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Chapter 4
The Hiking Disaster

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A long whistle filled the air surrounding the football team, signaling the start of the scrimmage. The smiling brunette boy took his position as he listened to his quarterback's shouts. After hearing his teammate start the play, the blue-eyed wide receiver sprinted down the field and towards the endzone. He dodged numerous players on the other team before he became wide open just yards from the endzone. After letting out a laugh, the brown-haired boy turned just in time to see the ball soaring at him before he caught it with ease. As soon as the football was in his arms, he raced towards the endzone before he heard the whistle once again, signaling he made a touchdown.

Matt Davis had been playing football since the age of seven and was always found either on the field or in the weight room after school. For as long as he could remember, he had always wanted to be a professional football player and was determined to make that dream a reality. Because the Davis boy wanted to make a career out of doing what he loved, he practiced every day until he made his high school varsity team as a freshman before achieving what his parents always thought was impossible, playing football at his dream school.

After changing into a pair of sweats and a new t-shirt, the brunette boy met up with his best friend, Sebastian, before the two of them hopped into the latter's car and made their way towards the nearest hiking trail. The pair knew that most of their team would either be going home to shower and nap or going out to get something to eat after their intense practice; however, they also knew that if they wanted to play past college, then they had to put in extra work. Throughout their drive, the boy behind the wheel sang at the top of his lungs to some song that Matt never heard before while the latter looked out the window at the passing scenery. There was something about the world around him that piqued his interest more than most people. Like he had a better connection to the ground beneath his feet than anyone else in the world.

When they finally arrived at their destination, Matt and Sebastian jumped out of the latter's car before tossing a few water bottles into their bags and beginning their journey toward the mountain trails. The two walked up the dirt path with smiles on their faces as they talked about anything that came to their minds, mainly what they wanted to do after they graduated from college in a few years.

"Wanna race?" Matt asked with a mischievous look in his eyes when the duo reached the flattest part of the trail.

"Do you even have to ask?" Sebastian responded before tightening the straps on his backpack so it wouldn't fall off.

After the pair shared another smile, they counted in sync before hitting zero then sprinted across the dirt under their feet. The pair were neck and neck for most of their journey until Sebastian took off in front of Matt during the last stretch and came up victorious. The brunette boy let out a laugh at the sight of his best friend's victory dance before Matt's happiness slowly faded and was replaced with a strange feeling in his gut.

Not a moment after his sudden mood change did the world around him come crashing down. The ground beneath his feet started to shake before the sound of rocks smashing against each other met Matt's ears. While Sebastian continued to stand in his place as still as a statue, his brunette friend slowly looked up towards the top of the mountain to see a river of rocks speeding towards them. Matt just stared at the oncoming boulders for a long moment while silently praying for some miracle to stop the threat and save the duo, but there was no visible possibility of slowing down.

Matt's instincts took over before he could fully comprehend the situation as she sprinted towards the raven-haired boy standing a few yards ahead of him. As soon as he reached Sebastian, the blue-eyed boy tackled him to the ground before using his body as a human shield for his best friend. The two boys kept eye contact as the first rock landed on top of them, then the next, and the next until they were completely covered by massive stones. Matt's arms trembled with the weight of an unknown amount of boulders on top of them but they never gave out, making the pair of boys' fear transform into confusion as they continued to stare at one another.

How are we still alive? Matt thought to himself while his breathing quickened before a million more thoughts swam through his head.

The brunette boy's brain suddenly went on autopilot as it imagined all the mounds of rocks that kept the football players returning to where they came from. As soon as he finished playing the scene out in his head, Matt felt the weight on his back lessen until it was completely gone, causing the boy in question to share another confused look with Sebastian before he got off his friend. After helping the brown-eyed boy to his feet, the duo turned their attention in the direction the landslide originated from to see the boulders rolling back up the mountain before reattaching to its surface.

"How did you do that?" Sebastian questioned while keeping his planet-sized eyes glued to the tall cliff in front of him.

"Honestly...I have no idea," Matt responded with a somewhat shaky voice as the events that just happened replayed in his head before trying to brush it off as he turned his gaze towards the raven-haired boy at his side, "we should probably head back down before something else happens."

After receiving a small nod from his friend, the two boys rushed down the trail and back towards the car faster than ever before. Along the way, neither of them spoke a word while they tried to comprehend how they actually survived that. He had too many questions to count swimming through his head that he knew he wouldn't be able to answer himself so he quickly brushed them off and instead decided to think about what he would be having for dinner. Unfortunately for Matt, his questions were going to be answered a lot sooner than he thought.

As soon as the football players made it back to Sebastian's car, they instantly came to a stop at the sight of the white-haired woman standing right in front of the vehicle. The three of them just stared at each other for a long moment before the woman began to make their way over to them and stopped a few feet away.

"Matthew Davis?" she asked, causing his whole body to stiffen and his blood to run cold as he studied her unnatural hair color.

"It's Matt."

"My apologies," she responded with a sincere tone in her voice before her eyes locked with the boy in question, making him shutter a bit, "my name is Umi Zerrin and I am the Seer and Protector of the Chosen Ones. I have come to inform you that the Spirits have chosen you to obtain the ability to control earth."

"What are you talking about?" the brunette boy questioned before exchanging another confused look with his best friend then his gaze landed on Umi once again.

"In simple terms, you can control all minerals around you."

"And why should I believe you?"

Silence surrounded them once again before the white-haired woman walked closer to Matt if that was even possible. Before the boy could protest her close proximity, Umi placed her hand on his temples, causing the world around him to plunge into darkness.

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When the world became visible again, Matt didn't find himself in the parking lot of the hiking trail but instead standing in a line with four other people across from a man with hair as dark as the night and eyes that were unnaturally bright blue. The brunette boy's feet hit the ground without having to be told before the earth beneath his feet broke apart in front of his eyes. He then lifted his arms into the air to form rock walls to protect his team. Once he knew his team was safe, he created boulders out of the minerals in the ground before shooting them toward the figure and his army. After a moment of watching himself control the earth he was standing on, the scene around him began to fade before the world plunged into darkness once again.

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Once his head stopped spinning and a bit of light was shining through his eyelids, Matt slowly opened his eyes to find Sebastian staring down at him with concern in his eyes. The boys just stared at each other for a long moment before a wave of realization washed over the brunette boy as he shot back up into a sitting position. When his attention landed back on the white-haired woman, Matt found Umi studying him with a somewhat amused expression on her face before she opened her mouth to speak.

"Do you believe me now?"

"Would you believe me if I said no?"

"Then come with me."

Before Matt even had a chance to take a step toward Umi, Sebastian grabbed him by the wrist and yanked him back a few feet. The brunette boy watched as his best friend glanced between him and the white-haired woman a few times before he finally opened his mouth to cut through the somewhat awkward silence.

"Seers? Spirits? Chosen Ones? Are you seriously considering going with this crazy lady?" the raven-haired boy questioned while his grip tightened around Matt's wrist. When he didn't receive any form of verbal answer from the brunette boy, Sebastian let out an irritated sigh and slowly released his grasp on the Davis boy's wrist. "Just be careful Matty. You have no idea who she is."

After sending the boy in front of him a small nod in response, Matt watched as his best friend glanced one last time in Umi's direction before making his way back to his car. Once the raven-haired boy was out of sight, the boy sent his parents a quick text telling them he was going out with friends before turning his attention back towards the woman to find her making her way towards a red jeep parked in the distance.

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After traveling in the backseat of the vehicle for a couple of hours in silence, the blonde girl in the driver's seat who had yet to introduce herself pulled up towards a mountain before pressing a button on her dash. They waited around for a long moment and when nothing happened, Matt started to think she should have listened to Sebastian. Just as he was about to open his mouth to speak, a part of the mountain began to open and reveal a garage. His mouth hung open as his eyes scanned over the new discovery before the girl pulled in and parked her Jeep.

The blonde girl finally turned around to face the brunette boy to study him for a moment then a small smile formed on her face. Shock filled every inch of his body when she held her hand out towards him before he hesitantly wrapped his around it and shook it.

"I'm Lauren, by the way. It's nice to meet you, Matt."

Lauren didn't give him a chance to respond before she opened the door and jumped out then made her way inside the mountain. Matt still didn't move as he tried to process everything that was happening until he was snapped out of his daze by Umi exiting the vehicle. The Davis boy rushed to follow after her into the inner part of the mountain and through the halls towards an unknown destination. When they finally came to a stop, the boy found himself standing in the middle of what seemed like a large training room. It took him a minute of looking around the large room before he noticed Lauren and two other girls standing across from him with expressionless looks on their faces.

"This is Kayleah and Gemma," Umi told him as she gestured to the two girls he hadn't met yet before his eyes landed on the smiling blonde girl, "you already met Lauren."

"Who's this?" the curly-haired girl asked as she quirked an eyebrow and studied the boy in front of her.

"What's his power?" the raven-haired added while copying her teammate's gesture without even realizing it.

"I'm Matt," the boy greeted with a small wave while trying not to look awkward in front of the three girls, "I control...earth."

"He will be very strong when he is fully trained," Umi told them then the brunette boy noticed Lauren staring back at him with a small smirk on her face at the same time Kayleah and Gemma exchanged a look before the white-haired woman continued speaking, "Lauren will be the leader of the Chosen Ones, so you must listen to her during battles and when I'm not here to train you."

A small scoff passed over Matt's lips as he looked over at Lauren without thinking to find the smirk still plastered on her face. The two of them just stared at each other before all three of the girls began to walk further into the training room. The brunette boy jumped higher than he would've liked when a large pool of water appeared in the center of the room. His eyes stayed glued to the small lake before he glanced over at Umi to find her hand on a large blue button on the wall.

After studying the woman for a short moment, the Davis boy turned his attention back to the blonde girl to find her stepping on the water. She was literally walking on the water. It took a moment for the boy to process the girl performing the impossible before dummies appeared out of nowhere. Lauren didn't hesitate to use a water whip to take them out then she made a huge wave the size of a two-story house appear. After she finished her show, the blonde girl joined the group with a kind smile on her face.

"I can see you are great at what you do. I can't wait to learn from you," Matt told her as he returned the grin after Lauren sent him a small nod.

Umi let them get acquainted with each other a bit more before she pressed more of the buttons on the wall, making the room split into four sections containing a pool of water, a small forest, a huge pile of snow, and a mountain of rocks. Matt watched in awe as the three girls casually began to use their abilities without a second thought, causing the boy to let out a sigh before he walked over to the mountain of rocks. He stood there for a moment before placing his hands on the boulders, which made them move around without him having to tell them to.

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