Still trapped inside the air bubble, Willow reached the arena’s floor and knelt down. She placed both of her hands on the ground. Two huge pieces of the arena detached from the stage and smashed against Veter. The stage got covered by a wave of dust and debris making it impossible for everyone to see the damage. The air bubble vanished, releasing Willow.
“Is this what the Romans felt in the Coliseum?” asked Priyam. “I feel like I should be wearing a crown of leaves or something.”
Edan laughed. “These are games. We don’t kill.”
“Are you sure?” Gaia coughed. She wiggled her hand in front of her nose trying to disperse the dust that managed to reach the safe zone.
“No drama, Bluey,” chuckled Floyd from his comfy chair. He was using a meat cleaver as a hand fan. “That will leave some bruises, nothing more.”
“Plus a lifetime of bragging,” said Pink as she played with her black cassette tape. “And don’t call Gaia a Bluey, you knob.”
The dust finally settled down, showing Veter with cuts around his chest and arms.
“Sweet!” Donovan clapped. His muscular arms moved, making the eagle tattoo look like it was flying. “Three-hundred and fifty points for Willow!” Donovan changed the score. Willow four-hundred and sixty-five, Veter two-hundred and thirty.”
Gaia gasped. “Willow won.”
“Not yet,” said Edan from his seat next to Hunter.
Veter stood up and moved his arms in circles. The sky turned a light gray. Strong currents of wind crashed from different directions.
“Ugh, my hair! Watch it, stupid freak,” Synthia cried as her tangled extensions whipped around her face and head.
Excited, Pink stood up from her seat. “Bloody hell. Is that…?”
“A tornado.” Floyd finished his sister’s sentence, only this time it wasn’t a question, it was a fact.
An F2 tornado finished forming on the corner of the arena. Veter wielded the tornado across the arena, making all the debris and rocks that were lying on the stage fly directly towards Willow. Willow ducked and dodged the multiple hits.
Veter wielded the tornado back in Willow’s direction. Without wasting any time, Willow pointed towards the floor and a bunch of thick roots crawled, holding her waist and legs steady against the arena. The tornado positioned itself on top of Willow. Her pale-blonde hair untied and lifted up towards the sky.
The tornado was strong. So strong that it started to rip apart the pine tree. Within seconds, before it fell on top of Willow, Gaia wielded the tree’s roots to grow back replanting it without anyone noticing her help. And no one noticed, except Willow.
The arena’s floor began to slowly disintegrate. After reaching their limit, the roots crumbled sending Willow flying out of the stage.
Gaia covered her eyes but before she knew it, Veter had already stopped the tornado. He flew and caught Willow mid-air before she could hit the floor.
“Willow is off the stage! Veter wins!” Donovan whistled while everyone clapped and cheered.
Veter flew Willow back to the safe area where everyone was cheering. “Great game, blondie. You almost beat me.”
To Gaia’s surprise, Willow hopped down from the Viking’s massive arms and grinned. “I liked the tornado, it was… OK.”
“OK? It was awesome!” said Veter as he lit his cigar.
“It was.” Floyd clapped hands with Veter and congratulated him.
“That was insane, Veter!” Pink couldn’t hold down her enthusiasm.
“Giant warrior said what?!” Priyam congratulated him. “That was brutal.”
“Great game, Willow.” Edan hugged Willow and helped her hop to a seat near Shui before coming back to Gaia’s side.
Funny, Gaia smiled at the realization of how his behavior towards Willow didn’t affect her anymore. She took Edan’s hand and grinned at him as soon as he turned to face her. His surprised expression turned soft and warm. He was happy too.
After taking a moment to breathe, Willow flipped her wrist and the arena’s stage turned back to new.
“Parliament, Snowflake.” Floyd passed Priyam the wooden box.
Priyam took out a blue pebble with a koi painted in oil. “Shui!”
Veter grinned, making dimples on his cheeks. With one swing, he carried Shui like a princess and flew away to the arena. “I promise I’ll be very gentle my Blueberry.”
Shui’s face turned bright red at the cheesy nickname. “Don’t be.”
As Veter and Shui landed in the arena, Hunter took out a bunch of rolled-up bills. “Two-hundred on Shui.”
“Ha!” Priyam placed her bet. “After what I saw, I bet on the gentle giant.”
“Same,” joined Floyd.
“Please.” Donovan slammed a bunch of bills on the money pile. “Shui will crush him.”
In the arena, Veter kissed Shui softly on the lips and flew backwards to his place.
“Ready?” Edan asked from the safe area. Once again, they nodded and Edan launched the fireball which proceeded to explode like a firework.
Shui lifted her arms, and clouds formed on top of her until it rained. Veter blew a strong current of wind, turning the rain into ice. The sharp ice hit Shui, making a cut on the side of her leg.
“First fifty points for Veter!” Priyam cheered like Donovan did with the last game, then added the numbers to the marker.
Shui turned her hand into a fist. The ice shattered into pieces whirling into snow. She then pushed the snow back and forward in a waving motion towards Veter, each time stronger than the last one. “I’m used to this weather, my Blueberry,” he laughed.
Shui pulled the snow towards her. In one motion, she pushed them to Veter, only this time she twisted her wrist. Instantly, the snow melted and the wave of soft snowflakes turned into a powerful water wave.
The wave smashed against Veter, throwing him from the arena.
“No!” Priyam screamed over her loss. “I can’t believe it!”
Donovan and Hunter jumped with excitement. “Shui wins.” Donovan pressed the marker in favor of Shui. Gaia bit her lower lip trying to suppress her laughter.
“Don’t you dare.” Priyam glared at her best friend. “I was so sure. He was my golden horse,” she mumbled to herself.
Donovan and Hunter counted their winnings while Edan passed the box to Gaia. “Choose.”
Still biting her lower lip, Gaia slipped her hand into the box, took out a pebble and immediately recognized it. “Edan,” she said looking straight at him. With a deep grin, Edan kissed Gaia’s neck, stood up and jogged towards the arena.
“Ugh.” Donovan grunted out loud. “So soon? Can’t we just leave him to the end?”
“Why? What’s wrong with Edan?” Priyam took out a bag of chips she bought on their previous supply run.
“He’s undefeated,” Donovan mumbled, depressed.
“He has never lost?” Gaia asked, amazed.
“No. Not once.” Donovan pouted. He hated having Edan so soon in the games. “Not even when he was eight.”
Gaia panted. Her gray eyes opened wide. “You played this game at eight?”
“Yeah, everybody does,” Veter said as he dried himself by wielding wind around himself. “I guess it’s like playing football for humans.”
Priyam laughed out loud. “This is nothing like football.”
“Semantics, semantics,” he said, examining his drenched cigar.
Edan reached the arena and took his place on the opposite side from Shui.
“Gaia, it’s your turn to throw the fireball.”
Gaia’s eyes lit up like a Christmas tree as she pointed her palm towards the arena. A big ball of bright red fire came out of her hand and exploded, creating more than four fireworks. Edan glared at Gaia.
“Sorry,” she giggled.
The game was on! Shui lifted her hands. Drops of water levitated from the floor. The drops united by spinning around Shui using the centrifugal force to speed up. Shui pushed both of her hands towards Edan, and the
water gushed with incredible force.
Edan opened his palm. A thick string of blue fire circled over and over around the arena, building a type of fire dome. The water evaporated.
Shui looked around, trying her best to find a way to wield water. She pointed her palms towards the sky, but the fire was so strong, no water could come close without evaporating instantly. Warm and dizzy from the heatwave, Shui coughed.
In the safe zone, Veter’s leg wouldn’t stop shaking.
“Relax,” Hunter signed Veter. “She’s OK.”
Back in the arena, Edan flicked his hand. The fire concentrated on a wall that slid across the arena forcing Shui to step outside the arena’s stage.
“Edan wins!”
“I told you,” Donovan cried.
“Next, Edan vs…” Priyam took out a pebble that was half pink, half yellow. “The twins.”
“Ace!” Floyd and Pink high fived. He took some knives while Pink armed herself with ten different types of weapons and ran to the stage.
“This is going to be brutal…” said Veter as he hugged Shui, lifting her up and placing her on his lap.
“This is going to be fast,” Donovan laughed.
Pink and Floyd arrived at their side of the arena. Edan gave the sign and Gaia threw the fireball towards the sky.
The ball burst into one firework, and Floyd separated away from Pink.
Pink threw a bunch of knives at the same time Floyd threw his. The way the twins fought, it looked like they were deadly synchronized swimmers. Flawless, precise and somehow beautiful.
Edan deflected all of Pink’s knives except two, which he caught before impact and threw back towards his opponents.
Pink managed to catch the knife but they were so fast that Floyd wasn’t able to stop his before it slashed a cut on his arm.
“Nice hit.” Floyd smiled as he cleaned the blood from his arm.
“Fifty points for Edan.” Priyam changed the marker in Edan’s favor.
“How?” Gaia asked, amazed at how Edan was beating Pink and Floyd at their own game.
“You thought Edan was only good with fire?” Donovan chuckled, proud of his friend. “Think again. He is a master with his katana.”
Floyd and Pink fought with knives for a while, unable to hurt Edan. They tried and tried until Edan pushed them outside the arena with fire.
“Edan wins!” Donovan cheered and switched the marker.
Priyam removed the hand that was covering her eyes. “How is it that they don’t burn to death?” she asked Donovan.
“Have you ever noticed that above a flame there’s a distorted group of waves. A reflection?” he said.
“Like in a mirage?”
“Exactly. When the hot air crashes with the cool air, it creates a small field. That camp field hurts but doesn’t burn.” Donovan pointed at Pink who was in perfect condition. “He uses that camp field to push them. That way the fire never touches them.”
“We use the same field to keep the flame away from our clothes.” Gaia turned herself on fire. Her clothes remained intact. “This way we don’t have to use that damn black leathery suit,” she laughed.
“Cool.” Priyam touched the field.
“Who’s next?” asked Pink as soon as she arrived at the safe zone followed by her bruised twin.
Hunter took out the last pebble. “Gaia.”
The whole group turned and stared at Gaia as she stood up. “Are you sure?” asked Priyam.
Gaia patted her pants as she got ready. “Why not?”
“Didn’t you hear? Didn’t you see?” Priyam pointed at the marker. “He’s undefeated.”
“So?” Gaia faced the arena. “Veter, can you give me a lift?”
Veter lifted both of his arms and wielded the wind around Gaia. Her body levitated until she reached her place at the arena.
“Are you sure?” Edan asked with a smug face.
“Why is everyone asking me that?” She wrapped her hair in a bun. “Do I look unsure?”
“Not one bit,” he said with a big bright smile.
A ball of snow exploded on top of the arena. The game was on!
Edan turned his hands on fire. He moved his fingers, taunting her.
Gaia threw some seeds on the ground and wielded a bunch of trees in the arena. She closed her eyes and felt him. The connection within their match was giving her hints of his next move. The only problem was, if she could tell his next move, he could tell hers too. Sorry Edan, not this time… she opened her eyes and instead of concentrating on his next move, she focused on concealing hers from him. His lips twitched in a smile. It worked.
Without letting Edan know her move, Gaia touched the trunk of one of the trees. She smirked at Edan as a group of flowers bloomed from the tree releasing tiny spores.
“Not possible!” Willow jumped, thrilled, from her place on the grass. “She’s mixing two plants.”
“Wow, so impressive,” snarked Synthia as she played with the tips of her red extensions.
“It is impressive.” Willow sat back on the grass. “Besides, those spores are paralyzers.”
The spores reached Edan. He coughed and coughed. His fire shut down. His body became rigid. Gaia wielded a branch to curl around Edan’s foot.
She used the branch to smash him against the floor, the trees, and pretty much anywhere she could. Edan regained movement. He turned on fire, burnt the branch, and landed on his feet. His face, his arms and legs were marked by cuts and bruises.
He passed his tongue over his cut lip before it curled into a wide grin. A part of him couldn’t believe it, while the other part expected nothing less from her.
Shaking from excitement, Donovan counted the points. “Two-hundred and eighty points for Gaia!”
“Is this happening!? Is this real?” Veter jumped like a little child. “Is he going to lose?”
“Maybe.” Shui couldn’t believe it, just like everyone else.
“Maybe?” Priyam asked, confused, over the celebration and the number of points she required. “Why are they celebrating? She still needs two-hundred and twenty points to win.”
“She does,” Hunter signaled Priyam. “It’s just, Edan has never been hit more than once.”
Edan threw a ball of fire against Gaia. Instead of running away, she straightened her hands in front of her face. The ball impacted with the palm of her hands.
Donovan frowned. “One-hundred and fifty points for Eda— no… wait!”
Gaia absorbed the fire making an aura of blue and red fire around her body. “Think again, fire boy,” she provoked him and Edan couldn’t look any happier.
“Inconceivable!” Donovan went crazy. “Is she really doing this? He’s going to lose so badly.” He laughed and hugged Veter.
“You two need to stop wishing he loses,” Shui slapped their shoulders. “He’s your friend.”
“So is Gaia.” Priyam took out a bag of cookies. “And I bet my friend wins.”
“Are those what I think they are?” Floyd asked, excited.
“Absolutely, triple chocolate peanut butter cookies.”
“Count me in, Snowflake.”
Edan and Gaia fought, matching their elements. What Gaia lacked in power and experience, she balanced with her knowledge of three of the elements. The only problem was, she wasn’t used to using so many of them at the same time. Her body began to get tired and Edan was fast. He was strong and an unbelievable fire wielder but he knew he wouldn’t win against her with elements only. Not unless he waited for her to get tired.
As soon as Gaia’s breath shortened, Edan moved so quickly Gaia couldn’t follow him. Without noticing him, Edan jumped next to her and kicked a fireball that threw her away from the arena. Gaia was about to crash against the floor when Edan jumped and caught her.
“I guess I’m still undefeated.”
“Not for long.”
Edan leaned closer. Gaia gasped at his proximity. He pressed his lips to her ear and whispered something. He let her down before
the cheering crowd arrived.
Gaia saw how her friends congratulated her. She could see their mouths moving, but she heard nothing. After all, her ears were still buzzing with Edan’s last words… “Looking…forward…to…it.”
Chapter 22
Airport Madness
EDAN HAD ONE LAST CHECK of the plane tickets, the hotel reservation on Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, and the rest of the paperwork they needed for their trip. To avoid complications or any setbacks, Edan and the group decided to stay the night in a hotel next to the airport
He placed all the paperwork on the nightstand and lay down on the bed. He was about to fall asleep when someone knocked his door. Edan lit his hand on fire; it would be unusual for one of The Six to knock at that time when they have an upcoming four a.m. flight. He prepared for an attack before looking through the peephole of his room. “What?” he murmured. Surprised, he turned off his hand and opened the door to Gaia in her olive-green two-piece camisole.
“Red? What happened?”
“I can’t sleep. Nightmares,” she whispered. “I felt you were a little tense so I came to check on you.” She tilted her head, trying to assess the situation. “Are you okay?”
Edan froze. He couldn’t let Gaia in his room at that time of the night. Nonetheless, he could hear a group of strangers chatting at the very end. They were getting closer, and he was not going to let them see her in her cute pajamas. “Come in,” he managed to say.
“I can’t.” She grinned. “Going in wouldn’t be proper,” she quoted him so perfectly he laughed.
Edan turned his head to the left of the hallway. He could see one of the strangers pointing at Gaia. Gently, Edan hugged Gaia from her lower back and carried her into the room without any effort. He closed the door behind him and sat Gaia on the couch. “Tea?” He pointed at a couple of cups.
She nodded. “What happened?” Gaia asked, yet he said nothing. “I won’t know what’s happening unless you tell me,” she continued.
Seasons Within Box Set Page 52