Thursday morning came early, as most mornings did, and the girls got up and completed their morning routines before meeting in the kitchen to eat something before going off to classes. Each girl hoped that school would now be easier without their tormentors around. The girls finished their breakfast and headed off to History of Elements. The walk to class was pretty uneventful, although there were occasional crowds of students heading to classes. The girls walked into the History of Elements classroom and took their seats, getting their books, notebooks, and pens out, getting prepared for class to begin. Ms. Lilith walked into the room and sat her things on her desk, getting herself prepared. She began with a lecture and then began reviewing everything they’ve already learned up until this point and announced that the first test would be soon. Aurora looked a bit unsettled, but otherwise she didn’t look any different from usual. Finn noticed, but wisely chose not to say anything about it while in class. She would wait until later to talk to her about it. Class continued like normal and then it was time to head off to the next class. On the way to their next class, the girls hoped everything would turn out alright.

Lunch time rolled around and everything seemed normal again for the four girls. The boys met them at their lunch table and sat, ate, and talked about anything and everything. Finn and Reed were somewhat open with their displays of affection, while Emily and Jake were not. Emily and Jake were like they always were, snarking back and forth, the couple’s way of flirting with each other. The others just rolled their eyes, playfully, at the couple’s exchanges and made their way through their meals. Once lunch was over, everyone cleaned up their plates and areas and went to their last class of the day. For Finn and Emily, it was a bit harder because they were in classes that were very active and they had full stomachs, but they soldiered through until the very end.

After everyone’s classes were over, the girls, Jake, and Reed all met in the girls’ living room.

“Well, today sure was better than any other day we’ve had!” Finn said, excitedly.

“Yeah, especially since those other three are gone now,” Aurora replied.

“I just can’t believe that other guy is still around though,” Grey told the group.

“I saw him myself, he was a follower and was only doing what Brooke told him to do. I don’t think he would’ve done anything like this on his own,” Emily put her two cents into the conversation.

“Emily’s right, you guys. We were there, we saw it. He was very hesitant when Brooke told him to go after me. He didn’t want to do it,” Jake agreed with Emily.

“Can we all just agree that we’re all happier without them here?” Finn asked.

“I agree with Finn,” Reed said.

“I, for one, am happier that Kari is not here, and Brooke, and Dunstan. Not to mention, what happened to me back in the forest was just weird,” Emily said.

“Me too,” Grey said, agreeing with Emily.

“What exactly happened?” Aurora asked, confused.

Finn wanted to know too, seeing as how she was worried about Emily while she was incapacitated back in the forest during the fight with Dunstan.

“Well, you know how this story is going to begin, with us searching for Grey after we discovered she was missing, so Jake and I began searching the forest for clues as to where she was. As we were searching, I began getting a headache and this feeling that something was inside my head, trying to communicate. Suddenly, we heard a voice, which belonged to Dunstan, as we later figured out, and he confronted us. He creeped me out, then started spouting off about the ‘perfect set.’ I wasn’t sure what he was talking about, since I had never heard of such a thing or came across anything about that in my studies and we never learned anything like that. After that, I got another headache, but it was worse than before. I passed out, landed in this weird dimension, came out with a weird scythe, a weird animal, and I was feeling stronger than I was before that. Also, the weird animal said I had to name it and name the weird weapon too. I have no idea what that was about or why I need a weapon, but anyway….” She trailed off, feeling that everybody got the message.

“Almost the same thing happened to me, but my weird animal and weapon were different. I have these weird metal glove and boot things and an elephant. What animal do you have, Emily?” Grey asked her.

“A ram and my weapon is a scythe,” Emily replied. She continued, “Also, Mr. Grayson said that you, Finn and Aurora, will also have animals too. This is weird, first our powers, then people attacking us and saying something about a ‘perfect set,’ and then these animals and weapons, not to mention this whole being taken away from home, away from our families thing. I don’t know about this anymore, any of it. I’m happy I met all of you, even if I don’t seem like it, but I don’t know if I can do this anymore.”

“Emily, you can’t just leave!” Finn cried.

“Yeah, you can’t just go,” Aurora said, in agreement with Finn, hiding her sadness over Emily’s family comment.

“Emily, please don’t leave. I understand that this is hard for you and I don’t know how you’re feeling, but you’ve got to let us know. You can’t just shut yourself away from us and run away. I love you and I’m not going to let you just run away from your problems like this. Please, Emily, please talk to us about how you’re feeling,” Jake said, pleading with his girlfriend.

Emily took a deep breath and collected her thoughts.

“I never said I was leaving, I just said I don’t think I can do this anymore, this being a hero stuff. I don’t think I was ever cut out to be a hero and save the world before dinner. I have this feeling they may have the wrong person for this kind of job.”

She couldn’t see that someone else had slipped into the room. The others had noticed but kept quiet.

“We made no mistake about this, Ms. Rhodes. You are exactly where you are supposed to be. Not everyone is cut out for this sort of job, but I have faith in you four. You girls can save this school. You are not alone in this endeavor, Ms. Rhodes.”

“Mr. Grayson!” She jumped at the unexpected sound of his distinctive voice. She continued, “I didn’t hear you come in. How long have you been here?”

“Since you said, ‘I don’t think I was ever cut out to be a hero and save the world before dinner. I have this feeling they may have the wrong person for this kind of job.’ And as I said, you are not alone in this endeavor, you have your friends and your boyfriend to help you. Don’t ever think you need to bear the weight of the world on your shoulders alone. Do you understand why you were brought here now?”

“To protect and save the school from threats?”

“No, you were brought here to hone your powers, to make friends, and live in a community of students who are like you.”

“Hone my powers?! I have a scythe, a ram, I can shoot fire out of my hands, and I was also told I can shoot out electricity, but I can’t! I don’t know why everyone thinks we’re all so special. What is it about us that makes us so special to you and to this school?”

“Ms. Rhodes, please calm down. You are still learning with your abilities, so you just have to be patient. The time will come when you will have full use of all of your abilities, but for now, they are just locked up inside of you, waiting. You have already unlocked your weapon and your Guardian and you have almost a mastery over your primary element. You have also shown me and the rest of your teachers that you are a fast learner, so I think I can have them begin teaching you advanced techniques, and I also think I am going to get all of your teachers together and have them teach all of you as one big group, seeing as every one of you sitting here is a valued member of this makeshift team.”

“What if I don’t want to learn advanced techniques, what if I don’t want this for me anymore?”

Mr. Grayson hesitated for a bit, as if struggling with what to say. He didn’t want to blow up at the young woman and drive her away, but he also didn’t want to force her to stay either.

“Ms. Rhodes, Emily, if you do not believe this school or this kind of life is for you, then feel free to do what you think is right for you. I just want you to know that you will always have a home here with whatever decision you make.”

“Thank you, Mr. Grayson. I’m sorry I got angry at you. I know you were just trying to help, but I think, regretfully, I’m going to head back home. I’m sorry you went through all this trouble to find me, only for me to leave without doing anything for you.”

“That is alright, Emily. Your apology is accepted and I know that you did not mean to be angry with me, as you had every right to be. I wish you well on your travels home.”

Emily nodded and got up and went to her room to pack her bag and prepare for her trip home.

“That’s it?! You’re just going to let her leave?! Mr. Grayson, you can’t do this, don’t let her do this,” Jake pleaded with Mr. Grayson.

“Jake, I cannot stop her. She is free to leave when or if she wants.”

“Well, she’s not going to leave if I have anything to say about it. I can stop this, I know I can.”

“Jake, wait! If she wants to leave, let her leave. I don’t think she’ll be gone for that long anyway, but don’t try and change her mind right now,” Reed told his roommate.

Grey nodded in agreement with Reed.

“I can go talk to her,” Finn offered.

“Finny, just let her be. She’ll be back in no time, you’ll see,” Reed told the rest of the group, smiling.

He hoped that was true, that once Emily left, she’d realize that she left people who loved her behind, not that her family didn’t love her, but all of her friends here at the Academy loved her dearly as well. Everyone was brought out of their thoughts when the sound of a door opening caught their attentions. Emily came out of her room with everything she brought in her black duffle bag.

“I’m ready to leave, so…um, yeah. I’m not really good with this kind of thing.”

Finn ran up and hugged her tightly, not letting her breathe.

“Finn, I kind of need to breathe. You’re choking me.”

Finn pulled away from Emily sheepishly.

“Sorry, Emily, but I can’t believe you’re really leaving. I thought you were having so much fun here. I hope you have fun when you get home and I hope you have fun in the future. I want you to write to us every day, telling us what you’re doing, how you’re doing, who you’re doing what with. We wanna know!”

“Sorry, Finn, but I think it’s for the best that I just get away for a while and figure things out. I’ll be sure to write, and I’d kind of like to know what you guys will be getting up to as well. I was, is, still am having fun here, but like I said, I need to take a step back and figure some things out.”

Finn nodded and Grey was the next one to speak to her.

“I hope you have fun wherever you’re going, Emily. We’ll miss you here and in class and I’m sure the teachers will miss you too…”

She trailed off, not wanting to cry, so she just gave her a small hug and let Aurora have her turn next. Grey was upset about Emily leaving because she had fought so hard to get her back when she was kidnaped by Dunstan.

Aurora couldn’t really think of anything to say, but she felt like she was losing another person in her life that meant something to her. Emily was her friend and now she was leaving and there was nothing anyone could do. She hadn’t felt this sad since her father committed suicide on Thanksgiving when she was seven. She also learned from her father that her mother had died giving birth to her twin sister, who also died. She just hugged Emily and began crying on her shoulder. Emily hugged her back and rubbed her back consolingly before allowing Finn to take over while Reed spoke with Emily.

“Emily why are you doing this? Why are you leaving? Was it something we did to make you feel unwelcome here? Tell us, we want to know. I’m your friend, you can tell me.”

“Reed, I like it here, don’t get me wrong, but I just need to get away from my powers for a while. I’m still trying to understand them and everything that’s happened so far. So far, I’ve been nearly tortured, my friend has been kidnaped and hospitalized, and on top of all of that, our powers have developed further and materialized weapons and animals. I have no idea what is going on anymore. I have to take some time to figure it out, then I’ll come back.”

She gave him a friendly hug, which he returned. Last but not least, it was Jake’s turn. Mr. Grayson turned to the others, wanting to give Jake and Emily some privacy to talk.

“Grey, there’s someone in my office that would like to talk to you. It’s nothing bad, I promise. In fact, it’s more of a special treat that I think you’re going to like.”

He noticed Aurora still crying on Finn’s shoulder and continued.

“Finley, why don’t you and Reed take Aurora to the cafeteria and get something to eat. I am sure all of you are hungry and could use a little snack before dinner. I will alert the kitchen staff that you are coming and to prepare you anything you ask for.”

Grey, Finn, and Reed all nodded and left the room, Finn and Reed helping a still sobbing Aurora to the cafeteria. Mr. Grayson left the room shortly thereafter to walk with Grey to his office where her surprise was waiting for her.

Once it was quiet and the teenage lovers were left alone, Jake spoke.

“Emily, please don’t go. I’ve already said this and I’ll say it again. I love you. I love you, Emily Cathryn Rhodes, with all my heart and I don’t want you to leave. If you leave, a big part of my heart will leave with you. I want you to stay and we can figure this out together. We’ll explore your powers, just don’t leave. If you leave, you leave me and your friends behind and we are done. I love you, but I don’t think I can do long distance. Please don’t go…”

He trailed off as he grabbed her face in his hands and pulled it to his, kissing her deeply. She kissed back just as deeply but broke off the kiss as suddenly as it began.

“Em, what’s wrong?”

“I love you too, Jake, but how do you know my middle name?”

“Our moms are best friends, and you’d be surprised at how much they actually tell each other about their children.”

Emily giggled an uncharacteristic giggle. She pulled Jake back to her and kissed him again to which he responded in kind, wrapping his arms around her waist. Her arms went around his neck and she pressed herself closer to him. They kissed for what seemed like an eternity before Emily pulled away again, brushing her hair out of her face after their passionate make-out session. Jake reached back and pulled out the hair tie keeping her hair in its ponytail, letting her straight, red hair cascade down her back.

“If you’re leaving, this is goodbye between us, Emily.”

“I’m sorry Jake, but I’ll be back when I figure everything out. I want you to be safe and I love you, Flyboy.”

“Flyboy, where’d that nickname come from?” He snarked.

“Because you’re an air type and you can fly and you’re a boy, my boy, so you’re my Flyboy, or…were…my Flyboy. Anyway, just be careful and safe and I love you,” she snarked back to him.

The snarky, kind of sort of ex-couple kissed again then Emily picked up her duffle bag and exited the dorm. Jake sat back down on the couch, not believing that his kind of sort of ex-girlfriend had just left. He placed his head in his hands and tried to absorb what had just happened. He never heard the door open or heard his roommate, his girlfriend, or her two other friends walk back into the room. It was only when Reed placed a hand on his shoulder that he looked up.

“Are you alright?”

“I will be when she comes back.”

“She’ll be back Jake, just wait.”

Grey sat down on the couch next to Jake, looking a bit surprised at what she had learned when she went to Mr. Grayson’s office.

“Grey, are you alright?” Finn asked.

“Yeah, I’m okay. I just learned that my Earth and Metal for Beginners teacher, Mr. Terra, is my dad, so I’m a little…I’m not really sure how I feel right now….”

“Wow, that’s…” Finn trailed off, not sure what else to say.

Grey just nodded, sharing Finn’s sentiments. She didn’t really know how she felt about this news she just received.

Aurora sat down in her chair, feeling a bit better since she had a small bite to eat and something to drink to calm her down. She was still feeling the loss of Emily and wondered why she had to leave. She was as convinced as Reed that Emily would return and she would wait until that day. She wanted her friend to return. Aurora got up out of her chair and walked out of the dorm, walking to the lake by the forest. Finn, Grey, and the boys watched her go with worry, but figured they would let her grieve in her own way.

At the lake, Aurora stared out across the water, crying, tears silently streaming down her face. Through her tears, she saw something tangled up in some seaweed. She wiped her tears away to get a better look at what the tangled up thing was. When her tears were cleared away, she noticed it was a helpless painted turtle trapped and tangled in seaweed and if she didn’t free it, and soon, it was sure to die. She wasn’t going to allow this poor creature to die, not when she could help it. She molded the water around the entrapped turtle, creating a bubble around it, and lifted it toward her, tearing the seaweed and making it easier to free the turtle. Once Aurora’s water bubble landed in her hand she made the water dissipate and pulled the seaweed off of the turtle, then encased the turtle in another water bubble to keep it happy and alive. She played around with the turtle a bit and then began walking back to her dorm. She walked back into her room and Finn, Grey, and the boys wondered what she had in her hands. She walked to her bathroom, filled up her bathtub, and placed the turtle into it, then walked back out into the living room.

“What did you just carry into your bathroom?” Finn asked her.

“An animal that was in need.”

“I’m not sure what the rules are on pets in the dorms, but I think as long as we keep it fed, healthy, and safe, I don’t think it’s going to be a problem,” Finn said after thinking about it for a little bit.

Grey nodded in agreement, then looked at the clock.

“It’s almost dinner time, so we should start heading down there,” Grey said.

“Our first dinner without Emily. This is going to be hard. I’m going to miss her a lot,” Finn said.

“We all will, but for now, let’s just go to dinner. We’ll deal with that afterward,” Jake replied and the five made their way to the cafeteria for dinner.