Elemental Academy

Manifest

After lunch, the four roommates and their beasts headed for their suite and waited out the day to begin their historical search. Phoenix and Raquel searched the Beast Training facilities while Aria and Quinn searched their History of Evil Charms lecture hall before searching the statues on their dormitory building. Quinn merely watched from the window of their common room while Aria was engulfed by swirling winds as she searched the statues. A light turned on behind Alexi Stridor's cold, marble counterpart and Graham entered the luxurious bedroom. She gasped when the bedroom light reflected off red gems on Jeremy Shultz's shield and soft blue stones on Monica de Facto's whip.

Cautious to avoid the stray rays of chandelier lights, Aria reached for the whip first - hesitant about touching the air triskelion after what happened to Phoenix. The whip buckled loosely before changing into a triskelion. Slowly but surely, Aria lowered the triskelion into the whirling wind next to her. She grazed Shultz's arm and was hit with a force that shot her into Graham's window.

The water triskelion fell to Alexa Stridor's feet, barely visible in the light. Graham opened his balcony door and pulled her into his room. "Are you okay? What were you doing?" Aria stood up with a groan and the concern in his eyes rendered her speechless. "Aria?"

She looked down at her feet, feeling herself blush. "I'm sorry, Mr. McMahon," she murmured. "I know it's passed lights out but I've been failing my Elemental Combat class," she lied. "I was just practicing."

He folded his arms, sternly. "I'm the head or air; I see your EC grades all the time; you're one of the best. Actually, you're thee best and I know you know that. Tell me the truth." She lightly shook her head but he lifted her face to look him in the eye. "Aria, the truth."

"I was spying on you."

He sighed frustratedly. "Aria, d'you know why air elementals can tell when someone's lying?" She shook her head. "We have better hearing. I can hear your pulse jump, your heartbeat." She gasped as she recalled her Beast Training class; she heard footsteps but Raquel didn't. "Please don't me take you to headmistress Cade."

She searched his eyes, tears filling hers as her lips began to tremble. "I was looking for something I shouldn't know about and I found it and I need it because an evil person is after it."

Graham was silent but his face said it all, he was conflicted; she sounded insane but her pulse and her heartbeat showed she was being honest. After another sigh he turned to her, "what were you looking for?"

Aria shook her head as her tears fell. "Please don't make me say it."

He gripped her arms as the tears fell. "I really am sorry, Aria. Headmistress Cade made it explicitly clear what we should do in these situations." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. A wave of agony washed over her before her knees gave in. He let go of her as she sobbed softly as he knelt in front of her. "Tell me what you were looking for, or else I'll do it again," he stated ruefully.

"No," she sobbed. Graham sighed as he took her hands and excreted the agony wave again, but this time he didn't stop. "A triskelion! The triskelion." She cried as she caved into his shoulder. He held her in his arms, regret radiating off of him. "You can't tell anyone. Please!"

"I'm sorry, I have to report you to the headmistress." She protested and struggled out of his grasp as he dragged her out of his room. She begged and pleaded as he carried her down the corridors, forcing herself out of his grasp but to no avail.

Headmistress Cade's office lights were still on when Graham shoved Aria through the doors. Cade was looking at the nighttime scene of the school, unfazed by the interruption. Graham explained everything to Cade while he firmly held on to Aria's wrist. Cade only turned around at the word 'triskelion'.