"Hey!" Cray yelled. "What'd ya pour paint on me for?"
"Chill out! You can always clean it off." Beacon said.
Pyro was in stitches on the floor. Cray kicked her, but the pain signal never seemed to reach Pyro's brain. Luka sighed and closed her book. "You guys are supposed to be painting the signs with the paint, not turning my sister into a living Picasso."
"We can't paint the signs without knowing what they are now can we?" Pyro chuckled.
Luka opened the book again. She brought it over to her friends and pointed at the page. Four symbols were printed in black and white. A Sea Serpent, a Phoenix, a Unicorn, and a Dragon. "There. Water, Fire, Earth, and Air. Simple as that. We only have a few hours 'till Beacon's mom has a small farm animal."
Beacon put her hands on her hips. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means your mom flips out if your not in by eight PM. Even on a Friday." Luka said.
"Or...that she's a prude..." Pyro said matter-of-factly.
"Yeah?" Beacon yelled, a smile beginning to tug at her mouth as she tried to be serious. "Well your mom's so ugly, when she goes into a strip club, they pay her to keep her clothes on!"
They all fell on the floor laughing
-----------
The room was completely dark, save the soft glow from the four-lit candles. Luka glanced around at the three cloaked figures around her.
"Did you remember the stuff?" She whispered. Each nodded slowly and produced jars containing living creatures from under their cloaks. Luka smiled. "According to the book, Cray, you start the chant, and we all follow until we end in unison. Then we release our invocations."
They all nodded. Luka stared at Cray expectantly. "Well?"
She could see her sister turn red in the face. "I can't remember the words..."
Beacon and Pyro giggled. Luka rolled her eyes. "You were supposed to learn it."
"I know." She pleaded. "But I was busy doing...doing..."
"Watching anime." Pyro whispered.
They all giggled. Luka handed Cray the book to read from. Everyone became serious and closed their eyes as she began.

One by one, first Luka, then Pyro, and finally Beacon joined in the chant. Their voices blended together to become a single note. Slowly, you could hardly notice it; the single note became many. The notes turned into fuzzy words. The words clarified into four separate voices saying the same chant. Finally the four voices blended into one.
The symbols they'd painted on their foreheads earlier began to glow. Soon the entire room was filled with an intense white light. The volume of their voices grew, until they were all shouting.
Without realizing it, they each released what was in the jars. A large Luna moth took flight out of Luka's jar. A queen fire ant, ready for flight to start a new colony, launched out of Pyro's jar. A dragonfly zipped out of Beacon's jar. Finally, a large, unicorn beetle crawled out of Cray's jar and took flight.
Upon leaving the jar, each insect became energy in the form of light, still holding a shadow of their former existence in their shape. The candles extinguished, and the smoke danced and curled to join the energy. Soon a looming ball of colored light and energy floated above the four girls.
Quite suddenly, spindle-like structures reached out to the symbols on their foreheads, much like a small child reaches for an ice cream that he can't quite reach. Upon reaching their goals, the spindles rushed in, illuminating the symbol and branding it into the forehead. Each girl screamed as the pain hit them.
All at once it was over.
---------------
"Oh I can't believe it." Beacon complained. "OW!"
"Sit still, or you'll get it in your eyes." Luka slathered Alo-gel onto Beacon's head. "We're going to have to use make-up to cover it." She sighed.
The image of a sea serpent was bright red. It stuck out like a sore thumb on Beacon's pale white forehead. Everyone else's marks were already covered with make-up.
"We're gonna have to get up extra early each morning just to cover these things up..." Cray complained.
"Tell me about it..." Pyro tentatively touched her forehead.
--------------
The image of the girls in the crystal wavered. Saffron leaned forward in his seat and smacked it. "Damn piece of junk..."
"Never pester a crystal, boy." Saffron swung the chair around to face his father. It was a cool chair; like one of the leather ones that corporate executives of big companies have. "It can take revenge on you when you least expect it.
"C'mon old man...it's just a clear rock."
Cinnibar snorted. "It could decide not to show you what you want to see. Then where would you be?"
"I won't fail if that stupid hunk of junk would do what I-."
Saffron was cut short by a bolt of electricity that erupted from the crystal behind him. Cinnibar chuckled. "See? What did I tell you?"
Saffron moaned and picked himself off the floor. A man in a dark cloak suddenly entered the room. He glanced around and headed toward Cinnibar.
"Report." He demanded.
"We've found them." Cinnibar said, and pointed to the crystal. "We didn't get there in time."
The man turned to Cinnibar. "You failed." His anger began to boil. "You know the prophecy. You know what could happen if that prophecy if fulfilled. Yet your so calm."
"There's nothing to worry about. I have it under control, Master Jeridth."
"UNDER CONTROL!?" Jerith exploded. "They've already tapped into their powers! If they find the last four we're doomed! Do you hear me!?! You are OFF the project! Dou you understand?!"
"Are you saying I can't handle this?" Cinnibar asked. Now he was beginning to get mad.
"Obviously not!" Jeridth turned to Saffron, who was back in his chair, watching the crystal. "You, BOY!"
Saffron fell out of his chair, startled. He looked up. "Master?"
"You are now head of this mission. Your father obviously cannot handle it."
Saffron gulped and looked to his father. Cinnibar turned and stormed out of the room. Saffron sighed and nodded.
"Good." Jeridth smiled. "Now come with me for your briefing."
"But-." Saffron began.
"What?" Jeridth eyed him suspiciously.
"Can I have about ten minutes?" He glanced behind him.
"Why?"
"Um...well..." He tried to cover up the image on the crystal. Jeridth walked over and shoved Saffron out of the way. The crystal showed the four girls. They were changing out of their cloaks.
Jeridth chuckled. Teenagers. He thought. "C'mon you pervert. There's time for that later."
Saffron reluctantly followed him out of the room, fingering the scar on his throat nervously.
-------------
Luka smiled at the paper in front of her.
"Nice grade." Aram commented. Luka glanced at her friend next to her.
"Thanks." She replied. "Must be my lucky marble." She stared at the large green marble she'd carried with her since childhood. "What'd you get?"
He grinned. "A sweet D. Best grade I ever got."
Luka giggled. The bell rang, signaling for the stampede to lunch to begin. "C'mon weirdo, I buy you some fries to celebrate."
"With ketchup?" He asked hopefully.
"Sure." She smiled. "You deserve it."
Pyro was already at the table. She was holding something in her hands that glowed. Luka and Aram dumped their books on the table. Luka gave Aram some money and he went to stand in line.
"What are you doing?" Luka asked.
Pyro tried to hide her hands. "Nothing."
Luka pried Pyro's hands open. A small fire sprite danced to an inaudible tune among Pyro's fingers. Luka sighed.
"Your not supposed to be playing with that during school." Luka scolded.
"I know...but she's so cute." She poked the sprite, and it jumped onto her finger.
"Put her away!" She hissed as a group of kids wandered by the table.
Pyro dropped the fire sprite into her pocked. "Sleep little one." She cooed. "Cool thy flame, so thou shalt not give thyself away." The glow diminished from the pocket. Pyro looked up. "Are we going to practice today?"
"I suppose so." Luka sighed. "But it's a pain having to pick Cray and Beacon from the middle school."
"Didn't you just get a car?" Pyro began shoveling food into her mouth.
"You mean the roller skate?" She chuckled. "We can't all fit in that."
"Oh come on." Pyro whined. She stuck her lower lip out.
"You know I can't say no to that face." She smiled. "Alright. But not too long, I have homework."
--------------
Luka made a disgusted face as she viewed the current activity for PE. Someone behind her clumped a huge hand on her shoulder.
"Ah!" Griff sighed. "Rope climbing. It's got to be my most favorite activity."
Luka shook his hand off her shoulder. "I thought staying up late to watch porn was your favorite activity."
Griff grinned a hideous grin. "I like 'em both." He gave her an 'eye'.
Luka snorted, disgusted, and joined a group of girls in a discussion about how rope climbing was the dumbest thing they made you do in high school.
"ALRIGHT YOU MANGEY LITTLE TWERPS!" The gym teacher yelled.
"And the fun begins..." Luka mumbled to herself.
"GET YOUR LAZY CORPSES OVER HERE AND LINE UP! BOY GIRL ORDER!"
There was a communal moan as the students lined miserably up in front of the rope.

It was Luka's turn now. She slowly looked up the huge length of the rope. Standing right under the rope gave the appearance of a massive length. From just a step back it looked ten feet shorter. Luka could hear herself breathing hard with anxiety.
"What are you waiting for?!" The gym teacher bellowed. "Is the little girl scared of the high rope?"
Luka glanced sideways at her.
"Move it! Don't stare at me!"
Luka jumped up and clasped the rope with her hands. She gripped the bottom knot with her feet. She began to squirm up the rope...very slowly.
"I don't have all day! Get moving girl!"
Luka strained harder, but it didn't improve her speed. She was only fifteen feet up.
"BOO!" Someone yelled down on the ground.
Luka lost her footing and slid four feet down the rope. There was a chorus of laughter as she struggled to regain her footing.
"You little maggot! If you can't get your weak little body up and down that rope in the next five minutes, your ass is mine!"
"She can't do it!" Griff yelled. "She's weak!"
"Shut your mouth boy!" The teacher snapped.
But Griff wouldn't give up. "The only thing she's good for is getting laid!"
That does it! Luka was pissed off now. Yellow light flared around her like a fire. The whole gymnasium fell silent. Her eyes were tightly shut. She inhaled sharply. The yellow flames rushed into her open mouth. Her eyelids slid open to reveal eyes, glowing with Dragon Strength. She shot up the rope, almost as if she didn't need to touch it. She smacked the bell at the top. Then, releasing her grip on the rope, plummeted thirty feet to the padded ground.
The whole class was silent. The fire left Luka's eyes. She dusted off her hands and left the gym to change. As soon as the door was closed she collapsed onto the floor. My legs... She thought
---------------
It had been several months since that fateful day that Luka and the others cast the spell.
It was Luka's birthday...
-------------
"I can't believe I'm 17." Luka admired herself. There was a little bounce in her step as she made her way to the bank.
She was passing a large, ancient oak, when it happened. The wind whispered. Luka stopped to listen.

Oxxxx[::::::::::::::::::::::::>