"Everyone at the ready!"

The words echoed around the room. The match would start soon. Noah released a shaky breath, the soreness from using his magic slowly ebbing away.

Noah looked to his left and to his right. Lance got up off the ground, looking suddenly alert and ready.

Jane walked in the room to switch places with Opal as Lance prepared for his physical endurance test. Opal was say against the wall now, panting and face red.

"Come on Opal," Jane said in a sweet tone, "you need to get up."
Opal didn't respond.

"Just one more thing Opal. By the time you're done it'll be lunch time."
Noah offered his hand. Opal look up at him, took a fee deep breaths, and swallowed before taking his hand and pulling herself up. She swayed a little bit, but stood regardless.

Jane gave her a small hug and Noah squeezed her hand. Opal nodded, perhaps to herself, then let go of Noah's hand and walking forwards to Ms.Frida stood, tapping her foot impatiently.

As Noah and Jane took their positions to duel, Noah glanced over at Lance again, who was looking not at him, but past him, at where Opal had gone. Noah studied his face, but found it impossible to decipher. He saw perhaps guilt in his blue eyes, but before he could study further, the other boy looked forward towards the obstacles he needed to overcome for his test.

"On your mark! Set! Go!"

Now each elemental faced one of the Mr.Night's men, each only slight bigger than them self, teaching them to fight more than their own worth.

Noah and his opponent circled each other, waiting for the other to strike first. Noah used this time to glance at Lance and Jane. Lance seemed to be doing well, completing the exercise portion of the test with seemingly ease, moving faster than what would be normal for a typically human.

Jane was more than holding her ground, striking out at her opponent, though none of her hits landed, the opponent just barely evading. The man she faced was much larger, and perhaps even too large for Noah to face. Lance was likely the only one who could face him and emerge victorious, as the most physically advanced of them all. Eventually, her opponent broke out and managed to hit Jane in the side of the head.

Noah didn't get to see if she recovered though, because the man he was fighting had lost his patience and threw a fist strait towards Noah's head. Noah pushed his arm to the side, using his own forearm to deflect the blow.

At the same time he did that, the man's other fist came around Noah's right side. Noah saw it in the corner of his vision and ducked, dodging the strike. Noah swept his leg underneath his opponent, cause the man to fall on his back, though before Noah could make another blow, the man rolled to his left and onto his feet.

Noah regained composure and threw a punch which landed on the side of the man's face, but in doing that, he left his side open, his opponent striking him in the stomach. Noah doubled over in pain, but kept his eyes up and on the man in front of him who held a hand up to his nose. When he lowered his hand, blood could be seen. Noah stood up as the man glared at him.

"You're going to regret that kid." He spat onto the floor before puffing his chest. Noah swore he doubled in size.

Next thing Noah knew, he was dodging punch after punch, hardly getting a chance to strike. When he got a moment, Noah dodged the last attempt before lifting one leg and kicking the man squarely in the chest, effectively knocking the man down and making him loose his breath.

The man tried to get up but Noah was there to meet him with a solid hit to the side of his head, knocking the man out.

As the match was called, Noah bent over to catch his breath. He panted and then swallowed hard before his breathing was relatively regulated. Noah stood up and walked over to the sidelines, though he remained standing. Lance was now done with the exercise portion, and was now onto the obstacle course itself.

Noah watched anxiously as Jane, still fighting, the man fighting her took no mercy on pushing her past her limit, her face red as she panted and her legs trembling if she stood still.

Eventually Lance walked over, having completed his course.
"You okay man?" He asked.
Noah nodded.
"Just worried about Jane. And Opal for that matter."
Noah hated this. Watching and waiting for his friends- his family, to get beat. If he intervened, it would only make matters worse for all of them. Noah gritted his teeth and formed fists with his hands, digging his nails into the meaty part of his palm.

"What about you, how are you feeling?"
Noah asked.

"Im swell. You should probably go start your course though." Lance suggested.

Noah opened his mouth to respond when they were interrupted as Jane let out a scream. The man, had knocked her to the floor and was now starting to kick her, leaving her to only pull her arms over her head. Jane tried to get up but that only allowed her opponent to strike her in the head. Though it was obvious Jane had lost, the man wouldn't stop kicking and punching. He would kill Jane if he continued.
"We need to stop him!" Noah instructed Lance, who stayed silent.

Noah knew getting involved would make things harsh for all of them the next day, but he couldn't watch Jane be abused by someone so obviously overpowered to her.

"Hey!"
Noah yelled, summoning his energy and forming a rock wall between Opal and her attacked, who kicked the wall unable to stop his momentum, and hopped back as he cradled his foot.

Noah stormed over and knocked the man down as he recovered, and formed a sharp javelin of rock and pointed it at the man's throat while Lance moved to Jane's side.
"Back the hell away." Noah growled.

The man beneath him's jaw opened up and his hands went up in a surrendering position and he swallowed, before a wicked grin came across his face and he looked past Noah.

Before he had time to check over his shoulder, a heavy rod with an electrical shock to it hit Noah between his shoulder blades, causing him to crumbled to the floor and drop the weapon he had held.

Now a second man stood over Noah with a rod. The man grinned evilly.
"I told you you would regret that boy. I wonder, what will the boss would do if he hears about what you just did."

The men forced Noah to sit against the wall as they held a rod with an electric buzz just inches from him. He risked a glance to Jane and Lance.

Lance sat on the floor, Jane leaning in to him as he gave Noah a worried look. Jane still had damp eyes though she refused to cry as she took deep breaths, her eyes gluing to Noah. Noah grimaced internally at the nasty bruise that had already started to form on her left cheek.

Opal entered the room with a female doctor a few minutes later, and made a lunge towards Noah before stopping herself and frowning.
Noah flashed her a smile before letting it fade again.

Opal gasped, her shoulders hitching just a little as she saw the other two. She sat down next to Jane and Lance, inspecting the bruises that exampled on Jane's face and arms.

Then Mr.Night walked back in with Ion, a hand on his shoulder. Nervousness boiled in his gut as Noah took in Ion. The boy tugged anxiously at his pant legs while Mr.Night paused momentarily before releasing him. Ion didn't even look up at Noah or the others as he crossed the room and sat alone.

Noah looked over at the other three. Jane had already lifted her head to meet his eyes. She nodded, letting Noah know she would check on Ion once she recovered.

One of the men chatted with Mr.Night, who's expression soured by every second. Eventually, he nodded and walked over to Noah, the two men behind him.

"Stand." Mr.Night commanded.

Noah did as he was told, but did not cower as he met the Mr.Night's gaze. A second later there was a sting to the right side of his face as the boss's hand appeared seemingly out of no where and striking him.

"Follow me." He barked, before turning on his heel.

Noah cast one last glance at his friends before he set his feet into motion, forcing himself to numb out the pain in his cheek. He walked down both bright and dim hallways, his mind going on autopilot as he followed Mr.Night, kept in line by the two men behind him.

Eventually Noah saw some doors at the end of a hallway. He thought nothing about the light shining in the cracks behind them, until the boss opened the doors and revealed the blinding sun. Noah was forced to follow him through the courtyard, but he didn't mind at all.

Noah closed his eyes and took it all in, blocking out the tension of Mr.Night and his brutes. The sun on his skin, the breeze warm unlike the bitter cold of the institute, he could hear the birds chirp as they flew above them. He took in every feeling, smell and sight. Is this what he would feel if he was free?

All to soon it's over, and they reentered the building. Eventually Noah finds himself in a room with dark walls, a laminate wood floor cleaned enough to reflect a glare from the lights on the ceiling. Against the back wall of the room was a large mahogany desk with two computers, a padded desk chair, and filing cabinets on either side of the desks in the corner.

Mr.Night sat down in the chair and leaned back, feet up on the desk leisurely as he picked up a pen and began to twirl it between his fingers.

"Noah, do you know what our mission here is at S.I.N? Or why it is so important?"

Noah tried not to growl at the man who sat in the chair across the desk from him.

"No. I don't not understand why you do what you do. Or why it is 'important' as you say." He hissed.

Mr.Night sighed.
" I guess I will just have to explain. Stone holders are an ancient group of 'protectors' for man kind. But having people with such power over the elements only make others fear them. Fear you, outcast you, disrespect you."
He stopped twirling the pen and looked to Noah.
"People fear you Noah. And the others. Even Opal, as inadequate as she is."

Noah had to clench his jaw to keep from launching at the man who sat leisurely behind the desk.
"Here at S.I.N, we protect all of you from that. We spend our days training you, we get you ready so that if any threatening situations arise, you may save the world and be seen as heroes. We are helping you. Rachel- we want to save her too, and train her to become the most powerful version of herself she can be. We've found that if Stone holders stay unchecked, they can get out of control. Their power will corrupt them, if we are not there to help them. That is why, when I send you on your mission, if she doesn't cooperate, I need you to terminate her."

Noah's jaw went slack from shock, from a white, blazing, angry shock at what he just heard.

"That's bullshit!" He yelled, attempting to wench his arms away from the men holding tightly to his wrists.
"People, kids, have died in this place, I know they have! I've seen it happen!"
He screamed.
"This is no safety for us, this is only power for you! I refuse to go drag another soul into this hell of a place." He spat, heaving from the effort of fighting his restraints and yelling.

Mr.Night frowned and took his feet off the desk and made his way over to the doors of the office.
"Very well then."

He made a following gesture with his hand. Noah tried to stand his ground, but the brutes behind him overpowered him and forced him behind Mr.Night, even when he dug his heels into the floor.

Noah found himself in a room that he had seen before on only a few occasions. At the sight of it, he felt his heart rate accelerate, but he refused to reveal the panic that settled in him. The room was square, the floor, walls and ceiling slate grey. Chains hung from a few places and and dried blood was scattered about the room, and the space positively reeked of sweat, stale blood and rot.

Noah felt his arms chained above him and he hung. He tried to keep his breathing level, and keep his mind in a happier place.

"You have too much fight in you Noah. Too much for your own good. Let us do you a favor, and help you calm down." Mr.Night spoke in the most poisonous tone Noah had ever heard leave his mouth.

Before he could respond, one of the brutes landed a punch in Noah's stomach. Pain shot through Noah's body, but he did not allow himself to cry, scream or yell.

"Last chance. Are you ready to go on the mission?" Mr.Night asked.

"In your dreams, old man." Noah hissed.

Next thing he knew, he felt pain everywhere, his arms were on fire, his chest hurt to the point he could hardly breathe. Noah panted as he hung, his body wet from sweat, his hair in his face, his body aching.

"Are you ready to submit yet?"

Noah shook his head, not trusting his voice enough to speak. Mr.Night sighed frustratedly. Noah let a smile grace his lips, but it was wiped off as another punch landed itself on his stomach.

A beat of silence passed through the room.

"Maybe you would cooperate more if we brought Opal in here." Mr.Night suggested.

A moment of terror flashed over Noah's features. Noah could hardly withstand what pain the inflicted on him, if they administered the same to Opal she would not recover. He tired to hide the fear that struck him, but it was too late. Mr.Night's eyes glinted and a smile crossed his lips.

"Morris, go get Opal, bring her in here. Maybe she can help us teach Noah a lesson."

"Don't you touch her!" Noah screamed.

Mr.Night made a motion and the man stopped moving as they all looked to Noah.

"You can beat me all you want, but don't you dare touch her, or any of the others." He growled.

Mr.Night grinned, then spoke in a sweet voice that didn't fit the look behind his eyes.
"Well I'm sorry, but unless you agree to go on the mission, we have to, see if the others are willing, if you will."

Noah stayed silent. He really didn't want to go on the mission. But if he refused, the others...
The man started for the door again and Noah broke.

"Wait, wait, fine, I'll go! Just, don't hurt the others."
He tried to keep his voice steady, but failed.

Mr.Night grinned.

"Splendid. You will leave in a few days. Tomorrow you will meet the team you will be traveling with. I will keep you updated if anything changes. You two, take him back to his room."

Mr.Night left the room, presumably to go back to his office. The two brutes grabbed onto Noah's wrists tightly as they dragged him through the hallways. Once again, they passed through the courtyard, it was now night, but Noah was in too much pain to appreciate it.

The whole walk back, Noah was in pain. His arms had been wrenched, his upper arms sore, his stomach ached, and his head pounded with every step. As he approached the door to the commons, one thought passed through Noah's mind.

What a mess has he gotten himself into.