room, and then added, “I am Terrick, the Headmaster of Terra Academy.” He turned to the woman standing next to him and smiled while making a motion with his hand for her to take her turn. Gabby listened as, one by one, each person introduced themself. She had a pretty good memory and didn’t think she’d have any problem keeping track of who was who. The uniforms helped keep everyone identified to their respective academies. Also, she knew the ones from her own school and the three students from the other academies who had been with her group during the training sessions. The last person to speak was the guy that Gabby was trying hard to ignore. He stood behind her, leaning against the wall along with Tara’s man Elias, Ra, and Aston. She could feel his eyes on her. She felt like prey that had caught the attention of a hunter. Now, she squirmed in the sights of his gun, waiting for the shot to come.
“I’m Liam Nash, Hydro Academy. And I’m utterly smitten with that firecracker right there.”
Gabby knew he was pointing at her. She could practically feel his finger stabbing into her back. She tried to keep her eyes from going wide, but she knew she probably failed. Still, Gabby forced her head to stay up, watching the people in the room. She would not let this … this … boy’s ridiculous need to garner attention embarrass her or make her feel small. She would, however, get revenge. A small smirk formed on her face as she contemplated the many ways she could burn him, both literally and figuratively.
“Look at that wicked smile, Tara,” Shelly’s whispered voice said from beside her. “I told you she’s perfect for us.” She tapped Gabby and asked, “You’re totally plotting his demise, aren’t you?”
Damn this girl's niceness. I don’t want to feel included. Any friend I make I’ll only lose. “He’s got it coming to him,” she answered through gritted teeth.
“Tara and I love plotting the demise of the males. We know how to hide bodies.”
“What the?” Tara whisper yelled. “No, we do not.”
“It can’t be that hard. People do it all the time on television,” Shelly countered.
Okay, maybe being this chick's friend is worth the possibility of pain. The girl is twisted.
“That’s all well and good, Mr. Nash, but it certainly has no bearing on this meeting,” Headmaster Terrick said dryly. “Would the object of Mr. Nash’s affection please introduce herself?”
Don’t be a dick. Don’t be a dick. Don’t be a dick, Gabby mentally chanted as she pulled a sucker from her pocket, unwrapped it, and popped it in her mouth before finally speaking around it. “I’m Gabby Gellar, a student at Crimson Academy. I like to burn things.” Okay, maybe she should have left that part out.
“She’s my hero,” Shelly announced to the room as if it were a completely necessary and appropriate thing to say.
“It’s nice to see that you are making new friends, Ms. Smith,” Terrick said with a humorous glint in his eyes.
Before anyone else could speak, the wall to Gabby’s right shifted. Professor Frost, Professor Warren, and Professor Hart all shifted out of the way as a cyclone came through the stone. When the wind dissipated, a woman stood in a white gown bearing flowing strips that moved slowly as if they were being gently blown by the wind. Her head was covered with a crown of snow-white hair. Like the fabric of her dress, the woman’s hair also gently undulated. Her skin reminded Gabby of that of a Geisha, porcelain and flawless. Her eyes were pale blue, nearly translucent.
The woman didn’t speak. She simply stood looking at the wall from which she had just emerged. Suddenly, the surface began to shimmer, and a few seconds later it looked like lava flowed down the wall. A leg stepped through, followed by the rest of the body it was attached to. She recognized the man immediately as Aviur, the light elemental fire king. He bowed to the white-haired woman, and then both watched the wall again.
The stone turned into a cascading waterfall, and a figure stepped through. She was made of water, or appeared to be, but the liquid quickly evaporated, leaving her looking human, stunning, but human nonetheless. Her hair was blue and rippled like water running over small rocks in a stream. Her skin was pale but with an aquamarine tint. She had eyes as blue as the water in the Caribbean.
“Was there something