The Fire

Chapter One: I Go To A New School!

If you ever get an invitation to Vortex High School, don't take it, unless you're up for the price that comes with it. My name's Rick. It was the start of my junior year of high school. I was transferring to a new school called Vortex High School. I had heard prior that it was a school for artistic kids to excel at anything they were good at. Plus I heard that the chicks on the campus were drop dead gorgeous babes, and that was the kind of paradise i had been missing. See, at my old school, it was a same sex school. So there were no babes or tits or anything at all. It was paradise for my brother, Emerson, who was transferring schools with me. He was gay, so a same sex school was the best thing this boy could ask for. However, I was looking forward to some hot babes and seeing something other than dudes all damn day.

I remember my first day as if it were yesterday. I walked up to the front of the school with Emerson, who was so nervous that it made him sick. Emerson was tall. He had brown hair with blond highlights and he wore glasses that complimented his face. He wore nice dress attire, which detailed an ironed black shirt, grey dress pants, a blue suit jacket and a scarf. He was a very classy dressed man. I wore my black jeans, red shirt, and black leather jacket. As we made our way to the entrance of the school, I noticed the layout of the courtyard. There was a pathway that lead straight to the front doors of the school. It seemed like a normal school until....

FWOOSH!!! A giant explosion of fire burst above the volleyball field. Holy shit!!!! I thought as Emerson dived and tucked and rolled for safety. I was completely and utterly puzzled, though. No one around us was even phased by the explosion. My jaw hit the floor almost as hard as Emerson had.

"Welcome to Vortex High," a man said, wearing all black and holding a skull cane. "I'm Nick. I'm guessing you two are the new students coming up from Yinnerdale?"

"Yeah," I responded, still trying to figure out why in the fuck no one was worried that an explosion had just gone off. "I'm Rick. And this is my brother, Emerson."

Nick chuckled beneath a small grin. His long black hair waved in the wind. His skull cane rested easily in his hands. His goatee complimented his entire look. Emerson stood up from the ground, obviously checking Nick out. Oh God help me, I thought as Emerson clearly looked Nick over from head to toe. Nick gave me a puzzled look, obviously noticing that he was being mentally stripped by Emerson.

"Is your brother okay?" Nick asked.

"Oh yeah," I answered. "You could say that. Emerson is....."
"Gay, mother fucker," Emerson said with a smile that went from ear to ear. "I'm fruity pebbles. Nice to meet ya!"

Emerson extended his hand in an attempt to shake Nick's. Nick accepted and went on as though he didn't care that Emerson was gay. Nick was a comforting person to meet at the school. Normally people would find out that Emerson was gay and they would turn away and shut him out instantly. So then, out of nowhere, I saw two girls making their way into the school. Holy shit! I thought. Titties! My mind was on a rampage. I saw girls. I was freaking out.

"So," Emerson asked as we began walking towards the doors inside the school. "Since this child is off in titty titty la la land, would someone mind explaining to me why it is the volleyball field got blown to bits yet no one seems to give a flying fuck?"

"That would be because it's a daily occurance, man. You guys don't know, do you? This is an elemental school. People who go here control water, earth, fire, air, darkness, and light. This school teaches you how to harness those powers and use them."

Say what now? I thought as I drew my attention back to the matter of the explosion. I looked over to see a room that appeared to be a battleground. There were two people that appeared to be classmates. One seemed to be controlling water. The other was controlling air. However, they weren't fighting each other. They were using their powers to compliment each other. One would make a tornado out of thin air while the other would mix in water and make a hurricane. In the next room over, there appeared to be a kid who could control earth partnered with someone who could control fire. They may as well have made molten lava at that point.

"Well damn," I said. "This was definitely not what I was expecting."

Nick chuckled. "It never is. I remember when I first came here. I thought it would be just another year of high school. Then I walked onto the battlegrounds and didn't realize it and a kid who could control earth had made the ground shake beneath me. Needless to say, I needed a change of underwear."

I laughed. I didn't know fully what was going on but I knew that things could be a lot worse. Not too much later, Emerson and I found ourselves being toured around by Nick. The school was impressive. The floor was made of marble and there were beautiful lights hanging from the ceiling. Then, Nick lead us to our dorms. Apparently elemental high school is a lot like regular kid college. The dorm was insane though. It was a dark room and on one side, sat a fire symbol while the other side held an earth symbol.

"Rick," Nick started. "You'll be on the left side, which is fire, given that is your element to control. And Emerson, you will be on the earth side."

We each took to our beds and sat our backpacks down. As we did, I looked out the window, at the battleground, to see a beautiful girl wielding a sword and a shield on a battleground, facing other opponents.

"Who is she?" I asked, in utter shock of her skill and her beauty.

Nick came over and looked down. He began laughing immediately. "That would be Vicky. She controls the element of water. Her and her friend, Seven, sho controls air, live in the dorm across the hall from you. As a matter of fact, later, I'm going to have Seven help you learn your Battle Training Class."

Well that's fucking information overload. I thought.

"May I ask what we would be training for battle for?" Emerson asked.

"That would be due to the dark lord, Xorale," said a deep voice from behind us.

I turned to find a man wearing a white cloak with grey robed underneath. He held a staff that had a white orb at the end of it. His blue eyes looked over Emerson and myself. He had long white hair and short facial hair. Nick got down and bowed before this man. And after some of the stuff I had seen that day, I just did as I saw. I bowed before the man, as did Emerson.

"Emerson and Rick," Nick said, with a pause. "Meet our leader, Headmaster Voren. He is the one who founded this school. He also controls the element of spirit. And trust me, not many people can do that."

"Welcome to Vortex High School," Voren said. "We're glad to have you. And as further answer to your question, Emerson, this school is for all element users. There aren't any teachers. The students help one another with their abilities and I just make sure the place runs correctly and I watch after all the students. Long ago, my brother, Xorale, and I discovered our powers, and while I sought to use mine for good, Xorale sought to use his for evil. He can control the power of darkness and his vision is to take over the entire world and make all normal folks to be his slaves. This is why you have been brought into Vortex High School. And also because, Xorale will target the defenseless first."

"Well damn," I said. "If that's the case, we'll do whatever it takes to help you guys out."

Voren smiled. He shook our hands and made his way out. I looked back out the window to see Vicky and Seven kicking some serious ass. Vicky brought water from the ponds around them while Seven had used a gust of wind to throw their opponents up in the air. Vicky then proceeded to attack them with a wave of water in mid air. The opposing classmates hit the ground, fumbling their swords and moaning in pain. My jaw dropped. Man do I pity the poor soul who asks her out to Prom. I thought as Nick began walking outside our dorm.

"Alright guys," Nick said with a laugh. "Time for your first class."