For all I know, no one - not a single person in recorded history - has ever figured out their element before the test.

"But... but how?" I mumble. "None of us are supposed to know -"

"- what element we can control before we take the test. I know," he finishes, cutting me off. Then I notice a mischievous look in his eyes. "But that's what they say."

"So?"

"You just happen to believe it," he says, "which is what they want. They want you to trust them."

I blink. "... do you trust them?"

He pauses for a short moment before slowly shaking his head.

He doesn't trust them either?

The first feeling is overwhelming joy - finally, finally someone who agrees with me!

Or maybe it's a trap, I think. Maybe security sent a student to fish me out, and the moment I agree and say anything bad about the government I'm going to be punished-

"Think about it this way," he adds when I don't respond. "They tell you that you can't figure out your element before the test. Why would they do that?"

I raise my eyebrows. "So we don't try to in the first place?"

"Exactly," he says, satisfied with my answer. He waves his hand in the air dramatically. "They don't want you experimenting on your own... because they want to have control over you. And I don't -"

He pauses abruptly and looks around us before turning back to me. He drops his voice to a quiet and lower tone, probably so others can't hear him. "I don't exactly agree with what they say."

"Really?" I ask. Somehow I'm still able to hear him despite the loud commotion around us.

"Really. Why would I lie?"

"To fish me out and then turn me in. For the marshmallow man."

"Oh, please." He rolls his eyes. "I'd rather throw him out the third story window than turn you in."

"You've thought about doing that too?!"

He smirks. "Honestly, who doesn't?"

And just like that, my doubts go away as quickly as they came.

Before I can reply though, a security guy hollers at the disassembling crowd. "ROW 19 AND ROW 20, YOU'RE UP! FOLLOW THE BLUE SHIRT GUY OVER HERE TO YOUR NEXT DESTINATION! ROWS 19 AND 20!"

"That's us," he says cheerfully. "Let's get it!"

Everyone around us is getting up. I hold my notebook tight as I walk with him out of the auditorium and into the world beyond.

~

The blue-shirt guy leads us to a separate part of the building that we've always been told is "restricted". He pulls out a key card and, after entering long lines of passwords to pass the heavy security, we're led further and further away from the heart of the school. The floor slopes downward.

I take note of the blank white walls around us and the translucent ceiling as the natural light from the sky fades away. Too soon, we're at the bottom of the ramp. The room is very dim, and the only light source becomes the eerie dark blue light emitting from some lamps put along the hallway. It cast ominous shadows along the walls and floor.

"Harrison Aadland and Mike Adamson, you two are up first," the blue-shirt guy says. "Harrison, room on the left, Mike, room on the right. The rest of you stay here 'till you get called into one of the rooms, got it?"

We all nod in silence.

"Good. I'll be around in case any of you need help or have questions."

While Harrison and Mike walk to what I thought of as their doom, the rest of us find seats and sit down quietly. People continue to whisper to each other.

I take out my notebook and start doodling in it again. I find the movement relaxing, even though it doesn't quite take away the dread inside me. My new wind-elemental friend watches me at my side.

"So... which element do you think you'll get?" he asks.

"Honestly, I'm hoping for air or wind. Like you," I reply idly.

"Why?"

"Then when I get mad, I can wind away the people that annoy me."

He chuckles. I smile and continue doodling.

"What are you drawing?"

I pause for a moment, then hold the notebook up for him to see. "Can you tell?"

He looks at the pictures, eyebrows furrowed in concentration, and then I see a light of recognition in his eyes. "Those are coconut trees," he says in wonder.

"Yep."

"Why coconut trees?"

I look up at him. "They remind me of your hair."

His nose scrunches. "The trees?"

"No, the coconuts you -!"

"Just kidding!" He snickers, smiling adorably.

I scoff. But after looking at his smile, I have another idea for a doodle. I reposition the notebook in front of me and start drawing bunny rabbits.

"They're very cute."

"Yup, inspired by you."

He holds a hand up dramatically to his heart. "You think I'm cute?"

"Hey! You're the one who called them cute," I fire back, shaking my head frantically. "Not me."

"You aren't disagreeing though."

"I never said I agreed either." I'm suddenly grateful for the dim lighting in the room. 

Jungkook tilts his head meaningfully, but thankfully lets it go.

I blatantly ignore the awkward tension in the air as I go back to doodling.

~

After I finish a few more bunnies, I stop and look around. About a third of the students had gone. I look back at him to find his brown orbs staring intently at me.

"What's your name, by the way?" I ask tentatively. "Since you know mine..."

"You can call me Jungkook," he says with a nod.

I nod back, unsure what to say. Then another question pops us in my mind shortly after. "Why did you decide to talk to me today? Out of nowhere?"

He takes a few moments to ponder the question. "Hm, I'm not really sure, it's just -"

"Jungkook Jeon and Emily Jones! You're up!"

He rushes to finish quietly: "I noticed you the moment you sat down. I could tell you were having a bad day, and then when you took your notebook out and started doodling, there was a sort of energy around you that I can't describe. It's like the air got curious about you. You attracted the atmosphere like a magnet, which I noticed, but other people probably didn't because -"

"Jungkook Jeon! You're up!"

"Just know that I felt something shift, so I thought I should get to know you."

"MR. JEON!"

"I'm going, I'm going!" He waves goodbye at me before rushing off to the room on the left. I sadly wave back.

It suddenly feels much colder without his warm presence, but a spark of hope and curiosity rises within me.

Maybe, after all these years, I've finally met a true friend.

~

A/N: We're going to take the test ourselves in the next chapter 👀

Also, I made this cool banner picture edit type thing over the weekend! I don't know what they're called 😂