I open my eyes to see the academy on fire, pieces of stone, rocks, broken doors, and everything you could think off flying around the big blue portal in the middle of where the academy used to be. The portal is just off the cliff, and there are students fighting with rebels spread around, just as many of them alive as there is dead on the floor. I watch myself stand up, shaking off the dust and gravel from all over my clothes.

“Crowe!” I scream, running straight towards the portal, and I watch as I push the rocks away with my air mark, before jumping off the cliff.

“Everyone knows the plan? We stick together, no one acts like a fucking hero, or tries any stupid shit,” Mr Daniels tells us as the van speeds around a corner. I hold onto my seat so I don’t fall off as the vision slips away from me. What the hell was that? And why would I jump off a cliff? Logan and Locke are sitting next to me, and Mr Daniels is sitting with two other marked opposite from us in the small van. Kenzie’s dads and the other council members are driving to the other side of the warehouse, so we are attacking from both sides. Everything has been planned, and nothing could go wrong.

“We know the plan,” Locke says firmly, his hands clenched together, but his tone doesn’t sound like he’s convinced.

“Good. Nothing can go wrong,” Mr Daniels replies, frustration written all over his face. We don’t get to talk anymore as the van pulls to a stop, and we all stand up. Mr Daniels opens the van door, jumping out, and we all follow closely behind him. We walk down the quiet road, full of parked up lorries and cars, only the sounds of water in the distance to hear. The road comes out to the docks, and straight across the large river is the warehouse that we know they are in. It looks empty, but we know better. We quietly watch as three marked rebels walk past the doors dressed in all black and making them difficult—but not impossible—to see.

“Everyone remember to use your air mark to propel you through the water, we don’t need any of our own drowning,” Mr Daniels says, and points a look towards the twins who shrug. We all walk to the edge of the river, and I call my air mark, imagining it covering my whole body before diving into the water. I smooth my hands at my sides, pushing my air mark into them and it shoots me across the dark water. I roll onto my back in the water, keeping my eyes open, and watching out for the edge of the dock above the water as I struggle to hold my breath. What feels like a few minutes passes before the dock comes into view above me, and I turn my air mark off. I swim up to the top and take a deep breath, trying to keep quiet.

A few minutes later, Mr Daniels appears next to me, breathing heavily, and then not long after Locke and Logan pop their heads above the water too. No one says a word as we float under the dock, the wood creaking above us as the rebel guards walk past. Mr Daniels moves first, swimming to the edge of the dock, and pulling himself out. I swim after him, pulling myself out just as a wave of water hits me, sending me flying back into the water. I use my water mark to control the water, and my air mark to push me back out, sending me flying into the air. I fly straight back to the dock, where the council and the rebels are already fighting, some with powers and others with old-looking swords. I fly straight towards Locke and Logan, who are using fire and protection to block the water attacks three rebels are throwing at them. I pull a wave of water with me, slamming it into the sides of the rebels and they crash into the floor as I land next to them. I hold my hands over the water, pushing it down onto all three of them as they struggle to get free. Lucky that they aren’t stronger than I am.

“Freeze them Logan!” I shout as the twins get to me, knowing I will need help to hold all three of them in ice. Logan puts his hand over mine, freezing the water at the same time as I do. We both pull away just as there’s a big roar, and we turn to see Locke has shifted into his giant polar bear, and has a rogue guard in his mouth, swinging him around before throwing him into the water screaming.

“Damn I forget how big he gets,” I comment, as the polar bear with glowing blue eyes is five times the size of a normal one, and could swallow a human whole.

“Kenzie said my brother is big, but I think—”

“I didn’t mean that,” I cut him off as I shake my head, and he grins.

“I know, I thought a bit of humour might help the situation,” he says as we watch Locke swipe his massive paw, and throw three rebel guards into the water.

“How the hell do you shift into a panther and your twin into a god damn gigantic polar bear?” I ask, but he doesn’t get to answer me as I spot Mr Daniels in the crowd.

“This way,” I grab Logan’s shoulder, pointing at Mr Daniels near the entrance. We run over, hearing Locke following us, his giant paws smacking across the ground. I pick up a rebel with red hair with my air mark, slamming her into the wall and then stop when I see what Mr Daniels has done. He has opened a massive hole in the dock, and made a whirlpool in the hole that he is throwing the rebels in to. I watch in admiration as he combines his air and fire mark into a flamethrower in the shape of a dragon’s head, and rounds the rest of the rebels into a circle, before pushing them into the hole right behind them.

“Inside,” Mr Daniels says when he is done, and pauses a bit at the sight of the giant polar bear by my side, despite the fact he knows it’s Locke.

“Locke, stay out here and don’t let anyone in, it’s too small for you in there,” he tells him, and Locke lowers his head before turning around. We run in, and just stop, staring at the empty warehouse. There are some boxes in the corner and one small chair in the middle of the room. I run over with the others, and I’m the only one that can read out loud what the note on the chair says.

“You lose,” I whisper, shaking my head because I can’t believe we have been tricked. Kenzie only has East with her. We need to get to her, protect her. They can’t have her.

“Fuck no,” Logan says, stepping back.

“Where are they?” Kenzie’s dads say behind us, snapping us all out of it as we see them running to us.

“They must be with Kenzie at the academy, this is a distraction,” Mr Daniels growls, sending the chair flying across the room with his air mark. The floor shakes with a loud bang, and I look over at Mr Daniels in horror as the ceiling collapses and the floor falls through, sending us all crashing into the cold water before any of us can call our marks.