A/N: Quite a long chapter ahead. It would mean a lot if you read 'til the end. Thanks so much! :)

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Gale had them all seated around the table in the shared living and dining area with mugs of warm coffee resting between their hands. The unit had no centralized air conditioning, the air still slightly heavy even from ten floors up, but they all agreed they needed the caffeine boost considering the ungodly time.

The condominium hadn't changed much from when she had stayed there, Rina noted as her eyes roamed the room. The walls were the same unusual teal and the kitchen still had no proper burners installed. The couch though, an overused piece in a striking shade close to rust, had been reoriented to a place in front of the television, replaced in its previous location against one wall by short bookshelves which held the variety of novels her friend had always loved.

"Guess we should start with what you overheard in the locker room," Gale finally said, before igniting a cigarette and blowing the smoke out with a sigh.

This time Rina didn't wait to be offered and simply snatched the pack from the table, craving for a stick. Her friend cocked an eyebrow at her but she simply ignored it, giving the other woman another hard stare which dissolved reprimanding words in her mouth.

Gale cleared her throat as the doctor worked the lighter.

"First off," she said. "You shouldn't have even heard them talking. Well, you'd hear them, but you shouldn't have understood a word."

She cocked one trimmed eyebrow to which her friend let out another sigh. The other woman then turned to Adam who was sitting at the other narrower end of the table, her eyes transparently pleading for perhaps a bit of help. But the man simply smiled a tight-lipped smile and shrugged his shoulders once.

The exchange seemed familiar - quite friendly - she thought. Perhaps the two did know each other longer than she first assumed. They might even be friends for all the doctor knew.

A knot twisted in her stomach at sight of their familiarity. Watching them did nothing to abate the feeling of betrayal that weighed heavily on her chest. Gale was one of the few she would've trusted her life with. But being lied to was something she'd never dealt with well. Not after the four times she'd been cheated on by the same guy from when she was in college. Granted she'd been blinded by her love for the idiot back then, but Gale knew how much it changed her. She told her herself. And yet she still chose to lie to her, let her believe herself going crazy. What kind of friend did that make her? The thought left a bitter taste in her tongue.

Gale averted her eyes from her friend's steel gaze as she took another drag of her burning cigarette. She leaned back on her chair, on her face a torn expression she seemed to be struggling to hide.

"Here's the truth Rina. Nothing but straightforward truth." She paused, rolling her lips in. "We're not humans." She waved a hand to Adam and herself. "We're Elementals. At least that's what books call us."

The doctor's brows furrowed. Indeed she was expecting some kind of perplexing explanation, but hearing the actual words from her friend's mouth still had her second guessing her own sanity. "As in you control the elements?" she said. "Fire? Air? The works?"

"Hey, you know about it." There was a subtle glint in Adam's eyes and Rina rolled hers when she caught it.

"Even I watch t.v.," she said.

Of course she'd heard about such things, but did she believe them? No. She didn't believe in people having powers. Creatures like the one they'd encountered, to her, were mere products of movies, books, and nightmares. The only supernatural phenomena she'd ever believed in were of spirits and ghosts. She felt the idea of her friend and the new guy being some walking embodiment of mother nature crossed a very thin imaginary line.

The lighted end of the cigarette burned through the tobacco leaves fast as Rina took a long drag. She blew out the smoke slowly, letting the built-up ashes fall on the tray resting on the table.

"And the Ekek? What-" She shook her head. "I don't even know what to ask."

"There's a whole world of supernatural beings you don't know about."

The matter-of-fact tone pricked the doctor's ears a little, but she knew the other woman too well to be offended. It had always been the way she went about explanations. It didn't matter if the topic was miniscule or unimportant. It was almost funny how she used to say she knew her like a sister when the sad truth, as it turned out, was she didn't really know her friend at all.

"Creatures like the Ekek earlier?" Adam's voice snapped her out of her wallowing. "They're low in the supernatural hierarchy. Same with Aswangs and anything that acts on instincts for survival. Like animals." He paused to take a sip from his mug. "We on the other hand, we're still humans. Humans with powers, but we're still humans."

"Before, our only job was to supervise the other creatures. Keep them on an animal-only diet." Gale flicked the ashes off her cigarette into the ashtray. "I think it was a few years after we were born that someone started organizing them into a rebellion and then it became a war between Elementals and the rest of the supernatural world."

Rina's eyes darted between her two companions as they each spoke. Her head spun as she struggled to absorb the things that had been said. She desperately searched their expressions for any hint of teasing, a hope soon extinguished when she found nothing but honesty reflecting in their eyes.

She shook her head gently, a humorless chuckle escaping her lips. There was no easy way to accept what they had claimed.

"I honestly don't know what to do with that." She reached across the table, putting out the cigarette. "How do I even know you're telling me the truth? I mean-" Her eyes widen a fraction as she ran both hands through her hair. "This could all be just a sick joke you're trying to pull on me."

Gale sighed. "Rina-"

"No, really! Just tell me now. I won't get mad, I promise." She raised a hand, palm facing out, while in her head she begged for some form of confirmation. Jokes she could very well deal with. But a supernatural world being real? Her friend lying to her? Those she found a bit of a hard pill to simply swallow.

"I wish we were, but we're really not." The other woman gave her a weak smile, her face masked with sympathy.

Rina let out a long sigh, tilting her head up with her hands to her face. For her to accept the bizarre as truth - did they know they were asking her for too much? Her head already hurt from a severe lack of sleep and to make sense of the last few hours would perhaps be harder if she denied their version of truth.

She thought herself a rational person, but then isn't Gale one too? And yet it was her who had just told her of a reality of tall tell tales - that she was part of said world of flesh eating monsters and otherworldly powers.

She finally turned to the other woman, her eyes without their usual life. She then ran both hands, quite roughly, over her slightly flushed face. She did so once. Twice. Before letting out a heavy sigh. Her body slumped in her seat, feeling utterly defeated. She wanted answers and now she had them. Of course she didn't like them - they didn't make sense in her mind. But they were, nevertheless, the only explanation she was offered. The only thing she could do for the time being was accept them. And then perhaps work to fit everything that had happened in the strange and twisted web.

"You said I wasn't supposed to understand what they were saying?" the doctor said, a light fog seemingly clouding her eyes.

Gale nodded once. "Elementals use some form of old magic to mask conversations. We're all taught how to call on it. It's to prevent normal people from hearing things they shouldn't." She inhaled another lungful of life-shortening smoke.

She noted the other woman was half into her second stick. She'd lighted it with the embers of the previous one before she'd put it out. Chain-smoking had always been the first sign of Gale's discomfort and stress, and the knowledge made Rina feel at least a bit better. It meant she wasn't the only one shaken by the whole situation. And though she deemed it fair that her friend share the burden, she still soon felt something akin to camaraderie bloom in her chest. But as soon as the feeling had come, a doubtful thought colored her mind. What if the Ekek hadn't attacked though? Would Gale still be telling her what she knew?

"Of course when Dr. Silva-" Her friend's voice reached her ears, and quickly she tucked the question away for later.

"Dr. Silva from Pediatrics?" Rina's forehead puckered.

"He's my uncle - my mother's brother," Adam said.

She scoffed and shook her head. There seemed to be no end to the surprises. How many of the doctors were actually Elementals, she wondered. Perhaps another question for later, she decided. She would do well and make a list.

To her companions she waved a hand. "Go on," she said.

"When Dr. Silva saw it was you in the resident's lockers-" Gale blew smoke to her side. "Well, they know about the thin walls. So he immediately called Adam and had you under surveillance."

"You mean stalked?"

"Hey, I didn't take pictures of you or anything. I just followed you around a bit. They know me at the hospital so it was pretty easy to do."

The words picked at her underlying annoyance and Rina turned to him with a glare. The man flinched at the sudden daggers that came his way and swiftly pressed his lips to a close.

"One-" The doctor held up a finger, leaning forward on the table. "I don't care if it was easy. Hell, it may even make me feel better if you had a hard time doing it! Two-" Another one of her fingers went up. "Following me around still counts as stalking. You have no idea how creepy it is to be watched." The memories of the strange chills only fueled her irritation.

"I know you followed me home." Her eyes seemed to dare him to lie. "Three-" A third finger was left half bent. Granted when Rina had started counting she wasn't even sure how many points she had, yet still it felt stupid to only stop at 'two'.

She quickly racked her brain. She needed more things to say. But then the headache throbbed like a swelling, and the feat seemed quite impossible.

Screw it, she thought, easing herself back on the chair. She pressed the fingers of her right hand hard on the sides of her forehead. So what if her outburst was too short? They weren't in a position to criticize her ramblings. It was them who had upturned her world; they simply had no right.

When she finally dropped her hand, her expression was hard like stone. And with her mind at a temporary standstill, a simple question suddenly hit her.

"Wait." Her brows knitted. "How long have you been following me?"

"Since the night you met up with her." Adam cocked his head to the other woman's direction.

Rina turned to Gale, realization dawning on her. "He was the man you said was staring at me."

Gale smiled sheepishly. "Sorry," she said. "I had to distract you somehow. You were looking at me weird 'cause I asked for specifics."

"You know I almost didn't make it out of my chair in time?"

"I already said sorry for that."

"Still not cool, Gale."

The light banter reignited the doctor's annoyance, their casual voices like hammers pounding on her head.

"Stop!" She held out a hand, making two heads swivel in her direction. "I don't care whatever issues you have. I don't wanna hear it!"

She gave each of them a pointed look before her gaze finally settled on her friend. "Did you know from the start he was following me?"

"No." The other woman shook her head. "We were both surprised when we saw each other at the cafe."

"Of all the people you'd be meeting. I thought, 'what are the odds?'"

Gale nodded. "I only put two and two together when you told me the story."

"And yet you didn't say anything." Her stare matched the ice in her voice.

"I couldn't." The other woman couldn't look her in the eyes as she forced the smoke out of her lungs. She repeatedly jammed the cigarette in the ashtray as she spoke. "Rina, we have rules we follow. The Leaders would've had my head if I'd told you anything. As far we know, you're human."

"What changed then? Why tell me all about it now?" She crossed her arms under her chest.

"You're being targeted for one," Gale said. "Adam's been scaring them off since he first followed you."

Rina shifted her gaze to the man in question who for some reason had found it in himself the audacity to grin at her.

"You're welcome," he said.

She rolled her eyes at him, a hard set frown never leaving her face. "If you've been scaring them off then what about that creepy woman? She got to me didn't she?" Of course she didn't want to seem ungrateful, but the simmering anger she'd been keeping at bay wouldn't let her speak kindly.

"I lost sight of her in the parking lot."

Adam's expression seemed ridden with guilt, Rina thought, and suddenly felt an urge to take her words back. He had, after all, still saved her from the creature, and she had not yet even expressed her gratitude for what he'd done.

A word of apology was at the tip of her tongue when the man spoke again, forcing them to return at the back of her throat.

"It was dark where you parked," he said like an afterthought.

Rina felt the moment for apologies and gratitude had passed, and made a note to herself to say them at a later time. Instead she decided on an earlier accusation, a better choice to move the conversation along.

"So if that Ekek hadn't gotten to me, we wouldn't be having this conversation?"

A heavy silence answered her as both Adam and her friend stared down at the mugs of cold coffee placed in front of them.

"I can't believe this!" She threw her hands up, shaking her head. There wasn't even time for her thoughts to work through her emotions.

"You!" She turned to the man, her eyes blazing. She hunched forward, her form challenging, as her hands rested on the table tightly clenched. "Don't tell me you don't have a life! Were you going to follow me around forever?"

"Just until they stop coming after you." Adam met her eyes with a brave and steady gaze.

"And what if they don't?"

"Look Rina." Her friend then sighed as she moved slightly about in her seat. She leaned closer to her, her expression begging for her to listen. "The Leaders are still debating whether you're human or one of us. His uncle says they did the masking spell but some of the Leaders don't believe him. If it turns out they forgot to cast it and you're really human? We'll be screwed if we told you without good reason."

Her glare did not falter, though Rina could feel the anger dwindling as the gears in her head worked towards an understanding. Of course she found her friend's explanation quite reasonable, and she couldn't help but feel a hatred towards herself for finding it so. She wanted the boiling anger to stay, to fuel her words and let her friend realize what she'd done was unforgivable. But a veil of rationality floated over her emotions, drawn to her mind which had always been over her heart.

She closed her eyes and let out a sigh, feeling a bit bipolar. Perhaps she was just tired. Though she knew she would've found the logic behind their actions even if she still had the energy to force herself into blinding denial.

"So I may still be human?" she said, keeping her eyes closed. A mixture of relief and quite surprisingly a hint of disappointment washed over her at her own words.

"We're not sure," Gale said. "At least not yet."

Rina opened her eyes and let them linger on the dark wooden surface of the table. She pondered at the possibility of her not being human and couldn't quite understand the reconciliation she felt at the idea. Perhaps she was hoping that it would be the answer she was looking for. Would being an Elemental give her the purpose she sought after? Was this the secret path that would lead her to whatever she wanted?

She looked up to her friend watching her with kind eyes. She was undoubtedly letting her come to terms with the revelations on her own, a thoughtful gesture she could only be thankful for. Adam's gaze on the other hand met hers with determination. Such a steadfast look the man had that she had to forcibly tear her own eyes away.

"As far as I know I have no powers or anything," she said. She waved her hands all over as if to test it, a seemingly comedic action considering the way their conversation had gone over.

A chuckle escaped Gale's lips and she glared at her halfheartedly.

"Sorry," the woman said, a titter still floating in her voice, before she took one last slow drag of her cigarette and then finally stubbing it in the tray. With more composure she spoke again. "You don't just get powers Rina. Well, you do but you don't just wave a hand and get them."

"Then how do I know if I even have them?"

"I'm not sure," she said, a pensive look on her face. "It's different for everybody. But usually it awakens after an Elemental turns twenty-one."

"Really? Not sixteen? Eighteen?"

Her friend chuckled again. "No. Teen years are far too hormonal. Though in some extremely rare cases it's earlier than that. But way earlier. Like between three months to five years old."

"I was like that." Adam raised a hand.

Rina remained silent, an expectant look on her face. Despite her previous outbursts, she found herself rather curious. Granted her anger from before had more to do with Gale deceiving her, still it was strange that she thought the whole deal quite exciting. She knew she should've been more reluctant to believe their bizarre stories but somehow after the initial shock, accepting them seemed as natural to her as breathing.

"We'll tell you our versions of awakening some other time." Gale smiled, her eyes showing her sincere sympathy. "And we kinda owe you a little show and tell too."

"Prepare to be amazed." Adam winked at her, grinning, and Rina rolled her eyes at him.

Of course, she thought, how could she forget? They were Elementals and powers were what made them supernatural.

She let out a sigh and the pain in her head pulsed. With the anger wearing off her headache had somehow worsened. She placed her elbow on the table and her head between her hands. Her fingers massaged the top of her skull in futile attempt to subdue the pounding. Perhaps her friend was right, the answers she got would have to do for tonight.

"You okay Rina?" Gale's voice had a subtle flicker of concern.

"I think so," she said. "I mean I have a headache and I'm still not one-hundred percent sure I believe in the supernatural but-" She shook her head, a ghost of a smile upturning her lips. "I can deal."

Gale returned the smile, an honest one albeit weakly. "For what it's worth, I'm really - like really really sorry for lying to you. I know-"

"I kinda understand why you did it," she said quickly to cut her off. She knew where her friend would be going with her words and she wasn't too keen on being reminded of her past again. And of course there was Adam, who knew nothing about the reasons why she had reacted the way she did. She thought it over sharing to have him learn of her stupid mistakes.

"By tomorrow you'll be completely forgiven." She smiled. "Right now, I think I just need some sleep."

"Well, it's almost 4 am." Gale looked up to the clock up by the door. "We should try and catch some."

She then turned to Adam with a teasing glint in her eyes. "You on the couch," she said with a smirk.

"I figured." The man slumped in the chair as if exhausted.

Gale stood from her seat, the chair squeaking against the hardwood floor. She took the mugs with leftover coffee already frothing against its ceramic walls. Rina could hear her moving about in the kitchen, the clanking of cups and spoons mingling with the loud gush of water from the faucet.

Drowning out the background, she stared at the table top. In her head she played a recap of everything she was just told. It all seemed like a dream, unreal and absurd. But the most disturbing thought, she decided, was how easily she had accepted them. Was it perhaps because a friend had been the one to tell her? Did her trust in Gale overshadow her skepticism?

Quite possibly, she thought, but felt there was more to it than that. She still had a lot of questions, though they were muddled in her mind.

She glanced at the man on her right who was lounging in the chair with his arms crossed. He had his head resting on the edge of the backrest and his eyes were shut close. He looked peaceful and unbothered by the things that had happened that night. Surely he couldn't have mustered such expression had they'd been tricking her?

He was forced to look after her and had even saved her from the Ekek. She had trusted him so easily though perhaps it was from shock. And yet she felt like she owed him somehow, a preposterous notion she couldn't seem to dismiss. Funny, she thought, how she'd questioned his stories but never his intentions.

As if he felt her staring, he opened one eye which met hers. Her eyes widened at the smirk that slowly formed on his lips. Heat rose to her cheeks and she averted her gaze quickly. It was rude of her to stare, she realized too late.

"You can use your old room Rina," Gale said as she walked back to the kitchen. "There's still a bed there."

Rina simply nodded amidst the incessant pounding in her head. She hoped her friend wouldn't notice the blush she could feel had crept up her face. The woman simply smiled, not a word passing her lips. Though there was a certain glint in her eyes which told the doctor that she did.

Gale walked towards the stairs and had taken two steps when Rina stopped her.

"Wait," she said, a simple question in her mind. "I forgot to ask earlier but when you say Elementals, can you control all the elements?"

Gale's smile widened as she shook her head. "Just one of five," she said.

"Fire, Air, Water, Earth, and the most elusive fifth element." She turned to face Adam who had gotten up from his seat.

"What do you two have?"

"That's gonna be part of show and tell."

"'Cause you know I just love surprises," she said with sarcasm. But then thought perhaps it would be better, would make the whole thing easier to believe.

Her friend let out a chuckle, taking another step up the stairs.

"G'night you two," she said as she disappeared in the corner to the second floor.

Rina stood up from the chair, her eyes and limbs heavy. She suddenly felt so tired and battered, the fatigue finally setting in. She dragged her feet towards the stairs. At the moment, to her, sleep seemed most appealing.

"Hey, Rina," Adam said, so she stopped and turned to face him.

"I know it's a lot to take in so if ever you can't sleep and want to talk, just wake me up. I'm a light sleeper." There was kindness in his eyes when her own met them.

"Thanks." The doctor smiled. "I think I can sleep actually. I feel so tired."

She didn't bother ask why he had offered and thought perhaps he was simply a genuinely nice guy.

"Good then." He smiled. "Goodnight."

"Oh. And Adam?" Rina said. With gratitude blooming in her chest, she felt it best to finally say it. "Thanks for saving me."

"Anytime." This time the man's smile reached his eyes.

"Night." She smiled back, but quickly looked away feeling somewhat conscious.

Rina dropped to the bed, face down, as soon as she closed the door of her room. The foam smelled musky when she took a deep breath, the air humid and heavy over her skin. It seemed the room had long been undisturbed and she could practically imagine the dust floating about whenever she moved. But the drowsiness overpowered her senses. She didn't care that the bed had no sheets. All she wanted was a peaceful sleep before she needed to face reality again in a few hours.

Thoughts of nightmare creatures filled her mind as she finally dozed off, her transition from wakefulness to sleep a gentle breeze. And though in the morning she would think that her consciousness had somehow tainted her dreams, while she was actually dreaming, she understood that the woman with the striking silver hair and amethyst eyes was the purpose she'd been yearning for.