Post by Principal Sash on Dec 6, 2013 13:48:57 GMT -6
Chapter 13: The Four Elements
Delilah had the good sense not to start bugging me until the next day. The dance hadn’t turned out how I thought it would. I enjoyed it, but I think it left me worse off than ever. I think it was easier when I thought that he hated me.
I was in the kitchen eating lunch with Alice when she came. I looked up from the table when Delilah skipped in. I shot her a warning glance, but I knew nothing was going to stop what was coming.
“So, Alice, did your sister tell you anything about the dance last night?” Delilah asked casually. I narrowed my eyes at her.
“No,” Alice said glumly. “She won’t crack.” A smirk suddenly spread across her face. “Something good must have happened.” I let my head fall into my arms. I groaned.
“Oh, it did,” Delilah said reassuringly.
I stood up abruptly. “Delilah, no.” I said firmly. She frowned. “Alice doesn’t need to know what happened.”
“Yes, I do!” Alice objected, starting to stand up. I shot her a glare and she immediately sat back down.
I swung back to face Delilah. “If you want to talk, talk to me outside,” I said through my teeth. She looked bewildered as I walked around the table and headed outside. I turned to face her once she was out as well. I took in a deep breath to calm myself. I didn’t know what she was going to say, so I didn’t have a reason to be angry yet. “Ok,” I said slowly. “Talk.”
Delilah grinned, her face immediately brightening up. I was doomed. “I told you the dance would be great, didn’t I?” she said excitedly. “You and Gary are so cute together. I know half the time it looked like you wanted to kill him, but the other half…” she cut her self off and sighed dreamily.
“Alright, listen,” I said. “Gary is not my friend or anything more. Anything you saw last night was a one-time thing. Just pretend it didn’t happen. It doesn’t matter.”
Delilah frowned slightly. “But-” she began to protest, but I cut her off.
“It was his decision, not mine.”
“Oh,” Delilah said. I could hear the disappointment in her voice. She spoke softly this time. “It just seems that he likes you.”
I sucked in a breath. Yes, it did. And that made everything so much harder. “Maybe,” I agreed reluctantly.
“And you like him…” Delilah ventured.
That did it. “That doesn’t matter!” I snapped. “None of it matters. Nothing is going to happen between me and Gary, so you can just forget about playing matchmaker and focus on your training like we both should be!” I crossed my arms and turned away from her angrily. I knew I shouldn’t be mad at her, but it was hard not to be.
“What are you going to do about Ash, then?” Delilah asked, unphased.
I spun around to face her. “Don’t you even talk to me about Ash!” As if I didn’t have enough to think about. How did I get into this mess?
“What about Ash?” a different voice said quietly.
I turned to see Misty standing there. “Hello Misty,” Delilah said, suddenly beaming. I took a deep breath and put on a fake smile.
“Never mind,” I said. “It doesn’t matter.”
Misty blinked. “Oh. Well, can I talk to you for a minute, Rose?”
I was surprised by this request, but I nodded. “Sure thing.” I let her lead me away from my house. I was glad for the chance to get away from Delilah and her probing questions. But I wondered what Misty could want. I had never talked to her one-on-one before.
When we were a good distance away from the house, Misty stopped and turned to face me. “I actually wanted to talk to you about Ash,” she said awkwardly.
I immediately put my guard up. “Ok…” I said slowly and cautiously.
“He likes you,” she said bluntly.
I blinked and then shrugged. I didn’t expect anything else. “I figured that.”
“And you don’t like him,” Misty concluded. My eyes widened in surprise. She smiled slightly. “I saw you at the dance. I’m not blind,” I bit my lip. “And I talked to Delilah.” I shot her a look. “Sorry, I was curious.”
I narrowed my eyes at her, suddenly suspicious. “Are you sure that’s all it was?”
Misty took a step back. “W-what do you mean?” She was obviously taken back by my question.
A smirk slowly spread across my face. I had a hunch. “Nothing,” I said innocently. “I was just thinking… You don’t like Ash, do you?”
“No!” Misty said quickly. A little too quickly in my opinion. “Why would you think that?”
My smirk widened. “I’m not blind,” I said, repeating her words.
Misty folded her arms and stared at me angrily. “That’s not important. What I wanted to know was is if you are planning on telling him you’re not interested.”
I frowned as the conversation turned back to me. “I’m not going to go up and tell him,” I said. “I don’t want to make anything awkward if I don’t have to. If he decides to tell me himself, then I’ll let him down gently.”
Misty nodded. “Ok, good. That’s all I wanted to know.”
I couldn’t help but add, “And you’ll be free to ask him out yourself.”
Misty glared at me. “Rose!”
I grinned. “Sorry.” I couldn’t blame Delilah anymore. This was fun! “I’ll see you later then,” I said with a chuckle. Misty nodded, and we departed.
I wasn’t sure where I was headed. I just kept walking. I was confused when I stopped and knocked on a door. I grimaced when I realized I was at Professor Oak’s lab. Why did my subconscious bring me here?
I didn’t have time to think about it. The next minute the door opened. “Hello Rose,” Professor Oak said in surprise. “I’m sorry, but Gary isn’t here right now.”
I narrowed my eyes slightly at the jump to conclusions. “No, I, uh, wanted to talk to you,” I said lamely. I started racking my brain for ideas. I knew there was something I had been wanted to ask him.
“Oh. Come on in.” I continued thinking as I walked inside. “Tea?” I nodded and sat down at the kitchen table. That’s when it clicked. I knew what I would talk about.
Professor Oak sat down across from me after setting water to boil. He folded his hands and looked at me curiously. “Now, what did you want to talk about?”
“Yin and yang,” I replied. He looked startled by the mention of the subject. “Gary told me about it once.” I thought back to the night in the cave. I couldn’t remember the parts I should be remembering right now. “He said you gave him that pendant.”
Professor Oak nodded. “Yes, I did. What more do you want to know?”
This was the awkward part. I had to struggle to put my thoughts into words. “The part about people,” I began slowly. “He said something about everyone having someone that they’re meant to be with. Like…” I searched for the right words. “Opposites attract?”
Professor Oak nodded again. “I know what you’re talking about.” I smiled in relief, relaxing a bit. A whistling sound was heard, signifying that the water was boiling. The professor got up and went to the table. He continued talking to me with his back turned towards me. “It’s not as simple as people who are yin and yang coming together. There can be a yin and a yang that aren’t really opposites, but would still work out. There are really two yins and two yangs. Not all the yins work with all the yangs.” At this point he turned and walked back to the table, holding two mugs. “Are you getting this so far?”
I sweat dropped. “Not really,” I admitted. “You kind of lost me.”
Professor Oak chuckled as he sat back down and handed me a mug. “I’ve got a better way to describe it. Do you know what the four elements are?”
I blinked. “Elements? You mean like fire and water?”
He nodded curtly. “Yes. Fire, water, earth and air. Each person can be categorized by one of these elements. A person who is fire is full of passion and emotion. They are very exciting and outgoing. They are natural born leaders who can be a bit controlling. One of their major weaknesses is their temper. They find it hard not to lash out at people when they’re angry. They’re not quick to forgive and can hold grudges for a long time.”
I nodded. I didn’t say anything, but I thought this was a fair description of me. I waited to hear about the rest.
“Someone who associates with water is exactly the opposite,” Professor Oak went on. “They are very easygoing people. They don’t sweat the small stuff and can remain calm in even the most stressful situations. You can’t easily bring them down. They’re excellent at controlling their emotions, unlike the fire element. At their worst, they’re lazy and unmotivated. At their best, they’re able to bring people together through compromise.
“The last two elements, earth and air, are also opposites. People who are earth are planners and strategists. They are realistic and very logical. They, too, are able to remain calm and think through everything before making a decision. Their weakness is that, like the fire, they often overlook people’s feelings in favor of reason.
“That brings us to the last element: air. These people don’t like arguments and will go to great lengths to avoid confrontation. They prefer to focus on having fun and living life to the fullest. They are very easygoing, like water. It’s very easy to please them. They’re helpful and optimistic. Generally, they’re very happy people.”
I nodded. So, those were the elements. My brain worked overtime as it tried to process all of this information.
“Now, which element do you think you are?” Professor Oak asked calmly.
“Well,” I began hesitantly. I had aspects of every one of them, but I founding myself having more in the ‘fire’ category.
“Of course, no one is ever just one,” Professor Oak said quickly. “We’re all unique and different. We’re a mix of a few. But there’s always a dominant element.”
I nodded again. That made sense. “I think I’m fire,” I finally said.
“I think so, too,” the professor agreed. “I believe your friend Ash is also of this type. Delilah, I would say, is air.”
“What are you?” I asked curiously.
“Earth,” he replied with a hint of a smile. “And I think Gary is water.”
I blinked in surprise. “Really?” that thought hadn’t occurred to me.
Professor Oak nodded. “Yes, think back.”
I zoomed through my memories to try and see what he meant. I gasped when I realized he was right. Gary was always calm, cool, and collected when he talked to me. I was the one who always freaked out. I had only seen him caught off guard maybe once.
“You see?” Professor Oak said, snapping me back to reality.
“Wait,” I said, finding my voice again. “So, Delilah is going to marry someone like you and I’m going to end up with someone like Gary?” My heart quickened its pace.
“Someone like him, yes, that’s a possibility,” Professor Oak said. I scowled at the hidden meaning of his words. “In theory fire and water go together and earth and air go together. But in reality, this doesn’t always happen. It’s very possible for fire and earth or a combination like that to work out. It’s rare, and very hard, for people of the same element to work out, especially two fires.”
I nodded. So, that’s what Gary was talking about last night. He must know a lot about the elements. I suddenly began to doubt his intentions. Did he just like me because our elements were compatible?
“I’m not just talking about romantic issues either,” Professor Oak went on. “This works just as well with friendships. Even if love isn’t a factor, having a friendship with someone of the opposite element is a very rewarding experiences. You always gain the most out of those friendships.”
He looked at me critically now. I had to glance away. “That’s why I always thought it was great when you and Gary hung out,” he said. “I seriously urge you to consider opening up your friendship again.”
I sighed. Didn’t everyone? “It’s not that easy,” I tried to explain. “It’s him. He doesn’t want to.”
Professor Oak considered me for a second. He finally nodded. “Just keep that in mind.”
“Grandpa?” a voice in another room said.
“Well, there Gary is now,” Professor oak said. I gritted my teeth.
“Where you talking about me?” Gary was leaning against the doorframe, smirking.
I rolled my eyes. “No,” I responded before Professor Oak could say anything. “Not that it’s any of your business.” I stood up. “Thanks for the tea.” I smiled at the professor before looking up at Gary. I tried to read his face. He looked indifferent.
“What were you doing here, Rosie?” Gary asked casually as I headed towards him. He smirked again. “Looking for me.”
I scowled. “I said it’s none of your business.” I looked back at Professor Oak, who raised his eyebrows at me. I glanced at Gary, suddenly getting an idea. “You know, I had this crazy dream last night,” I began.
Gary smirked again. “Was it about me?”
“Actually, it was,” I said. “Delilah forced me to go to the dance. And then-” I forced a laugh. Gary was looking at me oddly at this point. “And then I danced with you the whole night. Crazy, huh? Like that could ever happen.” I smirked.
Gary narrowed his eyes at me. “Get out,” he growled.
“It’d be my pleasure,” I said with an innocent smile. I strutted past him and walked towards the door. Once I was outside, I let out a sigh of relief. I had learned two things: last night wasn’t a dream; and Gary did like me.
Delilah had the good sense not to start bugging me until the next day. The dance hadn’t turned out how I thought it would. I enjoyed it, but I think it left me worse off than ever. I think it was easier when I thought that he hated me.
I was in the kitchen eating lunch with Alice when she came. I looked up from the table when Delilah skipped in. I shot her a warning glance, but I knew nothing was going to stop what was coming.
“So, Alice, did your sister tell you anything about the dance last night?” Delilah asked casually. I narrowed my eyes at her.
“No,” Alice said glumly. “She won’t crack.” A smirk suddenly spread across her face. “Something good must have happened.” I let my head fall into my arms. I groaned.
“Oh, it did,” Delilah said reassuringly.
I stood up abruptly. “Delilah, no.” I said firmly. She frowned. “Alice doesn’t need to know what happened.”
“Yes, I do!” Alice objected, starting to stand up. I shot her a glare and she immediately sat back down.
I swung back to face Delilah. “If you want to talk, talk to me outside,” I said through my teeth. She looked bewildered as I walked around the table and headed outside. I turned to face her once she was out as well. I took in a deep breath to calm myself. I didn’t know what she was going to say, so I didn’t have a reason to be angry yet. “Ok,” I said slowly. “Talk.”
Delilah grinned, her face immediately brightening up. I was doomed. “I told you the dance would be great, didn’t I?” she said excitedly. “You and Gary are so cute together. I know half the time it looked like you wanted to kill him, but the other half…” she cut her self off and sighed dreamily.
“Alright, listen,” I said. “Gary is not my friend or anything more. Anything you saw last night was a one-time thing. Just pretend it didn’t happen. It doesn’t matter.”
Delilah frowned slightly. “But-” she began to protest, but I cut her off.
“It was his decision, not mine.”
“Oh,” Delilah said. I could hear the disappointment in her voice. She spoke softly this time. “It just seems that he likes you.”
I sucked in a breath. Yes, it did. And that made everything so much harder. “Maybe,” I agreed reluctantly.
“And you like him…” Delilah ventured.
That did it. “That doesn’t matter!” I snapped. “None of it matters. Nothing is going to happen between me and Gary, so you can just forget about playing matchmaker and focus on your training like we both should be!” I crossed my arms and turned away from her angrily. I knew I shouldn’t be mad at her, but it was hard not to be.
“What are you going to do about Ash, then?” Delilah asked, unphased.
I spun around to face her. “Don’t you even talk to me about Ash!” As if I didn’t have enough to think about. How did I get into this mess?
“What about Ash?” a different voice said quietly.
I turned to see Misty standing there. “Hello Misty,” Delilah said, suddenly beaming. I took a deep breath and put on a fake smile.
“Never mind,” I said. “It doesn’t matter.”
Misty blinked. “Oh. Well, can I talk to you for a minute, Rose?”
I was surprised by this request, but I nodded. “Sure thing.” I let her lead me away from my house. I was glad for the chance to get away from Delilah and her probing questions. But I wondered what Misty could want. I had never talked to her one-on-one before.
When we were a good distance away from the house, Misty stopped and turned to face me. “I actually wanted to talk to you about Ash,” she said awkwardly.
I immediately put my guard up. “Ok…” I said slowly and cautiously.
“He likes you,” she said bluntly.
I blinked and then shrugged. I didn’t expect anything else. “I figured that.”
“And you don’t like him,” Misty concluded. My eyes widened in surprise. She smiled slightly. “I saw you at the dance. I’m not blind,” I bit my lip. “And I talked to Delilah.” I shot her a look. “Sorry, I was curious.”
I narrowed my eyes at her, suddenly suspicious. “Are you sure that’s all it was?”
Misty took a step back. “W-what do you mean?” She was obviously taken back by my question.
A smirk slowly spread across my face. I had a hunch. “Nothing,” I said innocently. “I was just thinking… You don’t like Ash, do you?”
“No!” Misty said quickly. A little too quickly in my opinion. “Why would you think that?”
My smirk widened. “I’m not blind,” I said, repeating her words.
Misty folded her arms and stared at me angrily. “That’s not important. What I wanted to know was is if you are planning on telling him you’re not interested.”
I frowned as the conversation turned back to me. “I’m not going to go up and tell him,” I said. “I don’t want to make anything awkward if I don’t have to. If he decides to tell me himself, then I’ll let him down gently.”
Misty nodded. “Ok, good. That’s all I wanted to know.”
I couldn’t help but add, “And you’ll be free to ask him out yourself.”
Misty glared at me. “Rose!”
I grinned. “Sorry.” I couldn’t blame Delilah anymore. This was fun! “I’ll see you later then,” I said with a chuckle. Misty nodded, and we departed.
I wasn’t sure where I was headed. I just kept walking. I was confused when I stopped and knocked on a door. I grimaced when I realized I was at Professor Oak’s lab. Why did my subconscious bring me here?
I didn’t have time to think about it. The next minute the door opened. “Hello Rose,” Professor Oak said in surprise. “I’m sorry, but Gary isn’t here right now.”
I narrowed my eyes slightly at the jump to conclusions. “No, I, uh, wanted to talk to you,” I said lamely. I started racking my brain for ideas. I knew there was something I had been wanted to ask him.
“Oh. Come on in.” I continued thinking as I walked inside. “Tea?” I nodded and sat down at the kitchen table. That’s when it clicked. I knew what I would talk about.
Professor Oak sat down across from me after setting water to boil. He folded his hands and looked at me curiously. “Now, what did you want to talk about?”
“Yin and yang,” I replied. He looked startled by the mention of the subject. “Gary told me about it once.” I thought back to the night in the cave. I couldn’t remember the parts I should be remembering right now. “He said you gave him that pendant.”
Professor Oak nodded. “Yes, I did. What more do you want to know?”
This was the awkward part. I had to struggle to put my thoughts into words. “The part about people,” I began slowly. “He said something about everyone having someone that they’re meant to be with. Like…” I searched for the right words. “Opposites attract?”
Professor Oak nodded again. “I know what you’re talking about.” I smiled in relief, relaxing a bit. A whistling sound was heard, signifying that the water was boiling. The professor got up and went to the table. He continued talking to me with his back turned towards me. “It’s not as simple as people who are yin and yang coming together. There can be a yin and a yang that aren’t really opposites, but would still work out. There are really two yins and two yangs. Not all the yins work with all the yangs.” At this point he turned and walked back to the table, holding two mugs. “Are you getting this so far?”
I sweat dropped. “Not really,” I admitted. “You kind of lost me.”
Professor Oak chuckled as he sat back down and handed me a mug. “I’ve got a better way to describe it. Do you know what the four elements are?”
I blinked. “Elements? You mean like fire and water?”
He nodded curtly. “Yes. Fire, water, earth and air. Each person can be categorized by one of these elements. A person who is fire is full of passion and emotion. They are very exciting and outgoing. They are natural born leaders who can be a bit controlling. One of their major weaknesses is their temper. They find it hard not to lash out at people when they’re angry. They’re not quick to forgive and can hold grudges for a long time.”
I nodded. I didn’t say anything, but I thought this was a fair description of me. I waited to hear about the rest.
“Someone who associates with water is exactly the opposite,” Professor Oak went on. “They are very easygoing people. They don’t sweat the small stuff and can remain calm in even the most stressful situations. You can’t easily bring them down. They’re excellent at controlling their emotions, unlike the fire element. At their worst, they’re lazy and unmotivated. At their best, they’re able to bring people together through compromise.
“The last two elements, earth and air, are also opposites. People who are earth are planners and strategists. They are realistic and very logical. They, too, are able to remain calm and think through everything before making a decision. Their weakness is that, like the fire, they often overlook people’s feelings in favor of reason.
“That brings us to the last element: air. These people don’t like arguments and will go to great lengths to avoid confrontation. They prefer to focus on having fun and living life to the fullest. They are very easygoing, like water. It’s very easy to please them. They’re helpful and optimistic. Generally, they’re very happy people.”
I nodded. So, those were the elements. My brain worked overtime as it tried to process all of this information.
“Now, which element do you think you are?” Professor Oak asked calmly.
“Well,” I began hesitantly. I had aspects of every one of them, but I founding myself having more in the ‘fire’ category.
“Of course, no one is ever just one,” Professor Oak said quickly. “We’re all unique and different. We’re a mix of a few. But there’s always a dominant element.”
I nodded again. That made sense. “I think I’m fire,” I finally said.
“I think so, too,” the professor agreed. “I believe your friend Ash is also of this type. Delilah, I would say, is air.”
“What are you?” I asked curiously.
“Earth,” he replied with a hint of a smile. “And I think Gary is water.”
I blinked in surprise. “Really?” that thought hadn’t occurred to me.
Professor Oak nodded. “Yes, think back.”
I zoomed through my memories to try and see what he meant. I gasped when I realized he was right. Gary was always calm, cool, and collected when he talked to me. I was the one who always freaked out. I had only seen him caught off guard maybe once.
“You see?” Professor Oak said, snapping me back to reality.
“Wait,” I said, finding my voice again. “So, Delilah is going to marry someone like you and I’m going to end up with someone like Gary?” My heart quickened its pace.
“Someone like him, yes, that’s a possibility,” Professor Oak said. I scowled at the hidden meaning of his words. “In theory fire and water go together and earth and air go together. But in reality, this doesn’t always happen. It’s very possible for fire and earth or a combination like that to work out. It’s rare, and very hard, for people of the same element to work out, especially two fires.”
I nodded. So, that’s what Gary was talking about last night. He must know a lot about the elements. I suddenly began to doubt his intentions. Did he just like me because our elements were compatible?
“I’m not just talking about romantic issues either,” Professor Oak went on. “This works just as well with friendships. Even if love isn’t a factor, having a friendship with someone of the opposite element is a very rewarding experiences. You always gain the most out of those friendships.”
He looked at me critically now. I had to glance away. “That’s why I always thought it was great when you and Gary hung out,” he said. “I seriously urge you to consider opening up your friendship again.”
I sighed. Didn’t everyone? “It’s not that easy,” I tried to explain. “It’s him. He doesn’t want to.”
Professor Oak considered me for a second. He finally nodded. “Just keep that in mind.”
“Grandpa?” a voice in another room said.
“Well, there Gary is now,” Professor oak said. I gritted my teeth.
“Where you talking about me?” Gary was leaning against the doorframe, smirking.
I rolled my eyes. “No,” I responded before Professor Oak could say anything. “Not that it’s any of your business.” I stood up. “Thanks for the tea.” I smiled at the professor before looking up at Gary. I tried to read his face. He looked indifferent.
“What were you doing here, Rosie?” Gary asked casually as I headed towards him. He smirked again. “Looking for me.”
I scowled. “I said it’s none of your business.” I looked back at Professor Oak, who raised his eyebrows at me. I glanced at Gary, suddenly getting an idea. “You know, I had this crazy dream last night,” I began.
Gary smirked again. “Was it about me?”
“Actually, it was,” I said. “Delilah forced me to go to the dance. And then-” I forced a laugh. Gary was looking at me oddly at this point. “And then I danced with you the whole night. Crazy, huh? Like that could ever happen.” I smirked.
Gary narrowed his eyes at me. “Get out,” he growled.
“It’d be my pleasure,” I said with an innocent smile. I strutted past him and walked towards the door. Once I was outside, I let out a sigh of relief. I had learned two things: last night wasn’t a dream; and Gary did like me.