DevAca- AoM Assignment 1

Grema tugged at her hair. She strained her mind. Hunched over her desk, she concentrated on the stupid little gem that she'd been staring at for three solid hours. The clock ticked behind her. It was hidden in the dark, but she knew what time it was.

Late. Late late late late!

She was so going to fail her first class.

Her assignment was simple. Get one of the gems to react to her. Professor Gauthier said that everyone had an element--she just had to find hers. The others had discovered their elements relatively quickly. Some didn't even have to leave the classroom the very day of the initial lesson.

But Grema?

It had been weeks. One after another, she'd discounted the gems, unable to glean even the slightest of reactions out of them. Any of them. In one fit of rage she'd sent the poor green gem sailing through the window. It took her hours to find it again. Now the deadline had passed and if she didn't figure out which gem would react to her by tonight, she would fail her very first class.

Her eyes grew hot over her concentration and her fingers dug into the wood of the table. If she couldn't get good grades, she couldn't stay in school. It wasn't like she could afford it here. She had to excel in her classes if she wanted to stay in the Academy. And she absolutely needed to stay. She had so much she had to learn before...before she could undo the Wretched Curse.

She smeared away the emotion gathering at the corners of her eyes with the palm of her hand. Her hands quivered and tightened into fists. She clenched her teeth. Crying wouldn't get her anywhere. It never had.

Suddenly, there was a light. She stared at the little red gem before her. It had just flickered. Hadn't it? She leaned in, staring at the distorted reflection of herself in the gem's tiny surface. It gleamed again. Her heart skipped a beat. She stood from her chair, and held her hands out to the gem.

Maybe it'll get me somewhere after all she wondered. It was difficult, but Grema allowed the emotions that she kept tied away deep inside her heart to loose themselves. She had cursed her family. Her tongue had taken away their honor and had stolen her brother's name. She had caused it.

She had caused it all.

And now she had to fix it. She had to fix what she'd wronged.

Her face coiled into a scowl. Her jaw became fixed and the pointed edges of her wicked black tongue spat through her teeth. The gem glowed. It twitched and rolled about on the table. Her heart beat faster, but she concentrated. The gem let loose a small flame that licked the air above it. It rose from the table. It drew closer to her and the flames reached farther. Grema stepped back as the violent little gem went into a temper tantrum, jerking back and forth only a few inches away from her fingers.

Grema grew frightened, and the gem plopped onto the ground by her feet, lifeless. She shakily exhaled.


She was late. But she'd done it.


Her element was fire.



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