Elemental: Fire, Water, Air, Earth, Crystal

2

The next morning, the same water guy headed to work at City Hall, music from his headphones vibrating throughout his watery head. He approached the door to his department so into his music that he didn't see the flames burning on the floor until his bag caught fire.

The water guy glanced down. He desperately patted at his burning bag. He stomped on the flames that rose from the floor.

Suddenly, Ember stood up, her body forming from the flames.

"Oh. sorry," he said, stepping back. "You're so hot!" He checked his smoldering bag.

Ember raised an eyebrow while Kia revealed herself from the walls when she camouflaged. "Excuse me?"

"No!" he said quickly. "I mean, like you're smokin'! No. I didn't mean it like tha-"

"Are you done yet?" asked Ember.

The water element dropped with embarrassment. "Yes, please."

"We haven't got to introduce ourselves," Kia said, chuckling.

The water guy totally understood what she meant. "Oh, right. I'm Wade."

"I'm Kia Gemstone. Yeah, and you already met Ember Lumen, the fire girl who runs the shop."

"We're waiting to talk to your boss," she explained. "So make it like a stream and... flow somewhere else."

She settled back on the floor, ready to wait.

"Actually," said Wade, "Gale won't be in today."

"Gale?" Kia asked.

"She's a huge air ball fan, and the Windbreakers are finally in the playoffs!"

Ember flared with frustration, growling in anger as Kia trembled.

Wade leaned away from her heat. "Okay.... Well, I just came by because I left my passes for the game here last night."

Ember perked up. "Passes?" she asked, standing up. "Like plural?"

A short while later, Ember, Kia and Wade hurried up the Wetro station stairs into the busy Air District.

Ember stared in awe at the throng of Airball fans floating into Cyclone Stadium. The stadium was tall and cylindrical, like a cyclone. The marquee read WINDBREAKERS VS CROP DUSTERS.

Kia had heard about Air Elements when she learned about them. They are known for flying in the air, inhaling to make themselves big, and they are made out of fluffy cloud puffs. The game had already begun inside the stadium as Wade and Ember made their way toward Gale.

High above the stands, fluffy Air players dressed in jerseys passed a ball toward a hoop.

Ember couldn't help watching the exciting game. Kia looked all over and can see that the crowd is full of Earth, Air, and Water Elements. But no Fire elements at all.

Then she remembered why they had come. "Where is she?" she asked, scanning the stadium.

"Up there!" Wade said, gesturing. "In that skybox."

Above them, the Air woman in the skybox swelled like a purple storm cloud. Fear flickered in Ember's chest, but only for a moment. "Okay," she said, taking a deep breath. "Time to cancel some tickets."

As she made her way toward the skybox, she passed a drink vendor. When Ember reached the row of seats behind Gale's box, she stopped. A few Water Elements sat passed by them as Kia slowly avoided the liquid bodies. Cyclone Stadium was yet another part of Element City that had not been built by Fire and Crystal Elements.