Page 43 of Elemasters

“R-right, yeah,”

Chris was safe, and that should’ve been enough to truly put Dustin at ease… but as the rain continued to pelt the window across the room, there was only one thought in his mind.

They were really in the shit now. And it was just the beginning.

Chapter 16

Under Pressure

Of all life’s great mysteries, the one Dustin was the most frustrated with was why time seemed to pass by extra slowly when you were staring at the clock.

He’d been sitting in his English class for what felt like several millennia, waiting for 2:30 to finally arrive so he could be freed from yet another overlong discussion about the thematic underpinnings of Hamlet. Mrs. Pendleton just kept droning on and on, but all Dustin could focus on was the fact that Thanksgiving Break was about to start in… holy shit, fifteen minutes!

It wasn’t the holiday that he was necessarily excited about; his mom always worked through it anyway, and his dad couldn’t be trusted to make ice, let alone a Thanksgiving dinner, so he and Chris usually just got takeout and watched football. No, what he was really excited about was the chance to decompress over the long weekend and focus on his Elemental Sage training.

It had been two weeks since the group’s final confrontation with “Leo” and as promised, Dustin’s car privileges had been entirely revoked, his PS2 stripped from his room, and his hopes of hanging out with the others completely dashed. His entire life for fourteen days had been nothing but swim practice, schoolwork, and chores, so he desperately needed a chance to just breathe. And there was no better place to do that than The Palace of Radiant Clouds… though, it said a lot about his home life that the only place he could get some peace was an ancient palace located in a weird pocket dimension.

The only thing keeping Dustin from drifting fully into a stress spiral was the small comfort that, at least, he wasn’t alone anymore. Even grounded, even monitored, even temporarily exiled from his PS2… he still had his team. His boyfriend. His purpose.

Unfortunately, Mrs. Pendleton had no intention of letting him escape early.

“Mr. Ying,” she said sharply, snapping him back to reality like a rubber band, “since you’re clearly fascinated by Shakespeare’s use of soliloquy, why don’t you tell us what Hamlet means when he says…”

A knock at the classroom door cut her off.

Every head in the room turned. Mrs. Pendleton visibly bristled, she hated interruptions, but she forced a polite smile and crossed the room to open it.

Standing outside was Bailey, damp from the drizzle and holding a pink hall pass like it was a court summons.

Mrs. Pendleton raised an eyebrow.

“Yes?”

“Hi Mrs. P! Dustin’s needed in the office,” Bailey said cheerfully, just convincing enough that only Dustin could tell she was lying through her teeth, “something about a permission slip for the Swim Team,”

Mrs. Pendleton sighed in the way only teachers who have already given up can sigh.

“Fine. Mr. Ying, please go. But take your things; class is over in ten minutes anyway,”

Dustin didn’t need to be told twice. He snatched his binder, backpack, and jacket in one motion, shooting Bailey a look that said, “I owe you my life”.

He stepped into the hallway and the door shut behind them. The second it clicked closed, Bailey dropped the pretense.

“Training time Dusty,” she whispered, already walking fast, “Chloe’s getting James out of his last-period calculus quiz. You sure Chris’s doctor cleared him for this?”

Dustin nodded.

“I obviously didn’t tell her he’s gonna be doing Elemental Sage training, but she said physical activity is fine, so long as he doesn’t take any more blows to the head for a while,”

The two slipped out the side doors, jogging through the mist toward the old, rusted bike racks behind the gym; the spot they’d agreed on for teleportation. The fog had already begun pooling around the asphalt, swirling unnaturally despite the still air.

James appeared first, hair sticking up like he’d sprinted across campus, and Chloe followed behind him, expression perfectly unbothered.

Chris limped up last, hoodie pulled over his head, eyes slightly dazed but determined.

“You good?” Dustin asked softly.

Chris shrugged.