Elements-Paused

Thirty-Five

"Hey!! Madi!!" A familiar voice calls from behind me. I look behind my shoulder to see Jayden running around the fountain towards me. Some students look confused as to why a Year 6 is running after a Year 4, but he doesn't care as he pushes past people to get to me. Once he reaches me he slumps his arm over my shoulder that cause my stomach to do some flip and we both continue walking out to the front of the Academy.

"Yes?" I ask him, looking up to meet his blazing orange eyes that somehow light up the butterfly party happening in my stomach even more.

"I wanted to give you this but never had the time to today, so I thought I would give it to you now." He tells me with a big smile spread across his face as he hands me a lumpy package. "But you can't open it here or with me. Do it somewhere secret and obvious at the same time." He tells me, leaning in, cupping my ear and whispers. "Not your room."

I give him a curious look as I take the mysterious package. He smiles brightly but there is something more to the smile. He starts to jog of towards the lift off area and soon enough he is nowhere to be seen.

I make my to the lift of area and when I feel the Wind and Light taking over my body, I open my mouth to tell them to take me to the castle when I realize what Jayden said.

"Do it somewhere secret and obvious at the same time."

"The Cliff." I tell them the first thing that comes into my head and soon the sensation of being lifted and flying washes over me. Then the scary downfall that always gives me a heart attack every time comes and gives me that same heart beating out of your chest feeling.

"Here you go." They tell me as my feet touch the soft grass in seconds.

I gaze over the edge at the crashing waves and look around to see which habitat I'm close by. I notice the black dome covering Wasten behind me.

Still haven't removed that yet. I think to myself as I move quickly away from it and towards the edge.

I sit down on the soft squishy grass and look at the package with a murderous glare.

"What could you possibly hold?" I question out loud, letting the wind pick up my words and let them sail away to someone's lucky ears.

I slowly, with sudden shaky hands, grab the string tying the package together, and pull. A beautiful orange and red gem meets my eyes. The fire burning in it heats it up to a warm temperature not to hot to touch and it has six sides, which makes it fit perfectly in my hand.

"What?" I gasp in shock after I unwrap the gem. "Why the heck would Jayden have such a thing in his procession." I say to the gem and gaze at the slow fire burning inside. "Why is there a fire in this gem?"

After I say these words, the gem starts to heat up into a fire burning sensation. But I don't drop it. I can feel heat burning my skin, but I don't fling the gem out of my hands. Then a fire starts to form around me.

"What?!" I question as the fire starts to dance intricate moves around me, picking up grass and flaming it to life. I quickly stand up before the fire can take on me in the dance. Soon the fire moves elegantly farther away from me and suddenly stops, the fire zooming back into the gem.

I take a step back to look at the damage this mysterious fire gem caused. When I walk back something looks weird, I see words, burned into the grass.

Find the rest.

"Find the rest." I read. "What do I need to find the rest of?" I look at the gem, expecting it to do something, but it doesn't. It stays the same warm motionless object, placed in my hand.