"Violets and purples, diamonds and circles..." Charlotte sings softly from beside me, her fingers wrapped tightly around my index finger. "You're my kaleidoscope."

I smile gently at the younger girl who is gazing everywhere with curious and wide eyes. It's like she is drinking in the scenery.

"Where are we going now?" I ask, not really remembering the last element we need to get the crystal for.

"Lightning cave." Lauren reminds me, smiling softly at my forgetful mind.

"Ah, yes." I nod my head. "I remember now. Do you have any idea where it could be?"

"Somewhere around here." Lauren gestures to all around us, mocking my behavior from earlier. I roll my eyes.

"Whatever."

"I'm kidding, Camz." Lauren laughs, taking my hand in her's. "I'm just following most of the Yellow spirits and hoping they lead us to where we are supposed to be."

As if on cue, a flock of Yellow spirits rushes by. A few Gray and White spirits linger around but none of them seem too energetic. A Red spirit is playing tag with a Shimmer spirit which seems oddly ironic.

"Makes sense." I decide, shrugging at my wife's theory.

We pass a medium-sized lake, the red water reflecting off the green light being cast through the trees' canopy. Charlotte's singing flattens out as she shifts her head to gaze at the lake.

"Mama!" Charlotte shrieks gleefully, rushing over to the lake while dragging me after her. Lauren stops walking as Charlotte pulls me away, leaving the older girl looking very confused.

Charlotte and I stop at the edge of the red lake, the younger girl gazing at it with wide eyes. "It looks like Kool-aid!" She ogles, her tone full of astonishment. She then pulls me down gently to her height and whispers, "Can I drink it?"

I laugh softly, shaking my head. "No, sunshine. You can't." I giggle, kissing her head when she sighs disappointedly.

"Why did you leave me here to burn?" Lauren calls over to us, walking to Charlotte and I finally.

"You're not even on fire." I scoff, shaking my head.

"Yeah, but I'm pretty hot." Lauren retorts calmly, bending down beside us to gaze at the red water.

"Stop being such a butt." I roll my eyes, laying my head on her shoulder anyway.

"You like this butt." Lauren says, pointing to herself cockily.

"I like your butt." I retort, winking. Charlotte crinkles her nose and furrows her eyebrows at my comment but doesn't say anything. I think she knows what to ignore.

"Right back at you." Lauren snaps her fingers before pointing them at me in a gun-like manner.

"You're so weird." I chuckle, shoving Lauren gently in the side. Me, being the clumsiest person I know, of course falls over while pushing my wife.

I land on my side in the grass, my body laying down while my right arm is propped up in my attempt to steady myself before falling.

"Klutz." Lauren comments, crawling over to me and placing herself over my body.

"I'm your klutz." I tell her, smiling faintly up at her. She grins down at me, lowering her head slightly to peck my lips gently.

"I'm grateful that you are." Lauren smiles, her eyes shining while so close to my face.

Charlotte suddenly jumps up on us, wrapping her arms around both of our bodies. She plants a brief kiss on my cheek, nuzzling into Lauren's neck afterwards. Her body then relaxes on Lauren and I, her soft breathing tickling my nose slightly.

We all stay like this for a while; Lauren's arm draped over my side, her face in my neck. My body on the ground, being supported by my right arm. Charlotte's body sprawled out on Lauren and I, her face against mine.

We are a family.

Suddenly, a group of Yellow spirits—four or five of them—pass over us. They tickle us slightly with their feet, causing Lauren to stir first. She retracts herself from the heap, getting to her feet.

"We need to find the Lightning cave." Lauren tells us, helping me to my feet. Charlotte reluctantly gets to her, taking my hand quickly.

"I know." I sigh, longing to just go home and sleep.

"I never liked lighting." Charlotte shares, narrowing her brown eyes slightly. "When it flashes in the sky, it hurts my eyes. Too bright."

Lauren and I exchange glances. Charlotte must really be a Thunder, as she doesn't like lightning and she didn't like the snow cave. I wonder how she feels about the forest. I mean, it did change her eye color.

"Let's follow the Yellow spirits." I suggest, earning a raised eyebrow from Lauren.

"Hmm, I wonder whose idea that was." Lauren ponders sarcastically, tapping her chin with her index finger in fake thought.

"You know what?" I ask. Right when Lauren is about to respond, I cut her off with a suppressed smile. "Shut up."

"Oh?" Lauren cocks an eyebrow, a smug smirk on her lips. She then slowly takes her bottom lip between her teeth, letting it slide out painfully sluggish.  Make me."

My eyes shoot over to Charlotte who isn't paying attention and chatting with a Yellow spirit who is passing by. She must not like lightning but Lightnings must not bother her.

Taking this chance, I swiftly hook my fingers onto Lauren's belt loops and pull her toward me. I tilt my head slightly and press my lips to her's in an eager movement. She hums in surprise, planting her hands on mine.

I lean into the kiss, making Lauren move backwards slightly. Our lips move in sync, reminding us how it felt to be free from problems and complications. Suddenly, the sound of Charlotte squealing makes us pull away.

"You really are in love." Charlotte mumbles in awe, her eyes fixed on Lauren and I.

"What do you mean?" Lauren asks, chuckling awkwardly. "We've always been in love. Well, at least from the second I met Camila, I was in love."

"I watch all those princess movies where the girl falls in love with the boy and they end up kissing," Charlotte explains, suddenly embarrassed. "I've just never seen a kiss so real and raw. It all seems so fake on the television. Mama, Mom.. you're real."

I find myself grinning ear to ear, turning my head to look at Lauren with adoring eyes. But when my eyes land on her, I see she is already gazing at me. I giggle softly, reaching over to take her hand.

Suddenly, a Yellow spirit passes by, nudging my shoulder forward gently, but just enough to make me stumble forward. Lauren steadies me, her hands immediately on my waist. I smile at her, silently thanking her.

Charlotte then skips off after the Yellow spirit, keeping close at his feet. Lauren and I sigh, chasing after her for what seems like the millionth time today.

She runs after the spirit all the way up a hill until the Yellow spirit swerves off to the side and join a Green spirit. They float off. Charlotte stops her chase, her eyes following the pair of spirits nevertheless.

"What did we say about running off?" Lauren asks once we reach her, placing her hand on the younger girl's shoulder.

"He told me to follow him by bumping Camila." Charlotte explains, as if it's the most common piece of information. "He nudged her forward, toward the hill."

"That still doesn't make it okay to run off without telling us." Lauren sighs, her eyes pleading our daughter to stay put for once. We're too scared about what could happen to her.

"I'm sorry, but, Mom, look where he brought us." Charlotte pleads her case, pointing to the large, airy, cave before us. I hadn't even noticed it until now.

At the crown of the stone cave, three Lightning crystals create the shape of a lightning bolt, the crystals glowing in the dim green light. As we get closer to the cave, I can see inside at the beautiful madness the walls flaunts. Lightning bolts like claw marks run along the stone, swirling with each other to etch a scene.

The floor of the cave has one long lightning bolt down its middle, strange blue and yellow sparks flicker from it as we get closer.

My foot is about to step on the ground when Lauren grasps my arm and jerks me backwards. I stumble slightly, taking Charlotte with me.

"What was that for?" I ask, bewildered.

"What are you doing?" Lauren retorts, her emerald eyes wide and her tone sharp.

"Going into the cave." I say bluntly, shrugging it off. I turn to go back in when she pulls me steady.

"We can't." She stresses. "It's electric."

"Back up, back up, back up." I shake my head along with my hands in confusion. "Do it slow-mo, this time. It's what?"

"It's electric." Lauren spells it out for me, pointing to the flickering yellow and blue sparks. "Probably to anyone other than a Lightning, it's deadly."

"Then how are we supposed to get the crystal?" I ask, glaring at the cave's insides. Lightnings must not like many elements; if they're cave floor is deadly.

Lauren takes a moment to consider options in her head, batting them back and forth from good to bad. After a few minutes of her biting her bottom lip in thought, her eyes light up.

"What about that floating thing you can do?" Lauren asks excitedly. "You know, when we were at camp at you floated us up to the roof?"

"I can try." I shrug, trying to remember how to do it.

"Then just float in there and get it." Lauren concludes as if it's the simplest thing ever heard.

I nod, forming the Air sign with my fingers and placing it above my head. I bring it down  slowly in front of my body, feeling my feet leave the ground. I hover for a few seconds before I dare move.

"Wow.." Charlotte marvels, staring up at me. Her brown eyes practically glow while she gazes at me.

I go to propel myself forward when a sharp pain flashes in my arm, making me yelp and grab my bandaged arm. The cut Charlotte accidentally gave me throbs in pain as I try to move it.

"Lower." I mutter, dropping to the ground ungracefully. Lauren wraps her arms around my waist, pulling me into her chest so I don't hit the ground.

"Are you okay?" Lauren asks, kissing my forehead fiercely before helping me to my feet.

"Yeah," I nod slowly, brushing myself off. "I think so."

"What happened?" Lauren inquires, concern showing through her words and her endearing eyes.

"It just really hurt my arm." I sigh. "You know, my cut."

"What else can we try, then?" Lauren ponders, running her hand through her dark brown hair. Her face is contorted with concentration when her features suddenly soften.

"I got it." Lauren beams, running over to a nearby red lake. "I'll make the Water sign, get my spirits, and get them to get the crystal for us!"

"And since when does electricity and water work together?" I comment, earning a crinkled nose from my wife.

"It's going to work." Lauren announces, dunking her hand into the red water and pulling it out afterwards. Immediately, her three spirits take by her side. She returns to me, her eyes glittering gorgeously.

"Stream, get the crystal." Lauren commands, pointing at the shimmering Yellow crystal at the end of the cave.

The spirit takes the order and glides through the cave. Stream then picks up the crystal, returning to us easily. That was easier than I thought it'd be.

Stream hands me the crystal. I look at the Yellow crystal, surprised to see that it's no longer yellow. It's now shining blue, through and through. Yet, it still sends a small shock through my hand when I touch it. It's still Lightning.

It must of turned blue when Lauren's Blue spirit touched it. It makes sense, after all. Water meeting Lightning changes things. I stuff the crystal into my pocket along with the Gray crystal.

"We can finally go back to camp and get them pressed into her ring then we can go home." Lauren smiles, dismissing her spirits after thanking them.

"It's about time."

__

A/N: hallo! I'm honestly so excited for the rest of this book. I have another story coming up after this one and then a few more whose plots are done yet. On Monday, July 10th I'm going to Seattle and then on a cruise ship for vacation so I won't update at all that week and probably a few days after or before. Just a early heads up.

Anyway, if you enjoyed this chapter, please star it! Thank you so much and have a lovely day—you deserve it. I love you so much.

~StrangeBlob

(P.s: I'll most likely update one more time before leaving on July 10th. The next chapter is the one with the biggest cliffhanger, so I'm so sorry that if the chapters land like that, you won't get another chapter until a long time. I'm so sorry, I didn't plan for it like this. Just.. don't get angry.)

(P.p.s: the song Charlotte is singing in the beginning is Kaleidoscope by A Great Big World.)