➳ I ran. I ran, ran, and ran some more. I sprinted and dashed across who knows where until my legs became sore. ➳ Where was I going? Honestly, I had no idea. ➳ A pounding voice in my head just bellowed the same command over and over again: run. ➳ But I couldn't run anymore. I was going to collapse if I made one more abrupt motion. No one was following me, though. I could rest. ➳ Nearby I saw a bench. Why would there be a bench in the middle of the road?! I was on the countryside now, and I barely made it to the border of the city. Ugh. ➳ I knew my will to sprint out of the country was delusional, but.... ➳ I expected more distance than that. Especially because I'm the best on our school's track team. ➳ I took deep breaths while I walked over to sit on the bench to steady my racing heartbeat and panic. ➳ I felt my heart pound harshly, but slower, now. The breaths did help calm it down, I'll admit that. ➳ I wiped the sweat off of my forehead. It was one of the sunniest days in the city. It normally rained. ➳ I told myself to relax, despite the tingling feeling that sprouted from inside of me. What /was/ that tingling feeling, I did not know. But I didn't care. I deserved a break. ➳I wasn't even sure I had anything to run from. I could take it slow for now. They wouldn't track me, a teenage girl named Aliyah, /just/ because I had green eyes. Or...would they? ➳ No, I couldn't lose myself in the thought of this again. And I wouldn't. ➳ I looked across the dusty and poorly built road, and to my left I spotted a rickety building. It had a big, silver gate, though it didn't look like anyone was currently living in the home. The walls were grey and dull, and there were gaps in the gloomy paint. It looked....abandoned. ➳ Curious to learn more, I got off the wooden bench I'd retreated to previously, and started towards the abandoned building. ➳ Did anyone even /live/ there anymore? Because it didn't seem like it, the way the atmosphere was. When I tried to haul open the large, silver fence, I realized that it was locked. Ugh. ➳ How else would I get in? I needed to know how to get in! Mostly because I needed somewhere to hide. Maybe I could camp out inside the building? Then again, it did look poorly built. The last thing I want-well the /second/ last thing I want- is for that building to collapse on me. The first would be getting captured by the evil government system. ➳ But I was still locked out.....so..... ➳ I started to think there was no hope for me to get inside the building. I started to walk away, but then the silvery gate swung open with ease. I looked downwards to see a shadow. A shadow of a very, very tall man. And then I looked up to face the mysterious person. ➳ The man wore a pitch black cloak of his head that hid his face, and a black tuxedo and slacks. Just looking at the shadowy figure made me want to run away. But I wasn't a coward for standing there, waiting for him to do something or speak to me. Was I? Ugh. ➳ "Miss Carly, am I correct?" The man asked me. His voice was deep and grave. I could tell he meant no joke. ➳ "Uhh.....yea?" My voice was befuddled. How did /he/ know my last name? "Aliyah Carly. How do you know me, sir?" I tried not to make my voice sound shaky. ➳ "That, my friend, is /my/ secret," He chuckled, and sounded friendly and manipulative at the same time. "I've been watching you /very/ closely, Aliyah Carly." My stomach churned. I hated how he emphasized the "very". ➳ Millions of thoughts filled my head. How could he have been watching me? Why /did/ he emphasize the "very"? Why was I even hanging around this creepy place? Is he....a STALKER!? ➳ No. No way. Absolutely no way. Uh-uh. ➳ And before Aliyah could say anything in response, a sweet scent lured her to sleep. ➳ "Aliyah, Aliyah, Aliyah. Oh, dear Aliyah." The same man with the deep and grave voice. Oh, great. He cackled and pointed a long, crusty finger at me, his face still safely hidden behind a black cloak. You really thought we weren't watching you? You thought you were the special green-eyed girl that was /safe/. But here you are, conveniently in our grasp, and one of our most tracked green-eyed people. Honestly, I thought you'd have more of a brain than you've proven. Maybe you'll prove that you have more potential after you've spent more time here...." He yapped on about how I was their property now, and how I would spend a /lot/ of time performing tasks for them with my...
➳ "...powers." He said. ➳ My eyes shot open. I'd been woozy while he spoke, but this awakened me fully. ➳ "Powers, yes, Aliyah. You have powers. One of the four basic elements is something you can control. And we, the government, will help you learn to harness them." He said, and I could tell he was smiling, even though he was still behind a black cloak. Maybe the government wasn't /such/ a bad thing. ➳ "....and then, you can serve us with your life!" He clasped his hand together, clearly delighted. Nope. The government will /never/ be a good thing. They were giving me a life sentence because I was green-eyed and had some powers they wanted. It's not like I chose to have green eyes! And yet......I was curious about what elemental power I was going to possess. ➳ "Aliyah, now the elements will choose you." The man told me sternly. My eyes widened, trying to process where I was. A dark cave surrounded me, that probably had endless paths. Shimmery crystals were attached to the walls, in every color you could think of! Even though it wasn't possible, I truly wished my power would be something that could knock out these evil government people. ➳ Fire erupted in flames around me, dancing with fury and flickering playfully around me. It was wonderful, the surging heat around me, but I felt toasty and like I was going to faint. And conveniently, right before I was going to lose my balance completely, the flames danced away. Thank goodness. ➳ "So...no fire." The man concluded. "On to the next!" ➳ "By the way, what can I call you?" I asked, the question randomly popping into my head. What /was/ his name? ➳ "I go by a code name. Call me Wither." He told me. "Now, back to the ceremony! We need to make you powerful!" He chided. I rolled my green eyes. ➳ Water sloshed around me gracefully, performing with no fear. Sorrow and happiness mixed through it all. Something I felt the need to survive with, but something that we, as humans, took for granted such a long time ago. The water moved on, giving me a pleasant splash for a goodbye. I giggled with delight. Wither, however, wasn't feeling the same way. ➳ "No water either?" His brow furrowed, and he looked puzzled. "Oh well. Let's move on to the next! Two elements to go!" ➳ A cool breeze fluttered around me, weaving its way through my golden locks gently. It felt soothing, and I was relaxed. I was one with the air, and it was one with me, until.... ➳ It blew a breeze in my direction and left. Somehow saying to me, that it was looking forward to working with me...... ➳ "Chop chop! This is your last chance, Aliyah! Prove to me that you're helpful and powerful!" He gritted his teeth. I rolled my green eyes again. Ugh. ➳ The greenery grew around me, and the vines began to create a swing's handles on a nearby tree that had sprouted into an adult almost immediately. I gasped. It was...beautiful. I wondered why us humans littered all over something so valuable....something so sweet, and pure. The vines created some seating on the swing, and invited me to test the swing. I sat on the comfy seating, and the animals and greenery sang their ancestor's chirpy and melodic songs with glee. ➳ And then, nature blew me a goodbye, telling me that they were also looking forward to..... ➳ Just like the other elements. ➳ "Aliyah Carly. You are....talentless." Wither sighed. sighed. ➳ He didn't see how the elements appreciated me. He didn't see them saying they wanted to work with me. He didn't know /anything/! He knew nothing at all! ➳ I gathered my concentration and shot flames out of my hands. I watched how they formed a threatening and tall ring around him. Tears floated down my eyes, and I made them pour from a raincloud with the flick of a finger above Wither's head. A cold, miserable breeze flew past him, leaving him freezing and shivering. And for the finale, I called to the vines, and I smirked as they winded around him, almost suffocating him.... ➳ "There's....no way...." Wither squeaked out. And after that, he /passed/ out. ➳ I was....new. I was reborn. I wasn't the scared goody-two-shoes Aliyah anymore, who relied entirely on Kathy to stand up for her all the time. I could harness all the elements now, and they were there at /my/ command. I wasn't a regular girl trying to hide from bullies anymore. I was fierce, brave, powerful, green-eyed and proud of it. ➳ I was Aliyah Carly, and I could do anything and everything.
