The Keeper Exams

Elemental - Task One

User: infinitywordlover

Name: Crysalis

I sit quietly watching the teacher instruct us on the correct organization of a friendly letter- greeting, body, and signature. All the windows are open and a hot, heavy breeze blows through the classroom adding another layer of sleepiness. Suddenly, the speaker crackles on.
"Attention classrooms, this is a Lock down! This is a Lock Do-," a woman yells. We hear a bang, and she trails off into a scream. The speaker shuts off, and the classroom erupts into chaos.
We run towards the designated corner, each trying to get to the best spot. A girl falls with a shout as someone else pushes her down. I seize her hands pulling her up.
We wait for our doom our senses on edge. I hold in my tears knowing that if I started crying, I would be dead. Footsteps and drawling voices echo down the hallways and I overhear snatches of the words.
"Itty-bitty children are so annoying."
"I know right?! I just want to pick'em up and twist their heads off."
"Ha! That would be funny. What about taking off their limbs one by one? Just imagine those faces! It would be hilarious. Oh, AND they would be begging for their mommies and screaming in pain. Hahaha just hysterical!"
The two erupt into loud cackles, and I shrink further back against the wall my eyes wide. Suddenly, the footsteps stop. The doorknob shakes, my breath comes fast, and my heart begins to race. There's a pause then the door begins to pulse as something heavy begins to attack it. Boom Boom Boom Boom causing the room to quake as if it is scared too.
"Fools! What are you doing! We have a mission to accomplish! What are you doing?"
"I-uh-we were uh hoping for some individual shots,"
"No time! Now MOVE,"The footsteps die away and we relax but my senses are still quivering with danger. What was their mission? It's not long until we find out. A few seconds later, the whole school shudders. Cracks spread through the walls and pieces of rubble fall on our heads. A rock catches the side of my head and then something warm and wet runs down the side of my cheek. I'm unsure if it is blood or tears but I stand up trying to pull myself together.
First, I have to get out. I run toward the door where everybody is heading, but before I can even get halfway, there's another blast and I'm flying through the window toward the field. I crumple onto the grass. My vision blurs, but I can vaguely see other figures lying near me. Screams wrack the air and sirens merge with them but the sirens are too far away, too quiet. One last explosion, and my school explodes into flames. The searing heat brushes my face and I turn away. Long tongues of orange, red, and yellow lick towards the sky dancing their beautiful, horrible dance of destruction.
"water..." I whisper through my seared lips. "water..."
"Water... We Need Water...Water..."
Tingles begin running through my body and at first I think it is a symptom of death, but instead I feel reinvigorated. There's a tugging sensation in my chest and stomach. Images of rain, oceans and rivers run through my head.
Then there's a tiny bubbling sound to my right. I stare in disbelief at the tiny fountain of water that had formed. There's a pssssssh noise and a bigger fountain forms. The water bubbles higher and higher and it begins flowing toward the school rolling, and gliding in a massive wave. Clouds are rolling in now, and as I watch, it begins to rain. The flames lower. The wave is still gathering strength, more and more water leaks up from the ground and joins the wave. It crashes into the school in a gush of steam and the flames are gone. Immediately, the heat and pain are gone.A sudden feeling of exhaustion washes over me. I tilt my head back letting the rain cool the burns and wash away the blood. And then the tears do fall.
"Crysa," someone calls. I open my eyes.
"Mom?"
"We have to get away from here before the police come. Let's go."
"But what about school?!"
"There's no more school from now on."
"But what about college?! I want to get into a good college," I complain. She stares at me for a moment her green eyes unsure.
"You have a different path now," she finally says before helping me stand up. I wobble a little and she puts her arm around me stabilizing me.
When we reach home, my father and brother rush to me with a worried expressions. "Are you hurt?!"
"No, just a bit dizzy and tired," I reply.
"Andrew, she's an Elemental," my mother cuts in.
"An ELEMENTAL?! That's the first in the family in two centuries," my father says eyes wide. He steps forward and helps my mother get me to the couch. Then, my parents and my brother whisk away and have a hushed discussion in the far corner of the room and finally when they finally return to the couch my mother says, "Honey, you're a hybrid. You have special DNA that lets you do things other can't. I'm a hybrid too, so is dad, and so is London. We will train you to use your powers so don't worry. Everything's under control."
"What about school?"
"Something will be worked out. I'm sure." Her slow, gentle,soothing voice calms me down and I believe her.
Over the next six years, I learn everything there is to learn about my craft. I learn how to control weather, fire, wind, air, and earth. I even learn how to change life such as changing the color of a plant. However, that's about to change.
"Crysalis! Wake up!"
"Coming, mom!"
I leap out of bed carelessly throwing on a t-shirt and shorts and head down to the kitchen ready for the day."Hey, Crysa," London says barely looking up.
"Hey."
"How'd you sleep dear?" my mother asks as I pour myself some juice.
"Good."
"Good, because you're going to have to control the doubles again." I groan. Doubles was controlling two things at once, for example fire and ice, at the same time and not letting the ice melt. I hear a snicker behind me and I send a gust of wind in London's direction. In response, I feel a sharp pain in my stomach. I turn around to see London controlling the pain with his hands. I conjure up a mini rainstorm over his head and a moment later, he's drenched.
"London, Crysa, Stop!" my dad yells glaring at us both. London sticks his tongue out at me, but the pain stops. I let the rainstorm die.
After breakfast, we head to the training room in the basement, and my dad instructs me to set a stack of logs on fire and fill a tank with water, turn it into ice and stop it from melting. I'm struggling, but not as much as usual. The tank is filling slower than I would like but at least the flames are still going. The tank fills and I flick my hand turning it hard and white. Now the hard part. My dad gingerly picks up the end of one of the twigs. The other end blazes with a small tongue of flame. Carefully, he sets it on the ice. I can feel the flame threatening to sputter out but I keep it going, concentrating hard. The ice is turning watery, but I flick my hand and it cools.
"Come on now, Crysalis. Keep it balanced remember what I taught you. You have to visualize it, and you also have to FEEL it. You have to be at peace. We really need to work on meditation don't we," My dad says from across the room. I glower in his direction, but I try his advice. I imagine my power is a ball and I have to balance it on a stick.Slowly, the tugging inside my chest intensifies and then it seems to click into balance. The flame on the stick intensifies leaping higher and higher and yet the ice does not melt. I hear clapping and I see my father smiling broadly.
"Well done! Now," he takes me and walks me over to the block of ice. "Watch."
The fire seems to sink into the ice, but the ice is still hard and cold and as I watch the fire continues to burn. "Equilibrium," I whisper. "Eternal Fire."
I step forward in awe, touching the ice. It's not quite so cold anymore, but there is no sign of melting. However it's becoming harder and harder to hold the balance and finally with a tug at my chest, it shatters into a million pieces, that immediately start melting. My father catches a shard and I see a glow of blue from his hand.
"There, a little touch of time freezing and this will last forever. Use it to remember the balance."
"Thank you," I cry and hug him.
"You're welcome, now let's go have some lunch."
The moment we get upstairs, I hurry to my room to find a piece of string. After finding a suitable leather cord, I poke a hole through the shard of ice and string it on.
Then I hurry to lunch but my family isn't in the kitchen.
My family stands in the hall talking to a tall man with dark hair. As I approach, he looks at me.
"Crysalis Morian," he says. It's not a question. It's a statement. I nod. My voice seems stuck in my throat because the way this man looked at me, it was like he was trying to look THROUGH me. "Come here," he says. I don't move."It's ok, Crysa. Do what he says."
I move in front of him. He stares into my eyes and I feel a distinct prickling sensation in my head. Then at last he smiles, "Crysalis Morian I deem your power worthy. You are accepted into the Keeper Exams. You have one week to prepare, see you then." I stare at him in shock. He gives me a small grim smile and then turns away to my parents. "Here are the details. See you in one week. Have a nice day!"
The front door swings shut behind him, leaving us standing frozen in the hall, our minds desperately trying to catch up and process what had just happened.

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User: Mermaid1211

Name: Serena

Suddenly my hands started burning,... but it didn't hurt. The flames spread from my hand on the wooden door. And the funny thing was it felt good." I explained,
 And remembered the feeling. It was like the fire was my anger making itself known.

"I didn't scream. I didn't speak. I was speechless. Completely speechless. I gawked at the door as the fire spread up the door and into the other parts of the house. I didn't even hear the fire alarm as it went off. My mother and father must've gone out the basement door. The next thing I knew I was being dragged out by a fireman...so that's what happened I know it's crazy."

He looked at me "Can you do it again?" He asks

"What ?"

"Can you make the fire again?" He smiled

He actually believed me.

"Well...I don't know..it just happened last time...I didn't think about it...I can try"

I concentrated really hard, but but I couldn't do it.

"How do you feel right now?"

"Right now? I feel kind of scared.." I said honestly

"Why?"

"Because I feel like..like my world is falling apart..my mom and dad are separating..my grandfather is in the hospital..my grades are dropping in school.." I started feeling really scared as I said those things my hands grew cold. Colder than ice. The ice was soothing and soon cold snowflakes started flowing from my finger tips..I looked him and he smiled "you are worthy of the exams."

"W-what?" I asked confused

"You're an elemental. And a powerful one at that. I figured you were an elemental when you told me about the fire but then the ice..not all elementals can manipulate ice..you're powerful"

"You're insane.." I started and then looked down at my hands "maybe not..."

He chuckled "well you're gonna have to come with me.."

"But I can't just leave."

"You think you're gonna be able to leave if you wait for your parents?"

I sighed "no.." I stood up. "Alright let me pack some things"

He nodded and waited as I went to my room and packed a bag. I thought about what I was doing. "You're crazy..Serena you're crazy.." I told myself, but I knew I had to go.  I gotta do this, there's nothing left for me here. This is a new beginning. A chance for me to have an adventure. I finished packinb and went down to him again. My bag over my shoulder I smiled slightly.

"Come on let's go before I change my mind" I said.

He stood and nodded leading me out. As I looked back at my house I waved goodbye to the empty house wondering what would be there when I returned. If I returned.

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User: harrop01

Name: Teresa