Elements of the Soul (Temporarily on Hold)

Chapter 1: Aria

"Long ago, before our ancestors settled here and brought forth this great country, before anyone even knew this land existed, Veramos was a home of magic. Not just any magic though; special magic. No, this was no ordinary enchanted forest, with sorcery and witchcraft and alchemy and illusion. This was powerful magic, the magic of the elements. It was fierce and unruly, wicked through and through. Our founders bravely fought against the forces, and managed to trap each spirit in a magical gem. The jewels were sealed in a cave, where they have since rested for a hundred years. However, it is said that one day, the forces will return, and when they do, they will destroy our land and take it for themselves."

Ms. Aspelo finished her lecture with a dramatic gesture to match the warning words. Not that it mattered, since history was the last period of the day and most kids were too antsy to focus. I turned to my best friend, Hailey, and mimed snoring. She giggled, then turned back to face the screen. Hailey always paid attention in class, and usually I did too. But it was Founder's Week, the week celebrating the birth of Veramos. During Founder's Week, the teachers usually had us do arts and crafts and activities celebrating Veramos and its history. But Ms. Aspelo just gave a long, rambling speech about Veramos's magical background, and other boring stuff we learned in kindergarten. Worse yet, she even included that silly myth about the magical forces returning. As if! I glanced up at the clock; 2:10. 5 more minutes till school gets out. Focusing my head on Ms. Aspelo, I noticed several eyes on me, including the eyes of my history teacher. Shoot! She must have said something but I didn't have a clue what.

"Aria, I know school is almost out for the day, but please focus," she said after several moments of silence on my part. "This information could be important one day,"

"Maybe it would be if I hadn't heard a hundred times before," I said, my temper flaring. Uh oh, I thought, flinching as every eye in the room settled on me. My temper has always been a problem. It posed a challenge during school when it got out of hand. Usually I could control it but today not so much.

"That is a detention, Aria," Ms. Aspelo scolded, then turned to face the whole class. "Your homework is to write a paragraph on what you learned today."

"Which would be nothing," I mumbled slouching in my seat. "Since all of this is review,"

"What was that Aria," Ms. Aspelo turned to face me. "Do you have something to share?"

I was tempted to retort with a sarcastic comment, but somehow I found the will power to resist, shaking my head in response. "No, Ms. Aspelo." I droned flatly.

"If anyone has any questions, ask now," our history teacher looked around the room for any raised hands. There were none, of course, since everyone in Veramos knew all this.

"Don't forget to turn in your field trip permission slips if you haven't already," Ms. Aspelo reminded everyone, referring to the annual tour of the Veramos Museum and Park, both located right here in my hometown, Loumareen, the capital of Veramos. Every year, teachers take their students to the museum and park to honor and celebrate our founders. At the end of the field trip, all the 10th graders camped out in the park while the other students went home. This year, I was finally old enough to participate in the camp out.

"If there are no questions," Ms. Aspelo said, interrupting my thoughts, "Then class dismissed. You all may leave, except you Aria. You must stay for an hour."

Ugh. Inwardly groaning, I nodded, taking out a sheet of paper to get started on my homework.

Oh, did I not introduce myself? I'm Aria. Aria Degonaro. Just an average girl destined to do average things. At, least, that's what I used to think. But that was before my whole world turned upside down.