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father’s sadness but
couldn’t ignore the fact that everyone seemed far more interested
in controlling his life then letting him choose for
himself.
    “ What else did the Fire
Warrior say before you killed him?” his grandfather
asked.
    “ It was a she and I didn’t
kill her.”
    “ You let her go? Even
weakened like the Fire Caste is right now, she’s still a
danger.”
    “ She’s not a danger to us.
But she did say there were others with her that are looking for the
rest of the Wind Warriors.”
    “ If there’s more,” his
grandfather quickly said to his father, “then we need to get out of
the house.”
    “ This is exactly what I
didn’t want,” his father replied angrily. “Even now, after all
these years, your life is ruining everyone else’s. Have you ever
thought that maybe we don’t want to pack up our lives and leave? We
have a good life here!”
    “ Don’t be a fool, Jack! You
think the Fire Warriors care about the life you have?”
    Xander shook his head sadly and turned back
toward the front door. He slipped back outside before anyone even
realized he was gone.

    “ Xander!” his grandfather
yelled as the elder man hurried down the street to catch
up.
    Xander stuffed his hands deeper into his
jacket pockets and kept walking. His grandfather caught up with a
huff of exertion and fell into step beside his grandson.
    “ Come back to the
house.”
    “ I don’t think so. You all
have been lying to me my entire life. You, more than
anyone.”
    “ Then where will you
go?”
    “ Anywhere but
here.”
    “ Quit being such a little
kid, Xander. I know you’re angry right now but your life is in
danger.”
    Xander stopped walking and turned toward the
old man. “Don’t you think I know that? I took a girl out on a date
and she tried to set me on fire. No one knows the danger I’m in
better than me.”
    “ I’m… I’m sorry. You
shouldn’t even be going through this yet.”
    Xander furrowed his brow. “That’s the second
time you’ve told me I’m too young.”
    “ That’s because you are.
Wind Warriors are born with our powers but they don’t manifest
until you turn twenty-five. I don’t know why you suddenly got your
powers so early. It doesn’t make sense. But if you got them,
there’s a reason.”
    Xander’s thoughts drifted to Sammy. He knew
some people looked deceptively young but he doubted she was
twenty-five either.
    “ What reason could there be
for ruining my life?”
    “ Quit being a drama queen,
boy,” his grandfather growled. “You may not appreciate it but
you’ve been given a great honor.”
    “ I don’t appreciate it
because I’m apparently the only person that doesn’t know what the
hell is going on.”
    “ Sit,” his grandfather
said, pointing to a bench on the outskirts of a city park. “Sit and
I’ll try to explain it to you.”
    Xander hesitated as the older man took a
seat on the bench. With a sigh, he walked over and joined his
grandfather.
    “ So what is a Wind
Warrior?”
    “ You’ve already figured it
out. We can control the wind—shape it into whatever we want it to
be.”
    “ No, I understand that
part. I mean what is a Wind Warrior? Why do we even exist?”
    “ To explain it in the
simplest terms possible, we’re the guides for humanity. We’re part
of one of the four elements: earth, water, air, and fire. Those
four elements exist in the four elemental castes. You’re a part of
the Wind Caste.”
    “ And Sammy is a part of the
Fire Caste.”
    “ Exactly. The Wind Caste
served as the spiritual guides for humanity, inspiring them to
reach for the heavens. We were the wise old men sitting on
mountaintops dispensing advice.”
    “ No,” Xander joked, his
humor serving as a defense mechanism when he grew increasingly
nervous. “You’re just an old man sitting on a park
bench.”
    “ I used to be so much more.
I gave it up.”
    “ Why?”
    “ Because your father was
right. I was a terrible dad to him growing up, always