Elements

Chapter 38

I didn't let myself look back as the massive room behind me lit up with a brilliant light. As I launched myself down the stairs, the sounds of clanging metal resonated after me, grinding and groaning, making me wonder exactly what Lizzy was capable of. Shaking off the thought, I pushed myself harder down the hall. I could worry myself with that later.

I sprinted down hallway after hallway, hearing snippets of lectures from classrooms I passed. Students craned their necks to peer out of open doors, straining to see what crazy person was sprinting around the school as fast as they could.

Bottom of the stairs, in front of the school, bottom of the stairs, in front of the school. I chanted the words over and over again in my head, reiterating to myself the location of the flag and the beetle.

By the time I reached the ground floor, the sounds of other people's battles echoed around me. Squeaking sneakers, sudden collisions, and panting breath- not too different from my own- filled the air. Flashes of light and sudden movements were all around, threatening to distract and divert me, but I remained true to my course. I was almost to the doors that would lead me out to the stairs and to the flag, when I was flung violently to the side and into a wall by an unseen force.

"Oops!" Came a flat voice, followed by a sadistic chuckle. "Didn't see you there Ella. I would hate for that to hinder your progress." I glanced to my right to see a smirking May. She was standing in the open doorway of an empty classroom, a burgundy scrap of cloth hanging in the window.

Unwilling to dignify her pettiness with a response, I rolled my eyes, pushed myself off the floor, and kept moving. We were too close to lose now.

I had barely taken three steps when I noticed the jarring pain in my knee where I had hit the wall. So much for not interfering in each other's games. I thought to myself. Under my jeans, I willed a thin layer of frost to cover my knee, so that I could ice it as I continues on. It wasn't perfect, and it was bitingly cold, but it was something.

I shoved the tall glass doors open and flew down the front stairs. A red scrap of fabric stood out like blood on the white marble stairs. The image sent a shiver down my spine, for a reason I couldn't quite place. Shaking it off, I swooped down on the material and the small, not-so-alive insect with its metal pincers still hooked around the cloth. As I did so, I noticed the clock so many stories above my head glowing with an amber light. Whatever Lizzy was doing, it was giving off some serious energy.

Knee throbbing, I forced myself back up the stairs and into the building. Maybe if I could just get away from the other people, I could use the wind to "fly" my way back to the attic/hangar/base of a room. Unfortunately, I was still going to have to make it up several flights of stairs, and while the ice was helping to numb my knee slightly, it wasn't doing enough to truly stop the pain. I sprinted down the hallway, biting back the tears that threatened to sting my eyes. I would not cry. Not over something she had done.

I dragged myself up a flight of stairs, wincing on each step. I paused for a moment at the top, cringing slightly, then took off running down the next hallway, nearly recoiling at the jarring flares of pain. A strangled cry clawed its way up my throat. Whatever had happened when I had hit that wall was not going to be forgiving in my trek back up to our base- nor would I be forgiving to May for this.

Unable to handle running and climbing anymore, I looked around and scanned the hallway for anyone who would see me. A few classrooms had there doors open, but if the wind held me close enough to the ceiling, I could fly by unnoticed. Scanning the area one last time, I summoned a seriously strong updraft to lift me up. Slowly at first, then faster and faster, wind whipped through the hallway. Knowing that I had to get in the air, I gathered my strength and jumped. If I wasn't caught, the impact would've sent me reeling in pain.