A LEAP OF FAITH

Chapter 8: Breathing blue.

Large squid-like tentacles emerged from Calypso's back. She grabbed Kiren with one of her tentacles and held him up in the air. He squirmed around, losing air quickly.

"LET GO OF HIM!" Malcolm screamed. Kiren's eyes widened, he's never seen Malcolm so angry. Malcolm flew up in the air and began blasting Calypso with as much force and air as he held.

"MALCOLM, STOP, YOU'RE GOING TO-" Kiren yelled, but it was too late. Malcolm's eyes drooped, he fell down, landing on a flat rock. The sound of bones cracking against the rock filled Mugi's ears. He whipped around, staring at Malcolm. He was still breathing but was definitely not okay.

"WHAT ARE YOU STANDING THERE FOR?! SOMEONE HELP HIM!" Mugi screamed angrily and went back to attacking Calypso. Kiren stared wide-eyed at Malcolm, cloudy tears welling up in his eyes.

Ari quickly swam over to him and jumped on the rock, inspecting him. He looked around frantically, not knowing what to do. Sugar cursed under her breath and went to help him. She picked him up, flipping him over.

"He's an air element, meaning that a percentage of him is made up of only air. He can withstand falling from over one hundred feet in the sky. He's fine, but he won't be able to do certain spells for a while, and his body will ache for about a week or so." She glanced at Ari.

"You really know your stuff, huh?" Ari said in surprise.

She nodded and stood up, glaring at Calypso. "Mugi, we need to work together. You can't do everything yourself." She hopped off of the rock and swam over to him.

He shook his head, "I don't need your help," he said through gritted teeth.

Sugar exhaled angrily, annoyed by Mugi's refusal to engage in teamwork. "Fine, I guess we'll take matters into our own hands." She turned around, glancing at the three others, Ari, Sharlet, and Ebony. They gave a soft nod and looked at Calypso. They each tried forming a plan in their head.

Just then, Sugar extended her arms and sent a burst of light towards Calypso. She let out an ear-shrilling screech, bringing her hands up to her eyes. She dropped Kiren in the process. Ebony's breathing staggered, her shadow left her body, taking the shape of a large bowl-like net. It caught Kiren, setting him on the flat rock where Malcolm laid. Mugi covered his ears, groaning. The scream that Calypso let out pierced his ears. Ari gritted his teeth, summoning a large black cloud. Flashes of lightning electrocuted Calypso over and over. She regained sight and began spinning around quickly.

A whirlpool formed, "EVERYONE GET TO HIGHER GROUND!" Sharlet instructed. Everyone ran to the particular rock that Kiren and Malcolm sat on. Sharlet tried to calm down the aggressive waves, it worked a bit, but not fully. A wave came over Sugar, throwing her off of the rock. She coughed and clawed wildly at the air. "SUGAR!" Sharlet screamed, her voice cracking in the slightest. She swam over and picked her up, throwing her over her shoulder. She coughed out water, her eyelids growing heavy. Sharlet gently set her onto the rock and began doing CPR.

Every water element was taught how to conduct CPR on every age group. Sharlet never had to do CPR, but she was glad she knew how to as she knew it'd be useful in the future. And it definitely was. Sugar coughed, spitting up water. Sharlet clenched her teeth, growing angrier by the second. "Mugi, summon your vines and suspend her," she instructed sternly. He stared blankly at her, his ears were still ringing, he could barely make out what she said. Sharlet didn't realize this, though, she just thought he was being stubborn. She gripped his wrist, "I swear to god, Mugi, now isn't the time to not listen, do the spell or I'll drown you myself."

He ripped his arm away from her and picked up his wand. He said the spell, vines came up from the sand and wrapped around Calypso's wrists. Sharlet swam in the middle of the ocean, reciting a long spell. Her voice grew distorted, it sounded as if numerous people were talking at once. A huge tidal wave formed; she sent it towards Calypso. The wave pushed her deep into the water. Ari decided he should help; he didn't want Sharlet doing all of the work. He summoned a large blade; it was similar to the hammer that Sugar summoned a few days before. He jumped up and plunged the blade deep into Calypso's stomach. While doing this, Sharlet propelled herself into the air and sent blasts of water towards her. An inky substance poured from Calypso's wound, polluting the water.