Free Knowledge: The Fifth Division Saga: Book 1 by Kira Stüssy Page A

think that you are human?”
    I nodded my head, “Duh.” My tone dripped in sarcasm, but my confidence slowly drained from me.
    He inclined his head, clearly surprised, “I see,” he looked to his companion briefly who simply shrugged and jut his head forward as if to say, Go ahead . Ash sighed and our group came to a stop in the middle of a small clearing. I had hardly realized how deep we had ventured into the forest. The farmhouse could no longer be seen, only the tall spires of trees and the wildlife that flourished among them. In the distance, I could hear the love song of two birds chirping their affections to one another. A soft drizzle of rain pattered on the canopy of the forest, with only a couple stray drops finding their way to the floor. I felt the cold sting of freezing rain as it landed on the bare skin of my arm. I watched absently as the water soaked into my pores, barely leaving a trace.
    Ash motioned for me to sit. I chose a decent sized boulder and wiggled a bit in an attempt to find comfort. Realizing this was a lost cause, I gave up and gazed up at Ash. He remained standing as he began to speak, “So, to be clear, you have no clue as to what Nostos is nor do you know about anyone who lives there.” It was a statement not a question.
    I shook my head slowly, stress clutching at my heart, “No.”
    “I’m going to scout the area. I’ll make sure we weren’t followed.” Erion proclaimed suddenly and without another word he disappeared into the trees.
    “I have never heard of this before.” Ash murmured, his eyes glazed and lost in thought.
    I squirmed, “Heard of what?”
    He gave a small smile but his eyes remained unseeing, “This is so odd. I have never met an Elemental who is ignorant to their heritage, who grew up thinking they were human.”
    A flicker of confusion surged through me unexpectedly, revealing itself as anger, “Why do you keep saying that?” I snapped. “I am human. And what are you talking about? Elemental?”
    He remained serious but I caught that strange fire flicker in his dark gaze, “No, you’re not.”  As if sensing my bafflement, he hurried on, probably so I could not interrupt him, “You are an Elemental. Are you sixteen?”
    I nodded numbly, not processing or understanding the new information he had just given me, “Today is my birthday.”
    “No kidding.” He whispered, something like realization dawning on his face. “Do you know what time you were born?”
    It seemed like an odd question, but then again, everything that had happened in the last few hours had been odd, “Yeah,” I racked my brain, searching for the number, “I think 11:52pm…yeah I’m sure of it, because Caspian was born at 11:45 and he never lets me forget that he’s seven minutes older.” I grinned at the thought of the lifelong rivalry with my brother about who was superior and why. But thinking about Caspian made my heart ache, and I desperately hoped he was alright, Bram too.
    “Wait, you have a twin?” I nodded. “Oh, wow. Okay, so you only have about an hour and a half until you receive your Knowledge.” Ash mused. He scanned me up and down and I felt the urge to put a paper bag over my head. I’m generally a pretty confident person, never before have I felt so insecure and nervous when someone looked at me. But as Ash’s scrutinizing eyes raked over me in a most objective way, I could not help but want to hide. I was suddenly achingly aware of how ratty my hair was and how my torn up clothes draped over me unattractively. I knew that over the course of the night, I had become dirty and disheveled. Since when do I care this much?
    “What?” I said finally, wishing he would stop looking at me.
    “It’s just that I can’t identify what your Knowledge will be.” he muttered and he looked away. I was able to breathe again and I swiftly combed my grubby fingers through my long tangles in a desperate attempt to tame them. “Normally you can tell by the eyes or