Element Academy: The Light of the Avatar

Run...Page

"If nothing was wrong why would they keep us locked up like this?" Jacob challenges.

"Maybe because they don't want any of their many workers figuring out the Avatar is here?" Jake challenges back.

"Would any of them even know who the Avatar is?" Page questions. She has a point.

"I don't like being left in the dark like this, if they can't trust me or any of us to know what's going on then I don't trust them to keep staying here." Crystal declares. "Now who is coming with me?"

"I am," Page replies without hesitation. They keep telling her no every time she wants to call her dad and that doesn't sit right with her.

"So what's the plan?" Mahoney asks Crystal.

All eyes turn to their friend who smiles at them in return.

"We're busting out of here. Now here's the plan..."

Less than ten minutes later the group slowly trickles out from the room and into the kitchen. Two guards stands stoic at the elevator door. They wouldn't be switching shifts for a few hours according to Demetri who had been paying attention to the rotation schedule the last few days.

"Hey Demetri, can you get me a bottle of water?" Crystal asks.

"Sure."

As he heads to the fridge Mahoney makes a remark about how only sissies drink the bottled stuff and real men drink from tap. He goes to the sink that sits in the island standing across from the fridge and turns the water on.

"Now!"

The gang instantly reacts. Jake and Jacob who had been 'looking' for a book at the bookcase tackle the bodyguard blocking the elevator buttons and shove him into the other bodyguard.

In a pop, the sink nozzle bursts as Page and Crystal bend the water at the pair, freezing them to the wall before they can call for back up.

Jake hits the elevator button. When the doors open, the guard riding the elevator gasps when he sees the situation, but it's already too late. The water bottles go flying and slam into him over and over. Crystal bends the newly created water fountain at him and freezes him to the wall of the elevator.

"Let's go!" They pour into the elevator, doing their best to ignore the cries from the bodyguard frozen to the wall.

"Crystal, wait! Don't go!" Talula and her mother come from their shared room and out into the living room.

Crystal stops short at the Elevator threshold. "You don't get to tell me what to do."

"I am your mother!"

Everyone freezes. Crystal clenches her fists. "You are not my mother."

She crosses into the elevator and presses the door to close.

"Crystal!" Talula calls out.

"Sorry Talula, we're done sitting by." she replies as the doors shut.

Pages watches Crystal punch the first floor button. As the floors tick by, the bodyguard continues to spew out Chinese in his angry rushed tone.

"Be quiet guy or I'm going to freeze your mouth too," Page threatens. If he keeps shouting like this, he's going to get them caught.

"It's okay Page," Crystal assures her friend. "He's warning us that the elevator won't stop until we hit the first floor and that stopping on the first floor is going to get us caught."

"Are we still stopping there?" Jake asks, worry very clear on his face.

"Yup, no one outside of the bending community knows who we are," Crystal explains. "It'll be pretty suspicious if a big scene is made to catch us. I don't think they'll do anything."

"You think so?" Page asks; it couldn't be that simple.

Crystal shrugs. "Not really. They could say we're tresspassing."

"So we're screwed," Mahoney recaps.

Three...

"Nope, you guys run for the doors and don't stop until you reach the park we passed on the way here. Meet at the heart of the park and we can go from there." Crystal turns to look at her friends. "Everything will be okay, just run."

Two....

The guard says something else and Crystal nods in response. She picks up a water bottle and hands it to Page.

Page takes it and stares down at the transparent liquid inside. Why does bending have to come with so much fighting?

One...

The doors open and bright red fills her vision.

"Look out!"

Crystal covers her face. There's the sound of rushing water, a thud from behind, and the sting of embers pricking her skin.

She brings her hands down to find the lobby of the building in chaos. The windows are covered in a strange gray tint, and sear marks cover everything. Bodyguards and teens dressed in Camp colors are battling people dressed in jeans and black sweatshirts.

Page gasps. "What the heck?"

"Where is the Avatar?!" One of the guys dressed in black demands.

"Guys, remember the plan," they all look to Crystal; their surprise keeping them from remembering what the plan was. "Run!"

Demetri takes Page's hand and next thing she knows they're weaving in and around the battle.

"Wait! What about Crystal?!" Page shouts above the roar of a nearby water fight.

"You heard her, run!"