“Alright, Eli,” said Kendrick. “Make the call. I say we all go in and crush this kid.”

Eli sighed. “You guys win. I’m tired of waiting too. Let’s go.”

Eli and his five brothers walked into the cave.

Thunder crackled around his fingertips, he looked forward to finishing this job, killing this kid.

“Which element was going to win today?” said Kendrick. “My vote is fire.”

“You always vote fire,” said Patrick. “I don’t see my trait working out too well here.”

“Waterbringers suck,” said Kendrick.

The Reckless Brothers’ traits all revolved around the different elements: air, water, earth, fire, and thunder.

Every fight they had was a competition to see which element would come out on top.

The kid ran deeper into the cave.

Eli snickered. He didn’t understand why the kid was running. When he had come to the entrance, he’d proved to them there was no other exit.

* * *

Max’s heart raced as he hid in the shadows.

The footsteps of the five men got louder and louder.

“C’mon out little boy,” said a creepy menacing voice.

The voice held more venom than even the shadow monster he’d just fought.

“Don’t try and escape us, kid,” said a different voice. “Because you won’t. Even if you do, you don’t. You get what I’m saying, kid? You escape us here. We come find you somewhere else.”

Max thought about how he was always running away and hiding from those stronger than him. That was what he used to do at school with his bully Seth. Same with Mr. Grimes at the orphanage.

He was always hiding.

Never standing up.

And he hated himself for that.

The voice echoing through the cave continued.

“If we can’t find you: we go and take that little airbringer friend of yours and make sure you come to us. We’re professionals, kid. We’ll torture everyone you love until you come out of hiding.”

The man had gone too far.

He was threatening those he loved.

Yet, he was still hiding, still running away.

He was always running. Always hiding.

Not anymore.

* * *

“Give up the chase, kid, and let us do our—”

SLICE!

“Kendrick?” asked Eli.

They were suddenly deep enough in the cave that it was mostly shadowy darkness.

Eli couldn’t see his brother. He couldn’t understand why he’d suddenly stopped talking.

SLICE!

“Urhgh...urhgl...”

Kendrick collapsed on the ground.

Dead.

“He’s attacking,” shouted Eli. “Everyone be on your guard!”

Eli triggered his trait, casting a blast of lighting through the cave.

He wanted to get a better view. The kid must be hiding in plain sight if he was able to sneak up on Kendrick.

But even as the purple lightning filled the cave, he couldn’t see anything.

Where the heck was the kid?

“He’s over there,” shouted Patrick.