Element

✯ Chapter 52

Readers, we highly suggest looking at the tournament arena map before reading this chapter. It might help avoid confusion and aid in the understanding of the tournament's layout.

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I wrench my hand free of my pen, stretching my fingers, which are tired from constantly laboring over homework and note-taking. I take another sheet of clean paper from my binder, flipping to the next page in my math textbook, "Working with Quadratics." All the numbers and variables and square roots are inputted into my head and I slowly but surely work through the problems. My pen dances across the paper too quickly to make it neat. When I finish an exceptionally long, hard question, I stop and lean back in my desk chair, sighing. I tap my fingers on the edge of the table.

Tik-tik-tik-tik-tik. Knock knock knock. A louder tapping from the door blends with my small percussion. I get up, eager for a distraction from the endless math review.

I swing open the door to find Payson standing in front of me.

"Payson?" I ask, slightly furrowing my eyebrows and smiling with confusion. I honestly have no clue why he would come to see me right now.

"Hey Ramaya," he says with a small smile, pulling his baby blue scarf down to show the tiny stubble on his chin. His sapphire blue eyes look more tired than usual, but everyone starts to get a bit more fatigued around this time of year— with finals on their way, every class is starting to review. To most teachers, assigning homework tens of pages at a time is only mediocre, it seems. Not to mention, sixth and seventh year are reportedly the hardest. Payson must be exhausted.

"Can I come in?"

"Oh! Yeah," I say quickly, slightly embarrassed for my lack of manners.

He steps inside hastily to escape the cold. I shut the door with equal hurriedness, not wanting any more of the comfortable heat to be replaced by the frigid air from outside.

"Take a seat." I smile, motioning towards my desk chair as I fall onto my bed.

He relaxes into the seat, looking around. Not that there's much to look at, really. His room probably looks exactly like mine, with the exception of a different wall color.

"So... How have you been?" I start awkwardly, laying on my back, glancing over at him.

A smile easily slides onto his face. "What's the Summer Solstice like in the Air sector?" he asks, completely disregarding my question. Thank god, too. I hate small talk.

"The Air Sector? Oh..." I think back to the summers before. "Well, we usually head out to the Air capitol for the festival the day before. It's always decorated with silver and white streamers, and the classic solstice orange and gold banners, you know..." I gaze up at the ceiling, reminded of the bustling streets. The lamp posts are draped with silvery tinsel, and large orange banners sporting golden suns are strung between the posts.

Payson nods happily. "In the Water capital, it's blue and gold and orange. Everything, just covered in it." I look over at him.

"What's your favorite part of the solstice, just in general?" I ask, rolling onto my stomach and propping my chin in my palms.

"After the decorations, haha, I'd have to say the food and festivities," He says after a short pause, "But mostly the food. My dad always manages to get us tickets for the banquet in the Water capital. Every type of food you can imagine— all in one place for us to indulge."

I laugh slightly in response. "My dad gets free tickets for the Air capital banquet each year. I guess it's one of the perks of him being an aerospace engineer for the government..."