*Oh man. I read all your comments and I felt bad for not uploading quick enough. Please don't hunt me down with torches and pitch forks. I got the boys and Emma on my side. Well, I hope I do. They may be mad at me too for not continuing their adventure.... It would be very bad if all my fans and four elementalists came after me. But anyways, here's chapter 19. I apologize for the shortness. If you guys want longer chapters, just give me your ideas. That will help. Peace! ♥ - Brynne*

~Merick's Point of View~

Along with a warmer change in temperature, the halls of Angel Academy bustled with even more whispers and gossip. Ever since the intrusion, it seemed like all the students waited anxiously for something. My fear was what that something was going to be.

"Merick!" called out Emma, pushing through the crowd, her eyes lit with warmth. I smiled at her, even though I grew more worried about her every day. She still hasn't realized how special she was. To be a level four freshmen... I couldn't even imagine being in that position. I feared she would become the new Jenna. But I was wrong.

Yes, people stared at her and talked about her a lot. But the look they gave her was of admiration. Not of fear. That was the difference between Emma and Jenna. I sighed then put on another smile that hid my worry. Instantly, Emma grabbed my wrist and started to tug me along with her.

"I have to show you something!" she explained, bursting with excitement.

"What is it?" I chuckled. People in the halls moved out of our way, making a small path. They looked at us with expressions that were half nosy, half curious.

The late spring air blew past and the sun shined brightly in my face as we entered the courtyard. Emma kept tugging me, weaving past people and benches. We finally made it to the clearing and she took twenty steps away from me. I waited patiently, my eyes never leaving her.

She closed her eyes and breathed in. Letting out the breath, her eyes shone with fire as they opened. Raising her arms slowly straight up above her head, her palms bent so they faced the sky. She looked up and concentrated on them. Slowly, two fireballs appeared in each of her hands. They grew to the size of her hands and then started to swirl and change. A bead of sweat went down her head. I could feel the temperature around us heat up very slightly.

I gasped as the balls of fire took new shape. They now resembled ordinary looking birds, beaming in beautiful light shades of red's and orange's. Emma's head lowered to eye level. As she smirked at me, the birds flew forward towards me. I took a step back and they started to circle me. I laughed lightly as I watched them. Then the birds rose up in the air and started to spin, dive, and do fantastic tricks. Emma's eyes followed their every move as she concentrated hard on controlling them.

Suddenly, the sound of a person clapping broke through the air. I turned around and my eyes widened at the sight of Jenna. She stood twenty feet away, her mouth set into a mocking grin. Her blue eyes stared us down in critical amusement. Emma lowered her birds back to her hands and she started to diminish them.

"Allow me," smiled Jenna. Instantly, her arm shot out, two bolts flying towards the birds. My heart beat against my chest in fear for Emma's safety. I clenched my fists, ready for anything.

Emma staggered a bit back as the bolts struck the birds. The birds lit up yellow with intense electricity, then burst with a small explosion. Emma gasped and squinted her eyes from the impact. The two girls glared at each other, fire and lightning burning to get a taste of each other. I glided towards Emma's side, standing protectively beside her.

"Oh Merick. I destroyed her little birds. So what?" Jenna snarled, rolling her eyes. I sent dagger eyes at her.

"Any time, anywhere. You name it," Emma challenged, her voice dripping with danger. I stared at her in shock. What the hell did she think she was doing?!

Jenna laughed venomously, then stared at Emma in that same crazed Damien look, her eyes lit up in a yellow color. She looked like she was just itching to take Emma out.

"Stop," I ordered. They both stopped then looked at me. I gave Jenna one last look, then grabbed Emma's hand and led her away. Jenna stood there like a statue, defeated, and let us brush past her.

~Emma's Point of View~

I did nothing. Absolutely NOTHING to that girl! Why? Why me? Why does she hate me so? I gritted my teeth as I let Merick pull me away. He dragged me into a secluded part of the school. Oh no. Why here? I recognized my surroundings as the place I first met Jenna. During the invasion.

"Merick, why are we here?" I huffed, irritated. I couldn't help it, but for some reason, Jenna made my blood boil.

"I need to see this," he mumbled. Surprisingly, the door to Jenna's chamber opened with ease. My eyes widened in sadness as I saw the condition of her living space. The floor was black gravel and the walls were a blank white. The room was about ten feet by ten feet. It had a small white bed, a beige dresser, and a book shelf full with books. But what surprised me most was an easel used for painting.

Many unique paintings covered the walls and ceiling. They were stunning. The paintings were far from looking like what an eighth grader could create. They were mostly nature scenes. Forests, hills, oceans and skies graced my vision. Merick sighed as he stared around the room, stopping to stare at each painting.

I couldn't stop a sad feeling from passing through me. Being stuck in here with nothing to do but read and paint. No wonder she wasn't a happy person. But my fists clenched. This still didn't give her a fair reason to treat me like this. Did it?

"Ok, we can leave now," said Merick softly. I followed him out the room. An awkward silence filled the air.

"Merick," I breathed. He stopped and his dark blue eyes looked down at me, giving me his full attention.

"Why? Why did they do that to her...?" I asked. He stared at me for a bit, at a loss for words.

"She killed a person, Emma. Punishments are much harder in the Elemental world," he answered. I looked down at the floor. That's not fair. Just because she was an elementalist didn't mean she had to be locked up. She was a kid for crying out loud.

"That's not fair," I whispered. He smiled at me apologetically.

"Life's not fair. Especially when you're a level five lightning elementalist," he said with conviction. My mind started to race. Did this mean I would get harsh punishment for anything I did? I mean, I was a level four. Would I get locked up for killing a person? I mean, I did kill two men, but they were enemies. What would happen?

We started to walk again and before I knew it, we were at the boy's dorm.

"Emma," greeted Trinity softly, as she rose from her usual chair and came towards me. She hugged me briefly then searched my face for any news.

"What happened?" asked Riley, looking up at us from the ground where he and River were playing video games.

"The devil came to visit," I answered and plopped down on Merick's bed. They all instantly knew who I was talking about.

"What did she do?" asked River.

"She decided to taunt Emma. And what does Emma do? She challenges her!" Merick said, sighing. The whole room stared at me like I had a squirrel on my head. I stared at the ground awkwardly.

"Are you asking for death?" Riley said. I bit my tongue, holding back my emotions. Didn't work though.

"Look, I don't care if she's a level five! I could care less about her stupid lightning either! If she really wants me, I'm ready with arms wide open," I stated loudly. Again, everyone stared at me.

"Then we will be beside you, with our arms wide open too," Merick added, and put his arm out. I put my arm out too and rested my hand on his. Riley, River and Trinity looked around at each other, then put their hands to.

"No matter what, we can do this. Jenna, or any of those black ops guys. We got this. Everyone say Elemental Badass on three. One! Two! Three!" called out Merick.

"ELEMENTAL BADASS!" we all cheered.