WILL frowned. It was easy for Evie to say, but she didn't have the Lord of the Sea hating on her. She was one of his, anyway. And Leo? He got all the original elementals fighting over him, when he was only a baby! It was clear that Sea Dude hated Wind kids, and even if Will might be the most powerful wind kid ever, all he could do right now was run fast!

He was looking forward to going to wherever that place was, so he could learn to use the rest of whatever his abilities were. Leo looked to be still in shock, but Evie was taking it all in her stride. How, Will didn't know.

"All of you hold my trident," Sea Dude commanded, and Leo and Evie stuck out their hands like it was magnetic. Will walked over and placed his hand above the others.

"Evie?" Mr Spencer said suddenly. She looked over. "Stay safe," he said. "I love you." Will snorted. Evie shot him a look. "I love you too, dad," she replied, and the living room scene was whisked away.

Will felt like his insides were being sucked through a straw. He heard Evie and Leo yelling, but it sounded muffled, like he was wearing earmuffs.

Suddenly, the yelling stopped; they'd landed on solid ground. All three kids collapsed in a heap of limbs, but the Sea Dude remained standing, glowing blue, and perfectly composed. Even stranger.

Will grinned at Evie as he stood up. Her hair was so windblown she looked like a very pretty scarecrow, but somehow she still managed to look great. Sea Dude produced a hairbrush out of thin air and handed it to her. Evie thanked him grudgingly and proceeded to yank it through her chestnut hair.

Leo got up. He looked very queasy. "If I'm an earth kid, then that sort of travel's not my thing," he groaned, and Sea Dude handed him a paper bag. Will didn't feel sick. In fact he felt great, energised.

Five minutes later, when Leo had recovered and Evie had saved her hair, two kids, a boy and a girl, emerged from the darkness and immediately got to their knees. Originally Will thought they'd fallen over, but they were kneeling for Sea Dude, who was still glowing. Still very strange.

Suddenly, the boy burst into flames, illuminating the scene, then a second later, extinguished himself. As the girl stood up, Will got a better look at her. Hell, she looked fierce.On her neck, there was a tattoo of the earth. Her hair was a pitch black, her skin the colour of warm coffee. She was flat out beautiful.

"My Lord," the boy said as he rose. He was burly, with a flame tattooed on the side of his neck. "Who are these people?"

Sea Dude looked around, as if he was scared they'd be overheard, then turned his attention back to the two other kids. "These are three new young elementals. They are special."

The girl looked puzzled. "Where is the fourth? We've never had a three before." Sea Dude wagged his finger. "That's what makes them so special. Their auras are connected so strongly I fear it will be impossible to break them up."

Wait? Auras? Will was now really confused. They had auras? Will turned his attention back to Sea Dude and the two new kids, who were having a conversation with Leo and Evie. "What element are you?" the girl was asking. "The Earth," Leo said. "The Sea," Evie added. They all turned to Will. "Oh," he said. "The Wind."

"I suggest you accept these three now," Sea Dude insisted. "They are possibly the strongest you have ever had." The girl nodded. "I can feel it. And I can't usually sense it." She nodded towards the boy. "That's usually him."

Sea Dude turned to the muscly guy. "I assume you feel the same as me?" The boy nodded. "Yes, my lord."

Sea Dude looked at the boy and the girl. "Leaders, I must tell you that the golden scroll is now in use." This must have been significant, because the girl gasped and the boy fully burst into flames in shock. Sea Dude then spread his hands. "Good fortune to you all."

And with that, the Lord of the Sea disappeared in a cloud of salty mist. The four kids were plunged into darkness, for it was still the middle of the night.

The boy's voice echoed through the blackness. He sounded a lot more cheerful. "It's always bore when he visits. Come on through, we have a lot to show you."

The scene was lightened as a ball of flame appeared on the boy's hand. The girl looked rather angry. Will thought she looked cute like that, then banished the thought, annoyed. She said nothing as she turned on her heel and marched back into the woods. "Is she always like that?" Leo asked incredulously. "Who? Maia?" the boy said. "Yeah, most of the time. She probably doesn't appreciate having to get up at this hour, though. You don't want to get on the wrong side of her."

Evie laughed. "I can imagine. So where are we?" The boy gave a wry grin. "The original settlers called this the Elemental Wood. Original, yes. We've got a small village in the centre, and there's around 130 of us living there. It's the only safe place where we don't attract all kinds of trouble."

Leo smiled. "So, shall we do the introductions? I'm Leo." He looked pointedly at Evie. She jumped. "Evie." Will grinned. "Will." The boy held out his other hand without the fire, barely visible in the dim light of the flames."Charmed. I'm Charlie." They all shook it. Will didn't say so, but Charlie's grip was like a vice. He discreetly shook his fingers to get the feeling back, then followed Charlie's back into the so-called Elemental Wood.

As they walked, Will's mind overflowed with questions. "So, what happens now?" he asked Charlie as they followed him through the trees, trying to dodge the ones that loomed up at the last minute.

"Usually, we'll ask for a demonstration of what you can do in front of the council, and then decide whether to accept you. Although the sea guy already insisted we do, the council will still want to see your stuff. Then we'll assign you to the houses and you can meet everyone."

"We can do barely anything at the moment though," Leo protested, sounding like he hated the idea of an audition as much as Will did.

"Don't worry. The place has an atmosphere that will make you want to use your abilities as soon as you walk in. Once you start, everything will come naturally. I was the same when I joined." Charlie's words sounded reassuring, but Will still felt kind of sick all of a sudden.

"Besides, if you there are meant to be the greatest we've ever had, you should have no trouble," Charlie told them all. Will started to feel a little better.

Suddenly, a huge clearing appeared in the trees, and buildings loomed out of the darkness.

Huge torches of fire lit the place, which was more like a camp than anything. At that moment, it was silent, as it was the middle of the night.

Charlie broke the silence. "Welcome to the Elemental Wood."