(Outdated) The King of Elements (part 2)

Chapter 88

Abigail snickered. "Yeah, you're definitely your dad's son."

"Hey," Raheem said, offended.

Both Dre and Ian laughed. "I've gotta go." Ian pulled out his package of honey drops from the small box strapped to his leg.

"Are you sure that you want to do this, son? Like, one hundred percent sure?"

"Of course," Ian said with a curt nod. "My little bro's the King of Elements. I can't let him overshadow me."

"You sure that it's not so you can protect him?" Abigail asked with a smirk.

"He's a big boy. He can protect himself," Ian said with a slight edge. "Kurai Elite HQ," he mumbled before he swallowed the honey drop and disappeared.

"So stubborn," Abigail said. She looked at Raheem, grinning.

"Yeah, yeah. Just like his dad."

~~~~

I can't believe they put me on blast like that, Ian thought to himself as he drifted through whatever they went through to get to Amity. He couldn't let Dre know that the sole reason that he wanted to join the Kurai Elites was to better protect Dre. That, and they looked like an awesome group as well as his grandfather starting the group. Of course, he knew that just because Samuel was the one who founded the group, didn't mean that he would get a free ride into it. That much was apparent the embarrassment he endured the last time he took it. Sure, he tried it to tread the waters and see what the tests entailed, but he wasn't even able to get deep into the test since he couldn't forge a weapon out of ice, and as much as he disliked excuses, he figured that the main reason he couldn't forge the weapon was because he didn't have Rose with him. She said that she would be there around ten o'clock. It was now 9:51. She'll hopefully be waiting for him by the headquarters.

Moments later, he began to descend. Rose was sitting on the sidewalk waiting for him, drawing in her sketch pad. She wore a pair of dark denim pants and green short-sleeve T-shirt. "I didn't keep you waiting too long, did I?"

Looking up, Rose shook her head. "I just got here about a minute or two ago. Do you think you're ready this time?"

Ian looked at the building with fire in his eyes. "I know I'm ready. I didn't get far last time, so I have no idea what the test entails other than forging weapons from ice. Uncle Marcus and my dad worked me to exhaustion trying to get me prepared for this. Ain't no way I'm failing this time."

"Double negatives, Ian," Rose stated. She stood and walked with Ian towards the Kurai Elite Headquarters. He opened the door for her, letting her ahead of him before he strolled in.

"Yeah, yeah. So what are you drawing?" he asked as both of their footsteps clacked on the checkerboard-tiled floor.

"A picture."

Ian gave her a dry stare at the vague answer. "What kind of picture?"

"You really want to know?" she asked, placing the sketch book behind her back.

"Well, yeah."

"If you pass, I'll let you see it." She grinned with her tongue stuck out.

Ian frowned as they walked in front of the receptionist's desk. "So harsh."

"Oh! Mister Wolf is back," the receptionist said, her eyes bright. "I thought you wouldn't have come back again after what happened to you last time. You lasted, what, ten minutes before you failed?"

"Five," Ian grumbled. "I'm going to pass it this time."

"I'm sure you will," she said in a condescending tone. "I'll let your examiners know that you're here. Go on through," she said as she pressed a button behind her desk; a buzzer sounded throughout the foyer. "Follow the signs to get to the examiner's room."

As Ian took a step, he felt Rose grab his wrist. He turned to see her giving him a hardened stare. "You can do it."

Ian's look was dumbfounded. He hurriedly hardened his face and gave a determined nod before walking through the door behind the desk. The hall was long and wide, with pictures hanging on the wall on both sides. Florescent lights buzzed above him as he headed for the examiner's room. Other Kurai Elite members passed him by as he walked through. Some had a different uniform than what he had seen from Marcus and Samuel. Unlike the uniform he'd seen his uncle wear, some were wearing a thick, leather jacket. Others were in everyday close, as if they were just random people who stumbled into the headquarters. They passed by silently, some giving a silent salute to the passersby- a quick bow with their left hand covering their tightly balled right hand- before they walked together, chatting among themselves.

He was at a fork in the hall. Looking up at the sign, he saw that the new operative examination room was to his left, room number 207. Determined, he fixed the gauntlets on his wrists as he headed down the hall.

Each door looked the same as the next, with only the numbers attached to the wall beside the doorframe being the only differences. His heart pounded as he drew closer and closer to 207. His lessons with Marcus and Raheem pounded his head. He still felt those countless hours of running miles in two foot sand, his relentless use of his element until he was close to blacking out, and the amount of times they made him generate mist and sneak up on them before he could have lunch. They were harsh lessons, but he felt both mentally and physically prepared to pass this time, for his group's sake as well as his brother's.

He stopped in front of door number 207. Memories of his last time flooded through him, threatening to sap his concentration and confidence from him. He shook the thoughts away from him; he trained too much to let him defeat himself. Taking a deep breath, he marched in.