---Aaron---
"Oh no, Sarah, an interrogation won't be necessary," said the woman on the far right. She had light gray hair and was wearing a simple blue tunic and comfy pants. "Look at their expressions. They must be scared silly. Come, my children. Have a seat and some cookies." We looked at each other and sat down on the floor in a row, as the lady handed out cookies. Each of us took one and politely said thank you.
"My name's Annabelle. Daughter of Lord Derrick and Lady Josephine. Perhaps you have heard of me?" Katherine let out an audible gasp.
"You're Annabelle? Annabelle Edwards?"
"That's right, dear." Annabelle smiled kindly at Katherine. Katherine's eyes grew as big as saucers. I, on the other hand, had no idea who Annabelle Edwards is.
"Oh my god. I am so honored to be in your presence, Ms. Annabelle!" In her excitement, Katherine had leapt up in the way that someone suddenly stands because they realize they weren't supposed to be sitting. "I've read so much about you. You were my childhood hero, and you're still my role model. I just can't believe I'm actually meeting you in person!"
"Aw, would you look at that," said a man from the couch. He had the bluest eyes I'd ever seen, and they sparkled with amusement. "I told you that you were famous. Another little Annabelle right there. I can see it."
"Oh hush, Jake," said Annabelle with a smile. She turned back to Katherine. "Well, I'm glad to hear that. It's been awhile since anyone paid attention to me. What's your name, my dear?"
"Katherine. Katherine Lewis."
"A descendent of Lewis? Quite the warrior you must be, then." Katherine looked pleased.
"Annabelle, we should focus at the task at hand," another man spoke up. He appeared to be the oldest of all of them, with snow-white hair and a snow-white beard. He kind of looked like a wizard, but fiercer and stronger.
"Yes. Of course." Annabelle smiled encouragingly at all of us and returned to her seat. The man stood up and addressed the teachers.
"We would like to speak privately with the children. Would you all please step outside for a moment?" They looked at each other and reluctantly left. The door closed. The guy suddenly shot a streak of blue light at the door and we heard a muffled thump on the other side.
"Anti-eavesdropping spell," he explained calmly. "Very useful."
"Let's introduce ourselves. My name's Thomas Skyy, and you already know Annabelle. This is Jake Riverbrook." He pointed at the man with the blue eyes.
"Gideon Harkson." The man with messy brown hair and a plaid shirt waved.
"Johanna Samuels." The woman wearing a light green dress nodded.
"Hamlet Jones." The short plump man wearing overalls smiled cheerily.
"And of course, Reyna Willows." The woman who was polishing her sword looked up.
"Woah…I never thought I'd meet them in person…" murmured Ashley. Lucian nodded in agreement.
"Now, tell us your names," said Hamlet. We told them one by one.
"Aren't there fifteen Elders? Where are the others?" asked Indigo.
"Out on various businesses. The seven of us is enough for whatever we're dealing with." answered Gideon. "So, what exactly happened?"
We recounted the bizarre events in the classroom. We told them about how Anna transformed into an Evil, the glowing of the rosewood dagger, and how Katherine and Ashley managed to kill the Evil. Thomas looked troubled. Annabelle looked thoughtful.
"Can I see the dagger, Katherine?" she asked. Katherine dug out the charm and placed it in Annabelle's hand. "What's the spell?" Ashley repeated the words in a jumble of syllables. I couldn't understand, but Annabelle did.
"Jake, some monster dust please." Jake stood up and grabbed a jar off the mantle. Unscrewing the lid, he tossed a pinch of the black dust into the air. Annabelle spoke the spell and waved the dagger in the midst of the dust. Nothing happened. A few other Elders tried too, but to no avail.
"Why don't you try again, Katherine and Ashley." said Annabelle. So they did. Whereas the Elders failed to activate it, Katherine and Ashley didn't. In fact, the dagger glowed brighter than ever. In a burst of gold light, the jar in Jake's hand shattered and all the monster dust evaporated. The Elders stood in stunned silence.
"That…was not supposed to happen," squeaked Ashley in a petrified whisper. Katherine looked afraid of what would come next.
"There's no doubt that these kids are the ones," said Reyna.
"Then it is true. War is coming," said Hamlet gravely.
"But they're so young. Are you sure they're the ones? Can they handle it?" asked Gideon worriedly.
"Positive," affirmed Annabelle. She walked to us and placed a hand on Katherine's shoulder. "I can see it in them. The daughter of Lewis is the warrior. The daughter of Windson is the spell master." Katherine and Ashley looked surprised.
"The sons of Kane, Oaks, and Mallory—" That was me, Lucian, and Jason, in order, "—have the virtues of true warriors. They are the elemental masters."
"The daughter of Clay is the mastermind, knowledgeable of strategies fit for war. The daughter of Oliver will be well-versed in the healing arts." That was Indigo and Rachel.
"They must carry those powers within them," spoke Thomas. "We all know the accuracy of Annabelle's instincts. She is never wrong."
"But they're just kids," protested Gideon once again.
"Weren't we kids when we faced our destiny?" retorted Reyna.
"Yes, but—"
"Enough! We should be preparing them for war, not bickering about whether or not they're the ones!" exclaimed Thomas. He looked at our frightened, confused expressions, and his tone softened.
"Children, you have no idea what you've gotten yourselves into. You all know the Rosewood Prophecy, right? Well, there's more. Let's talk about it so you fully understand what's happening, okay?"
Beside me, Lucian gulped. Indigo looked pale. They were right. We had no idea what was in store for us. But we were going to find out.