Young Writers Society

Dillon Abraham - Fire

Dillon woke up slowly, more tired than when he'd first went to sleep. There were no windows in the room, but the intense silence led him to believe it was far too early to be awake, and anyway it made sense for him to be up before the others when he'd retired to bed so early the previous day. He sat up and immediately a headache pounded against his skull. He pinched the bridge of his nose while standing on unsteady feet to try and lessen the ache, but the wave of vertigo that swept him upon rising was too much to try and quell. His stomach growled loudly in the still air and he clutched his midsection just as he felt the sharp pain of emptiness clench. Groaning, he stumbled towards something to steady himself against.

"Worst morning ever."

His first thoughts as he left the room were on finding his brother, but one glance down the dark, seemingly endless hallway nearly deterred him from that idea. He held his head high as he went in search for his brother's room, but couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching him. After gently closing one of the room doors - he spotted long hair in the bed, definitely not his brother - a gentle clink of metal on metal sparked him into alertness. His hands lit up in a blazing flame and he whipped around, snarling, not sure of what he would find, but not prepared to see the mannequin a few feet away from him grasping a staff.

"What the-"

The thing rushed forward, giving him little time to think before it was striking out. Dillon blocked the blow with his forearm and struck out with his other hand, landing a punch on the thing's gut. His hands burned through its clothes and charred it's white side a crispy black. Flakes of skin - paint? - crumbled to the floor and Dillon would have felt bad if the thing hadn't swept out its foot and tripped him. He only narrowly missed the staff's blunt end crashing down against the ground, but couldn't dodge the swing that crashed into his side.

They'd been fighting for at least three full minutes before a well aimed fire ball engulfed the thing's face and it sunk to its knees. Dillon struggled for breath and crumbled to the ground himself. His hands extinguished in a sad poof and he ran them shakily through his hair. When he finally composed himself he got up, meaning to check on the thing, but it was gone. In the spot where it lay before, presumably dead, there was a piece of paper.

Congratulations. You have proven strong, but tire far too quickly. Learn to conserve your stamina, Dillon. All battles will not be as short.

Dillon burnt the paper to ashes and quickly hurried back to his room. He didn't know what else would jump out at him, and he wasn't keen on finding out. Derek would be fine.

---

The dining room was nearly full when Dillon finally found it. His eyes locked on the food first and he nearly ran towards the line. Only when he had devoured most of everything on his plate did he glance around. Derek wasn't there. Strange. Everyone else from the meeting was there, Dillon recognized their faces. Did he run into trouble with another mannequin? Was he fighting one now? Dillon stood quickly, nearly falling over his own feet, his heart had raced into a panic and there was a slow fire burning under his skin.

If they hurt him...

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.

Dillon's eyes widened in horror as everyone began to leave the cafeteria. Derek still hadn't entered. Trying to compose himself as much as possible, he approached one of the people from the meeting and stopped them with a hand on the shoulder. He thought her name might have been Zendaya - Zenda, Zendina... - but that didn't matter much now.

"Have you seen my brother? Derek, have you seen him?"

She studied him carefully before shaking her head.

"No I haven't."

"Shit... Shit!"

He rushed out of the cafeteria at full speed. Fifteen minutes. He had fifteen minutes.

The lock on the door clicked open, and that’s what caused Derek to wake up. He had fallen asleep in his huddle against the wall and was sore and stiff. He got up, stretched out his limbs, and then noticed that there were no guards. He waited, staring at the door, but no one came through.
“What the…” he muttered to himself. He looked about the cell. Everything was as it had been before, excepting for a plate of food sitting on the table and a small, leather backpack sitting as conspicuously as possible close to the door. He ignored the food and picked up the backpack. It was strangely heavy for its size. Rummaging through it he found a flashlight, food rations, extra water, a first aid kit, socks, and some sort of cloak. This was weird. Whatever it was for, he had figured by this time that he would probably need it later on. He put the book from earlier into the bag, still eyeing the door. But he saw no one.

Derek pushed it open an inch and peered through. The hall outside was empty and dark, so he opened it a bit further, poking his head through.
“Hello?” he whispered. There was no answer. He stepped out and closed the door behind him, but not all the way. He didn’t know why, he wouldn’t need to get back in there later. The thin sliver of light spilled out from the crack in the doorframe and into the blackness of the hall. It was still and deserted and eerie. Derek kept to the wall as he crept down to the other end, searching for the way they had brought him down here. He found a short metal staircase, which led up to another hall. This one was lit, fake fluorescent bulbs bleaching out everything around him. Pipes and wires still ran the lengths of the walls, but there was carpet here. It looked like the building actually came in two parts, an older lower section and then the higher part that had been added on later. He thought for a moment before turning right. There was another door on that end of the hall, and here he found the stairwell. Ah hah.

Derek stared up at the spider-like supports and tresses that climbed far, far above him. It was incredibly dark in the stairwell, green light barely filtering down from dusty green wall lights. How far below was he? He sighed and began the long ascent.

About halfway up he noticed someone was following him.

He stopped, but heard nothing. But when he started again he heard it a second time. A faint shuffling, thumping noise. The ominous sounds of footsteps. Were they above him? Below him? He couldn’t tell. He started to go up again, his shadower following every move he made. Derek went faster, and so did the unknown follower. He flew up the stairs but was tailed doggedly. He needed to reach the next landing, there would be a door there, and he could escape.

But when he reached the landing, he found that there was no door. He stopped for a moment to catch his breath and noticed that the other person stopped too. That was a little strange. Derek thought for a moment. He took one step forward, making sure to pound his foot into the grate. Then he waited. Sure enough, there was an exact copy of the sound not a second later. It had only been an echo, Derek had been running from himself.

But then there was another footstep, and another, and another. Clanging as the other came towards him. Then they were running, and Derek sprinted up the stairs again. He couldn’t afford to be caught again, and at any rate, something was off about the situation. Something he should be afraid of.

Just then, he turned the corner and came face to face with… well, nothing. A white mask. Pale and smooth and eyeless. Derek stumbled back with the shock and went tumbling down the flight to the landing. The mannequin walked towards him slowly, and Derek scrambled to his feet, backing away. What is this? He thought. The puppet sprang at him, but he dodged to the side and tripped it, sending it flying down the stairs. He took off running again, trying to put as much distance as possible between him and his faceless opponent. Where were the doors out of this place? He checked behind his shoulder, but his stalker was nowhere to be seen. He stopped, panting, and considered his position. If he could only lose it, if only there was a place to hide.
There was a clang of metal, and Derek turned around. He saw the thing rushing towards him but it was too late. It sprang at him and they both went crashing to the ground.

They rolled around on the floor, grappling and scratching at each other. Derek caught the puppet’s wrist and pushed it back from his face. This allowed him enough room to get in a punch. His fist cracked into the side of the featureless face, and the mask cracked a bit. The thing returned the blow, catching him across the mouth, which quickly filled with the warm taste of blood. Derek managed to get his feet under his opponent and kicked back, as hard as he could. The puppet was thrown against the wall violently. He scrambled to his feet, sliding on the metal floor as he tried to get away. The monster barreled into him a split second later. For a brief moment they hung in space, suspended in the air, then they went crashing down the stairs. They tumbled head over heels, still clawing at each other. They didn’t stop at the landing below, the momentum was too great, and they dropped off the ledge. Derek tried to twist around in the air but despite his best efforts he ended up on the bottom. They slammed into the ground, crashing down on the steps. He felt one of his ribs pop out of place.

He managed to swing his elbow up and jabbed it into his opponent’s solar plexus. Then he pulled himself up onto the landing, trying to get away. The puppet grabbed him by the feet and pulled him off, throwing him down the lower flight of stairs. He hit his head against the wall, and black spots flashed before his eyes, he felt suddenly nauseous.

All at once the thing was on top of him. Slamming its knee into his injured ribs, pressing down on his chest. In an instant its hands were wrapped around his throat, fingers digging into his skin. Derek gasped for breath, trying to push the puppet away from him. But his lungs began to burn, and all he could see was the blank face swimming above him…

At that instant, he knew he was done for.

Viktoria King Bedroom Brawl, Race to the Roof

Viktoria quickly glances at the wristwatch. 8:49 a.m. “Ten minutes,” she mumbles, carefully folding an extra t-shirt and stuffing it in the floppy leather pack. After she ties the backpack up and gathers a few excess items, Viktoria flips the bag onto her shoulder then glances back at her unmade bed. The sheets are intertwined and incredibly sloppy due to her restless night of turning about in bed, and for a moment she feels bad for leaving her room messy. Viktoria snorts. “Make those sons of biscuits at this Service clean it up for themselves,” she states to herself while turning to leave the bland dorm. “It’s not like I care.”

She crosses the room quickly when suddenly her door flies open. Standing in the door frame, a masked man wields an elongated spear, his golden mask and iron tip of the weapon glinting maliciously under the fluorescent lights. He kicks the door closed behind him and it slams with a resolute bang. Viktoria recoils in shock. Taking a few steps backwards, she reaches for anything in range that could be used as defense. She grasps something from the bed and prepares to toss it at the man, but she realizes her weapon off the bed is just a pillow.

“What do you want?” Viktoria demands quickly, fury filling her voice. “Get the heck out of my room!” When the man doesn’t respond, she realizes by his mannerisms that he is simply one of those creepy mannequins the Service uses.

The thing swiftly lunges at the girl in a swiping motion and Viktoria’s natural instincts kick in. She hits the floor before she tumbles to the side, her eyes widening in newfound fear. Slash, slash, jab, and Viktoria dodges each blow the mannequin sends her way. After a few more attempts from the creature to turn her into the world’s largest serving of shish kabob, the girl notices his pattern of attack. She is still weaponless though, so she backs into the dresser while feigning surrender. “Stop, please,” she whispers, hoping she sounds convincing. The mannequin cocks his head in curiosity and barely lowers his spear, but that’s all Viktoria needs to spring into action. She pulls a drawer out from the dresser and hurls it at her opponent. The improvised weapon stuns its victim. Viktoria yanks another drawer loose, random articles of clothing spilling over the sides, before she brings the wooden box down upon the mannequin’s head.

It crumples to the floor, not dead but hardly conscience. Viktoria pulls the iron spear from her enemy’s slack grip while a small smile decorates her harsh expression. She readies the javelin. The girl growls, “Hey, let’s just remember that when you mess with the Viktoria, you get the spear.” In one furious motion, Viktoria impales the mannequin hardly realizing what she’s doing. Only after it disintegrates into a flaky pile does she comprehend that she just killed. Granted, the creature is hardly something she can refer to as human, but the realization of taking a life still stings just as sharp as the spear head resting on the carpet.

Viktoria blinks a few times. She kicks the javelin across the floor, then notices a small strip of paper curled up where the dummy had been lying a few minutes prior. Shaking slightly as she recognizes the note to be from the Service, she unfolds their message.

Your ability to analyze an opponent’s next step is impressive, but how will you perform in the future? Y-

Disgusted that this skirmish with the mannequin was some kind of sick joke courtesy of the Service, Viktoria stops reading the paper. She wraps her fist around the note then sets it aflame.

“Darn it all,” she mutters bitterly. An angry kick aimed at the dresser shudders the remaining drawers, and the sense of destruction helps relieve her frustration. Another kick sends the assorted objects atop the chest-of-drawers toppling to the floor. Viktoria sighs as a white granite box clatters down and settles at her feet. She gingerly picks up the stone container, examining it at the same time. While she’s busy studying the strange object, one of the sharp granite corners jabs into her thumb. “Ow!” Just as Viktoria prepares to drop the box, a bead of her blood slips onto the case’s lid and the container begins to glow a muted red color. Next thing Viktoria knows the box opens to reveal a smooth inner compartment.

Viktoria grabs her backpack once again then brusquely plops the rock-like case onto the bed. She shoulders her leather pack while removing a pendant and book from inside the box. Her gentle fingers wrap around the oddly warm pendant, tracing the woven metals decorating the necklace. “How strange…”

~*~

9:04, the Roman numerals read across the starch clock face- four minutes past the designated time to meet on the roof. Viktoria curses under her breath, climbing the stairs three at a time. The clash with the masked mannequin and the discovery of her pendent swallowed too much of the morning’s time, so as she quickly enters the rooftop, Viktoria hopes she won’t get chewed out by that disturbing Informer lady.

Rory

Aurora found it difficult to sleep in a bed on her own - she couldn't remember the last time there had been enough beds in her house for anyone and it was lonely to not feel the warmth of another person beside her. To not hear the uneven breathing of Philip or to feel little Jasmine's hand reaching for her own.

The loneliness was even stronger when she woke up to an empty room. Rory washed her face and upper body as best as she could and then opened the wardrobe and pulled out a blank tank top and some cargo pants. Her clothes. She didn't know if this was comforting or another show of power from her captors. It did feel good to be wearing clean clothes though.

There was no knock at the door to announce the Informant's arrival and Aurora gave her a flat stare.

"It is time for breakfast."

Aurora waited until the woman had left and then steadily made her bed before heading out of the room.

Stepping into the hallway, Rory was immediately knocked down but her attacker caught her and helped her to her feet so she had no reason to believe they wished her harm. When Aurora could see the boy clearly, she realised it was Ricky from the day before.

He apologised and Aurora told him he should watch where he was going and it wasn't long before he was making another mistake. No, she was not an Earth child and she told him this in no uncertain terms. She was Aurora and that was that.

"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?" The boy's tone remained friendly and Aurora wondered if he really understood what she had meant, that they were more than their elements. That they shouldn't let these people define who or what they were. She couldn't tell and she had places to be - breakfast was sounding good.

"Whatever." After she'd filled her tray with food, Aurora felt that perhaps she had been too abrupt with Ricky and that if they were going to go through this together, they did indeed need to build ties. She headed over his way and they were soon joined by Ellie.

It was after breakfast when things got exciting. They were instructed to go to their rooms and fill a backpack with their clothes and the contents of the box from yesterday. Rory very readily grabbed a few changes of attire out of the wardrobe, but she hesitated over the items for a longer time.

Rory wasn't very good at reading so the weight of the book might prove more damaging than any knowledge she could get from it and the necklace looked so pointless. After a moment longer, Aurora sighed and put both items into the backpack, deciding she could always throw them later.

Before she could leave the room, there was something. A shift in the air, a tremble in the earth. Aurora felt the creature move before she saw it.

The staff whipped out and Aurora dodged left, raising her hands to lift a chunk of Earth up in front of her. It acted as a shield while she examined her opponent, but the staff wielding assailant didn't stop moving. It leapt over the shield and Aurora had to think quickly to stop it from reaching her so she closed the shield around it, holding the creature in place. She built the earth up, more and more, until only its face and the hand wielding the staff remained visible.

Aurora reached out and took the staff, but it turned to dust in her hand and when she looked back, only the earth remained and a flutter of paper.

You have done well, Aurora. You have shown that you have the skills to defend yourself and others but you must also learn how to attack.

Aurora left the note where it lay and made her way to the roof where the others were gathering. She walked up to where they were standing and asked: "Was anyone hut?" The staff wielder had not pulled any punches and she was sure it would have done her a real injury if she had not stopped it.

It was only them there, no sign of The Informant of her goons.

"Stay close," Aurora said to Ricky and Ellie as she walked past them and approached Viktoria who had only just arrived. "Have you seen the two brothers?" They hadn't made it yet.

Viktoria shook her head and asked, "Am I late?"

"Late to nothing," Aurora replied flatly as she indicated that it was only the teens on the roof. Should she go looking for the brothers? Aurora thought about that staff again and how much damage it could do...

Zendaya

Zendaya jolted up in bed, the air around her so thick it clung to her skin. Half way through the night, she'd gotten up and taken a shower. Instead of putting clothes on, sh went to bed in her underwear. She went to the dresser at the far end of the room and pulled out a fresh pair. She found a tight black camo tank top and matching cargos to wear before brushing out her hair and teeth. After that, she washed her face. When she finished with that, she grabbed a few things and headed out of her room to wander around where ever the hell we actually were, taking her time looking around and absorbing everything. With every corner she turned around, she found hallway after hallway lined with locked doors. Her little trip as turning out to be a bust.

"Find everything to you liking?" The informant's voice came from behind her.

Zendaya turned to look at her. "No, but then again you knew that."

She didn't miss the smile she almost gave. "Breakfast is going to start soon, and I recommend you make your way over soon. Then head up to the roof."

With that, she was gone. Just like that. Eh. Turning, she followed her footsteps and headed back to where breakfast was to be held, just as an announcement came or the intercom

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.

After hearing that, she headed back to her room and did as instructed, The hall ways are quiet, and there was no one else around. She let her finger trail along the smooth and cooled stark white walls as she saddled along, listening to the silence of her foot steps. Zendaya turned a corner, stopping dead in my tracks. Standing dead center of the hallway stood a faceless mannequin, holding a pair of Sai in it's hands and a whip wrapped around it's waist. Two weapons she favored while training, and two weapons she was most deadly with besides a bow and arrow. She pulled away from the wall. "You should put those down before you hurt yourself with them."

Without a word it threw one of the Sai at her, which she barely dodged. She didn't have anything to defend herself self with, and that also meant she'd have to go hand-to-hand. That put me at a disadvantage, seeing as how it had both long a short range weapon to use. Great. He came at her again twirling, spinning, slicing through the air as he went. She had to do a double back flip and a split to dodge his attack. He came at me again with a side swipe she blocked with my arm and slapped the other Sai out of his hand before jumping back back. Bad idea.

He cracked out the whip that had been around his waist and and flicked his wrist. The sting of the whip as it lashed it's way down her right eye had me wiping the away the blood that began to run down the side of her face. She touched the now raising wound and hissed. That would leave a scar. Another crack sound, and next thing she knows, she's being dragged by her wrist. Zendaya dug the soles of her boots into the ground, trying to slow herself down.

Too bad it didn't work. She went flying into a wall, then back to the ground, cushioning herself with Air. She wrapped the whip around her wrist and yanked hard, pulling the mannequin her way. She pulled her other arm back, letting it piston forward and watched as the mannequin flew back. The whip dropped to the ground as she charged forward. The mannequin recovered faster than Zendaya thought and tackled her to the floor, knocking the breath out of her. She punched the thing in it's no existent face and kicked it off. Before it could could recover from the blow, she came up behind it, wrapping one arm around it's neck and positioning the palm of her hand on the opposite side of the chin, and another on the back of the head, and with a sharp yank, the mannequin dropped to the floor. It didn't get back up.

Zendaya winced at the burning sensation in her eye. It felt like it was on fire. She looked over towards the body, come to discover it's gone, and a note attached.

You have done well. You have shown strength, courage, and skill. We only have what we need to have. You passed the test. Congratulations and good luck, Zendaya.

High tailing it to her room, Zendaya packed her bag and began making her way over to breakfast. She was starving as she ran around the corner, and smack dab into someone else.

Noah-Water

After much contemplation, Noah twisted the knob and watched as the running water poured into her bathroom sink. She tightened her ponytail in the mirror then held her palm over the stream of water, waiting for something to happen. When nothing did, she couldn't help feeling a pang of disappointment. This group, these people, they were counting on her. They needed her as part of this team, and she couldn't let them down. Noah squeezed her eyes shut , trying to remember what she did in the shower that day to make the water move. Her hand began to tremble over the sink but the water remained unmoved. "Dammit." She sighed. The loud voice boomed over the intercom, reminding her to pack and take what was in her box. She turned off the faucet and did what the voice asked. "I can do this." She mumbled to herself as she paced back and forth across her room. "I can do this. I-" Her little pep talk was interrupted by her door slamming open.

A faceless mannequin burst through with spheres of water floating above both of it's hands. Noah's eyes shot open in fear and she ran into the bathroom. She twisted the faucet and the water streamed out again. She held out her hand but like before, nothing happened. The mannequin came closer and one of the spheres froze into ice. The mannequin hurled it at Noah and she ducked just in time. The ball of ice smashed into the wall behind her and her heart pounded with adrenaline and fear. "Come on," She mumbled towards the water. "Do something!" She looked up and the mannequin was now standing in the doorway to the bathroom. The last ball of water still suspended in the air. Noah watched in terror as it too turned to ice. The mannequin forced it at her and Noah threw her hands up in protection. She braced herself for the pain but surprisingly, it didn't come. When she opened her eyes there was a sheet of ice in front of her and the mannequin. "No freaking way." She murmured and looked from her hands to the faucet. Through the ice she could see that the mannequin was still there on the other side. "Come on, Noah. You can do this." She took a deep breath and when she put her hands down, the wall of ice melted and fell to the ground too. She watched the water from the faucet as it levitated above her hand like the mannequin's did. She threw it at the faceless doll and it flew backwards into the wall. Noah grinned as it slumped to the floor.

The automated voice came overhead and congratulated her on her victory. A small piece of paper fluttered to the ground and she stooped to pick it up.

Your reflexes are quick, Noah, but you must learn better control over your element

Noah sighed and grabbed the bag she had packed. She slipped the necklace on then ran out the door, smack into someone else. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry." Noah apologized and backed up to get a good look at whoever she ran into. She recognized Zendaya from earlier in the confrence room.

"My bad," Zendaya said slowly as she pulled back.

"Are you headed to the roof top too?" Noah asked.

"I was headed for breakfast, but i'm not hungry anymore." Zendaya answers.

"Well, I guess we can go up together then." Noah smiled, still feeling bad for running into her.

Zendaya doesn't say anythin in return. Instead just looking at me for a long moment before turning and walking off. Then she stopped turning to look at me as if to ask, Are you coming or not?

Noah bobbed her head fast then quickened her pace to catch up to Zendaya. She opened her mouth to say something but then decided it would be better if they walked in silence.

Dillon Abraham - Fire

Dillon didn't even have time to comprehend the situation before he leaped into action, tackling the mannequin off his brother. His hands were ablaze, smothering the thing's face. It struggled a bit before going still and turning to dust. He paused to catch his breath, his chest was heaving and his heart was beating far too quickly, and when he got up - the slip of paper in hand that the mannequin dropped - he saw Derek stood against the wall, watching with a look Dillon didn't want to associate with horror, but couldn't find a better word for.

'The thing probably scared the shit out of him. I have to get us out of this place.'

"Hey bro, you okay," he asked as he approached him. "Here, this is for you."

He put the piece of paper in Derek's hand, who'd expression turned strange and distant. Dill didn't have much time to think about that though, they had maybe five minutes to get to the roof.

"Come on, I know this is some crazy shit, but we have to go. Run to your room, pack your stuff - did you hear the announcement? Whatever, it doesn't matter, but we need to hurry. Don't... Just be careful."

--

When Dillon put on the necklace his world seemed to stop. A ball of fire seemed to settle in the pit of his stomach and his world was thrown into super clarity. Faintly he heard a crackling fire in his ears, his skin seemed to gain a faint red hue, everything felt hot but good, like it should have been like that all along. After a moment he composed himself, though he was still grinning wildly from the surge of power, and hurried upstairs. He seemed to be the last one to arrive.

He searched around for Derek and was walking over to him when the ground shifted beneath his feet. And then came the drop.

(Sorry, rushed, but YAY Water Continent!)

Ellie Hollings | Air

Ellie and Ricky made idly chit chat up on the rooftop as they waited. Soon, Rory came up and joined them, then a girl who was introduced as Viktoria. Then came up Zendaya, Noah, Dillon. and Derek. Then others trickled in and finally, they were all there.

"So, now what?" Rory questioned.

"I don't kno- whoa!" Ellie started, then yelled out as the rooftop suddenly.. dipped? The ground shifted and everyone screamed, grabbing each other and the railings and the ground. Ellie fell on her butt and clung to the floor, terrified as the rooftop started to sink. Slowly at first, then it quickly sped up and her stomach dropped as the building seemed to fade away until it was just them and the roof, falling, falling through the ground and through darkness...

Suddenly, an abrupt jerk flung everyone into the air. We were suspended in the air, watching as the roof continued to fall until the darkness swallowed it up.

Then a bright light filled the space and Ellie noticed she was concealed in a bubble. In fact, everyone was. There was air, and she gasped, then spun around. The room was limited. They floated for a second, then resumed the speedy drop until they implanted, or would have. Instead, the bubbles protected them, taking majority of the damage and popping, so they all collapsed on what seemed like the white box bottom.

Purple sparks appeared to the right of them, and Ellie and Rory took similar tensed positions, ready to fight. But the sparks faded and the Informer remained.

She smiled at the look of unconscious relief on their faces, then waved her hand. The white box image faded and the smell of salt water filled the air. Bright sunlight glowed around them, and Ellie didn't realize she had been freezing until the sun touched her and made her shiver.

They were on what seemed to be an island, a very small one. One person noticed he was towards the shoreline and scurried forward.

"Welcome to the Water Continent. This is your first stop. You will have a total of five. Water, earth, fire, and air. Then will you reach Karzai's lair. Along the way, you will face many hardships and have to fight enemies stronger than yourself. Work together as a team and you will achieve. Trust yourself and trust each other. And don't ever sleep with both eyes closed."

With that lovely note, she disappeared, making people yell and scream after her:

"What the fuck?!"

"You can't just leave us!"

"What do we do?"

A splash and a giggle was heard from the group's left, and they were all on guard again. Leaning onto the beach was a mermaid, an actual mermaid. She had long red hair and blue eyes that twinkled. The part of her that was in the water was green and would often rise and fall, like a cat's tail. She looked like Ariel from the Disney movie.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me." Rory muttered.

"Ariel!" Ellie shrieked, making the group laugh and helping ease the tension.

The mermaid crinkled her nose. "Not this again." she waved a hand. "Enough about that. Welcome to the Water Continent! Please, pair up with a Water Fundamental and follow me into the water."