Academy of Elements: Earth

Chapter 28: Blossom of Teamwork

I had held Nora particularly close that night, as sleep had claimed me my hands had been clutched across her waist. And as the days go on, Monday and Tuesday passing with as much ease as possible for a day here at Herta Macer. So when I wake on Wednesday and slide out of bed turning on the lights. Nora groans quietly, putting the pillow over her head. Today I'd have school and then head to the first Dueling practice of the year. I yawn pulling out some black ripped jeans and a white shirt, pulling out a gray hoodie to go with it.

Nora gets up seconds later, joining me as I leave the room and we head for the showers, separating as she walks into the girls' washroom and I walk into the guys' washroom.

I shower quickly and get dressed, the cold shower washing away some of the traces of sleep. Heading down to the cafeteria, Nora joining my side again, I bite my tongue as I hear the news play.

"5000 dead in an attack on the island of Atherea, there are no survivors."

Sitting down at the table Aira's eyes lock onto my own, her own flickering to the news and back before she smiles sadly. I nod my head inconspicuously, before flashing a tired smile towards Ell as she sits down.

She deserved to know about John... she really did... I had decided I'd tell her sometime this week, I had to before the weight of it broke me.

"Ella?" I question, she smiles in response. "Want to go for a walk after dinner tonight?"

She smiles again. "Sure."

The bell rings five minutes later, and I head to Potions and Poisons with Denen, the two of us climbing up to the third floor and turning left away from the health and fitness section of the school.

"How is your new workout plan going?" I ask him.

He sighs as we turn the corner. "Fine." He bites his lip. "But I barely have time to do 2 hours worth of workouts during every day of the week."

The first day of the year we had gotten an email, each of us now following a diet and exercise routine.

"I understand why we have to be in good shape," I admit, our bodies needed to be fit to handle the use of magic and to fight. "But this is getting ridiculous."

I was more muscular and in better physical shape than almost everyone back at the Academy, and even here I stood out a bit. Both Denen and I did, Brennen's physical attributes still very noticeable, but not quite as much. My muscles were and had been consistently worked out for three years now. It was so... strange, to think back on who I once was, to think about Jaxon three years ago, who hadn't been in much of a better place and yet was still so unburdened. I had been overweight at first, slimming down into a fairly good muscle stature by the end of the year. Then during the second year, I had focused on pushing myself, chiselling my abs, growing my biceps. And here I was in year three, my abs chiselled, my biceps larger and more defined than any kid my age should have. Just to make sure that I was right, that my body was at the top physical shape, I run my finger over my arm vane, feeling the bump that hadn't been there a few years ago. That wasn't the only thing.

As I sit down in Potions and Poisons I turn my arms over, looking at the scars of my wounds. They all slash across my arm, though one, the one I had etched into myself once in my first year, it lies there deeper, sadder than the other.

"Welcome to class." Mrs. Bonafontayn says by way of greeting, snapping me from my thoughts.

"You can all pull out your notes, this class will be a study block. Sighing in relief I pull out my binder and skim through the many pages of notes. Ranging from Plant changing remedies to Color Blindness potions, from snake poison to Oyeaga poisoning, I look through the many pages, stopping to look at the monkey-like creature called the Oyeaga, with its deadly venomous teeth.