Douglas couldn't stop bragging about how right he was during the bus ride home. What a drag, the first time he's ever been right about anything wins me a date to spring formal. I'm sure he'll never let this one down. Douglas and I part ways getting off the bus at our stop after doing our secret handshake. I ran all the way home to pick out what to wear for tonight's big game. I cut through an alleyway because I knew I would be the only one using it. I might as well train since it is Friday and all.
I only practice once a week to keep my skills sharp and focused. Even though half the time I don't know what I'm doing. I stop in the middle of this old abandoned playground that is rusted and left forgotten. I came here for privacy because it is secluded by tall fencing. I sit down cross-legged and channel my spirit, letting it engulf me like a full suit of armor. Then I start expanding fine strands of spirit, probing for elements I can use for anyone of my powers. I close my eyes to focus. With spirit, I can detect anything, anything that the naked untrained eye could not see.
Iron from the old rusted swing set. Earth all around me, the grass, the dirt, not only the tree itself but also the leaves. Water that pooled on upside-down trash can lid. I can only burn my spirit for so long before fatigue sets in, so I stop. I wield water and earth in fine threads and weave them together. I control them with my fingers and mind, it seems like it takes a few minutes to do, but It just takes a second or two. With this, I can create a shield or a sword. Several things I can picture in my head. Once I start something, I can use it, almost like a 3d printer. The thought of that makes me chuckle. I create three arrows and immediately use air to send them flying through the air as if they were launched from three separate crossbows. Each arrow hits its mark, three targets I had recently crafted just last week. These skills are like every other skill, they must be practiced often, or you become complacent or make mistakes. Just like basketball players practice shooting to get better.
I think that's enough practice for one day. I worked up a fine layer of sweat all over my body as if I were fighting a cold or sickness. Maybe drawing that much amount of spirit wasn't such a good idea. I slowly rise to my feet and head back down the alley towards my house. I get to my room and pick out what to wear for tonight's game. I take another quick shower but not as fast as I took this morning. Since it's Friday, the only day I practice, while in the shower, I wield compressed water using air to make a shield that would be just as strong as iron. I towel off and put on my school pride shirt and my favorite blue jeans. I slip on my new pair of Adidas dad got me for my birthday that I keep in their box and only use for special occasions. Ok, I'm ready!
We get to our school to watch the football game 20 mins before kickoff. We have reserved seats at home games, so we waste no time taking them. The night sky was so beautiful, the moon so bright and full. It would've been perfect to practice on this night. Instead, I'm here to watch one of the worst football teams in the state. Em is the only good part of it...ok ok, I don't hate my sister or anything. All I can think about is seeing Em at our house after this throughout the whole game. Mom and Dad talk about wanting pictures of Sarah with Chris and Em with me. They were pleasantly surprised when they heard from Sis that I had finally decided to ask Em out on any kind of date or formal event. They knew about my feelings as well. I shake my head at the thought.
The game is almost over, and a big shocker...we are losing by 14. Christopher is trying to rally the troops, but it's not his fault that he has the worst offensive line in the history of history. It's 3rd and 5. He takes the direct snap from under center and takes a three-step drop. A linebacker rushes at him on his blindside, unblocked. He's going to get really hurt and possibly injured. By the time I know it, I wield a hastily thin barrier of compressed air around the backside of Chris to cushion the blow right before he is struck hard, knocking the ball loose, which is then picked up by the other team and returned all the way for a touchdown right as time expires.
Everyone, including me, is so quiet. All eyes are on Chris' unmovable body lying on the field as trainers from both teams rush to his aid. They have him smell something that wakes him up from unconsciousness. They help him up to his feet, and the crowd cheers louder than they have all season at the sight of this. I looked around to see if anyone was watching me who saw my aura. I learned long ago that if I wield my powers in front of my reflection, I see an aura surrounding my body. Only I can see this, which makes me wonder if others like me can too. No one seemed to notice. Will I always be alone? I mean, I have friends and family who love and care about me, but I still feel very isolated. I am alone with the constant unknowing of why I have this gift and the fear of ever being revealed. The crowd starts leaving the bleachers and walking to their cars to go. Em rides with Sarah, my sister, and a few other girls from the squad. I think about how reckless I was during the car ride home. I did it for sis. I did it for Chris, even if he is a goofball, which makes me laugh to myself. I was shocked to hear that all her friends were sleeping over. I never get to have my friends over for anything that cool. Dad doesn't seem to care when I bring it up either, and mom just says something about how I should be grateful to have so many girls under one roof. Yeah, like that's a good thing. I keep in mind that it's still Friday, and I have not yet wielded my favorite element...fire. I sneak out the back door and run silently to my spot in the alleyway. I sit cross-legged on my usual site and begin to meditate while I take deep breaths in and out through my nose and out of my mouth. I picture a small flame in my mind and feed all my emotions into it, fear, jealousy, anger...I didn't realize how much I felt at the present time. This is just a technique I use to clear my thoughts and emotions. I open my mind, ready to wield the most dangerous element there is.
I am able to smell someone using a barbecue nearby. The sweet smell of burgers helps me locate it using my spirit. I can draw power from far away just as long as I don't lose concentration and my train of thought, which is why I like to clear my head from any distracting thoughts. I use the spirit to dip in the flame to slowly transfer it to me. I raise my palm up and gather a small marble size ball of fire an inch from my hand. The ball gets gradually bigger. It's a tennis ball size...then a softball. That should be enough. I form the ball into a triangle, a square, then back to a ball. I weave in a small pattern of air to fuel the fireball to the size of a basketball. I quickly look around to see if the flame has caught anyone's eye. I don't spot anyone. I quickly shift my spirit behind my eyes so I can see in the dark and shadows. Still, I see no one lurking or watching. I then promptly weave the same shield I did for Chris across from the park and instantly launch my fireball at it. Direct hit, I hear a loud hissing noise from the reaction of water rapidly heating and evaporating into thin air. Both shield and fireball cancel each other out and disappear. This is what happens when using opposite elements. They cancel out. Water with fire, earth with spirit but air, air is the only one that has no counter...only using air itself.
I feel like I've done enough for the day, so I call it a night and hurry home to get there in time for dinner. I walk into the doorway to smell delicious pizza... I love Pizza Hut! They were nice enough to order me my own large pepperoni and pineapple on a stuffed crust. All the girls are piled up in the living room watching scary movies while they eat pizza and popcorn. I have no problem going up to my room and watching whatever I want in there.
I don't expect Em to come up. I figured she would just stay down there and wanna talk later, which is completely fine by me. I still feel like I get too nervous around her, more so now that she's gonna be my date for tomorrow. I get done eating my pizza and decide to see if I can work on my aura reading technique on some of the girls downstairs. For the most part, I can tell what someone's intentions are based on their shade of color. Sort of like heat signature thermal goggles, but it only works on people. Embarrassment and jealousy are really hard to tell apart from each other. Anger and hate are as well, but most of the time, I can distinguish them by just reading body language. I see that almost everyone's aura when watching scary movies is either yellow or green, which can relate to anticipation, curiosity, or uncertainty. I see someone with a light shade of purple, which catches my eye...purple? Purple is what I associate with being related to excitement or nervousness, but I'm not too sure what this really light shade means. I see this aura separate from the others and start heading upstairs and down the hallway towards my room. "Come in," I shout so she can hear me over the sudden screams from downstairs. Crap! I think to myself as Em walked in with a curious but glad to see me look on her face. "How did you hear me outside your door through all that racket from downstairs?" I quickly stood up to give her a hug and said, "I saw the light under my door blocked by someone...anyways, are you having fun?" "Sort of. I don't really like watching scary movies all that much." "Oh, well, I'm glad you're here so we can talk about tomorrow." We go through my closet to pick what to wear. She's able to narrow it down to three different outfits that she thought would look best on me, and I seem to surprise her with which one I choose. The rest of the night, we just sit on my bed and talk about all the different clicks we have at our school. Who's popular, who's goofy, who our favorite teachers are, just typical teenager talk. She kind of jumped after another round of screams from the downstairs living room right into my arms which made me laugh out loud a little. Then I realize that I'm holding my biggest crush in my arms, and I start getting those butterfly stomach feelings again that only she can get me to feel. We must have realized the same thing at the same time because we separate with nervous laughter as she apologizes. "Don't worry about it. I'll protect you from the spooky things that lurk in the shadows." This makes her laugh like she doesn't take me for the solid and fighting type only if she knew.
As the screams seem to die down a little, she heads back downstairs to hang with everyone else. For the rest of the night, I sit on my bed cross-legged and close my eyes. I feed the flame in my head again, pouring all my emotions into it. Fueling the fire until it glows red hot. My mind is clear now as I key in on just my breathing. After days like this, where I use a lot of my spirit, I try to reach a deep state of meditation to refill my spirit somewhat. In this state, I am at peace, with no stress, no worries, just the flame, and my breathing.