✾✾✾

Chapter 5
The Ruined Barbecue

✾✾✾

Sitting in her backyard in Austin, Texas was a redheaded girl who was currently working on her college essay. Her fingers flew across her keyboard as she listened to her parents' laughter while the smell of the steaks cooking greeted her. That was one of the last assignments the girl needed to complete and pass before she earned enough credits to transfer universities. The only member of her small family who correctly wasn't with them was her little brother, who was currently in his room watching a movie. Unlike his older sister, Mason hated the outdoors and would much rather spend his time playing video games or catching up on movies and shows. Despite their differences, the siblings were the best of friends, which was why the youngest of the four-person family was upset about his sister wanting to move away.

Marie Celeste loved her family and her home more than anything in the world, but after living in the same place all her life, she was ready for a change. She put all of her time and energy into her studies and even graduated high school early in order to get enough experience to get into a school in California. Even though they wanted nothing more than Marie to stay local, her family supported her decision and helped her in every way they could.

Right as she finished one of the last paragraphs of her assignment, Marie let out a long sigh and looked up at the sky. Her eyes scanned over the dark gray clouds that loomed over them before chills ran up and down her spine. Tornadoes had been popping up every other day, which was a lot more than usual. The Celeste girl just hoped that day would be different.

"Mason! Come down here!" her mother shouted, causing Marie to look away from the dull sky and over at the woman who had the same firey hair as her daughter.

"Just a second!" the youngest Celeste yelled from the open window on the second story, "I'm watching the Avengers!"

"You have two minutes to come down or I'm coming up!"

Marie did her best to suppress an eye roll and hold back her laughter as she watched her mother glare up at her brother's window. After making sure her work was saved, the redheaded girl closed her laptop and made her way toward her father to help him light the barbecue. It wasn't long after they got the flame started when the familiar alarm of the tornado warning began. Her mother's shouts at her brother filled the air once again as Marie helped her father put out the flames of the grill before securing the top shut.

Once she finished helping her father, the redheaded girl raced across the yard to help her mother get their tornado bunker open. The two women pulled on the doors with all their might until they slammed against the grass at their feet, almost blocking out the loud crash that came from the house. Marie and her parents instantly turned towards their small home when Mason's cries for help filled the air. However, before the Celeste girl could make a move to help her brother, her father grabbed her wrist and held her back.

"Don't you dare," her father warned then slightly pushed her towards her mother, "I'll go."

Right as the Celeste man started walking towards the house, Marie sprinted past him and inside the small building, ignoring her parents screaming her name as she went. It didn't take long for the redheaded girl to find her brother cradling his ankle with both of his hands. Marie didn't hesitate to force Mason to his feet then managed to get him on her back. Once she had a good grip around his legs, the redheaded girl raced out of their house and towards their tornado shelter.

Marie struggled against the strong winds that came out of nowhere as she ran across the grass to where her parents were waiting for them. Her heavy breathing was barely heard over the blustering wind as Mason slid off his sister's back and started limping into the shelter. A smile formed on the Celeste girl's face as she began to walk into the shelter, only for it to fade when she felt herself getting pulled backward. Panic coursed through her veins before she glanced back to find the tornado just on the other side of their house.

Despite her struggles, Marie continued to get pulled toward the storm. Her family's shouting was barely heard as she lost her footing and fell onto the grass before she felt herself moving faster towards the deadly tornado. It wasn't long after that when her body left the ground completely and she began to soar through the air. The terror within Marie continued to grow as she closed her eyes and waited for her nightmare to end.

But the end never came.

The wind continued to swirl around her body as curiosity flowed through her veins. Marie stayed as still as a statue for a moment longer before she slowly opened her eyes and let out a small gasp. If it wasn't for the wind hitting her face and the slight pain in her right ankle, the Celeste girl wouldn't believe what was happening. She was high up in the air with the tornado swirling a few yards away from her but she wasn't moving closer. Marie was just floating in the air like she was in control of the breeze around her.

Without thinking, Marie held her hands straight out in front of her in the direction of the twister. Almost immediately after she did this, the tornado and the storm that caused it vanished. It was as if it never happened. The redheaded girl's eyes stayed glued to where the swirling wind once was before she looked down to find her whole family staring up at her.

"You're like a superhero!" Mason exclaimed as he watched his sister slowly descend before landing a few feet away from him and his parents, "how did you do that?!"

"I have no clue," Marie responded then she looked down at her hands as if they grew extra fingers in a matter of seconds.

"Marie Celeste?" a new voice said, causing the girl in question to turn around to find a white-haired woman standing on the other side of the yard. Marie just stared at the stranger with confusion in her eyes as the latter walked across the yard and stopped a few feet away from the Celeste family. "My name is Umi Zerrin. 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 air."

"How is that even possible?" Marie questioned without even trying to hide the disbelief in her voice.

"Let me show you the new capabilities you have attained."

The Celeste girl hesitated for a long moment before glancing back at her family. The four of them just stared at each other until both her parents sent her encouraging smiles while her brother gave her a thumbs up. After turning her attention back to Umi, Marie let out a long sigh before slowly walking toward the white-haired woman. Right as the redheaded girl stopped in front of the Seer, Umi placed her hand on Marie's head, causing the world around her to vanish into darkness.

✾✾✾

When the world around her became clear, Marie was no longer in her backyard. Panic coursed through her veins while she looked around at the four people who surrounded her as they stood in front of a sea of darkness. The next thing she knew, she was flying high into the air above her allies and her enemy. She just watched the shadows approach her and her team before she used her hands to create a tornado almost as big as the one that almost destroyed her home. Marie just watched as her giant creation flew across the field and captured the oncoming enemy. When her twister disappeared into thin air, she sent another strong gust of wind that pushed back the shadow that was three times the size of the rest. It wasn't long after that when the world slipped into darkness once again.

✾✾✾

When Marie finally opened her eyes, she was blinded by the bright light of the world around her. It took a few moments for her vision to adjust to the light before she was greeted by her family staring down at her with concern in their eyes. The Celeste girl sent them a reassuring smile and let them help her to her feet before she turned to face an expressionless Umi once again.

"Do you believe me now?"

"You also could've just pointed out that I was flying," Marie replied before she crossed her arms over her chest and quirked an eyebrow at the white-haired woman, "that would've convinced me without giving me a headache."

The Celeste girl caught a hint of amusement flash across Umi's features before it vanished as quickly as it came. Instead of giving in to her emotions, the white-haired woman let out a long sigh and gestured in the direction of an old rental car in the distance. "Come with me. We're going to need your help to stop what you saw in your vision."

Marie just stared at the older woman for a long moment then turned to look back at her family without thinking. After studying each of her relatives' faces, the redheaded girl moved her attention back to Umi. "I can't go with you."

"Yes you can," her father told her, causing the stunned Marie to turn and face him, only to find him and the rest of her family returned smiling back at her, "go be a hero."

✾✾✾

Marie was silent throughout their entire plane ride and their drive towards the place Umi was taking her. About an hour passed since they left the airport before they finally reached a tall mountain surrounded by a forest of trees. Confusion flowed through the Celeste girl's veins when the white-haired woman next to her came to a stop in front of the large landmark. However, before the girl had a chance to question Umi's actions, the latter pressed a button on the dashboard of the red Jeep they were now in. Not even a second passed before a large door opened, revealing numerous vehicles sitting in an open space.

The redheaded girl just sat in the car and took everything in until her daze was broken by Umi getting out of the car. It wasn't long before Marie rushed to get out and followed the woman further into the mountain. As they walked through the halls of the hidden building, the Celeste girl couldn't help but wonder if the people from her vision were there. Her questions were soon answered after she followed the white-haired woman through another large door.

As soon as they entered the new room, Marie's attention instantly landed on a girl surrounded by lightning. The redheaded girl just stared at the scene in front of her before her eyes fell on a boy lifting boulders the size of cars into the air.

"Chosen," Umi called out, causing everyone's attention to land on her before a small smile formed on her face, "come meet your new teammate."

The boy's arms soon fell to his sides, making the rocks fall to the floor at the same moment the lightning vanished. As the pair started walking toward Marie, two more girls appeared from around the corner to join them. When they were all standing in front of their newest teammate, they went around and introduced themselves with smiles on their faces. It wasn't long before their greetings were finished then all eyes landed back on the Celeste girl.

"This is Marie," Umi told the group of four while they continued to study the redhead in front of them, "she has the ability to bend the air around her."

"I can also fly," Marie added with a hint of excitement in her voice.

The Celeste girl watched Lauren's smile instantly grow while Kayleah and Gemma exchanged excited glances. A somewhat comfortable stillness surrounded them before it was broken by the boy was practically silent the entire time.

"Awesome!" Matt exclaimed, catching three of the four girls by surprise before he gestured over at the blonde girl beside him, "Lauren's the leader of our team. She'll help you train so you to master your power."

A confused look replaced the smile on Marie's face after she took in the Davis boy's words. It wasn't long after that when the Celeste girl's attention fell on Lauren once again. "How can you help me train if I'm the only one with this power?"

"She will not train any of you when it comes to your abilities. She will just help you control it," Umi answered for the Taylor girl after taking a step forward to stand in front of the group, "we cannot have your powers be a danger to the world when you were given them to save it. Which is why you need to go practice."

"Umi," Lauren said, drawing everyone's attention towards the blonde girl to find her staring at the white-haired woman with a hint of concern in her eyes, "can I talk to you?"

The only response the Zarrin woman gave was a small nod before she gestured for the other four to go onto the training grounds. Despite wanting nothing more than to stay and listen to their conversation, Marie followed Kayleah, Gemma, and Matt into the large room. It wasn't long before the Celeste girl found herself in a wide-open area as she practiced making the wind move around her.

As soon as her teammates were preoccupied, Lauren's attention fell on the one area of the room that was left unattended. Flames danced around in their designated areas, just waiting for someone to use them to practice their newly discovered abilities.

"You said the next one chosen was going to have the ability of fire," the Taylor girl stated before turning her full attention towards Umi, "why haven't we found them yet?"

"For the first time in a long time, I do not have an answer for you," the white-haired woman responded then the two of them cast their gazes towards the four training to master their new abilities, "I just hope to find them before it's too late."

✾✾✾