Reclaimed (Book 1)

Chapter 17

Summer's friends surrounded her and directly in front was Ash. They were separated by a few feet but, she could see his thick curls shining in the sun. His hair was to the middle of his neck and she wondered what he would look like if he cut it. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't see Troy approach her.

"Hey," he said, smiling down at her.

"Hey Troy. Sorry for crashing last night."

He waved his hand. "No worries. I was tired too so I left a few minutes after you fell asleep."

"That's good."

She glanced up at him to see him winking at a young girl nearby. She had to admit that Troy was handsome. He was much shorter than Ash but, made up for it with his stocky build and perfectly styled, dark hair. Even out in the woods he managed to find a way to get his hair looking amazing.

Females were constantly after him but, he only seemed interested in her. She wondered what his obsession was.

By no means was Summer ugly. She had put on weight and that helped a lot. Now her body was lean with muscle and not because of lack of nutrition. Her hair had also started to grow again and become thick. She was slowly starting to become more confident in her looks and body. Something she hadn't been able to do for years.

However, there were girls who looked like models compared to her. At least that was how she felt. And they were always badgering Troy. He entertained them but, she never saw him chase after a single one. Not like he did her.

Ash looked over his shoulder and glared at Troy. Summer chuckled. She liked Ash. Despite him being oddly quiet and a bit grumpy, she knew his intentions were good. Although she did sometimes wonder why he took such an interest in her. Sure, maybe she had the marks of the Phoenix but, that was her burden. No one, especially him, owed her anything. She would ask him later why he cared so much. That was if he bothered answering.

Once everyone was gathered at the base of the mountain Summer noticed the two elves standing next to the few council members who had come. A couple stayed back so they could watch the training grounds.

"Good morning!" Shouted an overly excited Jasper. He was bouncing from foot to foot like a child on Christmas day. "I'm proud to have you all participate in our first Elimination challenge that hasn't happened for ages."

He walked forward and pointed towards a rock path. "The first part is easy to explain. You get to the top while facing all six elements. The first half who reach the finish will compete tomorrow. That would be exactly ninety two wielders. Anything goes and you start at my whistle. There is no time limit."

Summer tightened the end of her braid. She dug her heels into the ground and looked over at Tracy. Her friends golden eyes were burning brightly as she smiled at her.

"We can do this," said Tracy.

Summer nodded and clenched her fists. Jasper brought his hands up and with a sudden swoop, the trees in front of them caught fire. The blaze climbed the mountain and stopped about a quarter of the way up like it hit some invisible wall.

Nora nudged her and pointed to the elves. They were chanting and had their hands in front of them like they were the sole reasons the wall of fire wasn't climbing.

The whistle blew and the crowd rushed forward. The ones who were making it up the quickest were the water wielders. They shot small streams of water that made narrow enough paths for them to escape without being burned.

"Follow us!" Shouted Nora.

Zach lead their group as he kept the smoke away from them with light gusts of air. He didn't use too much for fear of feeding the fire and having it trap them.