William Trey, Water elemental
Time had stopped while I was walking to my first day of college.
Now, that's not a great way to start a story, is it? You need some background. My name is William Trey, but my friends call me Will. My life was… fairly average, all things considered, before all this. Just me and my mom taking care of my little sister in our house, slightly too large for the three of us. My bedroom is in the basement, opening up into the basement living room. My sister's room is down the hall from mine, and my mothers room is on the top floor, 2 sets of squeaky, smooth wood stairs separating us from her at night.
Our days are simple and easy. Eva and I have been relaxing mostly, these past few months, while Mom spends her time at the old airport that's rarely used by anyone. Our city isn't necessarily a big one. No real government presence beyond the city, and no truly large amount of people here. All in all, it's a good place to raise a family. The small city of Jacobi in southern Alberta, where winters aren't too long, and summers aren't too hot. I've considered moving to live in vancouver or edmonton or calgary, now that I've graduated high school and moved on to my college life. I spend a solid chunk of my time lifeguarding at the local pool center, and make a solid chunk of money out of it.
And today is my first day of college. All caught up? good. Lets get a move on!
“Eva, stop hogging the shower!” I shout, pounding on the bathroom door with a fist. “We both have places to be, you know!”
“Gimme a minute!” Her muffled voice comes back. After another agonizingly slow 3 minutes the sounds of water pitter-pattering against white porcelain end. Another minute after that she finally exits, wrapped in a towel. Eva is not tall for a woman. Not that she's a fully grown woman, being only 16, but you get my point. Her wet blonde hair sticks to her pale skin, blocking vision through her blue eyes somewhat as she stumbles past me, then stubs her toe on the counter. I chuckle as she unleashes a stream of colorful words and hobbles back to her bedroom, slamming the door shut. I enter the bathroom and close the door behind myself, efficiently undressing and removing the ring and bracelet I wear before turning into the shower. I glance at myself in the mirror before entering the shower. Blue eyes and short, blonde hair meet my gaze, and I smile. The Trey family look, I suppose. I step into the shower. The water is pleasantly warm, having not cooled down from Eva's use of the shower. I sigh contentedly at the warm feeling, but do not allow it to distract me too thoroughly. I have lectures to attend in college, and it's a solid 10 minute drive from here. I would prefer to be early for my first day as well. Your first impression of professors will always be the driving impression that guides their actions when interacting with you. Having my Profs find me to be a good student worthy of academic assistance and attention is a valuable resource I would not wish to pass on.
My musings come to an end as the soap washes down my hair, making its way to its banishment in the sewers. The flowing water comes to a stop with a turn of the handle, and I step out, reaching for a towel to dry myself off. I make my way to my bedroom, wrapped in my towel. My bed is made already, since I had the time before showering. I open my closet and pull out a suitable pair of pants and shirt. A white, v-neck t-shirt and black cotton pants, for a good impression. I quickly dress myself and make my way upstairs for breakfast.
“Has Mom left already?” I ask Eva as I enter the kitchen. She sits at the kitchen counter, biting down on a piece of toast slathered with blackberry jam.
“Something came up at the airport. A drunk or something, I think.” She shrugs. “Means you gotta drive me to school.” She points her toast to me for emphasis.
“I'll be walking, unfortunately. Well, unfortunately for you. I'm fine.” I say, grabbing a bagel and slotting it into the toaster. “Catch” I open a drawer and pull out my Keychain. I toss it to her. “Crash it and you're dead.”
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“Yeah, yeah. I got that.” She says, chuckling to herself, then smiling. “So, what class do you have first?”
“Last I checked? Physics. After that is hydraulics. You going to leave school for lunch?” I grab a plate from the cupboard as well as a butter knife, using it for, well, buttering. The bagel pops and I slather it in some cream cheese then take a bite.
“Probably not.” She shrugs, before shoving the last bit of toast into her mouth. She chews as she loads the crumb-littered plate into the dishwasher. After swallowing the last of the crumbs she wipes her face with a paper towel, then crumples it up and throws it out. “Kinda want to hang out with my friends today, you know? It's my first day of grade 10, so I should get used to things now.”
“Smart. That's new for you.” I say with a grin. She gives me a flat look. “Fine, fine, I yield.” I eventually say under her unrelenting gaze. “Your school has a cafeteria, right?”
“Yeah.” she nods.
“K. I'll transfer you some money for lunch. Don't buy anything too greasy.”
“Yes, mother.” She rolls her eyes, and I smile.
“Alright, I'm heading out. You have my and Mom's numbers if you need us. Do not hesitate to call if you need something.”
I sling my sweater over my shoulders before sticking my hands through the sleeves. I picked up my backpack, stocked up with all the books I could need. I grab my bagel and stick it into my mouth, then open the door.
“Jeez, I can handle myself. No need to baby me.” Ava mutters as I exit. She still gives me a “have a good day” as I go, which is nice. I close the door behind me and begin my walk.
The streets are fairly clean in our section of town. Beggars aren't a common sight, and trash is usually in the garbage bins where they belong, which is a positive sign. I look up to the cloudless sky as I walk along the paved streets, my week-old shoes still slightly uncomfortable on my feet as I use them for their intended purpose. Snow is common during the winter, though more in the form of slush on the sides of roads, not exactly a winter wonderland. At the moment it's a comfortable 18 degrees, the gentle yet insistent winds taking the temperature down a few notches. It makes me glad to have chosen to wear my sweater, even if it isn't zipped up.
The sounds of the city are faint. This isn't some massive city, not truly. The sounds of vehicles are muted save for when walking by the road. The buildings around are fairly sized. Not a wealthy area of town, but not poor.
As I reach the end of the path I find myself at the first of many crossroads. I press the button and wait for the light to turn green. As I do I watch the various vehicles passing. A particularly large truck passing whips my sweater up before falling back down to my sides again. The light turns green. I make my way across the world, glancing side to side as I watch the parade of mechanized creations making their way along their exclusive concrete trails.
I pass building after building until I reach the second crossroad. I raise my hand up to press the button. My hand stops. My whole body stops. Everything stops. Every vehicle, person, animal, even the wind itself stops moving. It stops for but a single moment, a single infinitely long moment, and in that moment I see it. A screen appears in front of my eyes.
20 elementals have been selected
voting begins in 30 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes, 59 seconds
You have become the embodiment of water
And then time resumes. All around cars go wild as their riders panic. Most manage to stop, but not all. My eyes widen as a large truck spins out and directly at me on the sidewalk. I feel a scream escape my lips and I raise my arms up, slamming my eyelids shut. The vehicle… stops. Slowly, after a moment, I open my eyes. The vehicle is held in place by jagged, gleaming crystalline ice, holding the truck like a glacier might hold a mammoth.
“What… the… fuck…” I mutter, raising a hesitant hand up. My hand comes to rest upon the ice. It's cold. Very cold. But it doesn't chill my skin as it should.
“Did… did I do that?” I frown, then turn to see the cross sign blinking to me. I turn and, without a second thought, run. I pull my hood up and move with all haste to get as far away from whatever just happened. Whatever happened, it wasn't natural. It couldn't be. I ran and ran and ran as far as I could before my muscles began to protest and I forced myself to stop. The college is close. Just get there, I think to myself. Across the street, I can see it. A goliath of brick and concrete rising 4 stories up into the sky, windows gleaming under the sunlight. I force myself to move at a casual pace, making my way into the building. People all over the place are turning side to side in shock, whispering to friends, or panicking. Some don’t seem to care. I swear I heard someone mutter something about “In this economy” or something. Can't blame ‘em. I groan, running a hand over my face. I'll just head to first class. Forget about all of this. Then lets hope I can figure out what a bloody elemental is…
