LET THE EVIL GO EAST {JAKE}

[JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE]

Pale fingers traced the scar on his cheek, gray eyes narrowing in distaste. It was no scar of this war, but there might be others like it yet to come. Joshua exhaled quietly and scowled, turning away from his reflection in the window and working his jaw slightly. He did not belong here. The Earth dormitories were not where he felt within his element, punny as the phrase may be. He missed the sweltering heat and the solitude of his room in the Fire dormitories, he missed his books and his music and his laptop so that he could finish his work on time. But above all he missed the distance.

I never had to get involved before, he thought, and such a thought was bitter as it took hold in his brain. I never had to concern myself with any of this. His year as the god damned elemental leader had been less eventful. Inhale, exhale. Nice and slow. Unlike when he was in the Fire dormitories and no one really cared about the outbursts of heat that occurred when he started to become frustrated, the Earth students visibly recoiled and shot him wary looks. He opened his mouth, but an apology died on his lips and he closed it again. He couldn't interact as normally as everyone else. It was different for him, damn it. Very different.

He couldn't stay here right now. With one last forceful expulsion of breath from his lungs, the Fire graduate stood up and walked out of the room. It wasn't much easier when Nell was around and he was concerned with talking to her, but it was unbearable when he was alone.

Outside, the halls hadn't changed over the years. Instead it was the mood of the Academy that seemed to have shifted. Everything was empty, silent, desolate despite the students which clearly walked the halls. His mouth was dry and he swiped his tongue around, frowning as he tried to fix the problem. A cautious glance was thrown over his shoulder to make sure he wasn't being pursued as he turned down a hallway. He'd never felt so endangered within these walls, so hunted. The Academy had once been his sanctuary away from those who wanted him hurt or killed. Why did that have to change?

Nell.

And he couldn't blame her. The sigh this time was of frustration. It wasn't her fault they all wanted her dead. He was so immersed in his thoughts that he almost lost track of where he was going, nearly running into someone in the hall. He was immediately on the defensive, stepping backward and wall of fire going up, making the air shimmer with its heat. A moment later, however, it dispersed, its wielder seeming guardedly relieved. "Jake. I didn't notice you." There was a long and awkward pause. They'd never really spoken in school before. Ever. "I suppose you've heard?" Not of the war--everyone knew of it--but of his alignment, his betrayal of the only place he'd been accepted here. It meant they could speak within these walls without anyone giving it much of a thought. It was a change, a different.

So much had changed.

"I heard your element took her side." He paused again, fidgeting in discomfort. He wasn't good with these things. "Thank you. She needs people looking out for her." He was speaking of course about Nell. Why do you even care? he thought almost bitterly. Why do you care about her? He had some answers for that, but there were more questions than anything else. "This war'll be hard."

[JAKE CHRISTIAN CAMERON]

Jake lay in his bed at the water dorms, absentmindedly tracing abstract patterns made from the light from above, plus the ever-moving water of the lake. At the moment, he was perfectly contented with thinking nothing at all. If he started to think about something, like really think, his thoughts would eventually lead back to the war. So he busied himself with thinking nothing, keeping his mind and his hands occupied, which was quite a feat. If someone were to take a peek in his thoughts right then, they would see elephants and rainbow-colored fish. Many rainbow-colored fish. They would then see those many rainbow-colored fish spilling out from the lake, climbing the stairs to the turret that housed the thunder dorms, and beat the thunder elementals senseless with their scaly tails of wrath. This thought, unfortunately, brought his mind back to the war. He brought his arm down with a sigh. He'd have to deal with it eventually, might as well get it over with.

The reason he was in the water dorms on such a lovely day was, ever since war was declared and he and almost the rest of his element had taken Nell's side, the academy became a less safer place for all of them. You never knew if there was a fire elemental hiding at the corner, waiting to jump out and turn you into a shishkebab, or whether a thunder elemental was lurking in the shadows up ahead, just waiting for the chance to turn any passers-by into a lights show. They were scary thoughts, unnerving at the very least, but that was the reality of their situation. Right then, he had no idea how they could possibly win this war. The medical wing, which once only contained the few unfortunate victims of even fewer bored elementals, was already starting to fill up with victims of deliberate and planned attacks, and most of them were water and earth, with the occasional wind student. It was a sad sight.

There was little any of them could do about it. Their allies, the earth elementals, were known for their peacemaking. They would be the last to go on the offensive. Which would mean that they would most likely forever stay on defense, while their enemies picked them off one by one until they finally got their prize. The chance to have a go at poor little Nell.

He wondered what she must have been going through then. Most of the enemies's eyes, if not all, were focused more on her as opposed to the elements, and the individuals, who stood by her side. It was her blood they wanted, and if it meant spilling other people's to get it, they would gladly do so. Such was the kind of savage ferocity that they were up against.

With each thought, Jake's hopes grew smaller and smaller. Even so, he knew he couldn't stay holed up in the dorms forever. No. He wouldn't let them intimidate him like this. Like he said on the day the war was declared, if they wanted war, they would get it. He hadn't been chosen to lead the water elementals just because of his charming personality. He could hold his own against almost all fire elementals and more than a few thunders. At least, individually. But if they ganged up on him.. He shook his head. It was thoughts like those that kept him in the dorms in the first place. That strengthened his resolve to go out there and do something. What exactly he was to do, he didn't know yet. But hey, it was a start.

So, danger or no danger, he pushed himself off his bed and left the safe haven of the water dorms. On his way, he checked up on the other students in the dorms. Almost every single water elemental was there, forced, just like him, into hiding. He told them that he would be going for a walk, and to send for him if anything were to happen. A few nodded absentmindedly, lost in their own thoughts, while others just stared, the fear clearly visible in their eyes. It was a pathetic sight. He closed his eyes, turned around, and left.

He wasn't exactly sure where he was heading. All he knew was, he needed to get out. He would try to be of use somewhere. Anywhere. He stuffed his hands in his pocket, trying to act calm, but it was hard when every muscle in his body was tensed, ready to defend himself if he had to. His eyes were alert and absorbed every detail of his surroundings. So he saw the figure headed towards him the moment he came into view. The person, whoever it was, just kept walking towards him. When the person got close enough, Jake was thoroughly relieved to see that it was Josh. He moved closer to say hi, something he would not have ordinarily done, but seeing as he had taken Nell's side in the war, they were allies now. It was one of the very few good things that came from the war. Which is why he was surprised by the sudden wall of flame that sprang to life in between them. Luckily, he was far enough that he didn't get burned, but the skin on his face did turn a bit pink. Then, just as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone.

"Well. That was the second time you've tried to kill me. You know, if you really don't like me, just say so." he said jokingly, grinning at him. It was an attempt to try to lighten both the gloomy mood that came from the war, and the awkward mood that came with their first conversation within the academy.

"I don't think she killed Cynthia. It's really very hard to believe, don't you think? Personally, I think they're just using this as an excuse to start a war." he grimaced. Whatever their reasons were, it didn't really matter now. The war was the only thing that mattered. "If you don't mind me asking, why did you do it? Why did you side with her?" he asked, genuinely curious. Why would he forsake the allegiance of his element for an earth elemental? It was one of the many things he often though about along with the other thoughts about war.

[/justify]

[JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE]

[omgJakeIloveyou. Just that comment--LOL.]

The smile in response to the comment was strained. Normally he would have laughed and shoved Jake jokingly, maybe mimed throttling him and added in a wink to show that he was just kidding around. Really, when you were friends with him Josh had a sense of humour that was pretty unsuspected by most considering he could be a colossal asshat or at least an anti-social jerk to everyone else the vast majority of the time. But the war got to everyone, and even Joshua was clearly feeling the pressure. Besides, he didn't smile much by default. It certainly didn't reach his eyes as he blinked at the other boy. "My bad," he said, as close to an apology as he'd probably get. At least he was acknowledging that he was wrong, which was a hell of a lot more than he'd usually do for anyone else. "I'm just a little... on edge. Shit's tough, you know?" He sighed and ran a hand through the back of his dark hair. He hated this war.

He dipped his head softly. "I don't believe it, either." There was an awkward moment of silence as he considered how to word his standpoint on the whole thing. "I knew Cynthia," he started, coughing and clearing his throat a little. Yeah, he knew her. He'd also slept with her and had a more than adequate time doing so. But that wasn't the point. "But I also know Nell. And between the two, well... I'd be quicker to take Nell's side than that of someone who was, quite frankly, quite cutthroat." He wasn't trying to go around bashing the dead or anything--mind you, he would have done if he'd known Cyn had started this whole war--but Nell was... she was Nell.

Jake was his friend, right? He could trust Jake? He'd never really extended any sort of trust toward the Water student before, shouldering his own problems and leaving his friends out of them. For all they knew, Josh was just an asshole because he felt like it. They didn't need to be filled in to all the pressure which he went through. Sighing a little, the exhaustion showed in his expression as he gave up and decided to confide in the other boy. "Let's walk," he suggested. "I don't want anyone to see us standing together like we've got a target on our backs." He started to move slowly and waited for Jake before he spoke again.

"I don't believe she did it," he started, though this much should have been obvious. If Josh had thought that Nell was guilty or at least doubted her innocence, he wouldn't have risked the wrath of his element by betraying them. "She... I trust her." He blinked, finding this word to taste strange on his tongue. Trust. It seemed to echo around in his brain a bit. The level of trust for the amount of time he'd known her was confusing. It was probably her act of kindness that had inspired such trust. Even though it was probably common sense that she hadn't left him to die, it meant a lot to someone who had almost no one on his side. "I couldn't hurt her. But more than that... I couldn't see her hurt. Not if I could do anything to stop it." He grimaced. "Having them all turn on me is rough, but it's better than attending Nell's funeral."

[JAKE CHRISTIAN CAMERON]

Jake started to relax, but only a little. One was never safe anymore in the academy. It was sad to think, but it was the reality they faced. All of them. But it also helped to know that he had allies, that he wasn't alone. Even if his ally was always trying to kill him. His almost-apology made him laugh, a sound that's gone unheard for far too long within the walls of the academy. It sort of echoed, just a little, and when it came back at him, it didn't sound so funny anymore. But he ignored it. Things would improve. Eventually. That was him, Mr. glass half-full. Even if the glass was broken and the shards were piercing his feet and making them bleed. The shards could be swept away easily, but the wounds would take some time to heal. Josh was right, it was tough.

"I didn't know Cynthia that well, but from what I've heard, she's nothing but a bitch. Probably knew that someone would eventually go after her, and used it to start this whole war." he frowned. Unlike him, he had no qualms about bashing the dead, especially if the said dead was a bitch and deserved it. "That, or it was that whore, Conrad. I wouldn't put something like that past him. Wonder what he's up to?" unconsciously, his hand had drifted to the back of his head and was now scratching it, like it would give him the answers he needed. It did not, which only frustrated him all the more.

He followed the older boy, unwilling to join his fellow elementals in the medical wing, though he knew it was unlikely anyone would try to mess with them. Indeed, he felt much safer around him than he had in his own dorms. But still, he didn't want to chance it. "Are you sure you aren't secretly with fire? Maybe luring me into a deserted classroom to take care of me, since you so miserably failed the first two times?" he winked for effect. Of course he was only kidding. He trusted Josh with his life. And he still owed him for saving his life a few years back. A debt that he would never be able to repay.

Jake couldn't help but notice that Josh hadn't answered the question. Actually, he had, but his answer was a bit vague, at the very least. But he knew better than to push. He probably had a good reason, if it meant turning against his whole element. Sure, Nell was a friendly person, but she must be one hell of a friend-whore if she won over a fire graduate. Especially this gloomy little fire graduate he was talking to at the moment.

He just nodded, as if he completely understood Josh and his mysterious reasons for trusting an earth elemental, which he did not, at all. But he was thankful that he was on their side. A valuable ally and a loyal friend. And he wouldn't have to worry about having to fight him. There were a few more questions though that he wanted to ask, just out of curiosity, which hopefully, wouldn't involve so much prying. "Oh yeah, where do you plan on staying now that you've turned traitor to your own element? We have a few vacant spots back at the water dorms, if you can put up with the threat of an entire lake collapsing on top of you at any moment. The view is great, though."

[/size][/justify]

[JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE]

Joshua pressed his lips together for a moment as Jake clearly and loudly slandered the dead Thunder leader. How exactly did he feel about one of his friends badmouthing someone else he'd been acquainted with? Maybe before the war Joshua might have told Jake to cut it out or reminded the Water student of his allegiance with the Thunder/Fire Alliance, but that didn't count for anything now. He'd betrayed them. Plus, his 'friendship' with Cynthia had been more physical than emotional. Literally. "I wish everyone could just get over it," he said, shaking his head. "Just because an elemental was murdered, it doesn't automatically mean it was another student of the Academy. Maybe it was random." He'd convinced himself that it couldn't be Nell, but in truth Joshua had no idea who else it could have been. Maybe it had even been a Fire student that had angered her. It didn't matter to him, surprisingly enough. They hadn't been that close. What mattered was that everyone was trying to kill someone he was close to, even if 'close' was a hesitant word to use.

A noise akin to an angered growl crossed with a huff left his throat at the mention of Conrad. Joshua had heard enough about that stupid boy to cover a lifetime. Not only had the Thunder student attacked Jake, but he'd gone after Elaine and he was also on the side of the Academy who were out for Nell's blood. He didn't understand it. Not at all. How could one person have enough cruelty to attack three perfectly innocent people? Of the three, Jake was probably the least innocent, and that was saying something. Joshua was a hundred times more violent and headstrong than the Water leader, and this wasn't even a good thing. His temper was a nightmare. "Fucking Aldridge," Joshua spat fiercely. "You're not the only friend of mine he's went after," Josh confessed, shaking his head a little with a deep from. "Are you aware of Elaine? The... blind girl?" He didn't like to acknowledge her disability in respect of any sensitivity, but it was just who she was best known as. "He attacked her. Brutally. I wish I'd done more than break his fucking arm."

He laughed at Jake's joking around, but the sound was strained and clearly not as amused as it could have been. It was just too hard to keep up with laughter and joking when inside he was gnawed at with worry over Nell and Elaine and Jake and all of his other friends. But most importantly Nell. She was the one they were after. "Maybe I'll be on their side as soon as this heals and I can forgive and forget." He lifted his hand to show the vicious mark on his wrist, curving around the side slightly. Some stupid Fire elemental had stabbed him with a pencil of all things. "They're lucky I don't have ink poisoning, else I would have found a pen and forced it down their throat." His tone was fierce and dangerous. He tended to forget that Jake was a Water elemental and thus probably not as accustomed to his fierce tendencies of violence toward other people.

The Water dormitories. Oh, god, the Water dormitories. He hadn't been back there since ninth grade when he'd snuck in with a current 'love' interest of his. She'd proposed that they spend the night in the Water dormitories and he wasn't about to resist... until he saw the glass ceiling and realised that it was under the fucking lake. He was so terrified of deep water and drowning that the mere idea of a dormitory under a lake terrified him. It didn't even matter that the dormitories had never been flooded before and that the glass was incredibly thick, it just scared him shitless. Of course, Jake didn't know about his fear of water, so he wasn't about to tell him. "I'm stuck with the flower children," he joked. They weren't so bad, it was just awkward being so out of his element--no pun intended. "Do you know Nell, Jake?" he asked suddenly, realising that he wasn't sure.

[JAKE CHRISTIAN CAMERON]

"And I wish it were that easy. I really do. But you know them. Always out for our blood." In other times, Jake would be referring to just his own element and their allied element, but since Josh was with them now, he guessed he was also included. Which wasn't really a good thing, now that he thought about it. He shook his head. "Doesn't look so random to me. Someone out there wanted her blood. And they got it." But whoever it was, it was most definitely not Nell. Unless she had an evil twin sister who wanted to destroy her reputation or something. Not likely. At least, not all of it. There was someone out there who wanted to destroy her reputation. But that person was either dead or gay. Not that he had anything against gay people. Just one of them in particular.

He hated that person's guts. If he had any. The feeling was probably mutual, but it was good to no that he wasn't the only one. One day, he'd get what he deserved, just like Cynthia did. Honestly, he was starting to feel a bit guilty, thinking and saying stuff like that. Especially when the person he was saying stuff about was already six feet under. Presumably. But he couldn't help it. His anger, it was a hard thing to spark, but when it did, it started a fire that burned everything. Even dead people. So it wasn't really his fault that he was bashing a dead person. Hard. But he decided he'd stop anyway. She was dead, resting in peace. And it was better she stayed that way. "Seriously? Why would he do that?" that seemed pretty low, even for someone like him. Very low. He did not, in fact, know the person he was speaking of, but still. Attacking a person? Low. Attacking a blind person? He's just hit rock bottom. "Maybe next time I'll try drowning him." he mused, then thought for a while, before nodding. "Sounds appealing." he made a mental note to get to that as soon as he possibly could. It helped lighten his mood somewhat and it got rid of some of his anger.

His eyes widened at the sight of the mark. "Woah. What happened to you?" he whistled low. It was quite a mark. It looked like something caused by... a pen. Or a pencil. But that was ridiculous. What kind of retard would do that? But then again, the academy was just brimming with retards. The leaders of fire and thunder seemed like especially big ones. But he kept this comment to himself. If anyone was around to hear it, anyone not on their side... It might attract unwanted attention, and he didn't need that right now.

Jake chuckled. "Careful with what you say. Someone might hear you, and then you'd have no where left to stay." he said with a quick wink. But he knew that would never happen. Earth elementals-- they rarely took comments like those to heart. And when they did, they forgave easily. Most of the time, anyway. He looked up at the next question. "Sort of. A few pranks every now and then, if you know what I mean. But I know her well enough to know for sure that she had nothing to do with Cynthia's murder. I'd bet my life she didn't even know about it until they announced it at the mess hall the other day. he frowned, imagining what she must be going through.

[/size][/justify]

[JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE]

"Yeah," Joshua agreed, and he felt a hard lump in his throat as he said this. Jake was also referring to the people that he used to be allies with, the people that--had it not been Nell they were targeting--he still would have been allies with. "I wouldn't have tried to kill her, you know," Joshua said. He sounded troubled, like he was struggling with some sort of an internal conscience. Perhaps it was because he'd been an accessory to murder once or perhaps he just had something inside of his gut that was telling him so, but Joshua didn't think he was capable of taking another human life unless they did something completely unforgivable. "Even if we hadn't been friends and I'd taken Fire's side in this whole war, I couldn't--wouldn't--be a killer." Why did Jake's opinion of him matter so much to Joshua? Because he's my friend, he told himself. And I don't want my friend to think I'm a total bastard. The reasoning seemed sound enough in his own head.

Joshua shook his head at the question, indicating confusion. "I honestly don't know," he replied grimly. "Aldridge is a bastard--did he even need a reason?" Every time Joshua dealt with the Thunder elemental it seemed like he had no soul, no conscience, no respect for the human nature. He had attacked a blind girl, he had supported the blood hunt for an Earth girl, and he'd hurt Jake. Honestly, three of his friends in less than a year? That was more than enough reason for Joshua to hate him. He didn't have many more friends than those that Conrad had targeted. Phil, Tatyana, Asha--even still, it didn't matter how many friends he had. Conrad could have went after a single one of them and Josh still would have found reason for hate. "Tell him hi, for me," Josh said through tightly clenched teeth. Normally talk of drowning made him shudder, but he was too angry at Conrad right now to bother caring.

A hollow laugh brushed past his lips. The fact that he'd been assaulted with a pencil wasn't actually funny, however, and so there was no humour in his tone of which to speak. "Bastard came at me with a Number Two," he said, naming a popular pencil brand. "Sharpened the fucking thing beforehand, too. I nearly killed him." He had jumped, wrist bleeding and eyes blazing, over the desk and had been fully prepared to stab him back with any old sharp object when the teacher had pulled him off and shocked him hard. Dazed, the Fire graduate had fell back panting and glaring, and they had both been sent out of the room--Joshua to the medical wing, his classmate to the detention hall. Detention was nothing compared to what Joshua was dying to do to him, however.

He nodded, confident that Nell hadn't had a clue about Cynthia's death until everyone had turned and started to pin it on her. "I consider her a good friend," he said. "I believe her when she says that she had an alibi, and I believe that she had nothing to do with it." He didn't understand why the Alliance wouldn't just sit their stupid ass down and hear Nell's side of the story before they started trying to incinerate her around every corner. Each new injury his friend obtained from this war made him feel sick to his stomach, and it made him even more estranged from those he had once called friends. What would happen once this war was over? He didn't feel like he could just go prancing back over to the Fire dormitories and be all buddy-buddy after they'd tried to kill--or... successfully killed--his friend.