Young Writers Society

Dillon Abraham

Dill wasn't paying much attention to the old lady's presentation. He couldn't tear his eyes away from his brother, and he was sure that he was starting to freak the younger boy out by now. He just couldn't believe that he was here, or that he had the same abilities. It was all too much to handle in one day, and it wasn't even noon yet. He felt like he needed to sleep for three years, and even then he thought he would still not be ready and rested enough to handle what was going on right now.

Sometime in between his mental musings, the old lady left the room, leaving them alone. The quiet hit Dillon like a ton of bricks. He didn't like quiet spaces, the lack of noise made him nervous and anxious. He was just rising to leave, his hand on Derek's should, signaling him to follow, when someone screamed in pain.

His head whipped around to the source of the noise and he saw one of the girl's arms engulfed in fire and a boy examining his burned hand. Dillon quickly walked over and placed both his hands on the girl's shoulders. He didn't feel pain.

"Just relax. Try counting to ten, that's what I used do when I couldn't control it."

The girl looked up at him panicked.

"Close your eyes," he insisted, and she did. Her mouth moved silently, forming whispers of words - numbers - and soon the flames extinguished. Dillon smirked and gave her a pat on the back.

"Sometimes it's hard, but I haven't had any outbursts like that since I was young. Try to keep yourself under control, rookie."

He started again for the door and set off to find his room and sleep. The food could wait and he'd catch up with his brother later, but for now he needed a nice long nap.

Viktoria King Shaky Beginnings

"Sometimes it's hard, but I haven't had any outbursts like that since I was young. Try to keep yourself under control, rookie."

Viktoria arches her eyebrow questioningly at the boy, recognizing him to be a fellow Fire. She inhales deeply then whispers a sincere “thank you” in the direction of the young man. He glances over his shoulder in response, but if he says anything as a reply, it falls upon deaf ears; Viktoria is already turned towards the rather tall blonde on her right. She pushes back her chair cautiously, standing to meet the boy’s emerald gaze as he massages his slightly scorched skin.

“Good Lord, I’m so sorry. I- I just…” she searches desperately for a coherent sentence. “I couldn’t control myself for a moment there.” With a shamed expression, Viktoria forces a half smile to grace her features. “I’m bad at apologies… and introductions, but I’ll try.” She extends a shaky, now cooled hand for the blonde to grasp. “I’m Viktoria King, and as you probably already noticed, I’m sort of a Fire.”

Out of the corner of her eye, King notices movement as another Fundamental strides toward her and the boy.

Ellie Hollings

Ellie smiled politely at the other Air, Ricky, and looked around the room. Was there any other Airs, she wondered?

She decided to get up from her seat and walk around, slowly studying each person. If you looked closely enough, it was somewhat easy to tell what Element each person was. The loud and aggressive ones were Fires, the steady and serious ones Earth. Ellie worried for a moment how different she was from an Air, who everyone assumed to be a ditz. And while she wasn't the smartest cookie in the cookie jar, she still had a head on her shoulders and wasn't a complete idiot.

People shot her weird looks as they noticed her studying them, and she merely glared back, daring them to say something. Yep, absolutely nothing like an Air.

Her eyes landed on the corner of the room, by the door, where a Secret Service man stood, watching them. Her eyes narrowed and she studied him as well.

His eyes met hers, challenging, and she felt her teeth clench. For some reason, she despised the look he was giving her, and she took a blind step forward, knocking into someone and stepping on a toe or two.

"Ouch!" they both yelled, and Ellie stumbled back, losing her balance and falling, only to be caught by the person.

(could be anyone)

Ricky

Ricky clutched his foot, then his hand, then his foot in pain. He sighed in frustration. Things weren't going too smoothly so far. He turned to see who had trampled all over him, and was surprised to see Ellie. Blonde hair, green eyes, porcelain skin, pretty short.

"I'm sorry," she said, smiling.

Ricky shrugged. "It's OK. Today hasn't been the best day of my life anyway. I saw you are an Air?"

Ellie nodded. "Yeah, I am."

"Cool. Me too. So . . . have an idea what we're supposed to do?"

"Well that fat lady said to go to our rooms and find some stuff in them, then go to dinner in about an hour. I 'spose that's what we should do."

Ricky nodded, leading the way to the door. Ellie followed. Ricky felt much more comfortable, now that he was talking with someone. "So, I assume they came and got you the same way they did me and the others?"

"Yeah. Just busted in and made that stupid mannequin that looks like me. I honestly don't know why they think anyone will believe I killed myself. But I guess no one will suspect otherwise."

Ricky sighed, walking down the hall, looking for his room. He spotted it at the far end, right next to Ellie's. "Well, see you at dinner."

Ellie said bye and entered her room. Ricky opened his. The room was a simple layout. Twin-sized bed with a necklace and a book with a red cover. closet to the left, bathroom to the left.

Ricky sighed. Things were going to get interesting.

Derek had edged his way towards the door when the commotion started. Some girl name Ellie had introduced herself, apparently expecting everyone else to do the same. But Dill’s temper had blown and some girl burned another young man’s hand. Ricky, that was his name. Not that it mattered much. They were about as normal as any group of kidnapped and possibly insane teenagers could be, and it wasn’t his practice to associate with his contemporaries. They were nothing exceptional, and he could care less. Except for Dillon. But he was avoiding Dillon for now.

He slipped out, unnoticed as usual, and headed down the hallway. It intersected at another corridor, this one lined with wall-length windows. From where he stood, with the golden glow of evening casting warm pools of light on the dark carpet, he could see the skyline rising up from D.C. It was windy, and the trees in the park some seven stories below swayed back in forth, their branches lashing about wildly. Perhaps there was a storm blowing in. Where am I? he asked himself. There was no way for him to know, of course. The city was new and strange, and he was barred from it in his towering cage.

He took a left and, six doors down, spotted his name tacked hastily into the wood on the door. He scowled before prying the nameplate off and stepping inside his room. The lock was on the outside, he noticed. And there was no way for him to bar it from the inside. How inconvenient. Only another reason for him to distrust the Service. Finally left to himself, he began to think about what the Informant had told them in the conference room earlier.
“We need your help, the world needs your help.” He scoffed. Immortal and human worlds? Spell-casting? The dark lord Karzai? What a load of crap. It was like he was living a scene from Harry Potter, and he wondered just how far the Service had gone to set up such a fantastic fabrication. The “chosen Fundamentals,” indeed. Something was going on here, something much deeper than what met the eye.

As if agreeing with his own private thoughts he found a small box lying on top of the bed, looking strangely conspicuous in the bare room. Well, they certainly weren’t doing much to belay his suspicion; it only grew when he saw it.

Derek walked over and gingerly picked it up. It was smooth and cool to the touch. He examined the box, a little smaller than a shoebox, and wondered how it was supposed to open. There was no keyhole, and there did not even appear to be a lid. It was made from some hard material, almost like plastic. On closer inspection he discovered it to be a type of stone. Now this is weird… he thought. He ran his hands all over the box but still could not find a way to open it. He set it down, paced away, and stared at it from a distance. The white stone had a sort of translucence to it, not quite opaque. It seemed familiar to him. Where had he seen that sort of thing before?

The mannequin. He recalled that the face had been made out of the same smooth, lifeless stone. On a sudden whim he picked up the box again, remembering how the mannequin had been activated to begin with. He had given the puppet a drop of his blood, and wondered if the box worked in the same way. The Service had taken his pocketknife, but that was a small matter. He bit his finger, pinching down hard until the skin broke, then smeared a thin line of red across the top of the box.

The box glowed. Or so it seemed. He blinked his eyes and the light was gone. Maybe he had imagined that. But the lid on the box had clicked open. His theory had been right after all. Derek, rather unceremoniously, dumped the contents of the box onto the bed. A heavy book thumped onto the cover, but more interesting was the necklace that fell out and rolled off onto the floor. He stopped down to pick it up, and held it lightly in his hand.

It was a simple thing. A thin silver chain attached to a pendant of the same material. The metal had been carved into a small circle, fitting easily into his palm. Braided and looped, set firmly around a dark red stone. He felt inexplicably drawn to it, and without thinking about what he was doing placed it around his neck. It rested solidly on his chest, a comfortable and somehow reassuring weight. He admired the amulet, before suddenly realizing that he had so easily accepted the gift of his possible enemy. He shivered and quickly put the chain back into the box.

He picked up the book instead and thumbed through it. It was some sort of a training guide, with old ink illustrations of fighting styles and such. He looked at the pictures that showed a man using fire in his hands, but only for a few moments. He set the book aside. He could barely use fire anyway, that wouldn’t be of much help to him. He didn’t even know if he wanted to use fire. It had all happened so fast... Had he all just imagined the whole thing?

He wondered, again, if the Service had invented it all for a purpose different than what they were telling everyone. If they all really could use the elements and manipulate them at will, the implications would be grave. He remembered the superhero movies he and his brother used to watch, and his imagination led him to picture some specially trained task force in the military. X-men style, with the imprisonment and extermination of his race.

He wasn’t about to let these people control him like that. He was going to get to the bottom of this.

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Derek, at the last moment, decided to take the necklace with him. He didn’t wear it though, something warned him against that. He put it in his pocket instead. It was only when he had snuck past a guard and into the stairwell at the end of the hall that he realized that the necklace might have a tracking chip or camera imbedded in it. Oh well. He was probably going to get caught anyway.

Derek had two options from where he was: go up or go down. Considering that the front entrance was probably under constant surveillance and heavily guarded, he decided to head up. He crept up the stairs, wincing at every little noise. It was magnified in the concrete shaft, bouncing off the metal stairs. He even heard a few people take the stairs far, far, below him, which made his heart start to hammer away in his ribcage.

He reached the last landing and went in through a door that he thought would lead to the roof, but it led to a maintenance room. Cords were coiled on huge reels and stacked against the wall. There was a door on the other side though, and he went through it to find a narrow hall. There was a window on one end and another stair well on the other. That must be the way to the roof. But there was a second door, and he stared with sudden interest at the heavy metal plates that armored it. Despite the forbidding appearance it was unlocked, and he stepped through easily enough.

Derek found himself on a metal catwalk, the narrowest of balconies, and as he looked down he drew in his breath sharply.

Far below him, hollowed out from all twenty stories of the building, it seemed, there stretched a huge, open chamber. He felt suddenly dizzy, staring below him. It was at least 200 feet to floor, quite a drop. The walls were all lined with a uniform metal plating, and where he stood on his level there was a complicated system of catwalks and lighting rigs that stretched across empty space. The lights cast an eerie blow fluorescent glow over the huge room.

The floor was black and empty, and Derek couldn’t help but wonder what it was all for. He walked along the catwalks, peering beneath his feet to see. At least he wasn’t afraid of heights.

In the center of the room he found the one structure in the place. It was hard to see from his angle, but it looked like some sort of a metal statue had been placed on a circular stone platform. Whatever it was gleamed quietly, and the black, smooth floor caught strange reflections from the light above.
What the hell? he murmured to himself. He was reminded of the movies with the mad scientists who kept their prized invention of doom locked away in some lab-like chamber. Derek shook his head. He was letting his thoughts run away from him again. If only Dillon could see this, he would be…

“Hey!” a voice shouted behind him. Derek’s head shot up, and he glanced around wildly. He found that there were other doors than the one he had just come from, which he should have noticed at first, and a man had emerged from one to his right. He wore a hard-hat, which wasn’t too threatening. But he was shouting something into his pager, and that was threatening. Derek didn’t wait for him to start asking questions. He turned and bolted for the way he had come. Out of nowhere it seemed men started to swarm the catwalks. Not just guys in hard-hats, these ones carried guns and wore masks. What had he gotten himself into? Derek hit the door and flew into the hall. He slammed it behind him and ran for the stairwell. They would expect him to go back down, not head for the roof. At least that’s what he hoped for. He sprinted up the stairs and pushed through the door, a flock of pigeons flying up right in front of his face. He shut the door behind him and, crouching low to the stoop on the top of the building, crept around back to look for a place to hide.

He never got the chance. Six guards came barreling out of the door, and Derek found himself running instinctively as far away as possible. That led him right to the edge of the roof. He skidded to a stop and was again reminded of how far up he really was. He was also reminded of how windy it was, as a sudden gust tilted him forward. He stumbled back from the edge.
“Halt!” one of the guards shouted from behind him. “Put your hands on your head, turn around slowly.” Derek did as he was told. “That’s it.” The guard said through his mask. Two others came up on either side of him and took him by the arms. They cuffed his hands behind his back as he stared levelly at the main speaker, who still had his gun leveled at him. Wordlessly, they led him back to the stairwell, and with one last look at the setting sun and the deep blue sky above, Derek was dragged back into the dark interior.

They didn’t take him back to his room, they took him to a cell, somewhere on the third floor. He had counted the landings. It was little more than a concrete room, with bars across the window on the door. There was a bed, and a toilet behind a sheet.
“Wait here,” the guard said. “Your leader will speak with you shortly.” Then they left him, much in the same place where he had started. Alone with his thoughts. Derek sighed and slumped back against the wall. They hadn’t bothered to remove the hand-cuffs, probably considering the fact that he was a “fire.” But that also meant they probably weren’t planning to keep him here very long either. Derek wondered if he would be missed by the others. “Probably not.” He muttered to himself, before wincing with guilt as he thought of his brother.

Then his stomach rumbled, and he realized that he was missing supper.

“Damn.” he growled.

Rory

On the way to 'her room', Rory was looking for ways to escape. She didn't do it consciously, but she found herself calculating how deep into the building she had moved and by exerting a small amount of pressure on the floor, she could tell that the ground underneath this level was hollow – there was another floor below. That might be useful to know if she decided to leave.

If. Rory wasn't certain what she wanted to do. She didn't want to stay, but if what the woman had said was true and all of the world was in danger, then she couldn't leave. To someone else, it might have sounded like a crazy idea, but Aurora had been dealing with crazy since she first discovered her abilities. In comparison to all those years of confusion, this was actually the first time her powers had started to make sense.

So this was her room. Rory didn't have her own room back home and she certainly didn't feel like this one was hers. She could see that two items had been placed on the bed and she stepped over to examine them: a necklace and a book. Neither held much interest for Aurora who didn't have much time for school since she had real things to do, like washing clothes, or seeing that the little ones got a hot meal before bed. School didn't help with any of that. The other item was equally useless: a necklace. Aurora hadn't owned a piece of jewellery in her life and wasn't about to start wearing one now.

Putting the items aside, Aurora sat down on the bed, her legs crossed under her and her back leaning against the headboard. She weighed her dislike of these people against the impossibility of leaving and formed a temporary conclusion: she had to at least hear them out. If that meant sitting through dinner then she wasn't too proud to eat their food. She was hungry and it was the least they could provide to make up for the pain they had caused to her and her family.

It didn't seem long before someone came to show her to the dinner hall and Rory left both items behind. She hadn't examined them any more closely before and didn't feel any more attachment to them than she did her room – these weren't her things. Gifts might buy the favour of some of the other children, but Rory would rather have the food.

When she entered the room and was in the company of the others again, Aurora wasn't sure how she felt. She wanted to offer them some of the same solace she had found in her realisation that this might be something which had to be done, but she didn't think they would feel the same way. Rory didn't come from the same privileged background as these children; she didn't know what it was like being them.

Zendaya Dark

Zendaya didn't know what to make of everyone, though she doubted they knew what to make of her, since she actually never introduced herself. They didn't go in order. She gave a mental shrug. It's not like she wanted to introduce herself anyway. Zendaya didn't plan on making friends. Apparently, the world needed their help, not for them to become BFFs over night. Get in, get it done, get out, go home. Or so they say. She didn't trust them one bit. They were already dead to the world, so there would be no reason for them not to stab them in the back or never let them leave this place. The could even be lying to them about what they were actually here for. Who's to say? Everyone would find out one way or another.

As the room emptied, She was the last one to leave, taking her time to look around the barren and sterile space, then making her way to her new room where she found a book and necklace waiting there for her. She'd never been much of a fan of jewelry, and she wasn't now. There must have been a reason for it, so she stuck it in her pocket with the chain hanging out. She didn't pay much heed to the book, instead setting it aside so that she could rest her head on the cool refreshing sheets.

She wondered what was in store for them now that they were here. What kind of training what would be done. She also wondered if they'd ever seen the show Avatar or Legend of Korra. The thought had her smiling. Maybe she could help everyone else out. Show a few moves that would be able to help them with their movements when using their elements. It certainly would improve their technique, not that she knew anything about their technique, because she'd never seen them use their element in the first place.

Zendaya's thoughts drifted off, closing in on what things might have been like if she'd done something sooner that first night. Maybe her sister would still be alive. Maybe she'd still have an actual family to go home to. Maybe she wouldn't feel so empty. What would have have happened if she'd taken better care of her sister when they were being swept up from place to another? What if she couldn't have done any better? Questions and thoughts she had no idea how to find answers to. But then again, she guessed it didn't matter since it was all in the past, and there was nothing she could do about that.

Some while later, she was escorted to the dining room of what ever it was where everyone else was to eat. From the look of it, she may have been one of the last to arrive. I didn't talk to anyone, or look at anyone. I just let my mind wonder off as I waited. It was time to get to the bottom of things.

Ellie Hollings

People started to trickle out of the conference room and Ellie sighed. No one bothered to introduce themselves. Which was understandable; no one wanted to be here. She didn't want to be here. But there was nothing they could do about it. Their old lives were gone. Everyone they loved assumed they were dead.

Ellie followed the other Air, Ricky, down the hall and found that his room was next to hers. He seems nice, she thought as he tried to make small talk on the way there. At least he's trying.

She entered her room and closed the door, then locked it. Then she studied her surroundings cautiously. A simple twin sized bed, a dresser, and a bathroom. A shower.

She quickly moved across the small room and opened the drawers of the dresser. Tight blue jeans, sweaters, comfortable t-shirts, even a few band ones. The bras were even in her size. She was torn between being creeped out that they studied her and pleased that they bothered to get her style right. Grabbing up a pair of pants, socks, white bra, and a red sweater, she walked into the bathroom and took a decent shower.

They had even gotten her shampoo, conditioner, and body wash right, plus her favorite brand of razor. Even some face wash.

"Creepy." she decided, quickly dressing, then brushing her blonde hair out and clipping it halfway back. There was a makeup bag on the counter and she peeked inside, taking out an unopened thing of mascara. She studied it, then shrugged and applied it to her eyelashes.

**

Ricky came outside of his room as she did and she gave him a smile. It was better than an awkward wave. They started walking down to the dining room together.

"They had everything that I used to wear," he said.

Ellie looked at him and they shared a creeped out grimace, then entered the dining room. It was a big round table with enough chairs for all of them. The Informer was sitting at what Ellie gathered was the head of the table, waving them over. "We're waiting on the others."

Ellie took a seat somewhat away from the woman and Ricky sat beside her. She drummer her fingers on the table, trying to ease the awkward silence as they all stared at the doors.

**

Once everyone was seated and platters and dishes were placed in the center of the table, the Informer stood up. "Go ahead and eat, then make your way to bed. I advise you all to be wise and use this time to get to know each other, or at least your names." she said, then left the room.

"Well, I already introduced myself." Ellie grumbled to herself, feeling a bit offended that no one bothered to do the same.

(Introductions would be nice, so if y'all could.. c:)

Ricky Jones

Ricky say their, confused and scared. He had found everything in his room he needed, all the clothes fitting and had taken a quick shower. It had relieved him a little, but now he was feeling awkward again. He fiddled with his necklace. It impressed him quite a lot actually.

There was a simple metal chain and then a shiny silver ball hung from it. The ball was made by loops of silver, but it wasn't complete. Several slits were weaved throughout it. Inside there seemed to be something alive. Ricky intended to find out just what it was later, but now he sat, waiting. finally, before he lost his nerve, he stood up quickly.

"Er . . . my name's Ricky Jones. I'm an Air Fundamental. Uh . . . yeah that's it."

He sat down just as quickly as he had stood. A relief wave washed over him. That was done. He waited patiently for the next person to stand up. It was Ellie. He wasn't surprised. The Air Fundamentals are the most cheerful, light-hearted and social of the four groups.

She said her name, fundamental, and then mumbled an inaudible remark about the informer, as she sat down. Several more of the group began to stand, introducing themselves quickly. The atmosphere was lighting up, if only just a tad.

Ricky was tempted to jump right into the food, filling stuff. Baked potatoes with a whole bar loaded with toppings; sour cream, butter, several different kinds of cheese, ketchup, salt and pepper. Then there was the huge salad. It was donned with tomatoes, nuts, olives, and what looked like shredded carrots. Beside the massive glass bowl were all the ranches and dressing that anyone could want.

And last but by no means least was the dessert section. Pies, cakes, cookies, whipping, ice cream, and nut, berry, and chocolate drizzle toppings. People couldn't be all that bad to give them all this, could they? Or was it all a lure? A trick to win over their confidence? Ricky hoped not. Then his stomach growled. Who cares? He wanted to eat!

Viktoria King Ditching Dinner

Viktoria’s introduction had consisted of a heated glare and crossing her arms firmly. She honestly tried to be positive at first, but as the hours passed while at the Service, Viktoria gave into another brooding cloud of anger. Now she stares at her empty plate resting before her on the dining table, debating whether or not to trust the Service’s baked potatoes at the food bar. For all she knows, the workers could have slipped some sort of drug into everyone’s meals. With a sigh, Viktoria shoves the plate away and instead contents herself by zoning off during the meal. Her thoughts continually drift back to the past twenty-four hours when the Service stole her away for some “higher cause”. She closes her eyes, trying to drown out the clinking of silverware and hushed conversation in the dining hall.

If anyone finds out about this we’ll make sure you pay, we have ways, Fundamental. Ways of making you suffer. Nod twice if you understand, they had written to her. Do not fear, young Fundamental, we are the good guys. She mentally scoffs at the memory of the note from the Service.

When Viktoria opens her eyes again she stands up quietly, planning to slip out of the dining hall and away to explore more of the facility. She had looked around for a bit prior to supper, but didn’t find anything worth interest- just her living quarters, the stairwell, and a few locked office rooms- and she decides to snoop around further. However, when the girl pushes her chair in someone touches her elbow, grabbing her attention. She faces them curiously.

Rory

"I'm Rory." She held the blonde girl's gaze for a moment before reaching for a roll of bread and scraping some butter over it. She didn't see the point in giving her elemental or her full name; neither defined who she was.

Despite her attempt to find solace in the situation, Rory had to grudgingly admit that she was finding it difficult. She didn't want to chit chat with these kids or go save the world with them. She'd rather get home to her own family, but everyone else was probably thinking the same. That might be the only thing they had in common.

"You might want to eat, you'll need your strength." Aurora turned to the boy - Ricky - who looked like he was fighting a war in his head over whether to eat the food or not. She took a measure bite of her bread roll and chewed it slowly. "Seems to be fine so dig in."

"Uh-thanks."

Aurora nodded silently and continued to eat. There wouldn't be any point in poisoning the food now, would there? Not when they had already proven they could do whatever they wanted. Rory wasn't happy about that, but she knew when to reserve her strength.

Further down the table, a few of the kids had decided to slip away. Aurora presumed that the lack of guards on the doors meant that they could return to their rooms whenever they were finished here. She pulled a dish toward her and scooped some potatoes on to her plate and a few pieces of meat and she quite happily dug in, picking all of the food up with her hands. This was the best meal she'd had ever...

"Don't you use a knife and fork?" The blonde girl was looking at her curiously and Aurora shrugged.

"I like to feel the food that I'm eating," Rory explained.

The Informant

The great room was cloaked in shadows, and the Informant’s footsteps echoed off the walls. She strode to the center, where the circular platform stood silent and forbearing. She moved to an instrument panel and her hand hovered above the keys. She hesitated a moment before typing in a quick sequence and entering the code. The Informant stepped back.

There was a sudden crack and a ring of wind exploded out from the center of the platform. In between the metal supports an orb of circling power began to spiral, growing larger and larger until, with a sudden crack, it died again and all was still.
A man stood there, and he waited a moment to catch his balance before climbing down to the floor. His dark robes flowed around him as he walked, every time his left hand moved a soft blue glow of light spilled out. He stopped when he reached the Informant and dipped his head.

“I’m glad that you made it here safely.” She said, and her smile was not unpleasant. The man chuckled.
“I’m assuming “safely” is a relative term?” He looked around the room, empty except for the two of them. “So why did you call me here, Marg?” he asked quietly.
“They’re finally all here.” She responded.
“What? All of them?” his voice came out in a rush. She nodded. “But that’s impossible! How—” he stopped himself and shook his head.
“It was not easy.” The Informant added. The two of them started walking towards the door.
“I knew I could count on you.” He said, which caused her to smile again.
“Well, you shouldn’t be so confident of my abilities. Do you realize how much trouble twelve teenagers are to gather in one place? No one respects authority, no one wants to get along…” she shook her head.
“But they are ready?” he asked, a bit urgently. The Informant sighed, brushing her gray hair away from her face.
“That’s assuming “ready” is a relative term.” She answered. “They only just arrived yesterday.”
“Only?” he asked. “If that’s the case then none of them will be able to make it through the portal!” he exclaimed.
“I know,” she said quietly. “That’s why I asked you to come. Can you help them?”
“Of course, but I’m not sure to what degree. What are they like?”
“Petty, selfish, and short sighted. One of them has got quite the temper…”
“A fire, I assume?”
“And most of them can’t control their abilities yet. We have one who even tried to escape from the roof.” The man thought for a moment before chuckling to himself. “Well at any rate, this should be interesting. Tell them to meet me in the training hall tomorrow morning.” He suddenly clapped his hands together. “And no Marg, how about a drink? We haven’t talked in ages.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Derek

The door to the cell had opened twice. The first time the guard had undid his handcuffs and left, the second time they brought him dinner on a tray. Derek didn’t ask if they were going to let him out, he already knew the answer. At least the food wasn’t cold. A baked potato, with the fixings on the side, along with a piece of apple pie. He quickly ate everything on the plate before settling back against the wall with a satisfied sigh. Now with the nagging of hunger gone from his mind, he could think about his situation more clearly. And the more he thought about it the more one thing became apparent to him:

He would have to learn how to use fire.

Like Dillon did. He closed his eyes and pictured the scene in his head: the little bits of gravel on the road shaking and slowly starting to levitate. The terrified expressions of the attackers. The sudden fiery explosion…

If only I could figure out how he does that. he thought.

Derek got up and began to pace. He examined the door, then the window. The window would be better. A smaller target, much less to burn. He set his feet, shoulder width apart, and took a deep breath. Wondering for a moment if this was perhaps not such a good idea after all. But he had to try. He had to at least prove that there was a reason for him being here.

Derek clenched his fists. He tried to remember what it was like the first time he had burned up the slip of paper in his hand. He had felt anger, so he decided to focus on that. He thought about everything the Service had done to him and his brother, and he thought about how his brother had betrayed him like that. But the more he thought about it, the more he found himself simply missing Dillon, and his anger dissipated. He wasn’t truly angry, and that was a problem.

Derek shook his head. That wasn’t going to work.

What about fear? Dillon had probably felt fear, Derek knew he had too. That was even harder, however. He knew his life was in no immediate danger. If the Service wanted to kill him they could have done it by now. At any rate it was too confusing to think about… he didn’t realize that he had wandered until his imagination had taken him on some faraway path. But still, no sensation of fire.

He tried punching the wall, he tried yelling. He tried everything he had seen in the movies, but he couldn’t come up with any result. And the more he tried the more frustrated he became. He was failing, and he knew it. What was he missing?

Derek sank to the floor and slumped down in defeat. He wished at that moment that he was anywhere but here. At the lake with his brother, in the kitchen with mom and her fresh baked cinnamon rolls, going over redundant homework problems in his room… maybe his life hadn’t been so purposeless after all. Even if it had only been the small things in life that counted, at least they were something. But now, now he was nothing. And he felt like he would soon be left behind. Forced to watch everyone else soar while he was chained to the ground. It always ended up like that anyway.

Why couldn’t he be worth something?

Ricky


Ricky awoke to an annoying buzzing sound. It seemed to be coming from everywhere in the room. He grunted and rubbed his eyes with balled fists, trying to wake himself up. The room was dark, and he could just see a sliver of light sneaking underneath his room door.

With a thrust of his hand the sheets were off. He was in his t-shirt and comfortable pajama pants that had been in the third drawer of the dresser near his bed. He fumbled for the light and flicked the switch on. He groggily sat on the edge of his bed, realizing that the room was a comfortable temperature, even though there were no fans or vents. Strange he thought, but not something he cared to linger on.

Ricky began his shower stood there for a few minutes, and was planning on relaxing in it after a stressful night, when he noticed a little meter near the nozzle. It was slowly turning blue from the bottom up. He shrugged. maybe it was the water temperature, but the warm water remained warm.

He watched it slowly go up for a about two minutes. Then it reached the top. And the water turned off. Ricky banged his hand on the white tile walls. Obviously it had been a timer. He hastily pulled on some light-colored jeans, and a fern green V-neck.
Then he grabbed a black hoodie from the closet.

A knock on his door caused him to spin around. The informant lady was standing in the doorway in her business navy suit.

"Time for breakfast. We have to move quickly. You'll have some time to train afterwards. I'd suggest grabbing the necklace and book you received last night as well."

With that she was out. Ricky grabbed both items from the top of the dresser, jamming them in his back pockets. He didn't care much for necklaces. The book was small enough to fit snugly as well so he saw no sense in carrying it.

He walked out of the hall and saw that he was probably the last person to get of their room. He turned to the right without looking -busy zipping up the black hoodie- and collided into someone. Stumbling forward he reached out to catch the person.

Just catching the person he hauled her up and let go. It was one of the girls. He couldn't remember which one. She had short cropped brown hair, dark eyes, darker skin tones, and was dressed in cargo pants and a black tank top.

"Sorry about that," Ricky said. "Are you okay?"

The girl nodded. She was a good six inches then Ricky, placing her at about 5'6, but she had a look of leadership. "You really ought to look where you're going," she said.

"Yeah I know. Guess I was just . . ." he wasn't sure what he was, or was feeling. Everything was so sudden, so unfamiliar. "Hey, that informant told me it was time for breakfast."

"Yeah," the girl said, turning on her heel and walking away.

Ricky sped up his pace to keep with her. "You are an Earth child, aren't you?"

The girl turned. "No. I am Aurora, and don't forget that."

she had a voice that sounded like a drill instructor's, although Ricky guessed that it wasn't always so sharp. He understood where she was coming from. Being different wasn't exactly nice. He tried to stay friendly, even the snap had been unexpected.

"I know what you mean. So, if we are going to go through all this together, I am Ricky. You're Aurora. Leave it at that?"

"Whatever," she said turning into the Dining Room. Ricky shook his head. This may be quite an experience. It was sure to be, but the teens he had met made it seem all the more interesting . A girl who couldn't control her fire, another Fire, who could, an Air who didn't really seem like an air, and an Earth, no, Aurora, who seemed quite in charge of herself and her surroundings.

This was getting interesting. Fast.

Ellie Hollings

Back in the Dining Hall, this time for breakfast.

She had no trouble falling asleep at first last night, but woke up at 2 a.m. and had difficulty falling back asleep. She knew she'd been awoken by a nightmare but couldn't remember what it was. She figured it was about her parents and this whole terrible situation.

She awoke again at 6 and decided to get up and get dressed, taking a quick shower and braiding her blonde hair back. Then she put on a pair of dark skinny jeans, her black boots, and a dark blue sweater.

Inside the Dining Hall, she spread some cream cheese on her bagel and munched on it, quietly watching the room as people awkwardly ate and tried to interact. The silence seemed to be slowly fading. People were starving for companionship. Ellie wandered over to Ricky and a girl who introduced herself as Rory and smiled. A feisty Earth. She liked that.

Ellie was in the middle of sipping a glass of apple juice when the speakers on the wall crackled and the Informer's voice filled the room, silencing the building conversations.

It is currently 8:45 a.m. Please finish your meals and stop by your room. On your bed is a simple brown backpack with your name embroidered on it. Fill it with some clothes. On your bed is also a box. Please take what's inside and head for the rooftop. We will departure at 9 a.m.

The speakers crackled again and Ellie looked around as everyone grabbed their food and walked down to their rooms, preparing to leave to save the world or whatever they were going to do on a rooftop.

"C'mon." Rory smiled at her as she followed Ricky out the door. Ellie quickly followed.

"So you're Ellie, right? An Air?"

"That's me."

Rory studied her curiously for a moment and Ellie felt uneasy. "What?"

"You certainly don't seem like an Air.."

Ellie felt her body tense and spat, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"You aren't stupid. Or should I say ditzy." Ricky answered for her.

"Neither are you."

"That's true. I guess I misinterpreted what Air was going to be." Rory stopped by a door with her name on it and smiled. "Go on ahead. I'll meet you up on the rooftop."

Ellie smiled at the way she said that - like a song - and nodded. She followed Ricky down the hall and entered her room, grabbing up some clothes and putting them into the bag. Then she opened the box and took out a silver pendant with a light blue gem that sparkled in the light and felt as heavy as air. It made her feel weightless when she put it on, like she could fly or run and never get tired.

Ellie zipped the bag up and slid it on her shoulders and left her room, meeting Ricky, who was waiting for her, He flashed her a friendly smile and she felt herself start to grow comfortable around him. He was also wearing the same necklace.

They made it to the staircase before they were attacked. A mannequin appeared out of nowhere, with a ski mask on, wielding a broad staff. It appeared in front of them and swung, knocking Ricky off the staircase. It was a pretty hard drop, but he seemed to float in the air, as if the pendant was slowing his impact. He hit the ground with a thud and managed to get up.

Ellie immediately played the defense. She blocked the next hit with her bag and ducked, rolling between its legs. Her hand swung out and a burst of air flew from it. This time, it was the mannequin who fell.

She saw it attack Ricky next and was about to help, when she was held back by an invisible force. Something told her that this was his fight and she reluctantly watched. A fluttering piece of paper caught her attention and she knelt down to pick it up and read it.

You have done well, Elinor. Your reflexes will aid you well in battle. Good luck.

Ricky

Ricky felt as if some invisible force had held him up as he flew down the stair. Maybe it was the pendant? He watched as Ellie shot a burst of air, sending the white mannequin down the stairs. It bounced around like a rag doll before landing , right in front of Ricky, staff within inches of Ricky's face.

Ricky hesitated, then. acting like he'd seen people do in movies, he swung his palm up, smacking the staff away. Then he barreled forward, swinging both hands forward, palms open. He felt the sensation of air rushing through his arms, almost a tickling feeling, The burst of air sent the mannequin crashing back against the stairs. It didn't move. Ricky smiled widely He had never been able to move air with such force. Maybe it was the necklace.

He spotted Ellie at the top, reading a small note. He took the stairs three at a time, seeming to almost float. Reaching the top he felt something rub his cheek and watched as a white piece of paper drifted down to the ground. He scooped it up, opening it up.

You have done well Ricky. Remember your skills in the future. You may need them. Proceed to the roof with Ellie.

Well that was what they had been told to do originally. He looked at Ellie.

"You think that was the "training" they talked about last night?"

She shrugged. "Could've been. Anyway, let's go."

Ricky nodded, rammed the note in his hoodie pocket, and they proceeded up the stairs. There seemed to be an endless amount, and yet Ricky never felt like he had to catch his breath.

"Something's different Ellie."

"I know."

"What do you think it is? The necklace?"

She looked at him, shrugging. "Who knows? With all this junk going on, nothing would surprise me."


""Except them letting us go back home," Ricky mumbled. He was still upset about the whole thing. His mind had temporarily been on other matters, but now he getting homesick.

"yeah," she said as they ascended a final flight of stairs," that isn't happening."

They shoved open a black door. A gust of wind whipped through the air, blowing Ellie's hair back. "Here we go."