Element

✯ Chapter 40

A car pulls up with a small hospital logo on the side. The wheels crunch on the recently snow-plowed road. Curious passerbys turn their head to look, but none curious enough to stop. Except me.

I see Kaelie run over from a nearby classroom, a smile on her face. I catch up with her. "Kaelie? What's going on?"

"Jimmy!"

I smile with her. So he's back from the hospital. "It's Tuesday... he spent three nights there. He's probably happy to be back."

"Mm hmm."

Suddenly, the back seat car door opens, and Jimmy's smirk widens to a grin when he sees his sister.

"Hey Jimmy!" She squeals.

"Hey Kaelie."

She helps him out of the car. He seems considerably stronger, and his hair is combed. His clothes are still wrinkled, however, and he seems really tired. Probably just from his body trying to recover. But the question of 'recovering from what?' keeps nagging at me. But I certainly shouldn't be the one pressuring him for information- Kaelie should, but even still. I'll let him be. It must've been a tough weekend for the poor kid.

"Look, Kaelie... I gotta go to Battle Team practice... I'll catch up with you two later, okay?" I nod, smiling, to Jimmy.

"Okay, talk to you in a bit."

"Yup."

I fly up a few feet and head towards the hole in the ground. That's kinda the unofficial name we've given it. From what other people have mentioned, I think the entrance to each element's locker room is specialized to them. How, I'm not sure. But I can imagine...

⋄-⋄-⋄-⋄-⋄-⋄-⋄-⋄-⋄-⋄-⋄-⋄

Pressing my finger to my locker, it pops open revealing my uniform. Each night, all the lockers somehow become washing machines, assuring us clean outfits each day for practice. I actually just learned that the other day, somehow I didn't notice that my clothes were clean and fresh-smelling each afternoon. I smile as I take out the suit, and get dressed as quick as I can. I'm really spaced out right now and I feel disorganized. I could barely focus in the library earlier; Mrs. Hersmer gave us the class to work on our projects, and I found a few books near the back of the sprawling library that might be of use. I found a lot of information on the other four, but the identity of the Air element is seemingly invisible. No matter where I looked, I couldn't find much information on the mysterious Air element. As frustrating as this was, I did find a few battle plans I could use in my journal entries.

I snap back to my current situation, where Calum is now yelling my name. "Ramaya? Are you even paying attention?" He questions, clearly irritated.

I blink twice before answering truthfully. "No. I'm sorry." I shrug, looking him straight in the eyes with an unreadable expression. He glares back at me, before turning back to the battle plan he has drawn out on a board in the locker room. It shows Water team's previous attack method, and what we should do to respond at this weekend's battle.

"Water attacks in this crescent moon shape. So far, they've managed to overwhelm Earth and Animal. I do not want to be tacked onto the list, you hear? Now, because we can fly, we have a clear advantage." I sigh shaking my head. Not really. They'll just shoot water up at us.

"...All of us need to attack the middle."

I frown, but Drexel beats me to the problem. "All of us rush the center? The edges of the formation will just collapse in, and we'll be surrounded." He informs the two captains.

"Well then what do you suggest we do?" Calum snarls.

Drexel looks at me, and I get his signal. We both walk to the board, and erase the useless plan. Lystal, obviously interested, backs into the front row quickly, but Calum is more reluctant to do so. We re-draw the Water formation.