On a hot summer night in mid-June, four elementalists were lounging on the beach, unaware of  what was about to happen. The fresh sea breeze blew back Skye's blonde hair as she watched her sister Alice play with Luke. Blaise gently nudged her shoulder, pointing out the big bear constellation. Blaise was her childhood friend and she knew him since her birth. His brother Luke was Alice's best friend. Skye found herself staring into Blaise's deep blue-green eyes, but she quickly averted her gaze before Blaise could notice, to watch Alice topple a castle that she and Luke built together.

Alice and Luke were both four years old and both loved the beach even though neither were water elementalists. Alice was a fiery earth elementalist, while Luke was a composed electric elementalist, and both were complete opposites. While Alice was loud and energetic, Luke was quiet and easygoing.

Skye and Blaise were both sixteen and were both the oldest in their families. Their parents were dead. Blaise's parents died when he was thirteen and Luke was four, in a plague that killed hundreds and left thousands weak. Skye's parents died in a tragic accident, of which no one knew what happened, leaving her parents dead when she was fourteen and Alice was two. Skye closed her eyes trying to forget the memory. Blaise and Skye were similar in that way. But different, Skye was a water elementalist, who seemed to have another element growing, while Blaise was a dark elementalist, a rare type.

Skye looked around, silent waves lapped onto the white sand. The trees towering over them, and their leaves shifting colors in the moonlight. It's beautiful, she thought.

Suddenly she noticed the eerie silence. Blaise had fallen asleep next to her, she looked to where Alice and Luke were playing and saw them gone. She hurriedly looked around but couldn't find them.

She urgently shook Blaise awake, when he awoke his expression was irritated, almost as if he were saying 'You better be waking me up for good reason.' 

Skye told him "They're gone". Blaise nearly jumped out of his seat. Almost immediately he noticed the colossal green serpent holding Luke and Alice. It was the infamous child kidnapper, somebody who gave you the kind of nightmares that tore your dreams apart. Literally and figuratively. It was Desmos, and he was carrying Alice and Luke away. Blaise started to run after them.

Sky shouted, "Wait!". But he was already running. A blast of light sprouted from the tips of his fingers and slammed into Desmos. It knocked him slightly off-balance but otherwise, it didn't seem to affect him, it was as if he didn't feel it. Of course, he remembered, Desmos's rough serpentine scales were impenetrable. Blaise had almost reached them but had no idea of what to do.

Then, in desperation, he yelled, "Stop, please!"

The serpent turned and studied him with large, yellow eyes, the only pupils it had were small slits. Blaise looked Desmos in the eye and said, ''I have an offer, take me instead and let them go''. Skye's eyes widened in shock.

''No!'' Skye yelled from a distance away. What was that idiot thinking? They were all going to be captured.

Desmos laughter shook the ground. ''Interesting. Well, why not?''

Demos snatched Blaise up and clutched him but didn't let go of Alice or Luke. He started slithering away. Skye ran after them as fast as she could, but he was too far from her.

She lost him in the woods, No, she thought this can't be happening to me. She had lost everyone she loved and cared about and it was all her fault. If she had watched Alice and Luke they would never have been taken, if she had at least tried to help. Blaise would never have had to give himself up. They could have been together right now. "No" she whispered. She fell onto her knees. Watching the leaves fall. She lay there for what felt like hours and let the tears flow.