Until I met Kyla, the Elements were myths; a way to explain the Great War. If I'm honest, I don't know what happened. My classmates laugh and curse in the Elements, but never knew what to think. The Elements were never real, right? The myths said the Great War were the Normals against the Elements, a race of people capable of controlling the elements. The Normals had won and executed all the Elements. After they obliterated the Elements, the world fell into what it is today, small farm communities. But you can't destroy an entire race in a single year, can you? I had never thought of it until we received our second maid. She wasn't older than fifteen, but she was... different. But I was ignorant, not noticing anything about Kyla other than she was pretty and rather quiet. I lay on my bed, over thinking the afternoon's events. I can hear the making of dinner below as I ponder on the possibilities.

After school, I had gone to hunt the wild grouse in the fields behind my home. I grabbed my bow and set off, plowing through the stocks of wheat. I reached the large willow in the very far corner, long out of sight from the house, when I found it occupied. Standing a few feet off was Kyla, standing alone. I could only see her profile as she put both of her hands in front of her, palms facing the empty sky. For a moment, nothing happened. I stood still, watching from a distance. I was about to continue my way towards the tree when I saw a reddish glow out of the corner of my eye. I looked back at Kyla. I jumped back at the sight of fire, but as I looked again, I saw it skipping across her palm. I watched silently, spellbound. Kyla turned her hands into fists and the fire disappeared. She put both hands together, palm against palm, before pulling them away in a quick, dry motion. A ball of fire appeared between her hands, levitating. I couldn't move. That's when she saw me. The fire disappeared as suddenly as it had come. She locked my gaze before turning and running. 

"Stop!" I called after her, but she didn't. "Stop or I'll shoot!"

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This got her attention, and she turned towards me. I held my bow, arrow pointing toward her. I knew I couldn't shoot whether did or didn't continue, but I held the arrow straight. 

"Please," she called, voice trembling. "Please leave me alone."

"I will! I will! I promise. Just come back. I won't hurt you," I called, putting my bow down.

She hesitated, but didn't have the time to answer. My father lumbered out of the forest bordering the field. He was a tall, broad-shouldered man and an anger look was in an exposition on his face. When he notices Kyla and me, his eyes narrow. He limped toward us, face hard. Wind ran through his hair. I took a step back, afraid of what he had seen. I didn't know what Kyla was or what I had seen, but a creeping suspicion she had something to do with the Elements formed in my mind. Every Element had to die. That's how it's always been. But something told me she has to live. I don't know why. 

"Why are you making, uh, her run around the field?" he said, voice gruff, forgetting Kyla's name.

"I, um, I was," I scrambled to find an explanation. "She was getting an arrow for me. I shot one crooked."

Lying was never my forte, but I thought I pulled it off alright. My father pondered over this explanation. He seemed to find it credible and added:

"I told you, you need to work on those stray arrows. Now get her back to the house. I need dinner in an hour."

Kyla nodded, and I followed her back to the house, hunting forgotten.