SnowFall

Night Sounds

For Jason, everything was going back to normality. He was away from his father. He was back at school and he could see his friends. Some people he knew had left to go to other academies around the area, but Jason was glad to know that the few closer to him were still close by.

Nick and Jason were versing each other in Practical. Nick was a tricky opponent. Jason constantly had to battle both the earth and his own body as Nick directed his limbs around. Once, Nick forced Jason into a kneel. Jason couldn't feel his own legs, and his throat tighten painfully— this, he knew, wasn't Nick's doing.

Nick instantly loosened his force around him. "You okay?"

"Yeah! Yeah..." Jason leaped up as though nothing had happened, but for a moment when he was kneeling and his legs lost its sensation, he was transported back to the lake where he felt as trapped as this.

Despite it, Jason rolled his shoulders and said, "Again."

After Practical, it was study break. Jason and Nick had two hours to kill before they headed off to class. Nick munched on snacks while Jason played fire tricks around his fingers. His warm, orange flame slithered around his fingers, breathing fire like a little dragon showing off its strength.

"Has Ms Kate said anything about regrouping the team?"

"Not really," Jason said, half paying attention. He clenched his fist and the fire went away, leaving a trail of smoke. "We're no longer needing a team. Our human world experience is over."

Jason knew what Nick was hinting — he was asking about Skyler — but Jason didn't want to talk about it yet. He never really fully addressed Skyler's betrayal and he wasn't ever planning to. He hoped Nick was going to forget but Nick was too detailed of a guy to forget about anything. As for Jayden, he had explained the incident to Jayden already. Jayden had been puzzled over the why for some time, but he puzzled over it alone, in his own fit of anguish. And sooner or later, Jason was sure that Jayden wished to forget as much as he did.

"Jayden's got this air wielder opening night thing. Says he's gonna compete for it."

Jason gave Nick a look. "You going?"

"Just to cheer for him. That guy's hardly got anyone so I better go." Nick and Jason both laughed at this.

"Who else is going?"

Nick thought for a moment, "Stanley and his folks... oh, not Davis."

"Why not?"

"He's going to the cemetery? I heard."

"Did someone die?"

Nick almost choked on his crackers but eased it down with a gulp of water. "No one died. It's the cemetery over there," Nick gestured in a general direction. Jason followed Nick's gaze into the trees. "A few famous professors, guardians and famous philosophers and elementalists are buried there. But given Gataria's context, you have beasts and you have the dark arts appearing in their natural states. A good place for necromancers to practice-"

"Yeah, yeah, we get it, but why is Davis going?" Jason furrowed. "He's an air wielder!"

"You didn't know?"

Jason glared at him.

"Okay, you didn't, but he's going with Eira."

Jason's glare deepened. "And why is Eira going?"

"She didn't tell you? Really? Ever since the lake incident she's been really distanced."

Jason felt a punch in the gut, "Of course she would be. It was a traumatic experience for both of us... besides, how should I know what she's doing..."