The Realm Protectors - Chapter 33: Chapter 33

"How has the tour been going?" Professor Odde asks. Her voice is slightly tinny through the Tunnel-Com – the small, space-powered machine that allows us to talk to our teachers and get our classwork even from across the Realm.
"It's been alright." I reply. "I haven't had many opportunities to use my abilities in any big scenario, but I helped to move some of the chunks of mountain rock away from the senator's house in Mork."
Professor Odde nods. "They never found any survivors?"
I shake my head. "All members of the Darcio family were found dead." Images of the bodies pulled from the wreckage flash through my mind, and I shake it again to clear it. "I'm hoping to get out some this week and practice with the sand. It's everywhere around here."
Odde chuckles. "I'm sure it is. How are the rest of your classes going?"
"I've been trying to keep up with the reading for English, but it's really just not my thing." I admit. "Ciana's been catching me up on what happens so I can answer the questions."
Professor Odde nods. "How is it going with the others? Do you all get along well?"
"Oh yeah, it's been great." I reply. "We've clicked from the very beginning." I think about all my friends, secluded in their own rooms to focus on school work.
"That's good. Well, I have to go. I have your Physical Geokinesis class here soon." Professor Odde says. "I'm here if you need any help. Sand can be a tricky substance to work with."
"Thank you." I nod. "I appreciate it."
Professor Odde nods and a small beep sounds as she disconnects. I slump back on my bed with a groan, rubbing the headache from my eyes. I've gotten more used to using the Tunnel-Com to talk to teachers and keep up with classwork, but it still doesn't quite sink in with me. School never really was my strong suit.
Someone knocks on the door. I sit up to see Ciana in the doorway.
"I need your help with this math problem," She says.
Now math, I can do.
"Sure, what do you need?" I ask.
She steps into my room and shuts the door softly behind her, shuffling over to the bed. She lays the open textbook on the comforter and her notebook next to it. Her notes are nearly immaculate – not a single stroke out of place.
"Number twenty-seven," Ciana says, pointing at the problem in the book. I start talking her through finding the distance between the two points given when someone else knocks on the door.
"Come in," I call out. Nikolina steps through the door via her spooky shadow-travel.
"Tucker says it's time to train." She says softly. Her voice seems a little stronger than it did when we were in Mork.
"Okay," Ciana replies, packing up her books. "I'll finish this later. Thanks, Avani."
"No problem." I nod. Ciana scurries out and shuts the door behind her, leaving me with Nik. She's already dressed in leggings and a black t-shirt, as if she had just come from training.
I turn to grab some clothes out of my suitcase. "You don't mind if I change in front of you, do you?" I ask her. "I'm used to it from changing in various locker rooms with other girls in the Other World, but I know it makes some people uncomfortable."
"No, that's fine." Nikolina responds, though her voice sounds unsure. I turn to look at her and she averts her eyes.
"If you say so." I shrug. I turn to face the wall, hopefully to make her more comfortable, and slip off my pajama pants. I pull on one of my favorite pairs of athletic shorts and quickly change into a sports bra.
"You're very muscular." Nik admits softly.
I look over my shoulder with a smirk. "That's what happens if you play multiple sports." Grabbing a hair tie, I pull my braids away from my face.
"Let's go." I nod to Nikolina. We make our way back out into the main room, where Tucker is waiting with Ciana and the rest of the group.
"Everyone here?" Tucker looks around. "Alright, let's go."
Tucker leads us back outside the Gemela-Suno and out into the marketplace of Varma Urbo. We weave our way around various stalls and booths of everything you could possibly think of – food, clothes, jewels, even vendors that claim to be selling bottled fallen stars. By the time we make it out of the city, my ears are ringing from all the shouting. Faris managed to find a turkey leg somewhere and munches on it.
"What?" He asks when he catches me staring.
Tucker leads us outside the gates of the city. The wind catches the sand, blowing it around in sweeps of dust.
"Today, we're working with natural advantages." Tucker begins. "Fajro is an unforgiving place for some elementals, but perfect for others. Which of you will have advantages here?"
Ciana, Enya, Faris, and I raise our hands.
"Good." Tucker nods. "Tell me why."
"The sun,"
"Heat,"
"Wind,"
"The sand," I finish. Tucker nods.
"All things that go nicely with your elements. Now who has the disadvantage?"
Nile and Nikolina raise their hands.
"Right again," Tucker nods. "Why?"
"No water." Nile states.
"Lots of sun means no shadows." Nikolina fidgets with the pocket of her leggings.
"Exactly. You two will be at a disadvantage compared to these four. Lyra and Carter are pretty neutral in this area. In the middle of the day, there's not many stars to use, but she can maker her own anyway. Carter knows that time can be used in any way at any time.
"Pair up." Tucker finishes. "I want advantage versus disadvantage, and I want advantage versus advantage. Nile and Enya, separate."
Nile and Enya frown from where they had already begun circling each other.
"You know each other's strengths and weaknesses too well. Pick a different partner for now."
Enya steps up to me – advantage versus advantage. Ciana is paired with Nile, Nik goes with Faris, and Carter and Lyra go against each other.
"Spread out a little bit. Give yourselves some room to explode." Tucker calls. He climbs up a stack of stones sitting by the wall and sits down. "I'll watch from here."
We look around at each other before settling into athletic positions. Enya clenches her fists, and the heat waves rising from the sand turn more aggressive. Sweat bubbles on my skin, and I can smell the bottom of my shoes starting to melt.
"Ready..."
I sweep my hands out beside me, palms down, stirring up the sand. It begins rising into pillars around us.
"Three..."
The wind hollers from the area near Faris and Nikolina.
"Two..."
My eyes burn as the sun grows brighter in the sky. I squint to keep my vision.
"One..."
Sweat starts to drip from my face as the heat intensifies further.
"Go!" Tucker shouts.
I throw my hands towards Enya, sending pillars of sand her way. It takes more focus than I thought to keep the pillars solid, grains of sand falling as they move. Enya throws up her arms, sending a wave of heat into the pillars. They begin to melt and become gooey, red pillars of molten glass.
"Holy shit!" I scream. I can feel my skin burning, both from Enya's heat and Ciana's scarily intense sun. I dig deeper and scoop with my hands, sending sand flying above Enya's head. She turns her head up in fear before I drop the sand on her, piling on more and more until the heat around me begins to subside.
Hands shoot up from the sand, scrabbling for hold. Enya's face is shocked, gasping for air like she's going to drown. She claws her way out of my sand pile, despite my best efforts to pile more and more on top of her.
Enya looks around, searching for something to use to her advantage, before giving up and throwing a hand towards me. Fire erupts in front of me, sending me scrambling backwards. I wave my hands frantically, washing out the flames with the sand around me. Getting to her feet, Enya holds her hands at her sides. I watch in horror as the flames in her palms grow bigger and bigger.
Do something, do something, do something, I think to myself. The sand around Enya is melting again, turning red-hot and molten. That used to be sand... maybe I could...
I send my power towards the globs of glass, feeling a weak connection. It's weak, but a connection all the same. I throw every ounce of my power into that molten glass, pulling it from the sand and forming it into a fist.
"Night night," I pant, throwing my arm in a punching motion.
Enya freezes. "What are you–"
A molten glass fist catches her across the face and sends her sprawling into the sand. Enya cries out and brings a hand to her face, skin looking slightly burnt.
"I yield," She pants, staring up at me with slight hurt and a little admiration. The air around us begins to cool as I offer her my hand. She takes it, standing up. Her cheek is already blistering, puckering up in a way that must be painful. I wince.
"Sorry about that," I mutter.
She smirks. "I didn't expect it. I've never seen an Earth elemental bend with glass before."
I shrug. "It used to be sand until it got too close to you. I figured the same rules must apply." Enya shakes her head, smile covering her face. She slings an arm over my shoulder and we walk over to where Tucker is waiting.
Sometime during our fight, he must have sent for medics. One rushes over to Enya and begins applying some type of cream to her burn. Another checks me for any injuries. I wave her off and settle against the sandstone wall, watching the rest of my friends spar. Ciana is doing well against Nile, who keeps using his own sweat to his advantage. She does, however, manage to trick him once by masterfully creating an impressive mirage of a puddle in the sand. Nile turns to pull from it before getting a flash bang in the eyes. Faris' wind blows Nik off her feet more times than I can count, but she keeps pulling weak shadows from the base of the wall. One is finally strong enough to wrap around Faris' eyes like a blindfold, making it impossible for him to see.
"Who turned out the lights?" He asks, laughing. Nikolina sends a bunch of shadows into his gut, causing him to double over, coughing.
"Wow," Enya breathes, walking over to stand by me. I follow her gaze to Carter and Lyra, who's match seems to look more like a dance. They trade blows with graceful movements. Carter catches Lyra in a time bubble as she attempts to throw a bunch of nebulae at him, causing a beautiful vision of a slow-motion punch. Her skin sheds stars like she's throwing glitter behind her as she runs.
Faris eventually yields to Nikolina, and Nile yields to Ciana. He stumbles over to the medics with her help, blinking like he doesn't know where to look.
"That's not permanent, right?" Ciana asks, wincing. A medic with a deep blue patch over her heart shakes her head, pressing her fingers to Nile's eyes.
"I'll just speed up the healing process." She says, closing her eyes. Nile holds still as she works.
Tucker eventually calls for Carter and Lyra to truce, and they join us in the shade of the wall.
"Good." Tucker nods. "I saw some great things. Now, take a five minute water break and choose another partner."
We all groan.
Enya tells us after training that her family has invited us all over for dinner. She seems really eager to see them, so we shower and change clothes quickly.
Tucker follows us as we make our way back through the marketplace and into a calmer residential district. Pieces of fabric hang between the buildings, providing shade for the parents and children that walk along the path. People flock towards us as we walk by, asking for blessings for their children or to give them a little show. Enya stops to talk to some people while the rest of us give the children a show. Children giggle around Nile as he makes little water animals run through the air around them. Faris lifts children up and down, making them feel like they're flying.
One girl comes up to where I'm leaning against a wall with Ciana and Nik.
"Can you make me one of these?" She asks with a sweet little lisp, pointing to a picture of a bright orange lily in her book.
"Sure," I grin. I study the picture and twist my hands, forming a stem and beautiful tangerine blossom. "Here you go."
She grins, showing missing front teeth. Her curls bounce as she runs off to a little group of girls around the corner, showing off her flower. The girls look at me and come running. Ciana exclaims as we're quickly swarmed by girls asking for lilies, cosmos, and marigolds in all shades of orange. Ciana helps me a little, adding a sunny glow to the blossoms and making all the children giggle.
Enya laughs as she walks over, arm in arm with Nile. "Alright girls, we need to go. Say thank you to Arch Gipson for the flowers."
"Thank you!" The girls chorus around me. It makes my heart swell as they all scurry off to their parents.
"They like you." Tucker smirks at me. I scoff.
"Of course they do." I spin on my heel, following Enya and Nile down the road. "Everyone likes me."
We finally arrive at a building with a sandstone arch decorated with little whorls of fire. A girl around my age peeks around the corner as we approach, a grin lighting up her face.
"Hey, look who finally decides to show up," She laughs. Enya shakes her head, lips turned up in a smirk.
"Sorry I've been working, Aideen."
"I'm talking to Nile." The girl, Aideen, huffs. Nile barks out a laugh.
"I told you she'd miss me." He says to Enya.
"Of course she missed you more than me." Enya rolls her eyes.
An older woman with Enya's coloring appears in the doorway. She smiles warmly at us.
"Welcome, welcome," She says, wiping her hands on the apron tied around her waist. "It's an honor to have all of you here."
"Mom," Enya wraps her arms around her mother and hugs. "You don't have to be so formal around us."
Enya's mom rolls her eyes, letting go of her daughter. "It's called being polite, dear. I thought you'd learn some manners from your lovely boyfriend here, but it appears not." She wraps her arms around Nile next, who dwarfs her quite comically.
"I tried, Nina, I really did." Nile laughs. Enya sticks her tongue out at him in response.
"Now, now, let me see the rest of you." Nina backs out of Nile's embrace and looks at the rest of us. "You must be Tucker," She nods appreciatively to Tucker, who stands off to the side. He nods in reply.
"This is Ciana, Avani, Nikolina, Faris, Lyra, and Carter." Enya introduces us. Ciana shifts her weight from foot to foot as if she's nervous.
"It's lovely to meet all of you." Nina smiles, and its so motherly that I find myself missing my own mother back home. "Well, let's not stay out here. Come in, come in. Dinner will be ready soon. Enya, Nile, would you two mind setting the table?"
"Don't worry, we've got it." Nile grabs Enya's hand and pulls her inside. He whispers something in her ear and she smacks him on the arm playfully.
"Aideen can give you a tour of the house while I finish cooking." Nina says. We follow her into the house and see Aideen sitting on a sofa in the living room. "Aideen, do you mind giving our guests a tour of the house?"
Aideen shrugs and hops up, linking arms with Ciana and I as she walks past us.
"Welcome to Casa Fuego, please keep your arms, legs, ears, and nostrils inside the car at all times." Aideen rambles, leading us down a hallway. "Behind you was the living room. To your immediate left is the dining room, where my sister and Nile are probably making out against either the wall, the table, or both."
"Aideen!" Enya scolds from inside the room. Ciana masks a snort.
"To your right is the kitchen, where my mother is cooking the most delicious food you will ever taste." Aideen continues with a smirk. "I like to say that the taste of my mother's cooking is even better than the feeling of making out with–"
"Aideen!" Enya scolds again, this time sticking her head out of the room. Aideen giggles and pulls us along faster. She leads us up a set of stairs and chats the entire way down the hallway, pointing out her room, Enya's old room, and her parents room, which is "extra big no-no off limits."
Aideen asks Carter and Lyra to go babysit Enya and Nile, and finally ends the tour back at her room, where she declares Ciana, Nik, and I her 'new best friends.'
"Enya never brings anybody home." Aideen pouts. "Except Nile, obviously. They're glued at the hip. She never brings home anyone my age. I'm so glad she finally brought you guys though."
"How old are you, anyway?" Ciana asks.
"I'm fourteen." Aideen says proudly. "I get to start school at the Lernajo de Flamo next year."
"You're not coming to Asavanra?" Nik asks.
Aideen frowns. "No. Mama said she can't handle two of her babies so far from home."
I snort. "Stay with your family while you can." I tell her. "You don't realize how much you miss 'em 'til they're gone."
Ciana purses her lips when I look up at her, emotion shining in her eyes.
Aideen stares between us and opens her mouth to say something.
"Dinner!" Nina calls from downstairs. Aideen perks up.
"Come on!" She says, jumping up from the floor. "Last one there's a burnt marshmallow!"