Running out of time

Chapter 19. Ben - Everyone else

"Here's your guide!" Jet handed me a piece of paper. "Why are you giving me a guide now? I've been at the academy for 2 weeks"
"Everyone else has woken up!"
"Whaddyoumean"
"Usually, us guardians are meant to put you guys to sleep and you don't usually wake up for about 2 weeks. You four are special"
"But I was never asleep"
"Oh I know, it wasn't fun if you were asleep" I glared at Jet. "So what do I do with this" I waved my guide book inthe air
"Well it has rules and tips and stuff, you should read it, this time you four aren't the only newlys around, you'll even be assigned classes in the next two days!" Jet looked excited. "Why are you excited?"
"I don't have to teach you anymore!" Jet wagged his finger in my face.
"Well that hurts"
"Grow up"

The Met Hall (where we were told to meet up as newlys) was filled with worried, anxious, scared, ghostly faces. Everyone was bewildered with emotion except us four of course. We had already experienced the sense of awe as we entered the building. Although we started in the conference room, where we only just discovered this place. "How can you keep a calm face?" A boy my age looked worriedly at me he was kinda short with scruffy black hair and glasses, his posture was slightly slouching and he kept glancing around.. "Um, this isn't my first day" I scratched the back of my head in awkwardness and shrugged. "So you're not a newly?"
"Oh uh, yeah, I mean I am, I just came here a little early, that's all" I looked away.
"I was reading a book about this place, and the guide too of course, do you know what element you are?"
"Yeah, Earth" I replied, he looked at me like I was from another planet, which is ironing.

I looked at where Roy, Anna and Lucy were, only to realise that they abandoned me. I stuffed my hands in my pockets as I saw some older kid, probably a guardian, push the scrawny kid with glasses away from me. As soon as I looked away i could see Jet struggling through the crowds, trying to run towards me. "Sorry, I forgot about you"
"Touching" I muttered, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

Jet directed me through the crowd and into a smaller room beyond the hall. Roy, Anna and Lucy were waiting in there with their guardians. Jet parted with me to talk to the other guardians while we were left to explore. This room was filled with sinks, cabinets, cutlery trays, glasses, and everything else a kitchen should bare. For the past two weeks out guardians sent good to our rooms, now I'm looking at where it's prepared. The only strange thing about this kitchen, is its so clean, so white and shiny. I looked around. Anna poked me on the shoulder. "Isn't this weird?"
"Huh? Oh yeah, it's so clean!"
"No that's not what I meant! I meant that we're all in a small room while the other newlys are in the hall preparing for a meeting"
"oh"
"Ben, let's find the others, it's a small room"
"Ok" we walked around the room trying to be careful not to touch anything, but we might have been as blind as bats because we kept crashing into things. At last we found them. Well, sort of, they were both gasping in awe, a pile of plates were crashing down on top of them only, Lucy had her arms out and the plates were frozen in the air, almost. They were hovering inches away from Lucy's face and all Roy could do was stare. It didn't take long to put two and two together, Lucy's using her power. I tried to think back at what the scary lady said that day. Air, I think. She could control the air, probably winds too. That was so sick!