Elemental

22. THE FLIP SIDE

Tori could feel her heart racing as the entire group surveyed the terrain of the water realm. If Tori had disliked water magic before, now she absolutely hated it.

Everything was wet, damp, or made of water. It all seemed pure, untouched and unblemished. Tori found herself unable to hate it, yet also unable to like it, let alone love it.

It made her uncomfortable.

Blaze notice her nervousness and held her hand tightly. "You're ready," he whispered to her, as they slowly inched further and further away from the door and right into the unknown depths of the realm.

"I wish I was that confident in myself." Tori replied, pursing her lips worriedly.
"You are, Sparky, you know you are." Blaze insisted.
Tori only gulped. "Yeah."

"Alright," Morgan stopped infront of the group. "We need a strategy."
"Why don't we split up, headmistress? That way, we can manage to cover the entire realm." Professor Herbert suggested.
Morgan nodded, as did the others. "If any of us find Laverne, we need to shoot a fire bomb upwards, as a signal so the rest can know exactly where you are."
"Yes, but let's hurry," McKay added.

"Alright, Joe and I will head straight on, professor Herbert and McKay, you go right, Clarisse and Tori, head left, and Blaze, circle what's left." Morgan quickly arranged. "Come on, let's get moving." She added urgently.
The group quickly split up and headed in their designated directions.

It seemed to Tori as though the deeper into the realm they walked, the darker and gloomier it became. With every step she took, Tori felt her shoes get wetter and wetter, soaking her socks. She felt Clarisse shiver slightly beside her.
"You alright?" She asked her.
"Yeah, just peachy, I'm great, like as alright as the next person." Clarisse rambled, her fear dripping off every syllable she uttered.
"Great," Tori whispered, her own nerves starting to act up again. She clicked her fingers and lit a small fire in her palm. "Let's go through here," she suggested, pointing in the direction of an archway set on two massive pillars all made of water.
Clarisse nodded and followed Tori slowly through the archway.

Suddenly, a scream rent the air, making both Tori and Clarisse almost jump out of their skins.
"It's Laverne!" Tori hissed, starting to run in the direction of the scream. "Hurry!"
"No please!" The scream tore the damp air of the realm cleanly like a sharp knife.
Tori wildly ran, Clarisse right behind her, blinded by anger and hatred, trying to locate where Laverne's disturbing screams were ensuing from.

Just then, as though she had hit an invisible wall, Tori stopped, and gestured to Clarisse to do the same. She hid behind a tall huge water pillar. Clarisse did as Tori did. Beckoning to Clarisse to stay silent, Tori peeped out from her hiding place and watched as Montefiore paced to and fro in front of Laverne who had been violently thrown to the ground, her limbs bound by invisible ropes of air.

"What do we do?" Clarisse mouthed to Tori.
Tori stared transfixed as Montefiore juggled a fire bomb in the palms of his hands, tauntingly, a malicious and evil smile playing on his lips. "Be quiet before I kill you!" He threatened Laverne.
"No please," she whimpered, struggling against the air bonds holding her tight, powerless, exhaustion carved right down to the last line in her tear strewn face.

"I said shut up!" Montefiore screamed.
Clarisse gulped and looked at Tori. "T, what do we do?"
"Throw up the signal, I'm going to distract him for as long as I can, alright?" Tori instructed. Clarisse looked hesitant but nodded.
"Right," Tori whispered to herself, her heart breaking at the state Laverne was in.

"Your friends will come," Montefiore continued pacing, "and when they come, I will kill you, and all of them together! Pests!" He spat on the ground as though he had been force fed muck.
"Think again!" Tori shouted loudly, approaching him from behind, her heart palpitating violently.
As he turned in shock to face her, something clicked inside her, like someone had tuned her, and she felt impulse after impulse flood through her body like a tsunami.