Element Academy

The Traitor Revealed?!...Crystal

Crystal has to get those two hot heads away from everyone before they cause mass induced panic. Page may not be a firebender, but she definitely has a flaming spirit like Saphire.

Saphire comes up from behind and takes a hold of Crystal's arm, "Come with me."

"Where are you going with Crystal?" Page calls out from behind.

Crystal has no choice but to allow Saphire to drag her into the depths of the Academy with her friends doing their best to stay close behind. She can't refuse Saphire's "request" to talk to them. She feels as if she owes Saphire this, Steven seems to be a good friend of Saphire's and his disappearance must be hard on her.

If only Crystal can find out whoever this traitor is, stop them, and get the students back. Easier thought than done...

Saphire takes a sharp turn and practically throws Crystal into a small office. The room is brightly illuminated by a wide glassless rectangular window occupying the back wall. Its strangely empty inside with only a desk and two chairs on opposite sides. Crystal manages to dodge the closest chair but still makes a collision with the wooden desk.

"Would you quit it?!" Mahoney shouts as he runs to Crystal's side, "You okay?"

Crystal nods and watches Saphire storm to the other side of the desk. Crystal and Mahoney jump back as Saphire slams her fist against the desk. Demetri holds back Page who is steaming at this turn of events.

"You were the last ones to see Steven," She accuses.

"Yes," Crystal replies.

"Don't answer her when she talks to you like that!" Page shouts.

Crystal looks back at Page and smiles, "Its cool Page, I have tons of little brothers and sisters. If I donn't know how to handle a 'tantrum' then I would not be my family's designated baby sitter."

Saphire's face grows red, "Tantrum?!"

Its Crystal's turn to frown, "Yes a Tantrum. I get it, you're upset that Steven is missing and you probably just want to solve the mystery of his and the other's students disappearances. But getting all fired up and being mean won't get you as far as calming down and talking to us like equals and not two year olds who threw fruit punch on your favorite dress and started laughing."

Mahoney stifles a laugh, "Fruit punch? Really?"

"Just an example,"Crystal shrugs before turning back to Saphire. "I'll tell you what you want to know, but you have to cool it."

Saphire takes in a deep breath, "You're right." She plops down in the chair with a defeated look on her face. She puts her face in her hands. Mahoney looks back at Demetri, who looks at Page, who shrugs not knowing what to do. She seems so vulnerable. So defeated. So Sad.

Saphire shakes her head with her hands still covering her face. She looks up with tears brimming in her eyes, red blotches on her cheeks. "I'm sorry. I don't cry. EVER.  Its just...just that...Steven is one of my best friends and now he's just...he's just...gone." She looks into Page's eyes then Crystal's. "I need you tell me what you saw when you ran into Steven last night and from the beginning."

Crystal takes in a deep breath, "When I went to bed last night I saw a note under my pillow. It was from Talula and she said she needed someone to talk to. So when everyone was asleep I snuck out to go to Talula's new room."

"On her way there I woke up and saw Crystal was missing. I caught up with her and followed her to Talula's room." Page adds in. "When I left the Waterbending hall, the door was open."

"And I had closed the door when I left," Crystal interjects, "Which means that someone had just entered the hall or had just left after me and before Page."

"And that wasn't a lot of time in between, because Crystal wasn't that far away when I caught up with her," Page says.

"Like Page and I said we talked with Talula and when we were done, we headed back to the hall," says Crystal.

Page picks up from there knowing it was time to add and subtract a few details, "That's when we ran into Steven. He caught us sneaking back to our room. When we were talking with him we thought we saw someone in the shadows and took off running. We heard a commotion coming from behind like a vase breaking and so we kept running. If we would have known that that ninja could take down Stevenm we would have stayed and helped." Page didn't like twisting the truth, but it doesn't seem like a good idea to start bringing up blue blobs at this moment.

Saphire straigtens up, "Ninja?"

Crystal nods, "The person that was after us moved as graceful and light footed as a...as an experienced airbender!"

Demetri and Mahoney look at them in surprise.

"That's right!" Page agrees with surprise, "It had to have been an airbender and if not, someone hired a ninja!"

"So another camp really is trying to attack our camp?" Demetri asks.

At that moment, the door bursts open causing everyone in the room to jump. Two buff men in black who Crystal didn't recognize storm in and grab a hold of the Saphire's arms.

"Saphire!" Crystal exclaims.

"Do you know everyone in this camp?!" Page exclaims.

Saphire tries to shake the men's grip. It didn't work very well. "What is the meaning of this?!"

"You are hereby under camp arrest for betraying the Element Academy and assisting in the kidnapping of innocent campers."

Crystal and Page turn toward the familiar voice, "Sonya?"

Saphire's face grows hot with anger, "What are you talking about? I would never betray my home!"

"Tell that to the evidence," Sonya replies with steel in her voice. Crystal has never seen her like this, its kind of scary. "Take her away."

"Wait, you can't do this!" Mahoney shouts, "She would never do something like that! What evidence do you have against her?!"

The men stop, Sonya rolls her eyes, and Crystal looks at him confusion. Then it hits her, Mahoney is a firebender too. Is she one of his teachers?

"You have no place to question my authority Freshman!" Sonya shouts.

Now wait just a minute!" Mahoney cries back with clenched fists.

Demetri holds him back. "Mahoney, man. Don't!"

"Don't talk to him like that!" Page shouts with anger rising up in her. Crystal understands where her anger is coming from, they haven't known Saphire long, but Mahoney trusts her. That's good enough for them.

Sonya seems to soften a little, but not enough to show real remorse. "There's nothing I can do Page."

Crystal pulls Page against the wall with Demetri and Mahoney as the men force Saphire out of the room.

"You four better get to class," Sonya tells them before leaving the room.

The moment they leave Page shakes out of Crystal's grip, "You should have done something!"

"Why me?" Crystal doesn't like to play dumb, but with Mahoney and Demetri here she has to.

"You know why!" Page exclaims in frustration. "You make things happen Crystal, you could have told them about the airbender ninja. Something! Anything!"

"And if they don't already know that, they will just tell us that Saphire has an accomplice that's an airbender," Crystal counters back as calmly as she can. Her heart is pounding a mile a minute, but she can't let that distract her. She has to concentrate. "We need to calm down and think. There has to be a way to know for sure that Saphire is or isn't the traitor. If only we can find out what they have as evidence against her..." Saphire may be quick to anger, but she doesn't seem like the type to betray the camp. If the traitor isn't Saphire, then they need to figure out who it is and fast!