Portia rolled over in her bed and looked at the time, it was four thirty in the morning. She smiled and jumped out of her bed. She grabbed her robe and ran down the hallway towards her sister's room. She knocked on the door a few times and waited for it to open. The door was jerked open to reveal a very pissed Valentina.
"What do you want this early in the morning?" asked Valentina.
"It's my birthday!" said Portia as she ran towards her parent's room.
Valentina shook her head as she grabbed her robe and followed her sister down the hall. Portia was already banging on the door when Valentina rounded the corner. The bedroom door opened to reveal a very tired looking man and vary worried woman.
"Is it really that time already?" asked the woman.
"Yes," said Valentina yawning.
Portia took off down the stairs and out the back door and looked up at the sky with a smile on her face. Her parents and her sister walked out on the back porch and watched her; Valentina looked like she could fall asleep standing there, their dad with angst, their mom with fear.
Valentina looked down at her watch, 4:45am, "Five more minutes."
Her mother glared at her and she sat down on a lawn chair and watched her sister. Her mother latched onto her husband watched.
Portia stood out in the yard looking up at the sky for a few minutes before she turned and looked at Valentina. Valentina looked down at her watched and shook her head.
"It is five-fifteen, Tia," said Valentina.
"WHAT?" said Portia.
"Nothing says that it would happen to everyone," said Valentina.
Relief swept over their parents as Portia slowly walked back to the house. She was mumbling under her breath. Her mom stopped in her tracks and watched; Portia was steaming, literally.
"Tia?" said her mom. "Are you okay?"
"What do you think? Once again Val gets everything and I get nothing," said Portia. "It's not fair. You always said that everyone has gotten it, and here I am powerless."
"That's because there was a need to the Elements," said her mother, fear slowly creeping back on her face.
"Well, it's NOT FAIR!" shouted Portia.
"PORTIA!" shouted her mother.
Portia was engulfed in fire. Her mother rushed forward but was stopped by their dad. Valentina stood up and walked over to her sister and stuck her hand out. A stream of water came out of her hand and slowly the fire around Portia died. Portia looked up at her sister, her eyes were as red as the fire and her hair was flying around her face.
The fire died out completely. Portia looked down at the ground and it was singed. Her mother let out a cry. Portia looked at her mother, she had fear and worry written all over her face. Portia stepped towards her but stopped when her mother cried out again.
Valentina walked up behind her sister and wrapped her arms around her. Valentina jerked her arms back at the hissing sound coming from Portia; she was steaming again. Valentina braced herself and placed her hands on Portia's shoulders again. Steam came up from Portia's shoulders, she had pain etched on her face but didn't tell her sister to let go. Slowly the steam died down.
"You've got to control yourself, Tia," said Valentina. "You get mad and you channel that inner fire. You have to be wary of everything now."
Portia nodded her head and walked back in the house, still mad at her mother.