The Silver Pocket Staff

elements- chapter 4

   Hiraeth, Dylan, Talia, and Will were the first four students to walk into the large classroom. The walls were painted dark blue and there was a multicolor wall tapestry that read "ELEMENTS" on it in the back of the room. The classroom was only lit by some small torches that floated about the room. There was a wide teacher's desk at the front and Mr. Scott was sitting on it, waiting students to enter. 

"Good morning! Take a seat wherever you'd like and talk among yourselves as you wait for the other groups." He said smiling. They did as he said and after a while, about a dozen unenthusiastic orphans piled in the classroom and waited for their lesson to start. 

"Welcome to Elements! My name is Mr. Riley Scott and I'm pleased to be your teacher for the next four years! So, before we begin, I would like to express my sympathy for you all. I understand many of you would rather not be here and be back at your previous schools and at your homes, but I promise I will try to make your stay here as enjoyable as possible. Please think of me as less than a teacher and more of a friend you can come to for anything." Everyone nodded. Hiraeth heard a voice whisper behind her.

"He seems trustworthy." Hiraeth turned in her seat. The voice belonged to a girl with black hair and dark eyes. Hiraeth looked the girl up and down then smirked mirthlessly. She turned back around, thinking it was funny that people actually believed that teachers cared about students.

"Elements are special powers all people, even primals, are born with and they can choose to develop their powers or not at the age of fifteen. Can anyone tell me why primals are any different than secdals if they are able develop their elemental powers?"

Talia raised her hand and Mr. Scott nodded. 

"Elements are the only form of magic primals have. Other than that, they have no other magical abilities and that is how they are different than secdals."

"Correct, Talia. Now, there are four elements, earth, water, fire, and air. Air is a bit like water elements because clouds are produced, and clouds are made of water vapor." Mr. Scott raised turned his palms upward and closed his eyes. His hands started to emit water, similar to a fountain. "As you can see, I was born with water elements." He closed his hands and the water flow immediately stopped. 

"Elements can be used for many things, from personal entertainment to creating a potion to battling a rival. Like all branches of magic, using your powers more often causes magical exhaustion, so it is not advised that you use elements for entertainment. I'm sure that you all know that magical exhaustion can be deadly or make you prone to injuries. 

"Elements are powered by your imagination, and it is one of the only branches of magic that do not require an incantation. It requires focus and a clear mind. This is what makes it the hardest branch of magic to master. You have to imagine yourself doing whatever it is you want to do with your element.

"I want you to try to produce air, water, plants, or fire. It is rare that you will get it on the first try. The main goal is not to produce your element, the main goal is to get motivated. You may begin."

Hiraeth closed her eyes and raised her palms to the direction of the ceiling, envisioning puffy white clouds emitting from her hands. She started to feel her head ache and a slow breeze on her fingertips. She opened her eyes and gasped. She had a small cloud dancing on her hand. She looked around and Talia, Dylan, and Will had also successfully produced their elements. Mr. Scott rushed over to them.

"Incredible. This hasn't been done since..." His voice trailed off. "Uh, congratulations! This hasn't been done in a very long time!"

The four dormmates looked at each other, all looking confused.

"Anyways, your homework will be to fill out a small questionnaire from information you find in the library. It is due in two days." He raised his hand and muttered something under his breath. The questionnaires flew out of nowhere and onto their desks. "If you have any questions, don't be afraid to come to me. Class is dismissed!" All the students filed out of the classroom.

As Dylan, Hiraeth, and Will were about leave the classroom, they noticed Talia staring at Mr. Scott.

"Come on, Talia," Dylan said. "We have to get to our next class."

Talia waved her hand at him absentmindedly. "Wait."

Mr. Scott was searching through boxes for something. He had a crazed look on his face. He suddenly realized he was being watched and turned to the four students and smiled, gesturing to the door. They raised their eyebrows and walked slowly out of the room.

"That was...odd," Will said, looking bewildered.

"He was looking for something. Something that had to do with us being able to use our elements successfully on the first try," Talia added.

"That's obvious, but why did he seem afraid and-" Dylan cut Hiraeth off.

"Remember what he said before telling us to try and produce our elements? He said this was rare. Maybe that's why he freaked out."