EQAO

Chapter 31 - Fountain Of Hope

The water surrounding me shot upward. I couldn't think of anything to do, so I ran. I ran as fast as I could, through the water, and out the doors. I ran down the hallway of the school, forcing my legs to carry me as far away from that woman as they could. I reached the front doors, and pulled. They didn't budge. I heard a noise behind me, and panicked. I ran into the first room I saw, and shut the door. Staring wide-eyed back at me, was Mr. Folman.

"What... How...?" he spluttered.

Mr. Folman was sitting at his desk, huddled over countless amounts of paper. Several emotions flared up inside of me when I saw him. At first, anger and resentment, but then, relief?

There was no other furniture in the room, except a small fountain in the corner. It was plain in design, but looked like it was made from expensive marble. The water was making a soft 'whooshing' noise.

"It helps relax me." Mr. Folman said when he saw me looking at it.

Suddenly, I snapped back to reality, and remembered why I was there.

"Sh-she-"

My voice broke. His gaze softened, and he looked at me with a mix of sympathy and curiosity.

"She killed them." I whispered, as if saying it out loud would make it true.

I dropped to the ground, my knee hitting the floor, hard, but I didn't care. I felt like the whole world was pressing on me.

They're gone, and never coming back. How many times had they saved my life, but I couldn't save theirs?

My limbs felt like lead, and I lost all will to move. I felt my shoulders being grasped, and I was lifted to my feet again. I used all my effort to raise my head. Mr. Folman was looking into my eyes with intense determination.

"This has gone too far." he said. "This needs to stop. You need to stop her."

The feeling of hopelessness crushed me, and my head fell again.

"What can I do?" I whispered, "She's won."

Mr. Folman was silent. The fountain was still whooshing, and the sound calmed me. I could feel the water, like I was part of it.

I imagined myself in a peaceful forest. There was a gentle breeze blowing through the trees, and the river was making small 'plops' as it went over rocks. I opened my eyes, and could still hear the river. I looked at the fountain, and saw that instead of flowing down in straight lines, the water was going up and falling down, like it was going over rocks. I stared at it, and so did Mr. Folman. I shut my eyes, remembering how the fountain had been before, and it stopped.

"What were you just thinking about?" Mr. Folman asked, his expression full of wonder.

"A-a river."

"Concentrate hard on that river again."

I did. I imagined myself sitting on the bank of the river, breathing in the fresh air, and just listening. I opened my eyes, and sure enough, the fountain had begun to 'plop' again.

Was I doing this? How?

I imagined a smooth lake, and the fountain stopped making noise. The water wasn't running anymore, but all the water had collected at the base and was smooth. I thought about a light rain storm, and felt small droplets on my face. It was raining, inside.

"I don't believe it." Mr. Folman gasped.

"I-I can control water?" I said, looking at the fountain that had returned to normal.

What did this mean? What am I? Am I even human?

"This is why she wanted to kill me when I wouldn't join her." I whispered to myself, "I can control an element. I can control 70% of Earth's surface. I'm too powerful for her."

And for the first time since I'd entered this school, I felt a spark of hope.