A/N: Yay! Back from the dead! Well... sort of. This is set after S1, replacing S2 entirely because I'm bad at keeping up with interesting shows and haven't seen anything after S1 (but whatever). I own the girls and that's about it. Enjoy!

"You've got to focus!"

"Its a bit hard when you're shouting at me!"

Felix groaned loudly, slumping in his chair. Of all of them, Jake was finding it the hardest to learn control over his new powers. They'd already figured out that he caused earthquakes when he got angry, annoyed, or frustrated, and he had a habit of "accidentally" turning the ground to quicksand when he found someone annoying - Sam's current pair of jeans were covered in dirt, showing he was the most recent victim of this attack.

"It might be easy for you but some of us weren't exactly freaks before this," Jake snapped, fists clenched as he screwed his eyes shut.

"I'm not a freak," Felix replied through gritted teeth. He had thought after their experience that things might improve, that the others might start to look up to him and he wouldn't be so readily an outcast.

Boy, had he been wrong.

Jake was back to calling him "Freak" and Sam basically ignored him at school or in public. Andy was really the only one who seemed to have stayed changed - probably because his family half-believed him as well.

Sam sighed heavily and stood up. "Maybe I should have a go," he offered.

"I've almost got it!" Jake snapped. The ground shook slightly, and he grinned, "See?"

"You were annoyed; it doesn't count,"

"Why don't you do it, then?" Jake snapped at Sam. As if in response, Sam raised a hand, palm flat and facing upwards. Wind whistled through the cracks of the building, rattling loose clapboards and making their clothes flap about. Sam looked back at Felix, grinning smugly, and Felix rolled his eyes.

"Air is the easiest element to master," he reminded Sam, "Its the lightest and the most changeable, so it's easy to manipulate. Earth is the hardest."

Sam dropped his hand to his side, scowling. "I worked on that for days," he moaned.

"And I've been working for weeks just to get mine under control!" Jake shook his head and grabbed his bag, "I've got a game tomorrow. I'll see you guys later,"

"Back here, tomorrow afternoon," Felix reminded Jake, who raised a hand as he let the door slam shut.

"That could have gone better," Sam noted, sitting in his armchair again. Felix shrugged.

"He's probably still angry over the whole Bates thing," Felix hesitated, fiddling with one of his lip rings, "We've all got stuff going on."

"Tell me about it," Sam stated, "Mia was flirting with this other guy today. Right in front of me, like she wanted me to see,"

"You broke up a month ago," Felix pointed out, "She's allowed to move on, and so are you."

"I just wish I hadn't been such a prat before," Sam sighed heavily. After a moment of silence, he looked around, "Where was Andy tonight?"

"He's still working," Felix replied, "His Nai-Nai hasn't been well lately so he's been doing extra shifts to cover for her."

"I didn't even know," Sam shook his head, "Is it bad?"

"Nothing he can't work on fixing," Felix replied, grinning.

"What about you and Ellen?" Sam asked. Felix glanced over at Sam and shrugged.

"Things are good, I guess,"

"Give me more detail than that," Sam grinned, "You guys are the Bremin Goth Golden Couple,"

"I dunno, things are good," Felix stood up, grabbing his bag, "Anyway, why do you care? You don't even look twice at me at school."

"I get sidetracked!" Sam replied, "Look, I'm sorry I've got more friends and they're always on at me about the trip. I don't talk bad about you when they try to, though. I came back hoping things would be better, but they're worse!"

Felix closed his eyes, tipping his head back in frustration. "I don't care what they say about me. They've been saying it long enough for me not to care."

"But it's wrong," Sam shook his head, deciding to change the topic, "So, what now?"

Felix glanced at his watch. "Now I think we just go home. Jake's really the only one out of us who needs the practice."

"I just hope he doesn't end up sinking some kid at the game tomorrow,"

They had been back for a month, and in that time Jake hadn't played a round of footy. The first week back, they had all been in hospital for checkups and at various family barbecues. The second week, they had been snowed under the mountain of schoolwork they'd missed in the past two weeks. They had met up on the third weekend, after finally realising that the things happening around them weren't just freak accidents and their adventure wasn't over yet.

This would be the fourth weekend, and Felix could already imagine that in the worst case scenario, a player from the opposing team would end up sinking off the field. Or perhaps there'd be an earthquake strong enough to rattle the stands.

Sneaking out to the old shelter had become a regular occurrence for the boys. It was still abandoned, and remote enough that they could practise their elemental abilities without fear of too much consequence. Of course, if they were caught sneaking out then they'd be in trouble. But they were fifteen-year-old boys - if there was one thing they could do without trouble, it was sneak out.

"I'm going to get some sleep," Felix sighed, standing up and stretching, "I'm looking after Oscar tomorrow."

"Does your mum still think you're delusional?" Sam asked, a final attempt at bridging the gap between them and making conversation.

Felix snorted. "Of course they do," he stated, "That's why I stopped trying to tell them about it."

"I'm gonna keep trying," Sam said determinedly as they both exited the hut, "One way or another, I'll make my family believe me. And then they'll have to believe all you guys as well. It'll be better that way."

"Really?" Felix asked, "I figured that as soon as they realise we aren't being delusional, we become so famous we never have a moment of peace."

"Exactly! Being that famous would be so cool, wouldn't it?"

"Maybe for some," Felix stopped suddenly, turning and looking out towards the bush beside the track. Sam tilted his head.

"What is it?"

Felix shrugged, eyes scanning the darkening scrub. "I just... I thought I heard something,"

"Wild animal?" Sam offered. Felix shrugged again, before beginning to walk again. He hesitated, looking at the ground, and bit on one of his lip rings.

"I feel like we're being watched," he told Sam. The other turned around in a circle, looking at their surroundings.

"Can't see anybody,"

"Well no duh; if someone's following us they're hardly gonna let us see them, are they?" He looked around uneasily, "Let's get out of here. I don't like it."