Page 6

Malia

Wystan agreed to meet up with me before my first training session.

I put on the all-black, skintight uniform I was told to wear and am now sitting on the floor in front of my friend.

"Do you know the name of your teacher?" they ask me.

I have to swallow around the bitter nerves in the back of my throat before I can answer.

"Mrs.

Steil," I say hoarsely.

"Oh, I know her.

She is really nice.

You have nothing to worry about." They have been trying to reassure me for the past ten minutes, but my anxiety isn’t getting any better. While they are working on a French braid on my hair, I’ve kept my restless hands busy by running them up and down the seams of my new pants. The material is fascinating, somehow rough and smooth at the same time, not quite solid, but I have no idea what it is. According to Wystan, it is resistant to attacks from all four elements. Not in the way that I wouldn’t feel it if she shot a ball of dirt at me, but it’s supposed to be capable of absorbing bursts of fire and block out the heat. I find it rather hard to believe, despite Wystan insisting they’ve felt it before during practice.

"Tell me about your training.

How does it feel?" I ask, hoping that talking will calm me down a bit.

I’ve been up all night imagining what it must be like to manipulate an element, but I haven’t gotten close to having even a faint idea.

"First off, concentration is key.

You have to imagine yourself moving the water in front of you and see yourself doing it.

I’m not sure if it is the same for everyone, but when I move my element, I feel like something is pressed up against my hand. It makes my palms almost feel numb if that makes sense.

“My arms start to heat up with the energy I channel there, and my heart starts to calm down.

It feels like I am doing exactly what I was made for.

I’m in my element, I guess." Their voice trails off in a dreamy sigh, and I realize how much I’d like to feel that way. In my element for a change instead of out of my depth like I’ve been feeling since I arrived here. "Done," they exclaim after tying my hair tie around the end of my braid.

"Thank you,” I say, getting to my feet.

"Sure thing.

Good luck and tell me everything when you are done." With that, our ways part.

I walk down the pristine corridor on shaky legs.

I reach for the door my lesson will take place in and take a deep breath.

I want to make a good impression, but more than that, I want to prove to myself that I can do this. I am not a scared little girl, I got this. I open the door of room 21 and am greeted by a young woman.

"Right on time.

My name is Mrs.

Steil, and I’ll be your teacher today." She gives me a welcoming smile.

"Nice to meet you," I retort.

I suppose she already knows my name.

"We will take things very slowly today since it is your first lesson, so don’t be nervous.

I believe you’ve been told what powers you have?"

"I’ve been told I can manipulate water.

Once I’ve learned it, of course," I say unsurely.

"That is right, but you can do a lot more than that.

We will start with manipulating water around you, but later on, you will be able to make it materialize yourself.

Once you reach a certain level, you’ll be capable of even more things, but that is a long way ahead." I nod to let her know I understand.

"If you don’t have questions, let’s get right to it.

I’ve prepared this bowl of water and want you to place both of your hands in it." She points at the big container on top of a small step.

I kneel on the mat in front of it and lay my hands in the warm water.

"Good.

Now close your eyes and feel."

I try not to show her how useless I find her instructions and close my eyes.

Feel.

What is that even supposed to mean? We stay in silence for a few moments, but luckily, my teacher speaks up again before I’m forced to voice a question.

"We are born with our element, even though most of us find out later.

It’s not part of our biological body but rather a fragment of our soul.

You have a natural connection to your element, so when I tell you to feel, I want you to look inside yourself and find that part. It should look like what you imagine water in space might.

“Just keep your hands in the water and be patient.

Maybe you will feel a buzz on your skin or your chest warming up.

Signs can come in a verity of ways." I still don’t understand what she wants me to do exactly but close my eyes again and take a deep breath. Feel the water...

Once I am able to concentrate solely on the water around my hands, I feel a slight tingle in my fingertips.

At first, I mistake it for a trick of my mind, but then the sensation gradually grows stronger and starts spreading up my arms.

"I feel it!” I exclaim excitedly.

"That’s great.

Stay focused and try to find the source inside of you."

Like what you imagine water in space.

I don’t know how one should look inside oneself and find something like that, but the tingle in my hands is spreading toward my heart, seemingly leading the way.

I stop thinking and just follow the sensation.

Finally, I see what my teacher was talking about.

The source is bright-blue-colored water like the ocean in Sicily when the midday sun hits it.

I take a shaky sigh, my chest squeezing longingly at the sight. I feel a desperate pull toward it. As if I’ve been missing a piece of me without knowing it, and now it’s finally within reach.

"I found it!"

"Fantastic, Malia, describe to me what you’re feeling", my teacher instructs.

"It started as a smooth tickle in my fingers and is now spreading through all of my body.

It feels like tiny ants are walking all over my skin but in a good way? It’s not warm, though.

It’s refreshing." Mrs. Steil tells me to stay like that for a little longer, and I gladly do so, too high on the feeling to complain.

"You can open your eyes now and stand up." By the time my teacher’s voice snaps me back to attention, I’ve lost my sense of time.

"That was awesome!" I shake the remaining water off my hands while my teacher chuckles.

"It is very rare for someone to feel the connection to their element this fast, but I am glad to be teaching such a driven pupil.

What I’d like for you to try next is normally the step for the second or third lesson, but we still have some time.

Would you like to try?" I nod my head rapidly, amusing my teacher with my enthusiasm, judging by her expression.

"Stand in front of the container, but don’t touch the water." I do as I’m told.

"I want you to envision the water moving along your motions below your hand.

Just move your stronger hand in a fluid motion from the left to the right and close your eyes.

Imagine it before focusing back on the water. Like I said, this is pretty advanced for the first lesson, so don’t be disappointed if it doesn’t work. It has already been a successful day."

I close my eyes and try to follow the instructions, imagining small waves rippling the water to match my hand’s movement before looking back at the container.

I stay as focused as possible, but the water remains undisturbed and even.

"I think we can call it a day and try again tomorrow," Mrs.

Steil proposes after a few minutes without success, but I shake my head slightly.

"I’d like to try one more time," I insist.

She gestures for me to go ahead.

I shut my eyes firmly and think back to the tickle in my arms.

My hand is still making the same move over and over again.

I imagine my hands are in the container and pretend I physically move the water.

When I feel the slightest tingle in my fingers, I open my eyes and look at the water.

It is as still as ever, but I will myself to keep it up.

I move my hand unwaveringly, always imagining what I want to achieve. It takes a minute, but I finally see the slightest of movements in the water as the tingle on my skin intensifies.

A tiny wave moves at the same speed and direction as my hand.

First to the right and then to the left.

I can keep that up for about ten seconds before my concentration fades.

"That was fantastic! You can be proud of yourself.

That’s it for today, I will see you tomorrow," she dismisses me, and I leave the room after thanking her.

On my way up the stairs, I feel like I could fly even as my body is weighted down by exhaustion.

"How did it go? Tell me everything!" Wystan demands as soon as they reach me in front of the cafeteria.

After the nap I just woke up from, I’m ready to match their enthusiasm with my own.

Who would have thought that creating a few tiny ripples would drain my energy. I slept like a baby, and I’m not usually one to nap.

I grab my friend’s hands, barely composing myself enough to keep from jumping up and down.

"It went really well.

First, I had to feel the water, which I thought was weird in the beginning, but got the hang of quickly. Then, I tried to move it a little. It took me a while, but I managed to cause tiny waves without touching it in the end." By the time I finish my sentence, my friend is openly gaping at me.

"You were able to move your element on your first day? I have never heard of anyone achieving that before! It took me a full week."

"It was barely anything," I tell them, my cheeks heating up.

My friend brushes me off.

"Sure, be humble about it.

At least you’re no longer nervous, right? Now that you’re a classified natural." Their shoulder nudges mine playfully as we start walking inside the great hall.

Blushing, I agree, not with the natural part but about my waning nerves.

"I feel amazing.

What about you? How was your day?"

"The usual.

I had some classes in the morning and went to training right after you left.

Dustin fooled around and got lectured, which was pretty funny to watch, but other than that, it was pretty boring. I can’t wait until you can join us. Imagine all the trouble we could get Dustin in," they gush. At my questioning stare, they elaborate, “Our trainer always blames Dustin, even when I start talking to him or dare him to do something stupid. It’s hilarious because there aren’t any real consequences. Now imagine what two brilliant minds like ours together could achieve. It will be mayhem.”

I laugh at the mental picture they’re painting, even as I force myself to say, "Don’t hold your breath.

You’ve still got three years of a head start."

Part 2

Age: 13