book, he would finally know, with certainty, whether his twin was still alive. And given that the Archivist collected and filed all information for the Gifted, he might even find more information regarding Emma’s current whereabouts.
Tonight was the night—he just had to make sure his teammates were well and truly asleep. The night was deep and still, and he slipped silently from his room, wishing, not for the first time, that he had the stealth of an Atmospheric. He moved toward the main door but stopped dead in his tracks at the sound of Eva’s voice.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
He fumbled for a suitable excuse, but lying still not one of his strengths. “Midnight snack,” he said eventually.
Eva flicked on a lamp, and a low light flooded over the room. She gestured to the couch next to her where there was an open box of chocolates and a glass of wine. “Join me then.”
“What’s the occasion?” Jamie asked.
She shrugged carelessly. “Who needs an occasion for wine and chocolates?”
Jamie popped a chocolate into his mouth and shot her a disbelieving look.
Eva stared back, but when he refused to back down, she narrowed her eyes at him. “Fine. I’m just tired of this—the constant arguing, the endless lessons. Being stuck in this room.”
He took the wine from
