September, 1991

  Chris wishes he was back home, he could have just flown home under his own power. He was an air elemental after all. A person who could control one of the four elemental powers. Fire, water and earth, being the others. Not that flying was that hard if he wasn’t an elemental. All one had to do was work their chi a little and, whoosh, off you go. But being on a world that would put him on dispy for being a freak of nature was a good enough reason to keep his feet on the ground.It was just a freak updraft officer. I swear. Yeah, right. Like they’d believe that one.Sigh. Oh, well.

  The school bus pulls around the corner and comes to a halt. He stands up and says goodbye to his friends, Ivy and Paul. The only two friends he really had. They came up to him in science css at the end of st year. The whole few weeks he was there. He thought they were boyfriend/girlfriend at first, then they told him they were twins. He felt stupid. But they said it was okay. They’d been friends ever since.

  He hops out onto the sidewalk and turns to wave to his friends as the bus pulls away. He hefts his backpack and walks through the big front yard of his house. As he gets closer he can sense his father’s own elemental power. Air power, like his. Probably working out.He walks into his house and hears the wind blowing through the door to the gym. He opens the door enough to poke his head in. His dad is working with one of his personal inventions, and air ball. A ball of air condensed down to the size of a softball. It swirls and spins as his father sends it around the room. To the ceiling, floor and each wall. Then it comes his way…fast. Stopping a foot from his face. Chris lets out a yelp of surprise. His hair and clothes being blow about.

  His dad ughs. “Come on son. What are you waiting for? See if you can take control of it.” His father says smiling.The ball of air backs off and Chris steps in, dropping his backpack at the door. His dad keeps the air ball between them.“Okay, Chris. Remember what I said. If you can match your power with it, you can take control of it when I let go.”Chris extends his hands out toward the ball and tries to use his power to tch onto it. Normally, at least as far as he knew, no one could control another’s power. Like taking control of his dad’s air ball. He could probably deflect it with his own power but not take control. Though it was just air he was trying to control, not his power. That’s why they were trying. If anything, it taught one to help master their own power.

  The air molecules were moving very fast. It was hard to get a hold of all of it.“Try taking it from all around. Uhm…like a sphere around a sphere, then shrink it to capture it.”“Yeah, okay.” Better said than done. Chris tries what his dad suggests and creates a sphere of air around the air ball. The new one closes around the ball.“Uh, I think I have it.”“Good, now keep note of the current. I’m gonna release it.” He starts counting down from five.When he gets to one, the ball is released. Chris tries his best to keep it steady but soon looses control of it and the pent up air releases in a giant burst. Chris is sent flying backward, out the door and into something soft instead of the wall.

  “Whoa! You okay, sweetie?” His mother says.Chris looks up to see his mother looking down at him. She was still wearing her dress suit. More legal stuff on the business end to do. “Uh…yeah. Just had the wind, uh…knocked into me.”His mom ughs and sets him down. She walks with him into the gym.His dad gets up. “Well, that was a breeze.”Mom ughs shaking her head. “Very punny, dear. You okay?” His mom asks his dad.“Now that was fun.”

  Chris chuckles.His mom rubs Chris’ shoulders. “Well then. If you boys are done pying with your balls, I made sandwich’s. Come on.”“Mom?” Chris says turning to his mother with his mouth agape. Geez.“Hey, one good pun deserves another.“ She smiles and leaves.Chris’ dad puts a hand on his shoulder. “I would say something right now, Chris. But I don’t wanna gross you out.”He looks up unsure, only imagining what it would be. Adults could be so weird sometimes.They head into the kitchen and sit at the table.

  “So, how’s school this year. Have many csses with your friends?” Chris’ mom asks.“It’s going good I guess. I do have csses with both Ivy and Paul. So it’s not all bad.” His says as his mom hands them both a pte with ham and cheese sandwiches. “I have gym, history and math with Paul. Social studies and English with Ivy. And we all have lunch together.” Chris takes a bite.

  “Well that’s great. You know that Ivy is quite a cute girl. Maybe you could ask her out?” Dad tells him.Chris stops in mid-chew. Again, why did the parents have to do that? Though, now thanks to him, he was thinking of her. And the fact that he was wanting to ask her out sometime. He was pnning on it tomorrow.“Larry, quit embarrassing him.” Mom tells him then smacks his arm. “He’s just friends. Besides, there’s plenty of time for that ter. He’s still young after all. You can wait as long as you like, hun.”

  Chris just smiles an returns to his sandwich. Not wanting to engage in this conversation again.“Oh, yeah? You didn’t wait very long.” His dad says then smacks her ass as she walks by to sit down next to him.Mom just smirks and backhands his chest.“Oh by the way, Chris.” His dad starts. “We're gonna start getting busy around here. The company is breaking ground soon and the new partner should be here soon. And he said they have kids your age. So keep an I out at school.”“All right, cool.”

  “Unless they're on Ivy.” He just had to say something.Chris just smiles and rolls his eyes. He finishes his sandwich and gets up. He leaves the two antagonists to go do his homework. He grabs his backpack from just inside the gym and exits upstairs and to his room.As the door shuts, Ivy pops back into his head. Great. Leave it up to his parents to get his mind working.He sits down at his desk and pulls out his school books. As he works on his social studies, he sighs. She was charming and funny. Paul was cool too. Guess being twins that’s to be expected. Despite his parents being weirdo’s, they did make a good point. Maybe he’ll ask her tomorrow.