The Pearl

Stage 4: Are We Alive?

After I've been to several other classes for air (all which have been uneventful), I learnt a few tricks to do with it. And let me just say, they're kind of the most awesome thing ever. Though, my stomach started growling throughout the classes, demanding to be fed. So when the teacher says to eat, I turned into Usain Bolt and ran to that place with the food.

As I eat lunch, Zach comes up to me and starts to converse with me. Conversing. With me. I try to smile and nod, but don't process the words since I was busy looking for Iimura to help me make my escape from this unwanted situation.

"Oh I see my friend over there. See you later!" I flash him what I hope wasn't an awkward smile and scurry over to Iimura. "So awkward. Bleh." Iimura laughs, then looks over to Zach.

"Yeah, he's in one of my classes." I cock my eyebrow. "Air."

"He's also in one of mine...and I'm definitely not air." We both turn our heads toward him, but he was already headed to another girl with red curls. Iimura starts to walk, but I hold her back. "Let's not make this anymore weird than it already is. Okay?" Her eyes droop.

"But... come on. It'll be like one of those cliche movies where the guy that cheats on three girls gets busted by all of them. Then the girls have some cool comeback and dump food on him. Not that we're actually with him." Iimura lightly shakes her tray. "Nachos and cheese on the head seem good."

"I'll talk to him tomorrow."

Iimura kept struggling against my grasp. But before Iimura could do anything (thank god), a weird chiming sound echoes through the patio. Which makes no sense, considering it's a patio, and there are no ways for the noise to echo. Murmurs erupt everywhere. Then the sun somehow turns off, and the area is filled with panic, darkness, and several trampled bodies.

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god." I firmly grip Iimura's hand while whimpering as we weave through the bodies to get out. Even though we didn't know where out was. When we reach some kind of wall, we press our palms against it to catch our breath. And our hands sink through the wall. As of it were made of-

"Water. It's water." Iimura extends her arm all the way in. "We can get out the other side. There's some kind of opening." She slowly puts her foot in, but then someone gets pushed onto our backs, making us fall into the wall. Iimura then uses her new yet seemingly mastered powers to propel us into the other side.

Oof. That was not the landing I imagined. "Congratulations. You have made it to the next level of your training." Iimura and I whirl our heads around to see a group of 5 people, much like the ones that I saw before I came to the Pearl. The one on the far right frowns at me.

"Hey. You're not a water power. Why are you here?" Iimura gives my hand a reassuring squeeze.

"She came with me." I'm surprised by the confidence in Iimura's voice, and am also envious. The people talk amongst each other, pointing or looking at me every few moments. The young woman in the middle with voluminous blonde hair clears her throat.

"You may stay here, for now. But later, we have to put you back out there." She points to the little screen behind her. Iimura and I tentatively step around her. Iimura gasps when she sees what's on the screen.

The patio looked terrible, with tons of holes in the ground and trampled bodies on the floor.

"Find your own way out." They flash me an evil smirk. "Good luck."