Fire and Water

A loud knocking echoed through the abandoned house Raven was staying in. She quickly jumped to her feet, hands ablaze, ready to take on anything that could have made the noise. No one entered the room and after some time she slowly started to make her way to the front door, hands still ready for a fight. She let her left hand extinguish so she could turn the doorknob and when she opened it, no one was there, just a little brown paper box.

“Dammit” she sighed, she let the fire on her other hand die out and picked up the box knowing at least for the next hour she had nothing to worry about. When she opened the box the only thing in it was a note saying “Me.”

“Dammit,” she sighed again. Normally the box also came with a weapon to help make the fight fair, but she assumed since she tried to hide from this life this is her punishment, no weapon, just a fire elemental against a water elemental. While Raven was undefeated, she would now have to fight the ringmaster, Ford, who came from a strong elemental family tree and he was probably the strongest of them all.

Raven was convicted of stealing 11 months and 30 days ago, and the punishment for all crimes is to be entered into The Games. She was sentenced to one year, simply meaning, she had to survive one year in The Games then she would be pardoned. The only issue is, Raven tried to escape, it is a kill or be killed life and with each kill you get a new name. With new members being entered into The Games daily, the only way you knew who was after you was because you were also after them. When Raven received her last name, it was of an old high school friend, she thought surely this girl would not come after her. She knew Raven’s weakness and used it against her, and in the end Raven killed her. That was three months ago, before the girl monitor could give off the death signal Raven ripped hers out and switched them. In agony, she started to run and when she saw a homeless man on the street asleep she apologized, and let the device sink into his skin. She knew it wouldn't be long till those in charge realized what was going on.

Without wasting much time Raven gathered what little belongings she had, as well as the brown paper box. She needed to form a plan before Ford found her, how was she going to beat water? As she was leaving the house she was staying in another brown box was at the doorstep. She looked around her before bending down to pick it up, she opened it up and this time the note said 15 minutes. Her hands went up in flames, the box and note soon turned to ash and she started to run, she decided to head to the woods. She knew they were following her and the only logical thing she could think of was to get away from other people. The woods have vegetation, all which carry water, but it could also be burned.

She knew when her fifteen minutes were up when a giant wall of water formed in front of her, she allowed her flames to grow up her arms. The fight was about to begin.

“Did you really think you could hide from us?” Ford hissed through his teeth. He looked nothing as she remembered him to be. He was no longer the boy she used to be in love with, that version of him was gone. Now the malice she saw growing within him while they were together was on full display. His grin, which used to be sweet, is now deadly. Eyes that used to show love, now hold hate. Narrowing his eyes to focus solely on her, he continued, “do you think you could hide from me?”

As he went to have his wall circle around them Raven put up one of her own, no way was she going to be surrounded by water. When the water and fire met it gave off a hiss. Ford smiled, one of the reasons he found Raven intriguing was because for someone who had no training she was extremely powerful and her element was well controlled.

Ford and Raven had been together for years when he took the position of Ringmaster of The Games. Raven was completely against this decision and as Ford advanced the man she came to love was slowly fading away into the monster that now stood before her. A year after he took the position she left him, she did agree with The Games, and she no longer knew who the man who stood beside her was. Ford, would be the one to accuse her of stealing that led her to be entered into this punishment.

Raven was ready to throw the first strike when Ford sent a water bubble in the shape of a butterfly carrying something on its back to her. On its back was a tiny brown paper box that read “Open.” Raven looked at her ex, and he informed her that he would not strike until the box was open. She proceeded cautiously, opening the box to find a ring. A beautiful, opal, ring. She looked back at him with tears in her eyes, clenching her fist. A fireball shaped in the form of a wolf walked to stand beside her. She responded:

“Let’s begin.