(Outdated) The King of Elements

The Wish Granter

The final bell rung as students filed out of the classrooms. Aside from the majority of the students giving him an evil glare and the football team making threats about what they'd do to him after school, Dre figured it was a relatively short and easy day without Peewee and Doug there to pester him. As he walked towards his locker, he saw Kim standing at her locker through the multitude of students pushing and shoving their way out of the school. He snuck up behind her and tapped her on her shoulder. "Hey Kimmy. Have a good day?" She flinched at his voice.

"Oh. Ke'Undre. Are you feeling better?"

"Are you kidding? You received the worst of it protecting me."

"It's nothing, really. I don't really remember much after I heard that you had blacked out. I just remember that I wanted to protect you." She stared into his eyes as she spoke, her face turning slightly red. "I'm glad to see that you are alright now."

"Same here. Thanks for looking after me," he said as he held his hand out, smiling. "Not many people would do that nowadays. I really owe you one."

She took his hand. It was slightly trembling as her thin lips curved into a shy smile. "I'd better get going, otherwise I'll miss the bus. Don't forget to go to the academy, okay?"

"Okay." He let go of Kim's hand and picked up his backpack. "I'll see you there."

Dre walked further down the hall. In order to keep himself from looking at the hallway full of angry fans of the football team, he stared at the red exit sign posted above the sandy brown double doors leading to the parking lot until he made it to locker #254. Surprisingly, it had no threatening notes taped to it or jeers written on it. He unlatched the lock and opened the door, fearing that there would be a flood of death threats ready to spill over the floor. Nothing. Besides his biology, algebra, and literature books, the locker appeared untouched, except for a single sheet of paper draped over the top of the books, as if someone had slipped it in through the slits on the door. It was a short note in small, neatly-written cursive.

Once you get to the academy, your leader will escort you to the Wayward Marketplace. Be sure to pick up your fighting uniform as well as your practice sword once you get to the shop. Your type of sword will reflect on how you performed in the entrance exams. I hope you took it seriously.

:)

Demetrius McManus

Oh great. Considering that I passed out on the battlefield, I'd be lucky to even get a sword, Dre thought to himself as he walked out the exit door towards the parking lot. The cars were filing out of the school campus in a disorganized clutter. He was looking for Samantha's car among the cluster of students' cars. Considering that he was looking for a florescent white Jaguar, it was an easy enough job.

And there she was, parked in the row closest to the school. Samantha was leaning against the hood of the car, her blond hair swaying in the wind and her thin, delicate arms folded. "Oh boy, she's mad," Dre sighed as he made his way to her car. He could just hear her yelling in his ear. "What took you so long? Are you going to live your whole life late?" she would say to him.

"I wasn't too late, was I?"

"No. You're not. We have to talk on the way there." Her voice was neutral, almost cold and empty, which terrified him worse than the yelling. She unfolded her arms and got inside of the car.

Dre's heart sunk as he heard her speak those evil words. If there was anything that he had gained from the teenage drama series he always had the misfortune to tune in to, if a girl says "We need to talk," it often means something bad.

He jumped into the passenger's side as Samantha slid on her white designer sunglasses and drove out of the parking lot.

"So, how did you two meet?"

"Mr. McManus told me to show Megumi to her classes after I showed up late to school yesterday," he said, fighting hard not to thank her for not canceling his ride. "We started talking on the way to the pool, and the next thing I knew-"

"You can't see her anymore."

"What? Why?" Dre asked in outrage as they turned off of School Street.

"Because I know how girls like that are. They wait until you are most vulnerable before they take advantage of you, and when you least expect it, they'll stab you in the back."

"That doesn't really sound like Megumi."

"That's because you're too stupid to see it."

Wow. Was that really necessary?

"You aren't allowed to see her anymore. Unless, of course, you don't want to date me anymore."

This was it; the moment that Dre had been waiting for. Before, he was too afraid to break up with her from fear of what she'd do, or who he'd meet after he dumped her. Now, all he had to do was say "No, I don't want to date you anymore. I don't want to dress and talk the way you want me to. I'd rather take my chances with getting to know strangers than to date you." All he had to do was build up the guts to say it.

He sighed as he turned to the window. "Yes, I still want to date you."

You are scum, Dre. Scum.

Samantha began speaking again, but Dre's mind was too focused on other things to pay attention. How was he going to break it off with Megumi? And how would they react at the academy? He took a deep breath as he laid his forehead against the cool window. He closed his eyes, silently wishing that there was a way out of this situation.

Then, he felt a dark and looming pair of eyes staring at him. He snapped his head up and looked out of the window. They had stopped in the parking lot of Baker's One Stop, the small gas station down the street from Dre's house. At the entrance, was the boy in the dark cloak, giving his demonic grin.

Dre tried to speak, but the words wouldn't come out. His heart pounded uncomfortably against his ribcage. Time itself seemed to stop as the young boy stared at him. Who the hell is this kid? Why is he want from me?

The boy withdrew a ghostly-white hand from his cloak and pointed it at the car. A black, ribbon-like material escaped from his hand and slithered straight for Dre. His pounding heartbeat quickened like raindrops on a tin roof as it phased though the window towards Dre's face. He tried his hardest to move, but it was no use. It was as if he was bound to the chair by invisible chains and was able to only breathe and watch. The ribbon shifted its position at the last minute and flowed straight into Samantha's eye. Dre panted as if he had retaken the entrance exams as the boy replaced his hand back into his cloak and smiled, showing off his sharp, inhuman teeth before evaporating into thin air.