"So now what do we do?" Mary asked. "Cyclone's been taken and in exchange we've got our teacher tied up in the closet."
"Which I still think is a bit extreme," Cord said from his isolation.
"No one asked you," Mary replied.
"Our focus should be on finding where they took him," Summer said.
"I've got clones of me running around the campus right now. So far we see nothing," Samantha said. "Not even that other group of students."
"But how?" Mary said. "How did everyone just up and vanish?"
A knock at the door broke everyone's train of thought. The girls tensed up, wary that beyond the door could be a fight. Samantha and Summer hid while Mary crept over to open the door.
"Cyclone?!" Mary said out of shock.
"What?!" Summer and Samantha joined in.
Cyclone stood perfectly still at the door, not a scratch on him. The girls looked at him with smiles, but his eyes were blank and lifeless.
"Cyclone? Are you okay?" Samantha asked.
"This is a warning," Cyclone said without emotion. "If you interfere with my plans again, this body is all that you'll have left of Cyclone. Give me Cord, or else."
"How is this possible?" Samantha said.
"When it comes to Aura Crystals, anything is possible. Now give up Cord."
"We can't do that," Summer said.
"And why not?" Cyclone asked.
"He escaped. He's long gone."
"I see... This changes nothing. I'll allow you all to keep your crystals for now, but if you get in my way again, Cyclone's blood will be on your hands." Warning delivered, Cyclone walked off without another word or glance.
Mary slammed the door to her room and pounded her hand on the wall. Summer sat back on her bed, rubbing her forehead.
"Why did you tell her Cord escaped?" Mary asked.
"He's our teacher. Our friend."
"Friend?! All he's done is lie and get us into trouble. We can't trust him!"
"Even if we gave him up to Giv, how do we know she'll give up Cyclone?"
"That's not your call to make!"
"Enough!" Samantha finally interjected. "We need to come to grips with what's happened. We have Cord and she has Cyclone."
"What do you suggest we do, huh?" Mary asked.
"We should go about our lives. Try and figure out what she's planning. Giv will still be teaching, and Cyclone will still be around. This way we can make sure he's safe."
Summer absorbed what her friend was saying, but promptly left the room, her mask tight in her fist. Samantha and Mary followed her, concerned and curious.
"Where do you think you're going?" Mary asked as they stepped foot outside.
"I have to clear my head. Maybe it's best you girls handle all this without me."
"Where will you go?" Samantha asked. "You can't just leave."
"Watch me." Summer aimed her palms to the ground and launched herself into the air with her fire. Samantha and Mary watched as their friend flew off across the night sky.
"Well that happened," Samantha commented.
"Great. First she puts us in this situation, then she leaves us." Mary stormed back inside, her anger bubbling on the surface. Samantha calmly followed, holding back tears.
