Sector 2 had never been more quiet, and so loud all at once.
All eyes were on the finalists, majority of it landing on Nicoleta.
Despite Laura's reputation, Nicoleta's anxiety dulled over several minutes after she read the bulletin board.
It was as if she had gone through all the five stages, and acceptance was the one loud enough to be felt.
She had grown a new sense of confidence, despite the density in sector 2. She believed she would win, despite May's teeth chattering against each other like she was the one who was going to fight Laura.
She had grown little mature over the course of the games, realising that fear only slowed her down, and if she wanted to win, her head needed to be clear.
Of doubt, guilt, unwanted reminders of the past, and most importantly, fear.
Laura Glass made her branding on her opponents because of fear, the sector would fall into fear for the opponent, then they would slowly drown in the sea of worry, and begin to panic, then on the day of the match they would lose woefully.
Their friends probably feared, and so it would prompt them to over think.
Then when over thinking came about, that was when doubt would settle in, then the fear that they'd tried to avoid, then after fear, trembling, and once you tremble, you stumble.
And the moment you stumble there is not getting back up, when you are too afraid to face the challenge. So then they all lose.
But not Nicoleta, not this time, she wouldn't let the fear of Laura break her.
Instead of fearing her, she twisted it around to study her.
She asked Evan any question that came to mind when they met in the halls.
She tracked down Levi, and ambushed him with questions about their fight.
By the end of the week, she collected zero information about her.
But she knew everything there was to know about Laura before, and if her calculations were true, then she wouldn't fare very far from how she used to fight, people don't change what has been making them win for four years just like that.
Even if she had developed new skills, she would simply adapt them into her old style of fighting.
So Nicoleta was either going to meet an entirely different opponent, or Laura Glass.
The day of the match wasn't silent, the crowd cheered for whom they supported.
They both stepped out of their boxes at the same time, and the deck could have exploded with how much noise was coming from the crowd.
Together Nicoleta and Laura stepped on the platform. The robotic voice announced them.
"Welcome to the Individual sparring finals. Between Nicoleta Ariti" The crowd cheered for her, Nicoleta tried not to focus too much on them as she looked at Laura.
"And Laura Glass" the world cheered for her. Then the crowd died down.
The red light turned on.
Laura Glass smiled at Nicoleta, then bowed, Nicoleta bowed as well.
"I'll go easy on you- okay?" Nicoleta wanted to be angry, but she knew that was what Laura wanted. As calm as possible she said. "Not necessary"
"Round one begin" the buzzer rang out, red, became green, and before Nicoleta knew it, water was pouring down on her as if she had been caught in a wave.
So she was a water manipulator.
She let her scarlet flame climb up her arms, and whirled it around to fizzle the water out, but it just kept coming.
Nicoleta wrapped herself inside a bubble of yellow flame, and shot forward to put a stop to Laura's attacks.
When her foot connected with her chest, instead of knocking Laura down, she was thrown across the platform, and hit the edge harshly.
Nicoleta jumped on her feet, and blocked a ball of water that was thrown at her, one by one she evaporated each ball, and when she was close enough she rushed flame toward Laura, jumped up, spun and nailed her chest.
She did the same move twice. Then struck her ribs, blocked her counter, and bashed her shoulder.
Laura stumbled back, letting out a surprised pant.
She almost looked impressed as she glared at Nicoleta. They stalked each other.
Nicoleta didn't give her a chance to lift the water before pushing her arms back and hitting her stomach with her knee.
She struck her ribs again, and again. Laura made to catch her fist when she went in for her ribs again, but it was only a fake attack.
Nicoleta kicked her shins, and punched her gut.
Before she could make another move, Laura brought down a wave of water upon her.
Nicoleta slid across the platform and slammed into the edge. She stood up on her feet and pushed her wet hair away from her face.
"Set point Laura Glass" the crowd cheered, some even whistling.
"Round two. Begin"
Laura made a wave wash over her again, but Nicoleta was already in the air dropping downward, her foot aimed at her shoulder blade.
Laura hit the platform with a grunt, clutching her shoulder in pain.
Nicoleta stomped down on her chest, and hit her ribs again, not stopping until she heard a crack.
Laura yelped in pain and pushed her off of her. Nicoleta landed back and immediately stood pinning Laura down with her telekinesis.
Eight seconds flew by as quickly as ever. "Set point. Nicoleta Ariti"
Whoever won the next round was the winner overall.
The two glared at each from across their respective sides.
Laura massaged her shoulder, a menacing look in her eyes as she stalked Nicoleta.
As if her ribs hadn't been broken in at all.
The buzzer rang out, green.
Laura attacked first, wrapping herself up into an ever-pouring shield of water.
Nicoleta slid beneath to avoid getting hit, and reached inside the water and grabbed Laura's shirt collar.
She knew what was coming, but prepared herself for the pain as Laura twisted her wrist.
Nicoleta propelled herself round about with her flame, turning them both upside down, and taking Laura to the floor.
She shook her wrist out, but it was still very much twisted.
They both jumped on their feet before eight seconds rang out, and one by one Laura made wave after wave, to which Nicoleta rushed through, avoiding it every time in the nick of time.
She propelled herself into the air, only to find that the first wave was a false attack.
Nicoleta was overtaken by the waters.
Her head hit metal as she was joined with the vast ocean surrounding them.
Her eyes shot open.
In front of her was her scarlet flame, burning with rageful gleam.
Breathing heavily, she moved toward it.
"We are one" the flame rushed through her, like it once did before.
When she opened her eyes she only saw fishes, and blue mingling with a deep scarlet hue.
The flame shot her upward, landing her slowly on the deck, just in the nick of time, as the robotic voice said seven.
Laura's face was a mix of anger, and concern, then it switched to a genuine nod of someone who was beyond impressed.
She laughed, and shot forward wave after wave.
Though Nicoleta was the one constantly being drowned, Laura was the one being hit, over and over and over again.
Her flame burned almost intimately through her veins, igniting, reconnecting, whispering in her ears.
She had felt her flame in the training hall three months ago, it burned furiously, it felt like she had finally become.
Now it was different, as if having to be there to speak to it again, made it stronger, made it bigger, made them better.
Now she felt- knew that she and her flame were one, she was the flame, she was the rage, she was the burn..
She was a raging fire.
Laura had grown weak, she could no longer stand Nicoleta's attacks, though she tried.
Nicoleta landed on the platform once more, and lifted her arms up high. A shadow of her flame fell over the entire platform.
Laura's eyes widened with fear, and shock, she stumbled back.
Nicoleta dropped her arms down.
A wave of water washed over Laura, knocking her to the platform.
"One.
"Two. Three."
"four"
"five"
"Six"
"Seven"
"eight"
She hadn't gotten up, three seconds had gone. Laura Glass lost-
That meant… Nicoleta…
"Nicoleta Ariti Winner of the Sparring competitions!" The robotic voice boomed.
Nicoleta couldn't believe it. She had won. She had actually won.
The crowd erupted into cheers, you would think the world had exploded.
The flame went away, and the second it did, Levi appeared in front of her, "here" he rapped out, giving her a pair of pants.
Nicoleta wore it, then accepted his shirt.
"Than- " she couldn't even thank him before the crowd swept her off of her feet, chanting.
"Scarlet. Scarlet. Scarlet" again and again.
She laughed. Looking down over her adoring fans.
Jackson was the one carrying her on his shoulders, as they all chatted Scarlet whilst advancing inside.
She looked back to see the beautiful orange hue as the sun set on a wonderful day.
May and Charlotte climbed above the crowd, their faces wide with smiles, Nicoleta engulfed them in a tight hug.
"You won!!! You won!!!" May shouted into her ears, Nicoleta moved away and grabbed her ears, playfully hitting May on the shoulder.
"Yeah and my eardrums are broken too" they all laughed.
She hugged them one more time.
When the crowd made it inside, still cheering for her, Jackson still carrying her on his shoulders, she could no longer handle the sweat skin, combined with water.
She was drenched, and as badly she wanted to stay and celebrate until she was too tired to continue, she tapped Jackson on the shoulder.
"I gotta go" he furrowed his brow, "where?" She jumped off of his shoulders, "to my room"
May and Charlotte followed her, Charlotte making a forcefield to prevent anyone from following her.
Even though they had gone to the fifth floor, Nicoleta could still hear the faint sound of kids cheering. Saying Scarlet again and again.
And with every scarlet that she heard, her smile grew wider and wider.
Every shower after a fight was much more painful than the fight itself.
However this time Nicoleta felt amazing. The cold water running down her body was almost paradise, everywhere Laura had hit didn't sting, or ache.
When she looked in the mirror, she found no bruises, no swelling, no nothing, she looked untouched.
She hadn't gone to any healer earlier, how was this possible?
Nicoleta shook her head, deciding to enjoy it all instead of thinking about it too much.
She rushed to her computer, and called her father.
Two faces popped up on the screen, her father's warm eyes greet, beside him was her brother Liam.
His brown hair was slicked back into a neat style, some falling on his forehead.
His green eyes glimmered as he waved at her, "hey Nicole" she smiled so wide her cheeks began to hurt.
"Hi- I won" she said, her father was overjoyed, Liam looked at the two of them celebrating half confused.
"What did you win?" She told him everything. Liam seemed more proud than her father, "you won- and you beat her with her own element- that's awesome" she laughed.
"I'm proud of you honey," her father said. Nicoleta rested her head on her arms. "I really miss you guys" they mused. "Likewise." said Liam.
"Actually I wanted to talk to you about something" Liam started, sitting properly. Nicoleta straightened up.
Her watch beeped, signifying dinner time.
Her stomach growled. "You know what- we'll talk. After dinner, okay?" Liam nodded. She hung up and sprinted to the canteen.
The halls were crowded as usual, but this time Nicoleta was being stopped every five minutes to be congratulated.
She hoped to not come across Jackson, because she knew he would pick her up and parade her like a spectacle all over again.
The attention was okay for about an hour, but having all eyes on you, every word being about you. It wasn't fun, not when she was little and definitely not then.
It took Nicoleta thirty minutes to make it to the canteen.
And when she did she found the entire student body waiting for her.
She smiled. They all chanted the same word, scarlet again.
She made her way to her usual table, but was stopped in the middle of the canteen, when Jackson walked in front of her with a giant red velvet cake.
The candles on it were not lit, she almost knew what they wanted her to do before Jackson said it.
"Light it" he said, Nicoleta lit her hand up with yellow flame, the canteen cheered, even more so when she switched the colour to scarlet.
She then turned it back to yellow and lit the candles, they all erupted into cheers.
Despite her hatred for attention, Nicoleta couldn't help looking around the canteen, at all the smiling faces, all the kids cheering for her and celebrating with her.
Her stomach bubbled with butterflies, her entire body being flooded with excitement, she bit her lip as a way to contain her ever growing smile.
She had won the sparring competitions, she was a winner, she was a champion, she was one step closer to home.
It felt so much better than she imagined, being a winner was exhilarating. Even more than that, beating a four time champion to reach that height.
Nicoleta laughed out loud once, eyes welling up a little, she clutched her racing heart arm wrapped around her waist as everyone cheered for her.
Jackson gave her a slice, and Nicoleta took, it gladly managing to slip through the crowd upstairs to her friends.
Half way there Jackson grabbed her arm.
"Join our table? Champion" he winked, she cringed again, but refused as politely as she could.
Sector two didn't stop celebrating until curfew made all the officers kick the kids out of the halls into their rooms.
May, and Charlotte decided to have a sleepover.
"Laura must be rolling." Said May, Charlotte laughed, "yeah beating her with her own element- " Charlotte narrowed her gaze at Nicoleta.
"How did you do that?" Nicoleta shrugged, "telekinesis I guess" May smuggled up Next to Nicoleta wrapping one leg around hers.
"You're warm" she mumbled, sleep in her voice, Nicoleta placed her chin down atop her head, "you want me to cool down?" She shook her head.
Charlotte claimed her free leg with her own. Nicoleta chuckled a little. "You guys act like children"
They all laughed heartily.
"I'm very tame compared to my brothers- they once almost set the kitchen on fire for an experiment" Nicoleta chuckled, shocked, "what?!" She and Charlotte said at once.
May laughed, hard. "And they are saving lives apparently"
"My sister was experimenting with any liquid in arms reach, and she made a fart bomb- " Charlotte couldn't finish her sentence before the other two burst into laughter.
"What liquids did she mix together?" Nicoleta questioned, laughing. Charlotte shrugged, "water perfume, rise water- " Charlotte laughed.
"It stunk so bad and for days too, even after she got rid of it."
The laughter eventually settled, Nicoleta held her friends' hands tighter.
Their stories just made her miss home, how she would spend time with her dad doing all kinds of things.
She remembered the time she nearly destroyed his project, thinking it was a toy.
"I want to go home," Nicoleta said, "that's why I joined the competitions." May lifted her head slightly.
In the darkness Nicoleta could barely make out May narrowing her gaze at her.
"You wanna leave us?" Charlotte agreed quietly, nodding against Nicoleta's arm.
"Well you want to go home too right?" May sank back next to her.
She sighed, "I don't… know" Nicoleta shifted her head to look at her better, "what do you mean?"
"I've grown really used to Westinsenson son- " Nicoleta wanted to protest, she wanted to tell May that it was insane, but she calmed herself down.
"But what about your family?" May shrugged, snuggling up to Nicoleta again.
"I miss them- " Charlotte cut her off, "it's just familiarity Nico"
"It's so much easier to be here" Confused, Nicoleta asked, "how?"
"Well for starters, here everyone else has powers, relating to others becomes far easier than if I were at home" said Charlotte.
"You haven't been home to know that" Charlotte shrugged, "I was there the first few months when I found out I had powers- my family was… adapting" Nicoleta looked down at her.
Her father didn't take it easy either, he was scared. When she first burned in front of him, he looked so scared.
"My dad was a little less reactive," May said. Her step mother was the calm one when Nicoleta got her powers.
"It's easier here because we all have one thing in common, and that is we all have powers, there's no awkwardness- no explaining everything" Charlotte sighed heavily, as if reliving a similar memory.
"I miss my family I really do- but" Charlotte inhaled a heavy breath, "I know life outside westinsenson son is going to be… tough. I'm gonna be walking on eggshells everyday, not just with my overly concerned mother, but also with my neighbours."
"Why?" Charlotte stayed quiet for a moment. "powers and where I am from don't blend very well- it's kind of an anomaly amongst Africans"
"Same here" Charlotte looked at May, "really? I thought it was just my side of the map" May chuckled, "no not just you" Nicoleta stared up at the ceiling.
She came from a completely different world, but she understood them on a certain level. It was awkward when she first got her powers, but her father had been supportive ever since.
Were their parents still awkward around them? Were they still coming to terms with their powers? After nine years?
"Don't you guys ever want to go home?" They both shook their heads, "we do" they both said.
"Just not now- not yet"
"Well I want to go home- and I would love for you guys to join me" Nicoleta turned to both of them, glancing from left to right.
"I live in Cuba" said May, "well used to but if I go home we won't see each other" Nicoleta scoffed, "I will tell my dad to visit your family then" Charlotte chuckled, "and me?"
"I don't care if your family is in the Sahara desert-" Charlotte gasped dramatically, grasping her heart, feigning offence.
May and Nicoleta laughed, "you're racist" Nicoleta hit her arm playfully, Charlotte made a choking sound, and pretended to fall from the bed.
A comfortable silence fell upon them.
"Well?" She asked them, May and Charlotte shared a look.
"Next year, we'll work harder, maybe join the De-Luca program specifically. and join you in sector 1" May said. Nicoleta smiled, she held their hands tightly.
"Friends go home together, even if we all live on different continents," they laughed.
"Best friends forever?" Nicoleta and Charlotte nodded. "Yeah"