“What the hell was that yesterday?” Jacob asks as I walk down the hallway to pyrokinetics.
I shiver. I can’t comprehend it myself. What is going on? I gulp, ever since…
“Hello?” Jacob waves his hand in front of my face.
I look up at him, his eyebrows furrowed as he stares down at me.
Breathe Lars.
“I don’t know,” I shake my head, closing my eyes. Breathe. “Can we talk about this later?” I ask.
Jacob nods, standing out of my way. I speed away from him, focusing on room 100 to keep my thoughts from trailing into other directions.
“So, what happened yesterday?”
I jolt, looking to my side to see Daisy. She tucks a loose strand of white hair behind her ear as she stares at me expectantly. I turn away from her, I don’t know what to think of it myself.
“I don’t know, probably a rogue air kid,” I say.
“That’d be a first.” Daisy responds, stretching her arms as we get closer to Pyrokinetics. “Ready to get beat in Pyro?” Daisy asks, flashing the mark of Fire on her wrist. I roll my eyes.
“Try me Daisy,” I challenge.
Daisy sprints forward, “See ya in class loser!”
I chuckle, shifting the bag on my shoulder. See? It’s just an ordinary day, nothing to freak out about. The bell rings, signaling the start of class. I race forward, quickly taking my seat inside the Pyrokinetic classroom.
As usual, the classroom is large. A single holo pad sits in the center of the white room with plastic blocks scattered across the room.The teacher stands across from us with her arms crossed. Ms. Coneg is a tough gylon to crack. I tie back my long hair as I set my bag on the ground. I unbutton my school shirt and take off my skirt, revealing my fireproof suit underneath. I stuff my feet into some boots, put on my gloves, and pull my helmet over my head. As I turn on my helmet, the screen flickers, showing my stats on the side. My levels are pretty good, but unusually high. My heart rate is a bit fast, and that flows into my respiratory rate. My temperature is decent though. I better be careful, or else I’ll enter into a caloric arrest. I try to calm myself down as the teacher announces what we’ll be doing today.
“We’ll be sparring today! I expect you to integrate the techniques we’ve been learning in the past week into your routine.” Ms. Coneg shouts.
I nod.
“Let’s do this!” Daisy cries, grabbing my shoulder.
I jolt, turning around to look at her, only to be greeted with a helmet, black glass blocking my view of her face. I turn around, waiting for the teacher to start.
“I’ll be starting the simulation in 3,2,1!”
The room fades into a desolate scene. The sounds of barking in the distance as broken-down buildings and cars surround the landscape. I look up, the sound of a helicopter propelling above me. I narrowly dodge an attack from Daisy, stumbling back from her flaming fist.
“Focus, Lars!” She cries.
I nod, straightening up, charging forward. I punch, stumbling as Daisy narrowly dodges. I swivel on my heel, kicking her side, my foot flaming hot. Daisy stumbles to the side. I attempt to kick her head, but she rolls away. Her fist slams up against my head. I stumble forward, my heart racing. I race forward, flipping over a car, peering over the edge at Daisy who has a smirk on her face. She slides across the hood of the car, points her finger at me, fire exploding from her hand, blowing my back. I flip into an upright position; a smile finds its way to my face. I jump, landing on the hood of the car, I climb up, standing above Daisy. She looks directly at me as I point my finger at her. I direct all the heat in my body to the tip of my finger, feeling it scorching inside of me. I release, the heat energy exploding from my finger. The force of the blast sends Daisy flying into the wall. I nearly stumble back myself but keep my composure. Daisy lands on the ground, she struggles up, stretching her arms. Then, she swipes her arms downward. Ash invades my vision, my respiratory rate shoots up as I squint through the ash, coughing. A foot collides with my helmet, knocking me to the side. I roll down the hood of the car, my body landing on the ground. Tingles explode across my arms, signs of would-be pain. I roll out the way of another attack. I shove my arms forward, catching a foot as the ash dissipates. I smirk, swinging Daisy to the side. She stumbles back but quickly regains balance. I turn, roundhouse kicking at Daisy’s head. She catches my foot, swinging my body onto the car. I slam up against it, before I can react, a blaze of fire invades my vision.
I inflame my arms. I scrape my hand through the air, stepping forward as a ribbon of fire releases from my arm. I kick, releasing another flame of fire. Daisy stumbles back. I follow her movement, butterfly kicking toward her head. She easily dodges my attack, sweeping her leg across the floor to trip me. I don’t move in time. I fall back. She quickly puts her foot on my chest, signaling her victory.
She lifts it off as we go off to the side. I pull off my helmet, wiping the sweat from my forehead.
“That was fun,” Daisy says.
I nod.
The bell rings for the end of the period.
Next is biology.
“So, what was that yesterday?” Jacob asks.
“Can you please not talk about it?” I say, looking up at him, “I’m going to tell you later,” I whisper.
Jacob shakes his head, “Sorry, I just want to know if you have some sort of secret ability you’re not telling me about.”
What am I supposed to say? I barely know what’s happening with me right now. The weight of the marks scattered across my body weigh on my mind. I close my eyes, heaving in and out.
I feel a warmth wrap around my hand. I look up to see Jacob, his eyebrows furrowed.
“Is there something weighing on you?” He asks, a comforting smile stretching across his face.
“I-“I pause. Can I even trust him? “Yes.” I say, my fingers trailing across my neck. Relax Lars. I grab my water bottle from the table and take a sip of it. Some of the water goes down the wrong tube and I start coughing. I can’t breathe. Someone help, help me! I’m going to die! Please!
A hand slaps against my back, knocking the water upward. I cough it out, wiping the saliva from my mouth.
“Hey, calm down, it’s not like you died,” Jacob says, smiling at me.
I notice the tears that slide down my face, and the many eyes staring at me. I hold my neck. I did though, I almost died. I try to put on a reassuring smile and return to the packet on our screens.
“Right, so scientists theorize blank to be the cause of the human ability to control one of the four elements.” I clear my throat, hunching over.
“Invisible strands that connect the atoms of each element to the human mind through a magnetic pull,” Jacob snaps his fingers, “What we’re they called?”
“Lifins,” I respond, writing it down into the crossword.
“Okay, next question, 6 down is ‘ This allows us to view lifins,’” Jacob says.
“Gamma rays.”
“That’s it,” Jacob says.
Jacob swipes the page upward to turn it in. A green checkmark reads across the screen before the screen goes blank. The cuff of his shirt lifts a bit and I notice a scar that disappears into his long-sleeve.
“How’d you get that?” I ask, reaching for his wrist.
Jacob jerks away, “MMA, duh.”
“Wouldn’t the paen have healed that?” I ask, staring at him.
Jacob shakes his head, “Not when the wounds too severe.”
My hand subconsciously clenches my neck. I try to calm my breathing and my racing heart. I close my eyes. It’s okay, you’re safe Larissa. You’re safe.
“I…” Jacob sighs, “…ripped open my arm. I was on my hoverboard and I fell into a river with rocks at the bottom. I came out and I could see my own bone.” Jacob says. “Almost died, it’s cool though.”
I nod. That’s heavy. I squeeze my neck, really heavy.
“Why do you keep doing that?” Jacob asks.
I gulp, feverishly shaking my head. I try to calm my racing heart as I look away. Memories of that night flashing through my brain. My fingers tingle with the feeling of liquid slipping past them. The thing is…there isn’t anything on my hands. I tremble as I raise my hand.
“Can I go to the bathroom?”
I don’t give Ms. Tomar time to respond. I race out of the classroom and into the hallway. My knees wobble. I gulp, blinking back the tears in my eyes. The bathroom door slides open as I approach. I stagger through, trying to catch my breath as my vision blinks in and out, the memory becoming more vivid.
Calm down Lars. You’re safe. You’re safe.
I reach the sink. The slit above dispenses water when it sensed my movement. I splashed the water on my face. Somehow, it wakes me up. I’m safe.
I look into the mirror. Behind me stands a girl. She has striking blue eyes and brown hair with faded purple dye. She wears a simple black shirt and tight jeans, her feet bare. She’s not in uniform at all. Her stare is the creepiest part of this whole situation.
“Can I-“ I’m cut off when she flies forward.
I roll to the side, my eyes widening when a giant crack is seen in the mirror. The girl turns around, glaring at me.
I need to get out of here. I scramble for the door, but the girl grabs my foot and yanks me backward. I smack into the ground, tingles that would be pain explode across my ribcage and chin. I turn over as the attempts to grab my wrists and straddle me. I struggle in her grasp, scrunching up my legs and pushing her back. I the slide of the door as she flies through it. I flip over, staring while she’s down. I race down the hall, opening my mouth to cry for help, but I fly into the ground from the weight of someone pushing into me. I look up at my attacker. Her blue eyes rage. A wide smile appears on her face as she taps her finger against her lips. “Shhhhh.” She says.
I scramble up, trying to gain distance between us but she follows. I don’t have my gloves on me. I have to be smart about this.
The girl eyes me, “I’m guessing you’re a fire user,” Her voice is sickeningly sweet, “Too bad you don’t know how to use your power. This battle will be far easier.” She chuckles. Then she disappears.
I grunt when I feel the jab of a leg colliding with my stomach. I stumble backward, my heart racing. I may not have my gloves…but I’m still dressed in my suit, and my feet are covered.
“HE-“ As expected, my breath is taken when a gust of wind sweeps around my body in a circle. I hold my breath, lighting my leg on fire, I sweep kick. The fire circles the wind, dispersing the rapid airways into different directions.
I glare up at the girl.
She smiles in return. “Shhh.” Is all she says. She jumps up, disappearing, but I hear her body land directly behind me. I turn around, releasing fire from my arm only to see no one there. A foot jabs my back, causing me to stumble forward.
I catch a glimpse of my skirt, the edge singed. Crap.
I unhook the button and throw off the skirt, but I stumble to the side from a punch. I quickly unbutton my shirt, leaning against the school lockers.
I side step when I notice the sound of footsteps ahead of me. The girl leaps off the locker and flies toward me. I jump out of the way, rolling onto my feet. I sprint forward. The light tap of feet on lockers notifies me of my next move. I jump back when the girl skids in front of me.
I’m going to have to fight, find an opening, then escape.
I roundhouse, hungry flames exploding across my leg as it hits the girl’s face. She bites her lip to silence her cry. She holds her red cheek and glares at me. Something I like a lot more than her smile.
Her gaze flashes past me. She frowns.
I turn back to look but only see the curve of the hallway. I turn back, putting up my inflamed arms when a gust of air slams into my body. I slide back, but I force the fire into the air, dispersing the element once again.
“What the-“
The girl grunts, turning around to glare at two people behind her. One is African American and the other is Indian. They both stand at the end of the hallway, near the lockers.
The girl glares at them, “Speak a word and you die,” She growls.
Both the girls seem to contemplate their options as they stare at me. I mouth the words, ‘Help.’ Hoping they might understand the situation.
The Indian girl looks at her friend. She nods toward me, whacking her friend’s shoulder.
“I don’t have time for this!” My attacker mumbles, shoving her arms forward. A vortex of wind blasts from her hands and slams into the two girls.
The African American glowers, pushing her arms forward. I then notice the swirl on her forehead. She’s an air user. She nods toward her friend. The Indian girl nods. She slams her hand into one of lockers, a loud bam erupting across the hallway.
I follow their lead. I smack my fist up against the lockers. I’m thrown off when someone yanks my hair, pulling me backward. I look up, my heart racing in my chest to see the girl’s sick smile. “Give me your marks and you can go peacefully.”
I never wanted this. I didn’t want to be attacked. I don’t want this situation. And I certainly don’t want these marks. Besides, it seems like this person knows far more about what’s going on than I do.
“Take them,” I growl.
The girl chuckles. She slams me up against the lockers, “Good girl,” She says. My arms tingle as her nails dig into my skin. I glare at her. Her breath fans my face as she whispers, “Traila.”
Tingles explode across my body as a light flickers into existence below my vision. I close my eyes as it glows brighter. Then it stops.
The sound of shouting erupts across the hall. I open my eyes, blinking a few times to rid my vision of black dots and find the African American girl straddling my attacker.
“You won’t take them!” She cries.
I stare at her, my heart thumping fast in my chest. The girl pushes her off. She looks around, cursing under her breath before disappearing. Slowly, teachers begin filing out of the classrooms, glaring at the three of us.
Great.
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