The Seventh Element

Chapter Three

Life continued on as normal. Or as normal as we could manage. My joy for life was gone. If I was going to be stuck with these powers, I no longer had anything to look forward to except for the impending separation from my family. I would have tried to begin controlling my powers but I didn't know where to start. They were erratic and not easy to track. At times, I thought they had disappeared but then they would reappear in new and unusual ways. I felt like I was walking on ever thinning ice with no way to predict when it would crack beneath me and no way to reach solid ground.

All the while, my family treated me as they always had though I no longer smiled or laughed or sought out any form of affection. My sisters still bossed me good-naturedly and my brother treated me like a dear friend and playmate. I tried to reciprocate as I once had but the familial love and affection I'd once taken for granted had gone, leaving an emptiness in its wake. My parents would give me concerned looks at times but they were at a loss as to how to help me. All we could do was wait.

The time passed so very slowly until at last the day arrived for me to leave.

At only thirteen, I had begun learning how to drive a team but was unable to manage on my own. My father took me on the week-long trip off the mountain to drop me off at the nearest village with a train station. Village life was strange but after all, they were just people. Some cast curious looks but most simply carried on their way, intent on their own business. Having been here before, my father confidently led the way through the village.

The strangest thing was the train.

My father's explanation of a giant machine that was used as a mode of transportation through the forest didn't even come close to the real thing. It should have been intimidating knowing that I would be in this, leaving behind everything and everyone I knew. Instead, I felt nothing at all except my ever-present anxiety.

My father put his hands on my shoulders. "The train takes you directly to the school so there's no fear of you getting lost. Learn as much as you can and remember that your family loves you very much. We'll see you at the end of the school year." He drew me in for a big hug which our family was known for.

His solid warmth was no longer a comfort. It simply made me uncomfortable and I squirmed to be free.

He released me, his eyes sad and he watched as I boarded the train.

I found the sleeper car I had been assigned to and settled in. The ticket I had covered food and board for the duration of my trip. I had no intentions of leaving the car until I arrived at my destination. Since leaving the mountain, my powers had been going wild. Helpless to control them, the last thing I wanted was to hurt someone else with my icy abilities.

Those four days felt longer than the past eight months. The scenery of evergreen trees soon grew boring and whenever I drew near, the glass developed a thin layer of frost, obscuring my view. My meals were delivered to my door and other than that, I had nothing with which to occupy my time. Nothing but my anxiety. Frost soon covered every surface in the small space and random snowfall would happen throughout the day.

Every manifestation of my powers caused me anxiety which in turn seemed to make them act out more. It was an endless cycle with me helpless in the center of it. It was enough to drive one mad. When I finally got off the train I was a bundle of nerves.

"Novas are to report to Central for assessment!" someone announced. "This means you, nova," the boy said, pointing a finger directly at me.

"Where is that?" another boy asked.

"Central Floor is located in the tower," the first boy responded, pointing to a tall building in the distance.

We followed the flow of other students to the tower and were directed to climb the stairs to reach the central floor. Three flights of stairs later, we finally reached a small room. A dozen of us were gathered to wait. Some exchanged uncertain glances while others avoided eye contact, lost in their own worlds. It seemed that none of us knew what to expect.

Though, each of us seemed to manifest some sort of elemental power be it a gust of wind, a flickering flame or even a puddle of water. I stood apart from the rest, feeling their astonished glances my way. Even in this room of strange and unusual power, I was the anomaly.

One by one, we were each called into another room. I was called halfway through the group. As I entered this new room, a blast of icy wind swept through it.

A shocked gasp came from in front of me.

"So, it's true."

"He really is an ice elemental."

I had entered a room facing a row of people behind a raised table.

"Tor Larsen?" one man asked in clipped tones.

I nodded.

The group exchanged a look.

"Well, I didn't believe it but there's no denying it now," another man said.

"Now that he is here, we must find a place for him," one woman said.

"I think Aqua should take him, given that ice is frozen water."

"I have no objections," another man said. He looked at me with impassive blue eyes. "And as for tutor?"

"One of mine will take him," a woman said, offering me a kind smile, the first I'd received since I arrived.

As I had come to expect by now, I could not reciprocate.

"Exit through there to meet with your tutor and welcome to the Academy," another woman said, pointing to a door.

I left the room, reunited with my fellow new students in a different room than we had been in before.

It was only a few moments before we were all together again. We milled around uncertainly. Then a second group of students entered the room. Slowly, they paired off with each of us.

"Tor?"

At the sound of my name, I turned to see a boy around my age with black hair and eyes. He wore a long-sleeved shirt and pants and a friendly smile on his face.

"My name is Vic and I'm your tutor!" he explained.

Reading my blank look, his grin didn't falter.

"Don't worry! I know how disorienting this all must bebut that's what I'm here for, to walk you through it. Every nova, or firstyear, is assigned a second-year tutor that can stick with them through theirschool years and be their guide. So, if you don't have any questions, lets go!"