Chapter 7: Elemental University

Jack and friends arrive at the school. He is revealed, trouble ensues, and the mocking continues

         They looked out the window and saw something marvelous: A massive three story mansion, with crystal windows, marble steps, and the dexterity of it shined like the sun. It was like a Christmas tree. The shine emitted all around the building, revealing stalagmites at every corner. In the distance, the dorms were seen and they were each kept apart by mountainous trails.

        Jack smiled as he gazed at the beauty of it. The plane circled the school a few times before landing on a small runway near a mile away from the mansion. The students buckled in and prepared for a bumpy landing. As the planes landing wheels hit the ground, it jumped and bumped in different directions. Soon enough, the plane came to a screeching halt as the engines died and ceased. Ms. Telik unbuckled her seatbelt and stood up.

        “Okay everyone, please pay attention ” she said as the other two staff members got up. Everyone went quiet. “Now, form a single line and proceed out of the plane in an orderly fashion ” she smiled.

        Bruce Gordon, the dark skinned boy Jack met at the airport, jumped from his seat and ran to the exit. Before he reached the outside, he collided with a force. He was knocked back and landed on his butt, feet away from the door. A few kids were laughing, including Jack. Ms. Telik put her hand down.

        “Stupid boy  I said orderly fashion ” she shouted.

        “What the hell was that? ” he asked angerly.

        “I created a wall of Telekinetic energy. I use Telekinesis you see, so you won’t be going anywhere until you do as I say.”

        “Yes, ma’am.” he said as he stood up.

        She let the force field down and everyone began lining up behind Bruce, making a nice single file line. As he expected, Jack was last in line. As they marched out of the plane, he caught Ms. Telik’s eye. She gazed into his eyes and smiled evilly. He turned back and got off the plane as quickly as he could.

        When they were all off the plane, She moved past the freshmen and began walking toward the school with the them following her. As they got closer to the mansion, Jack could see that it was built using bricks and cement.

        “Bricks and cement? How was that possible if it has been around for thousands of years?” he thought. The trail they began walking on was made of marble, just like the steps. Even in the darkness, he could see a refection of himself and something about him had changed. He didn’t know what it was, but he could feel that the answer was just around the corner.

        As they ventured down the trail, they all caught a glimpse of a road off to the right and a sign that read: Do Not Enter  A boy with brown hair and a mullet spoke up.

        “What’s down that road, Ms. Telik?”

        “Everything will be explained at the ceremony. Keep up, please ”

        He felt embarrassed by his question, since a few boys were heard laughing at him. It ceased after a few seconds, but Jack felt sorry for the boy, even though he didn’t know his name. They soon came to a massive door, easily three stories tall. Ms. Telik knocked four times and the doors opened slowly. The doors themselves were decorated in the symbols for Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth, the original four Elements.

        Inside they saw a fountain releasing crystal clear water into its pool, which had little trenches on the floor. The water was so clear, it was like looking in the mirror. The door soon closed behind them and it slammed with a roar. Hanging on the walls of the Fountain Room were portraits of old looking people.

        “These are all the principals in our schools fine history, starting with Henry Von Tyga the Third in 759 A.D. Every Tyga in history has been principal ever since Henry began the school with his four brilliant minded cousins.”

        “Marble, again? How do they afford all this? ” he thought as he examined the walls of the corridor they had been walking down. Pictures of achieving students hung on these walls. He read a few names: Sarah Lawrence, Samuel Parker, and Magnus Moore.

        The final door they came to had the initials M.A., and this made Jack curious. “This is the Main Auditorium, my dears. This is where we will initiate you into the world of the Elements.” she said. She pushed the door open and all the freshmen were amazed.

        The Auditorium was filled with older students, many of them stared at the kids while others were ignoring them. Glass chandeliers hung on the ceiling, silver torches hanged on the walls, and again, the floor was made of marble. Bronze chairs were situated all around the auditorium, except for the runway that the new arrivals walked on.

        The staff table was more impressive. Situated in the middle of the long table up ahead of them, was a big, bald man in his 60's. His face was covered in a hairy beard and mustache. He wore a common vest with a neck tie. His pants looked too short for him, since his high socks could be seen. As Ms. Telik and the freshmen walked, some of the older students gave Jack funny looks.

        “Maybe they know? ? ” he thought.

        When they got in front of the Staff table, they separated into a crowd. Jack stood by his new friends and avoided the other freshmen. Ms. Telik walked up to the table and cleared her throat.

        “Before we get started with our ceremony, let us listen to another of Alan Tyga’s wonderful Start of the Year speeches.” No one clapped.

        “Thank you, Marissa.” he coughed. “Now, welcome back to E.U., all of you, new and old. I have a few a few announcements to make. First, Mr. Metron, our loyal janitor and full time caretaker, has reminded me to inform you all that expulsion is the punishment for any student who ventures down the road near the back of the school.”

        “Second, disciplinary action will be taken if any student is caught fighting in the dorms, hallways, and classrooms. This includes fist and Element fighting. Third, We have a new staff member this year. Please help in welcoming Ms. Linda Gustray, our new Elemental Psychology teacher. Good luck, Ms. Gustray.”

        A short, plump woman with red curly hair and big glasses stood up. She waved a little as the entire Auditorium clapped. She slowly sat back down and sipped her tea. Principal Tyga cleared his throat.

        “Finally, Seniors are to be advised that your Senior Assessments are due to Ms. Telik by January 12th. Now, let the ceremony commence ”

        He sat back down in his shining, custom made chair. Ms. Telik cleared her throat and held her clipboard at arms length. Right beside her was a wooden statue with a monk holding a ball.

        “When I call your name, you’ll come forth, place a hand on the wooden ball, and then take a seat in the vacant chairs starting from the left...Sally Beezle ”

        A tall girl with red hair, braces, and a childish look stepped up to the statue and placed her hand on it. The statue glowed blue and spoke with a thundering voice. “Water,” She let go and ran down to the first seat.

        “Jim Boyd ” yelled Ms. Telik.

        A dark skinned boy with a mildly large Afro approached the statue. His hand shook as he touched the ball. The statue began glowing brownish. Its voice boomed. “Earth,” Ms. Telik wrote down a few things and proceeded.

        More new Users were being called up. The last one called before him, was Heidi Farsig, the purple haired girl that stood behind Jack while they boarded the plane. She turned out to be a Plasma User. Jacks time had come finally.

        “Jack Flareson ”

        He shook as if he never shook before. His mind began hurting with the countless thoughts that raced through it. “Will they accept me as friend... or foe?” He took one step at a time as he went to the statue. He was nervous about touching that ball, fearing they would all reject him. For Jack, it felt like he was walking up an endless stairway, but reality kicked in. He touched the ball hesitantly and expected the worst. It glowed bright red and the voice boomed. “Fire,”

        If there would’ve been anyone talking, it would’ve went silent. However, the silence remained as it was. Everyone in the audience leaned their heads closer to get a better look at him. The teacher began mumbling to each other, discussing what this meant. Ms Telik, shocked from the Element, dropped her pen and clipboard, her lips trembling. A fat Senior boy dropped his chocolate bar that he had been eating. His fellow freshmen murmured to each other and he could hear the very words that he feared: ‘Freak,’ and ‘Weirdo,’

        Principal Tyga coughed rather violently so to alert Ms. Telik. She nodded slowly, picked up her utensils and addressed Jack.

        “You... may sit down, boy.” she said nervously.

        “Okay,” he said unsurely. The ceremony continued.

        “Thomas Ford ” he turned out to be an Electricity User.

        Laura and Martina Harper, the two girls he saw talking to Heidi at the airport turned out to be Nature and Metal Users respectively. Susan Gates, the girl he also met at the airport, was an Ice User. Jennifer Hemley, a short obese girl was a Telekinesis User. Jack didn’t pay attention a lot of the other kids since his mind was rushing with the afterthoughts of this event.

        The ceremony continued for a couple more minutes before Charlie was the last to be called. What he said on the plane was true. He was a Wind User and he sneezed after letting go of the ball. On the way to his seat, he tripped and fell on his face. Many students laughed at him including Heidi, Bruce, and Rian White, a Nature User. He covered a little of his face as to not let people know that he was crying. When he sat down, Tyga stood up.

        “Another eventful ending to another wonderful opening ceremony and with a surprise twist too ” He chuckled as he stared at Jack, who put his head down. “Now, Freshmen will be escorted to their dorms. Afterwards, the upperclassmen can leave to their dorms. Good night and may the bedbugs bite you tonight ”

        Ms. Telik gave a gesture that made the freshmen get up. Starting with Sally, they began making a single file line and following her out of the mansion. Jack could feel the eyes of the older students following him. Fear filled Jacks soul with great agony.

        “What is gonna happen to me now?  Will my new friends diss me?  What can I do? ? ” he thought. They soon exited the school and began going to the upper levels of the mountain. They passed the other dorms, which looked like long, square hut like structures that were two stories tall. “Girls live on top floor perhaps?” he thought. At the top of this area, was the freshmen dorm, easily identified by the giant F on top of the doorway.

        He remembered back to before they entered the school. They all saw a road that lead down the mountain and Tyga spoke of it. “What is down there?” he asked himself. As they came closer to their dorm, he had one final thought before entering. “I am hated.”

        They soon arrived inside the two story Freshmen Dormitory. Ms. Telik walked in first, followed by the Freshmen. When they entered, they all gazed up above and saw the overhead lights. Nothing too fancy, but your basic every day lights. The hallway was very long, with three doors on each side. The doors themselves were made from oak, which was imported from a lumber town miles over in Europe. A doorway leading upstairs was located on the left, separating Doors 1 and 2. Ms. Telik clapped her hands cheerfully.

        “Ok,” she started. “Boys, your dorms are down here; girls, yours are upstairs. All your belongings are already placed in your rooms. There is no changing roommates. Any complaints must be directed to me. Bedtime is 9 PM, time to get up is 8 AM. First class starts at 8:30. Now, good night and sweet dreams.” she left.

        The girls quickly rushed upstairs in order to get settled. Jack saw the other boys walking around, looking for their rooms. Jack sulked as he walked around. The boys gave him frightened looks, but not Bruce. He gave him a I’m-not-scared-of-you kind of look. He ignored it and eventually found his room. He saw inscribed on it: Jack Flareson and Charlie Winlow, Room 3. This made a few people snicker.

        “The Fire freak is rooming with Mr. Stutter ” said David Lewis

        “Seems like a perfect match to me ” said Rian White

        “Flareson better stay away from me ” said Jim Boyd.

        Charlie came over to Jack when he heard the teasing. He looked at the door and smiled.

        “L-L-L-Looks like we’re r-r-r-roomies.”

        “I guess...” he said depressingly.

        As he reached for the doorknob, he could hear laughter nearby. If it would’ve been someone else, he would’ve ignored it. However, this laughter was coming from Bruce and his friends. He was hanging out with Jim Boyd and Larry Hallow, an Ice User. Their laughter made the fire inside Jack burn up and rise.

        “So,” said Jim. “The Fire freak and the Stutterer, a perfect pair ”

        “I bet the Fire boy will burn the place down in a week. Maybe he’ll burn alongside it.” he laughed.

        “Why don’t you shut your big mouth before I shut it for you?” he said angrily.

        “What was that?” asked Bruce, moving closer to Jack while having a ticked off look upon his face.

        “You heard me. Shut your face before I weld it shut ”

        Bruce raised a fist, preparing to punch him, but was quickly halted by Sam.

        “Woah, there ” he said. “It’s not even the first day and already you’re all fighting? ”

        “Get outta the way blondie ” yelled Bruce.

        “Do I have to inform Ms. Telik about this?”

        He lowered his fist and walked away with his friends. As he did, he turned his head.

        “Watch yourself Flareson. Blondie and Stutters aren’t always gonna be there to protect you.”

        He rolled his eyes and looked to his friends. Sam grabbed his shoulder.

        “You okay?”

        “Yeah,” he lied. “Although, I think my heart just stopped.”

        Sam and Charlie laughed. They entered their room and looked around. It was your basic two person dorm room. Ahead of them were the two king sized beds, situated in the corners. Beside them, was a long two seated desk, fit for two people. It bore a 1996 desk lamp, some number two pencils, and pencil sharpeners that were nailed down to the corners of the desk.

        A rotating fan hung above them, with an overhead light attached. Near the windows on the right side, were closets. Their clothes had already been put away in a neat fashion. Their briefcases were nowhere to be seen. The floor was covered in a smooth, furry, red rug. When looking out the windows, one could plainly see faint lights coming from the school.

        Jack inhaled the new scent and quickly exhaled. Charlie ran to the bed on the right and plopped down, messing up the sheets and pillows. As he walked to his bed, he scooted his feet against the rug, gazed at his new home for the next 180 days, and managed a weak smile.

        “So,” he said quietly. “This is my new home.”

        “For now anyway.” said Sam.

        When he sat on his new bed, he slid his hand along the sheets. They felt smooth, soft, and warm. He couldn’t believe he was there, about to sleep in a new bed in a Dormitory filled with possible new friends. Before he could sleep, he grabbed a sheet of paper from the desk that read: Class Schedule for Jack D. Flareson. He opened it up and read it aloud:

______________________________________________________________________________

Name: Jack Dean Flareson                                                                  Year: Freshmen

Sex: Male                                                                                                  Age: 13

Schedule:

        Elemental Offense - 8:30 to 9:30

        Elemental History - 9:35 to 10:35

        Elemental Psychology - 10:40 to 11:40

        Lunch - 11:45 to 12:45

        Elemental Fighting - 12:50 to 1:50

        Elemental Defense - 1:55 to 2:55

______________________________________________________________________________

        “Fighting?! Psychology?!” Jack yelled as he put the schedule down. He looked at Charlie.

        “D-D-Don’t l-l-look at m-m-me! I have n-n-no idea!”

        Sam took his schedule and examined it.

        “My sis says that each class has the exact same schedule. So, I guess we’ll be seeing each other every day. Its not until our Junior year and above that we get to choose side classes. Kinda like electives.”

        “What’s her name?” Jack asked.

        “Ariel. Ariel Roulk. One of the more popular Seniors. She has men dying at her feet. I sure hope she won’t be one of... ‘those girls.’”

        “‘T-T-Those girls?’”stuttered Charlie.

        “Yeah. Whenever a powerful User comes tot he school, some girls will do anything to be with him or her. Tries to get on their good side since they hold lots of power.”

        “Like me?” Jack said sadly.

        “Yep. Don’t be surprised if Ariel or another Senior girl asks you out. They may bargain with you. They may offer popularity for a chance to be with you.”

        “If by chance that does happen, what should I say?”

        “If I was you, I’d say no. If you became popular, they wouldn’t be your friends. They’d want you for your power. Since you’re a Fire User, some girls may stay back, but some will come at you, like my sister.”

        “I’ll keep that in mind. What time is it?”

        Before Sam could answer, the intercom sounded. “All students are to report to bed immediately! Failure to do so will result in disciplinary action! Thank you and sweet dreams!” He got up and walked to the door.

        “Ms. Telik sure has a talent for being nice and mean when she wants to.”

        “Bipolar?” asked Charlie.

        “Perhaps. See you two tomorrow. First day!” he said cheerfully.

        Jack waved good-bye as the door shut. A few minutes later, they were both dressed in pajamas and proceeded into their beds. “These beds are so cozy” he thought. “Wish I had one of these back home. Oh well, lets hope for no nightmares tonight.” He laid his head down on his soft pillow and closed his eyes.