One Big Change

No, more than that!!!!!!

You are stressing me.

Matt, just give her a break. You're not helping

Thank you, Low!

Here we go....

*IS READY*

Matt

“What?!” yelled Laura, still grasping my hand on my right. Elle held on tightly, on my left, and when I glanced her way, for a second, my heart skipped a beat, and I couldn’t help noticing her well the wind caught her hair.

Harness the power that is being abused, commanded the voice. Harness it, and control your elements, before they control you.

I looked directly across the circle, to the silent Guardian. Eyes closed tight, Chris was facing the still ground in the centre of the circle, all his concentration obviously obeying the voice. He seemed to see it as his only way, to do whatever his aim was, here. To save the other girl?

When I turned, to stare at Laura, I saw she was doing the exact same as the Guardian, and it wasn’t until then, that I realised. It was easier to breathe. The flames engulfing the tree trunks were lower, and less threatening.

Focusing my gaze on the beautiful girl to my left, I saw she was still looking at me. The other two seemed to be completely out of it, communicating to their elements.

“What are we meant to do?” she asked, in a worried voice.

I shot her a reassuring smile, even though we were broken up, even though now wasn’t the time and the place to smile. Just for her.

We both jumped, and nearly let go of their hands, as we saw the flames raise, suddenly, leaping two feet higher into the air, than before. They were licking at the leaves, now, dangerous close, as one tree collapsed backwards, from the flames.

“I don’t know,” I shouted back, still fighting the sounds of the wrestling ground, and the running water and the roaring flames and the howling winds.

Laura

Obeying the voice was easier than I had thought it would be. Bowing my head, I found my element was already waiting for me. The air seemed to calm, slightly, as I thought about it.

Shutting my eyes, I blocked out the remaining sound, focusing solely on the rampaging element. The element that had chosen me the day before I joined this school. It had come to me, and summoned my mother, with its ghostly whisper.

After Shar had come to get me, I had told her what I had done, and she had explained to me that I did not chose the element, and I did not command the element. While I was young, the element commanded me. What it had done for me – calling my mother – had been a favour, a gift from the Air. I had to learn control... and after nearly two years at trying, I wasn’t much better than before.

Now was the time to put all my work to the test, I thought to myself, clutching onto Chris’ huge hand on my right, and Matt’s warm one on my left. Focusing on those, on the other elements, as well as my own, singularly, I found it easier. There weren’t five elements.

Chris

I glanced around the circle, and once behind me, to the small girl lying on the floor. My charge. The one I had to save. I lowered my head, focusing all my concentration on the centre of the circle. Upon shutting my eyes, I found communication with Fire even easier.

It silenced, slightly, as another came to control it, but fear coursed through me, as I attempted to stop it, by imaging the flames disappearing. Instead of obeying me, I could hear the flames roar to life, raising higher and higher, even without using my eyes. I didn’t need eyes. I could use the Fire to see.

I allowed the power to flood through me, cover my body, to engulf me. I couldn’t feel the flames, and I was pretty sure they weren’t there, but I could imagine them covering me.

Feeling something blocking me, I guessed it was whatever had driven the elements to this level.... to this rampage. And I wasn’t sure, but I was pretty positive that somehow, that cause was Hayley. I needed more power... more control. I needed to overcome her power of Fire, to stop the flames, and I didn’t know how I was meant to do that!

Elle

Matt had told me he didn’t know, but I was pretty sure he was able to guess as much as I had been able to.... Chris and Laura were doing it right, and there was something we were missing.
Still staring at him, the flames giving his perfect face a darker tinge, and an orange glow, with the wind pushed his blonde hair around.

“Matt!” I shouted, to retrieve his attention. Although he hadn’t stopped looking at me, I was pretty sure that he wasn’t actually staring at me, anymore, in his hand. His eyes darted, and he readjusted his gaze onto me. When I was sure I had his attention, I continued. “What about Spirit?!”

“What about it?!” he replied, his voice carrying across the circle, but not well, and it jutted in the middle.

“There’s no one to control it!” I screamed back at him, hoping he could hear.

He shook his head, clearly. Once to the left, and once to the right. “There’s nothing wrong with Spirit!” he shouted back.

True, I conceded. Spirit didn’t need controlling. It was a mental element, while the rest were physical.

“We need to do what He said!” yelled Matt, when I didn’t respond. I knew he was still looking at me, but I didn’t look up at him. I focused on the ground, and after one quick nod, I shut my eyes, tight.

Matt

I hadn’t always been good with my element... Remembering the stuff that happened back in Miami, the reason I had left, I felt the ground shake. Good, I thought at it. So you’re listening.

I don’t know why, but whenever I need to control the ground, I always think at it, like we’re having a conversation, and it works. Well, normally it does. And today, Earth appeared to be listening.
Suddenly, to my utter amazement, the winds stopped. The air stopped fighting and moving, the winds froze. Laura had won! I didn’t know how, but I could hear a whisper in the air.

There aren’t five elements. The voice sounded different this time, and I could feel a soft breeze brush against my face, but it still took me time to recognise it. This wasn’t the Voice. This was Laura talking.

I sighed. What did she mean?! ‘There aren’t five elements.’ She had to be lying... we could see four out of the five, but at the same moment, I felt myself agreeing with her. There weren’t five elements.
But there were. Spirit. Earth. Air. Water. Fire. Five elements.

Laura

I knew what was happening... there weren’t five elements. There were two. Just two elements. There was Spirit, its own, individual element. And then there was the other four, divided up from one single element. Four different sides of one power. But we... we only controlled one side of our element, or two, if we were Royal.

Thinking of the elements as one, it made it ten thousand times easier. The air was mine, again. The winds halted, suddenly, the whistling and the roaring silenced. I knew I had control. I knew I had won.

But I didn’t dare to open my eyes until the others had done it, too. And I needed to help them... if they knew what I knew. If they knew what I had figured out – and although I wanted to, for some reason, I didn’t think I could take full credit for it. I hadn’t done it on my own, but no one else had been there.

There aren’t five elements! I thought, loudly, willing the air to throw it, so the others could hear. To my amazement, it didn’t pause, and immediately, I felt a slight ruffle in the wind, as my words were pushed over to them.


There aren’t five elements!

Hearing these words, and feeling the air stop, I felt a moment of pride and victory. Pride for the power of the young brunette. The air user. She had won, and so would I.

But what did she mean? ‘There aren’t five elements.’ That didn’t make sense. There were five elements. Spirit, Earth, Fire, Air and Water. Five different elements. But at the same time, I knew what the brunette was saying. Laura... her name was Laura. Laura was right. There weren’t five elements. There were two.

Two elements... both so powerful, both so strong. Spirit was its own element, I decided, feeling that I was right, even though I was making this up. And Earth, Fire, Air and Water was one element. Sliced up, to give everyone a piece of control. I couldn’t control the Fire on my own... I needed help from its other halves. Air, Water and Earth.

The very second I decided there was only two elements, the temperature dropped. The flames I had been able to feel earlier had vanished. I, too, had won.

Elle

There are only five elements! I heard Laura whistle. I had been getting to this conclusion, myself, when I found that the water wouldn’t listen to me. The pools of running water wouldn’t – couldn’t – stop running. The trickle of the tiny streams that were forming continued to torment me.

Two elements, I heard again. Two elements.

Just two elements. There were just two elements. Spirit and Fire-Earth-Air-Water. I knew it, better than I knew my name. If I had to bet on it, I’d bet everything. Anything. My life. The planet. I was so sure.

When realisation struck, the Water stopped. Immediately. It didn’t hesitate. It just froze. I didn’t need to my eyes to know this, I could sense it. In the Water. I had done it.

Matt

I heard the Water stop. I heard the flames’ roar stop. I felt the powerful winds stop. And I felt the Earth stop shaking and breaking.

All it took was for me to think... for me to believe.... for me to know that there were only two elements, and it stopped. Everything stopped. It took me a second, to bring myself to open my eyes, but the second I did... I saw four other pairs of eyes flicker open.

awesomeness, that voice is becoming more helpful, or is it just tricking them?

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!

The Voice is a good guy. Trust me - I think I will eventually reveal the secret behind it, but I dunno if it'll make sense to anyone.

well things are looking up, which means only one thing, something terrible is going to happen

I told you - it's a happy ending for everyone except one of you.

well unless someone has a sudden heart attack then someones going to kill them, that means someone bad is going to kill them, or maybe someone good in a tragic "accident"

They could fall down one of the cracks in the earth.

I think it'd be more melodramatic than that

And I thought the world destruction was meant to be inevitable? Or has the world crumpled behind them while they were straining to save what's left?

Just...

And sorry.

*makes conga Line*

Matt. Hello!

Miow

:O MIIIIIIIIIIOW.

you just declared cat war *gets claws out and attacks Chris*

*does cat voodoo so Matt's tail falls off.*

*uses new double action voodoo on Chris to make him a snail*

*gets squashed by an elephant*

shit

Respawning in 3.... 2..... 1.....

*respawns and eats matt*