She sat at the computer checking her e-mails, glancing over the spam and rhythmically clicking the delete button. She still hadn't received an email from her sister. When their parents divorced the five children were forced to choose who they would live with. Charlie and Adam moved to Michigan with their father. Meredith and Christopher decided to go to Texas with the mother. But Alexis, the third oldest and twin sister of Adam did not get along with either of her parents. Alexis, unlike her quiet and docile brother, couldn't stand their parents and chose to move in with her grandfather Joe and grandmother Loretta. It had been five years since the siblings had all been together. All being no more then a year apart they were very close, at one point. But there was also something very unusual about these children, like their mother and their mothers mother they inherited a dominant gene that had been passed down from generation to generation. They knew that their grandmother was not from the US but their mother would never talk about it. Where their grandmother was from things were different. And because things were different her children were different and their children's children were different. So they began to call themselves Elementals. Human with the skill to change their form and have limited control over one element. Their were always five children, never six never four always five. There were Elementals scattered all over the world, but until the fifth child was born none would come into their full powers, that's why many never even knew they were different.

Charlie, the oldest, was 19 with flaming red hair and muddy green eyes. Standing at six feet and four inches he was the proud and diligent one who was always looking out for everyone. Charlie was all manners and kindness while Adam was docile and quiet. Adam preferred to lock himself in a room with a book. With light brown hair Adam was six feet flat, two inches above his twin. The only thing they had in common was their appearance, with light blue eyes and fair skin but other than that they were complete opposites. Alexis was loud and wild, even when they were little Alexis was the one who beat up the bullies and never cried. But Alexis was also the one who got into the most trouble, before she was eighteen she had been arrested twice for fights at the high school and she was the one who always got caught sneaking in from party's drunk. Meredith, the younger sister was cute and quiet, never drawing attention to herself but was a star track runner. With long curly strawberry blonde hair and the purest green eyes she stood at five six and can only be described as quirky and sweet. Christopher, the youngest and now at age sixteen stood at six feet one inch with sandy blonde hair, bright blue eyes and sun tanned skin. Chris was the jock, he was a line backer for his sophomore football A team and was proud of it.

Alexis was ten when the divorce became final and the custody battle began. Refusing to choose a parent or lesser of the two evils Alexis moved in with her mothers parents in Oklahoma City. She packed her bags and called her grandparents, four hours later she was on a plane and had not seen them since.

Alexis's cell phone rang; she had just dropped her backpack on the floor of her bedroom. It was a Friday afternoon in November and the first semester of her second year at Oklahoma State; she went to her grandparent's house every weekend.

Her grandmother was at her bridge club and her grandfather was probably at the nearest bar with his old navy buddies leaving Alexis and Harley, her Doberman she had gotten on her sixteenth birthday from her grandfather.

She gave a sharp whistle and seconds later a large, stocky dog lumbered into the bedroom and jumped up onto the mint green bed comforter with little lilac flowers all over it.

Alexis wrapped her arms around the dog's neck and scratched him behind the ears.

"You miss me," the dog gave her a slobbery lick on the hand and shove his head under it.

"Some guard dogs your supposed to be Harley, wanna cookie?" She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small packet of Oreos and tossed one to him.

She sighed and began to change into her jogging suit. "Ready to go to stars and stripes? Good." She headed out of the room and paused waiting for him to figure out how to jump off of the bed.

Her mind floated away as they jogged, Harley's leash wrapped around her waist when a loud buzzing broke her concentration.

"Yo," she flipped the phone open slowing to a stop and stepping off of the path.

"Something's wrong, Lexy something is really wrong. I was talking to Charlie and he just started screaming, I don't know what-"

"Yo yo yo, whoa slow down Mer what's wrong? Did you call dad or mom?"

"Mom wont answer her phone, Chris is freaked out and neither Adam nor dad will answer I'm really scared, I know something really bad happened and Chris agrees. He said he had a strange dream last night and you know that strange things happen to us cause of, well, you know."

She began unhooking the leash from her waist, "I can be in Lansing in about six hours, do you want me to book you and Chris tickets from Dallas?" Alexis began jogging back to her car.

"No, please hurry I think something happened. What the hell-" there was a loud clatter and scream in the background. Alexis heard Chris shouting for something to stop and lock the door.

Alexis shoved her phone into her pocket and sprinted past other joggers and children to her car, opening the door Harley leapt in.

As soon as she reached the house, without even turning the car off she called the house number. Leaving Harley out in the car she waited until the ringing stopped and the answering machine kicked in. She left a hurried message as she changed quickly into her dark jeans and favorite black shirt.

She began throwing she could get her hands on into her backpack, grabbing her laptop and two small knives and her pepper spray. Alexis then grabbed a second bag and went jogged into the second bedroom, rummaging under the bed she pulled out a long box that held three guns and ammunition.

Her grandfather, being an old navy seal that fought in two wars, believed that she should learn how to protect herself. Plus he wanted her to join the navy as an officer after she got her degree and wanted her to be prepared. Which meant school September through June and military camp in between.

Clicking the safety on she loaded one of the guns and put it in her sweater kanga pocket and threw the rest into her backpack. She then yanked on her black cowboy boots and rushed out the door. She threw her stuff into the back seat and peeled out of the driveway to make the eight hour drive to Dallas, Texas.

It was dark by the time she got to her mothers house in Rockwall. Alexis's mother preferred houses in the country opposed to suburbs. Therefore the large two story brick house was nearly half an hour outside the small town. They called it the Rose House, their mother was a big gardener, having her own landscaping business and all, and so the house had a huge rose garden out front. It was one thing Alexis loved about the house other than that it had always had a feeling of restraint and conformant that she couldn't stand.

She got out of the car, letting Harley out behind her. Harley raised his head up and began sniffing the air, his hackles rose and he lowered his head and a guttural growl rumbled through his chest.

Never before in the three years has she ever heard Harley growl, nothing made him growl. Not even one of her ex's breaking into her room, all Harley did was bark at him and he nearly wet himself.

All of the lights in the house were off and the front door was locked. Alexis rang the doorbell and waited. She jumped when Harley gave a feral bark and took off around the side of the house.

Alexis ran back to her car and grabbed the loaded gun out of the blue messenger bag and his leash then ran after him putting on her black studded gloves as she ran after him.

"Harley stop, no, bad dog!" she screamed desperately after him. If he ever attacked someone they would put him down just because of his breed.

As she rounded the corner back to the porch what she saw scared the hell out of her. All of the windows were smashed; one of the couches was halfway through the floor-to-ceiling window. Harley was staring at one of the smashed windows; the broken glass was covered in blood so dark that if it weren't for the smell she wouldn't recognize it.

She rolled the sleeves on her sweater above her elbow and pulled the gun out, stepping cautiously through the window and pointing it at the ground.

"What the fuck is going on, Harley, heel." The dog trotted up and stood two steps behind her right hand. Anna walked through the wrecked kitchen, broken glass and dishes were all over the floor.

Pulling out her phone she redialed Meredith's number, not expecting to hear the phone start chiming she froze and strained her ears to hear. She bolted from the kitchen and up the stairs by the front door, when she reached the top the chiming stopped.

"Mer!," she opened the nearest door and scanned the room as she pushed redial. Alexis ran further down the hall and around the corner where Meredith's room was. The door was smashed open. Her dresser had been in front of it but was now in pieces. She shoved the debris aside and began shouting for her younger sister.

There was no sign of anyone, not Christopher, not Meredith and not mom. Alexis collapsed on her sister's bed holding the phone not knowing what to do. Harley whined and sat his large head on her lap. There was a loud crack and the crunching of steps on broken glass. Anger seethed up through her body as she struggled to keep her human form.