Element

✯ Chapter 42

“ALRIGHT TEAM! ARE WE READY?”

“YES SIR!”

“ARE WE GOING TO WIN?”

“MOST DEFINITELY SIR!”

“THEN GET OUT THERE AND SHOW ‘EM WHAT WE’VE GOT!”

Cheers rise from the prep room as everyone streams out towards the arena entrance. I stand next to Drexel and Gavin. Lucky for Gavin, one of our worst team members is sick, so he gets to play.

“Hey Ramaya?” Gavin taps my shoulder a bit reluctantly.

“Yeah? What’s up?” I ask lightheartedly.

“I don’t feel so good.” He says, holding his stomach, “I think I’m going to throw up.”

I frown. “It’s just the nerves,” I assure him, resting my hand on his arm. “You’ll be fine.”

“I wasn’t this nervous last time though.”

I shrug. “You’ll be fine,” I say, repeating my words.

“Ramaya! Gavin! Get ready! The countdown is about to begin!” Mr. Farefax motions us to the doorway, and the announcer’s voice echoes through the vacant halls of the facility. “Welcome everyone, to a much anticipated battle between the Air Team,” A chorus of cheers erupt from above us. You can’t hear the crowd in the arena, but in the halls, their cheers are like constant claps of thunder. “...and the Water Team!” Cheers are faintly heard from the other side of the arena. I smile. I know Brooke and Payson will put up a fight, a challenge.

“The Air team will be purple, and the Water team blue. Good luck!”

We all smile, and some jump up and down excitedly.

“10… 9… 8… 7… 6… 5… 4… 3… 2… Let the battle commence!”

The door swings open, and we all stare at a narrow flight of stairs leading up. There’s no railing, so if we fell, we’d do so into an ocean, filled with dangerously sharp rocks and churning water. The entire team exchanges looks, and then we all cautiously rush up the steps. We end up on a large, completely flat piece of land. There are a few scraggly bushes and shrubs, but no trees. The ground is a mixture of gritty dirt and coarse sand spread over greyish rock. It’s overcast and slightly foggy, and a breeze floats by. What kind of arena is this?

And then I realize-- we are on an island.

One that sits 100 feet above the ocean.

I dash to the nearest edge, and see exactly what I was expecting. A cliff. A straight drop down into the ocean, probably 10 or so stories high. Waves pound the cliffs at the bottom, and salt water spray coats everything at the base of the cliff.

I run back to the group. “Guys. It’s a mesa in the middle of the ocean.” I inform them. “Straight drop down into the ocean, wouldn’t be pretty if you fell.”

“Okay. We obviously have the advantage here.” Calum smiles triumphantly. Drexel rolls his eyes, but refrains from objecting.

BRRRRRRRRRZT

The stairs retract, and we are stuck on this island until the end of the battle, and crescent-shaped mass of bodies is now charging towards us.

“Okay. Like we practiced, remember?” Lystal shouts over the pounding footsteps of the quickly approaching water team. All of us stick out a hand into the center of the circle we had formed.

“Break!” Calum yells just as the Water Team gets close enough to attack. I rush to my position, near the edge of their formation, and find myself fighting a smallish 5th year boy. I pull a strong gust of wind from his direction to me, making him slide towards me. I then shove the burst of air backwards, and he topples over and lands on his back. He gets back up, and gathers a ball of water… from the air? I gasp. The mist, the fog! They’re gathering it together to use as a water source. My opponent breaks the now large bubble of moisture in half and shoots one to each of my shoulders. I swoop to the side, missing the one meant for my right, but get hit by the one from the left. I grunt. Even in the padding, I can tell the ball will leave a bruise. Both of our vests are a now lightish color, his a light blue, and mine a lavender purple. I muster up enough energy to send ten or so air bullets in his direction, but he deflects each easily. Meanwhile, I’m growing more and more impatient. Why won’t he just freeze already? Surprisingly, my frustration plays to my advantage. I summon as much air as I can and send the tens of air bullets at him with groundbreaking speed. He deflects the first two, but the rest land his chest, leg, stomach, arm. Each blows makes his vest more and more bright, but he just won’t give up.