Fight With Fire

7

I practically crawled into my room and collapsed onto the bed after finally getting up those last few flights of stairs. I had grabbed an ice pack to balance on my head while I watched the sun go down. I was meeting everyone at the circle after it got dark. I know no one would say anything if I'm late. When it's completely dark outside, I know I can't put off leaving any longer. I put the ice pack away and walk to the window. Even though my legs aren't tired anymore, they still feel numb. And yet I have no hesitation when I climb out the window feeling absolutely weightless. I take a moment to stare at the sky feeling the familiar tug. Then I look down again.

I head down the wall closing the window behind me.

When my feet come off the wall I crumple to the ground. It's not that I was afraid of falling but my legs were still very stiff. I decided to use just my arms which was much easier than it sounds. I was also very dizzy and disoriented getting up and down mixed up. I'm assuming it's from hitting my head. Even with my injuries, I had no difficulties climbing the wall.

I get up and start walking through the woods towards the circle. The circle is where we always meet when we sneak out. It is a group of rocks forming a circle around a bare patch of ground. Every year, the elites add a rock and everyone signs it with their name and Aerdell sign. It's always the elites because they are the only ones that can sneak out. Our rock is the only rock with the sign of an Oari on it.

When I near the circle I hear a heated conversation. Someone had added the sign of the Flier to the rock without getting permission. "But whoever it is deserves a spot on the rock. They could fly out their window and get here and they are clearly very powerful. They are fully garnished and yet no one knows who they are. That's worth something isn't it?"

"You can't just add someone else's sign!"

"But our rock now has the biggest variety of all the other rocks in the circle! Our year will be known forever now because we have every single sign!"

I stop before entering the clearing of the circle. I turn and start climbing up the trunk of the largest tree. I get to the largest branch that stretches over the clearing below. I start walking across the branch until I am sure I'm not above no one else. When I get to the end of the branch I jump down and land absorbing the impact by bending me knees. I jumped at least 10 meters so no one judges me when I fall back a little onto my butt.

Everyone forgets the conversation they were having and turns to me like I expected. Finn starts walking towards me and the twins start applauding and cheering.

"Nice entrance Ella." James yells across the clearing to me.

"Although it would've been better if you had stuck the landing." Josh seconds.

I stick my tongue out at the pair of them as Finn gives me a hand up. "You okay?"

"Fine." As I say this I realize that I'm not lying. My head is still pounding a little but my legs feel immediately better. I turn to everyone in the group shouting sarcastically. "I have an announcement! I am the mysterious Flier and I just fell out of the sky after flying out my window to meet you guys!" I say motioning to the tree branch I just jumped out of. The twins erupt in laughter and everyone else follows suit. I smile at my joke glad that they liked it.

When the laughter dies down I clap my hands together in front of me. "Okay, time to get down to business." Everyone sits down on the rocks around me. "This is the last we'll meet before testing because they will start checking your rooms every night leading up to testing." They check the rooms because sometimes kids try to escape the school and run away. It is the only place with no cameras so they have to physically check. It's only the really untalented ones so they can get a head start to the other kids who won't get placed. It's always an Oari but they check everyone's rooms anyway.