Noah watched the cameras with growing panic. The others were making their way out, but they would run in to trouble eventually. The guards had began to flank out, stretching to all corners of the building. It was only a matter of time until they caught up to them.

Courtney was making a mess of things, and he didn't know what to make of it. He was thankful that she was able to fend for herself, however, her ability was out of control. He watched her with a sort of fascinated terror.

Then he saw Gwen making her way towards Courtney. Noah gulped, feeling helpless. He felt as if he were a ghost, simply watching from the clouds as everything else went to hell. He couldn't tell if his decision to stay here was selfish or honorable. He felt his best use to the group was to be their eyes and ears, but was it? Couldn't he help them on the ground, to defend against the guards? Did he just want to stay to make himself feel better? Was he just a coward?

His thoughts were broken when he heard a noise coming from behind him. He turned, yet saw nothing. He was about to turn back when he heard it again, a voice. That's when he noticed the guard he had knocked out was wearing a walkie talkie.

McCormick, do you copy? We need locations on the prisoners. McCormick? Do you hear me?

Noah swallowed, turning his attention back to the cameras. He saw movement on a camera near the top, a camera that until now had been vacant. Noah recognized the location as the hallway he was in. He knew it would only be a matter of time until they realized someone was in here.

He stood up on shaky legs. What would he do? The room was barely big enough to hold the equipment it held, so hiding was out of the question. He could try and fight, but that would surely end in a bullet to his head. He could surrender, but he'd likely end with the same fate.

He looked at the guard laying on the ground. The fact that he had been able to subdue him was a miracle in and of itself. He had caught the guy completely by surprise. He didn't even see him coming. That's when he noticed the holster on the young guard's side.

He couldn't. He had never even held one before. He had also never punched someone until today. He looked at his knuckles; they were already turning a slight purple. They would surely be bruised by the morning, and he would be reminded of what he had to do. The price paid to stay alive.

He could hear the man's footsteps now, slow and deliberate. He had maybe ten seconds at most. He bent over, taking the gun in his hand. He aimed the barrel at the door, holding his breath to steady his grip. As cliché as he thought it was, he saw images of his life flash through his brain. He imagined how different everything would be if he had never helped Courtney dig into that database. If he had never became attached to everyone. To her.

Also, Mr. Sanchez, I am truly sorry, but you should choose your friends more carefully.

He probably should have known then that he was in way over his head. He was top of his class. He had Ivy Leagues on hold, scholarships awaiting his approval, a whole world of possibilities ahead of him. Instead he was here, holding a gun and prepared to use it.

Noah saw a shadow move underneath the door. The door knob turned slowly.

His stomach dropped to his feet as he cocked the gun. He felt as if he was in a crypt, so far away from light that he had forgotten what it looked like. Even if he did live, he would be different. Was he prepared to accept that?

But some crypts can be open.

He heard her voice in his head. He remembered sitting with her in the library that day. He grinned slightly.

Then the door opened.

He pulled the trigger.

x

Courtney exited her father's office. The screams had stopped, but she allowed the flames to continue engulfing the office, watching them decorate the walls with ash. She dismissed her fortress that awaited outside the door and stepped into the hallway. It was much calmer than when she left it; there was not a person in sight. The cold and silence made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Now that her personal mission was complete, she planned to head to the control room before escaping. She began walking down the hall, much slower than was probably wise.

She was about to turn a corner when she sensed something was off. She could detect some sort of heat source from the other hallway. She wasn't sure how she could feel it, but she was sure there was somebody there. But they weren't moving. There was someone waiting for her. Courtney called upon the fire, protecting her hands with a layer of flame. She took a deep breath and stepped around the corner.

Gwen stood at the end of the hallway expectantly. Courtney almost didn't recognize her. She was dressed in a dark suit and tie, but her hair remained free and rebellious. Her expression was dark and guarded, and her body was stiff and tense. Courtney began to slowly approach her. She should probably be scarred, she thought, but she wasn't. It wasn't because there was nothing to be afraid of, she knew Gwen could and would hurt her without a glance, but the fire was making her arrogant. Gwen's element was wind, but what was that when compared to the fierceness that came with burning something to a crisp?

"Waiting for someone?" Courtney taunted. She felt drunk off of the power of the fire. As she drew nearer, she could see Gwen looked less ferocious than she did from such a distance.

"You murdered a man," Gwen replied.

Courtney stopped in her track. "I stopped a man who captured and tortured my friends. And what makes you so high and mighty? You're not exactly the poster child for the innocent and pure, are you?"

"I have never used my powers to end another's life!" Gwen shouted. She straightened herself and gave a slight chuckle under her breath. "They were right about people like you, you know? Untamed and free you'll use your abilities to cause damage and destruction. You'll never stop until the world is just how you want it, with everything and everyone you hate out of the picture."

"People like me? Newsflash, Gwen, you are people like me! You think wearing that suit makes you more in control? Makes you better than me? You've always been jealous of me. You've never beaten me at anything, and you never will." A sharp pain went through Courtney's cheek, almost as if she had been slapped. She staggered, touching her cheek. A thin cut graced her cheek, sending a steady drip of blood running down her face.

"You're not the only one who's learned how to call on their element, Court." Gwen grinned.

Courtney straightened, "You bitch." She jabbed her hand forward, sending a ball of fire straight for Gwen's face. Gwen dropped to the ground just before impact. She pushed out with her hands, sending a strong gust of wind right into Courtney's abdomen. Courtney fell to the ground, giving Gwen an opportunity to strike. She ran towards her, jumping on her before she could stand.

"You've always thought you were better than everyone." She punched her in the face. "You've always looked down on us, acting like our mother, like we couldn't take care of ourselves." She punched her again, this time a little bit of blood leaked from the corner of Courtney's mouth. "Now look who's on top! I can be whoever I want, and I don't have to tolerate your judgment." She grabbed Courtney by the wrists, leaning her face close to hers. "Face it, Courtney, you're a loser."

Courtney laughed, "I'm the loser? At least I know what side I'm on. You're weak. You fall to whatever side of the fence is easiest for you to reach at the time. You torture me, then you send Noah blueprints to our location? You may be on top, but at least I know who I am."

Gwen looked puzzled. "Blueprints? I didn't send any.." A loud siren interrupted her, echoing throughout the building.

Code 6927 is now in progress. I repeat, code 6927 is now in progress. Nǐ yǒu shí fēnzhōng.

"What the hell does that mean?" Courtney demanded. Gwen slowly rose to her feet, releasing Courtney. Her face went white, her eyes starring into nothing. Courtney cursed herself. Despite everything, seeing Gwen look so distraught unleashed a sickeningly maternal side of her. She rose in front of her, grabbing her by the shoulders. "Gwen, what is a code 6927? Snap out of it!"

"The building. It's a fail safe that was installed just in case there was a breach in security. The building is going to explode in ten minutes."

Courtney's breath hitched. "Okay, Gwen, listen to me. We need to get out of here. Noah is in the control room. We need to find him and make sure the other boys got Izzy and Bridgette out."

Gwen snapped out of her trance and looked at Courtney. It was the first time that Courtney could actually see a hint of the Gwen she once knew. "Trent? He's here?"

"Yes, he's here. That's why we need to move: to make sure he makes it out safely."

"Why would you trust me?"

"I don't." Courtney thought for a moment, looking deep into her eyes. "But I do still love you, and I don't want to see you die. Do what you will, but for the next ten minutes, just help me make sure everyone gets out safe."

Gwen nodded, "okay, this way."

Gwen began to walk down the hallway. "Oh, wait, one more thing." Courtney ran after her. Gwen turned around just in time to see Courtney's fist make contact with her face. Gwen fell to the ground, holding her sore jaw. Courtney rubbed her knuckles, "now that that's settled, let's move."

x

The boys burst through the stairwell door, wasting no time in taking the stairs as quickly as they could. "I'm not liking the silence from Noah's end," Duncan said as he jumped the last few stairs to the level below. The entire stairwell was engulfed in red flashing lights, making it difficult for him to remain balanced as he jumped down the stairs.

"Maybe he's on his way out too?" Trent offered.

They had made it to the third floor, and were about to turn to take another flight when a huddle of guards rose to greet them from below. "Freeze!" one of them shouted as the others rose their guns to meet them. The group stopped in their tracks. There had to be at least ten of them.

Izzy could feel the panic rising inside of her. Something was bubbling underneath her skin, sending chills all over her arms and legs. The ground below her began to quiver. She didn't know what was happening, her power never acted on its own. Yet, it felt completely out of her control.

"I said freeze!" the guard shouted again.

Duncan leaned close to her ear, "Izzy, what are you.." the ground below the guards busted open, creating a massive crater. Izzy gasped, not realizing her power possessed such abilities. She heard their screams echo as if they were falling down a steep tunnel. She approached the edge of the crater cautiously. It seemed to extend for miles, ending well below the foundation of the building.

"I don't know how I.." she began.

"That's not important," Geoff interjected. "I hear more of them coming. We have to move."

They stepped around the giant hole and continued their descent. They entered a long hallway, the same one they entered before. They could hear the clamor of footsteps quickly approaching them from behind. The four of them ran as fast as they could. Despite their speed, the door seemed to not be growing any nearer. They were nearly half way down the hallway when a bullet whizzed straight past Trent's ear. He turned slightly to see an arsenal of nearly fifty men running behind them, cocking their rifles.

"We've got company," he shouted as more bullets began soaring past them.

Duncan cursed. "I'm getting really tired of all this bullshit." He began running backwards, rubbing his palms together. He took a deep breath and angled his fingers towards the ground. The floor behind them began to crystallize instantly, turning into a thick ice rink. The guards halted, confused by the notion. They attempted to charge on, but were unable to keep their balance, and fell to the icy ground.

"While that ought to slow them down, it's not going to stop those pretty guns of theirs," Trent spat.

"You have something more useful to offer?" Duncan retorted, turning to run alongside the rest of them.

"We're almost there," Geoff shouted. The door was just a few seconds away now. Izzy turned to see some of the guards had made their way past the ice and were running after them, loading their weapons.

"They're coming!" Izzy shouted. She could feel panic begin to rise in her chest.

Duncan reached the door first, slamming it open for the others to pass through. They collapsed on the pavement outside. Trent quickly jumped to his feet, turning to face the door. With his hands raised, Izzy watched as the steel of the door began to contort and swell, making it impossible to open.

Everyone lay on the ground, panting heavily. Trent walked over to stand over top of Duncan, offering a hand. "I'd say that served pretty useful."

x

Gwen and Courtney ran to the control room in a synchronized pace. Because of the announcement of the building's demise, the hallways were completely vacant. Gwen's guess was that the rest of the staff decided their lives were more important than a stupid mission. She wished she had such luxury.

They came into view of the door to the control room to find it already open. As they approached, they saw a pair of boots breaking the threshold.

"Oh no," Courtney whispered breaking into a sprint. When she arrived she found Noah, sitting limply in the desk chair, starring at the two bodies surrounding him. Whether they were dead or not, she could not tell. She did notice a thin layer of blood cover a section of the floor. Noah was absentmindedly fiddling with the gun that lay across his lap. He didn't seem to have noticed she was even there.

Courtney approached him, kneeling to his level. "Noah, snap out of this. We have to go. The building's going to blow."

Gwen walked in then, slowly taking in the surroundings. She looked to one of the screens. She saw her dad running through corridor after corridor, clutching his briefcase like his life depended on it. What could be in there that's so important? Whatever it was, it couldn't be anything safe.

"Trent sealed off the northernmost exit. We need to find another way out of the building." Noah muttered as Courtney helped him to his feet.

"There's a secret entrance on the other side of the building. Just take the stairs to the right and follow the hallway. It'll bring you to an alley around the back of the building." Gwen instructed. Reaching around Noah, she began madly typing on the keyboard. All the screens went blank. She began typing faster as a password inquiry filled the screens before them. Suddenly they came alive with numbers and codes, spanning the length of the panel. Gwen bent down, doing something with the hard drive that neither Noah nor Courtney could tell. She stood up quickly holding a flash drive in her hand. She placed it in Noah's palm and closed his fingers around it. "I don't know what information is on here, but it has to be better than nothing. Use it carefully, I don't know what kind of encryptions you may find."

"Why are you talking like you're not coming with us?" Courtney interjected.

Gwen looked at her sadly, "Because I'm not." She walked over to stand in front of Courtney. "My dad is up to something. I don't know what, but it's my responsibility to find out and make sure no sensitive information leaves this building. I owe you all more than that."

Despite herself, Courtney could feel tears threatening her eyes. "I will not leave you."

Gwen smiled softly, "Yes you will. There isn't much time, and you need to get Noah and that flash drive out of here." Gwen grabbed her hands. "Tell them I was always good," she whispered, tears gathering at the corner of her eyes. "Tell them I sent Noah the blueprints, that I was just pretending all along. Please."

Courtney nodded, giving Gwen a quick hug. She wanted to say more, about how she forgave her for everything that had happened and how she didn't blame her for her decisions. She wanted to tell her she loved her. She wanted to knock her unconscious and drag her out of the building against her will.

But Courtney didn't do any of those things. Instead, she turned, grabbed Noah's arm, and ran for the exit.

x

Izzy collapsed onto the soft grass. We made it, she thought giddily. She had never thought she would see grass again, never thought she would be able to feel the Earth purring beneath her touch. She took a deep breath in, relishing in the fresh oxygen.

She sat up when she heard the others catch up. Geoff sat down next to Izzy, careful not to jostle Bridgette too much. She moaned slightly, seeming to begin to awake. Geoff cupped her face in his hand, rubbing his thumb against her cheek. "Bridgette, honey, can you hear me?"

Her eyes fluttered open slowly, her cheeks were starting to look slightly pinker. "Geoff? What are you.. how am I.."

"Shh, it's okay, you're safe now. Everything is going to be okay."

She smiled, a tear rolling down her cheek. Izzy could feel herself getting emotional as well. She couldn't believe they had actually done it. She looked around for Duncan and Trent, but they were perched on the edge of the grassy hill, peering down at the hospital. Their back's were tense and neither of them said a word.

They would make it out, she just knew it. Courtney was unstoppable, not a man in that hospital could take her on. And Noah was too smart to let anything happen to him. They were right behind them, they had to be.

BOOM.

Flames decorated the sky, debris exploded in a shower of metal and ash. Izzy jumped to her feet, running to stand between the two men. The building where they had been held captive had now been obliterated. Her lungs ached from the fast forming smoke that stretched across the horizon.

"No," Duncan whispered before he began running down the hill face.

"Duncan! Duncan, come back!" Izzy yelled after him. She looked over to Trent who seemed frozen in place. His mouth hung open as he starred unblinking into the chaos. Izzy approached tentatively, touching his arm lightly. He crumbled beneath her touch, sinking to his knees in the dirt. Izzy followed suit, allowing him to collapse into her as hot tears ran down his face. They were alright, Izzy thought. They had to be.

x

Duncan barreled down the hill so fast he couldn't control himself. His feet blurred together as he tromped though the grass and mud, closer and closer to the destruction. If she was anywhere in there, he would find her. She had to be okay, she promised she would be okay.

The heat was unbearable the closer he got. Smoke smacked him in the face, making his eyes burn and his lungs work harder for each breath. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. Why did she have to be so damn honorable? Why was she so selfish? Couldn't she for once just take the easy way out? She always had to outdo everyone, and look where it got her.

Duncan stopped in his track. Who was he kidding? Even if, by some miracle, he could penetrate this wall of fire and soot, what was he looking to find? Anything left in that building was fuel for the fire at this point. He stood there, starring into the face of the growing monster before him. In the distance, he could vaguely hear the sounds of approaching sirens. He knew he should turn around and run back to the others, get them as far away from this place just like he promised her he would. But he couldn't.

Just then, he saw a movement through the smoke. He squinted though his stinging eyes. Whatever the figure was, it was approaching him. Duncan stood perfectly still, hoping to blend in with the surrounding smog. As it came closer, he noticed it was not just one, but two beings. With each step came more distinguishable features. Four legs. Hair. Eyes.

Finally Duncan could see Courtney and Noah in full flesh. Their skin was nearly blackened with soot, and their clothes were torn and burnt in some places. They were holding each other for support; Courtney seemed to be limping slightly. She looked up and saw him. Her brown eyes came to life, the only source of light in vicinity. Duncan couldn't control himself any longer. He sprinted straight for her, barreling into her and holding her with every bit of strength he could muster. He dug his nose into her hair, despite the filth, it still smelled like her. "You made it," he whispered. "I thought.."

"I'm okay," she whispered back, nuzzling her face in the crest of his shoulder.

"Where are the others?" Noah interrupted, visibly impatient.

Duncan and Courtney reluctantly departed, "They're at the top of this hill."

The three of them climbed the grassy hill. Duncan stood in the middle, supporting both of them as they climbed further and further out of the smoke. As they came into view, they could hear cheers erupting from the others. Courtney and Noah were greeted with hugs and tears and questions. Courtney just smiled lightly at the advances. She looked back and saw Trent standing alone, still looking at the burning building. She separated herself from everyone and approached him. For a moment, they just stood together in comfortable silence.

"Was she happy?" Trent finally asked.

Courtney blinked, a little taken aback by the question. Seeming to catch her hesitation, he added, "I know it was her idea to stay behind. Don't ask me how, but I can just feel it. Was she happy to make that choice?"

"Yes, she was," Courtney answered. She swallowed, seeing Gwen's face in her head. "She was always good, you know. She did what she thought was best for us, even if that meant destroying herself in the process." It was a lie Courtney told easier than she expected. Maybe if she told it enough, she would believe it herself.

Trent nodded. "I always knew," he said, turning away and moving to join the others. Courtney remained, starring ahead. She watched as the fire trucks tried desperately to extinguish the flames, but the fire was too big. Sometimes, she thought, she felt like a firefighter. Despite her best efforts to control the situation, to keep everyone safe, the fire just kept getting bigger.

She felt eyes on her as Bridgette and Izzy approached. They stood on either side of her, each taking one of her dry hands into their own. She looked at each of them. Izzy, always smiling and adventurous, looked at her with a sense of relief and curiosity. Bridgette's eyes were sad and worried, probing her to talk about what had happened. They were Courtney's family. Despite everything that had happened, despite the losses they had endured, they were still standing, and they were standing together. And no matter who's hunting them or whether the elemental sorcery inside of them threatens to destroy everything they know, they would always stand together. That was a promise.

x

I have no other words. Thank you all so much, I hope this story was everything you were expecting it to be. Be on the look out, you may just see more of our girls in the future.

Happy Writing!