Element Academy: The Light of the Avatar

Gone...Page

"Demetri stop! We have to go back!"

Demetri keeps pulling her toward the park. "Crystal has a plan, we have to listen to her."

"What if something went wrong? We have to go back."

"Guys!"

The pair stops at the sound of Mahoney's shout. They turn to see him and Jacob dragging along a resistant Jake.

"Guys! Let me go! I have to make sure she's okay!" Jake pulls against the boys' grips, but their combined strength keep him trapped.

"She'll never forgive herself if you get hurt again. I'm sorry man." Mahoney loosens his grip and let's Jake go.

Crystal's brother doesn't run, he just stares hopelessly at the towering building down the street.

The windows are still dark, making it impossible to see what's going on inside.

Suddenly, three black cars whip around from the back of the building and tear down the street beside them. Page flinches under the harsh wind that picks up because of the cars, and watches them fly by.

"Did they come from the building? Was that Crystal?" Jake looks back and forth between the building and the disappearing cars.

A coincidence or no? The group of friends look among each other, they a share the same look of guilt and fear.

Jacob stares back at the cars. "They were unmarked. That doesn't make sense..."

"Let's not wait to find out what's going on, let's go!" Page declares.

She leads the charge back to the business, their thoughts all different but their worry all the same.

Page knew they shouldn't have left Crystal to handle things on her own, Avatar or not. She picks up her pace and races in to the lobby.

All around the decimated lobby benders of the Camp and the Underground are talking to each other, their eyebrows furrowed and skin like they've all seen the same horrifying ghost.

Page spots a very familiar earth bender and makes a beeline right for him, making sure not to trip on any of the debris. "Stephan! Where is Crystal? What happened?!"

Stephan refuses to look Page or any of the others in the eye. "She's... She's been taken..."

"What?!" Jake surges forward, shoving Page aside to get to Stephan. "Who took her?!"

"We don't know, some guy in a suit showed up with men armed with guns. We couldn't stop them." Stephan confesses, hanging his head low.

"Couldn't do anything?!" Jake repeats, his fists clench and red rushes to his cheeks. "You guys bend the elements! You're supposed to be so great and amazing and you let some guy take her! How could you stand by and do nothing?!"

"Jake! Jake! Stand down man," Mahoney throws himself between Jake and Stephan. "He said they had guns, dude. Crystal wouldn't want anyone getting shot because of her."

Jake turns on his heels, everyone immediately stepping away from him as he does.

"Jake, I'm-" Stephan starts, only to be cut off by him.

Jake spins right back around to face the bender. His face is flush with fury, streaks of tears falling freely. "You don't get it! She's not just some powerful bender to me, she's my sister! She's my family! I promised our parents I would look out for her and now she's gone and I might never see her again! Don't tell me your sorry, I don't care! Tell me you're going to get her back!"

"I'M going to get her and my daughter back."

Talula's stepfather enters the scene with bodyguards on both sides. He's in a new suit, his ever stoic face still present.

"A new enemy has risen that seeks chaos and destruction for us all. Now is the time to stop fighting each other and fight beside each other."

One of the benders dressed in black steps forward. "We'll go back to the Underground and tell them what's happened."

"A group of us can go with you to help," Stephan offers. He designates a group of his fellow camp members to go with the Underground, and another to report back to the Camp.

Page stares at everything going on around her. "Wait, what?"