The Four Elements by Andrew Harmon, Catalina Harmon (ebook reader with highlighter .TXT) 📖

Bending is the ability to manipulate the four natural elements. The four elemental bending arts are water, earth, fire, and air. Each element is passed down through generations, but it will sometimes skip a generation, like in the case of Carsen and Gwen. Their grandparent’s, Sharon and Jr. had two sons. Sharon is a waterbender and Jr. is an earthbender, but neither of the sons got any bending. Sharon and Jr. did not introduce their sons to the world of bending because it is an unwritten law that nonbenders must never know certain secrets that lay within their world. Sharon and Jr.’s sons grew up with normal lives, they went to school, fell in love, got jobs, and had children of their own. The two sons’ names are Brian and Ricky, and each had one kid. Ricky had Carsen, and Brian had Gwen.

One afternoon, when Carsen and Gwen were visiting their grandparents’ house, they went to the pool in the backyard. Gwen and Carsen were playing in the pool while Sharon and Jr. were sitting in chairs watching. Carsen was standing outside the pool by the edge and Gwen ran by and knocked Carsen into the pool. As Carsen fell backwards he raised both his arms and a small stream of water lifted from the pool and shot backwards at his grandparents. While Carsen was getting up from being knocked down in the pool Sharon and Jr. looked at each other realizing Carsen had just waterbent. After this, Sharon, being a waterbender, started training in the art of waterbending. Once Carsen’s waterbending was discovered, Sharon and Jr. kept a close watch on Gwen.

About 6 months later, while Carsen was having his training over their grandparents’ house, Gwen was playing in the gravel driveway in the front yard. Jr. called for Gwen to come inside because it was time for dinner, but Gwen did not want to come inside. Jr. told her to put down the rocks and hurry up, but Gwen got even more mad at this and stomped her foot, but when she stomped her foot about 10 rocks flew into the air behind her and went higher than the house. Jr. saw what Gwen did and, after dinner, Jr. started training Gwen in earthbending while Sharon trained Carsen. Ever since then, every weekend, Gwen and Carsen started coming over to their grandparents’ house to secretly train.

            Ten years has passed since the discovery of Carsen and Gwen’s abilities to manipulate certain natural elements. They have kept their bending a secret from everyone, their friends, family, and even their own parents. Only their grandparents, Jr. and Sharon know about their bending. Carsen has become quite the skilled waterbender, and Gwen has likewise become a very skilled earthbender, as they have been training for ten years under the teachings of their grandparents. 

Carsen sat in his car waiting for Gwen to come out of her house so they could go to their grandparents’ for Winter Break. Gwen’s house door opened up and Gwen came outside pulling two suitcases behind her and a backpack swung across her back. She staggered to the trunk of the car, which Carsen had just hit the button from inside the car to open it, and Gwen placed all her luggage into the trunk. Gwen closed the trunk and came to the passenger side of the car and got in the front seat.

            “I can’t wait for this break. Grandpa said he’s going to teach me to levitate a slab of rock under me so I can be lifted into the air! I literally can’t even!” Gwen said as Carsen began to pull away from her house. They’ve gone to their grandparents’ house so many times that they don’t bother saying bye to their parents.

            “I’m sure you can even, Gwen. I’m exited too though! Grandma and I are supposed to learn the octopus move. I tried last weekend, but I could only get three arms of the octopus when I should have at least eight” Carsen said back to Gwen.

            “That’s cool” Gwen said laughing, “I’m going to take a nap though, I barely got any sleep last night. Let me know when we get to the mountains” Jr. and Sharon, their grandparent’s, live in the Appalachian Mountains in western Virginia. It takes about six or seven hours for Gwen and Carsen to get there.

            “Alright” Carsen said

            “Get up Gwen” Gwen moved a little and made a small grunt noise to go away, “We’re here, wake up” Carsen said again. Gwen opened her eyes to see them on a small dirt road in the mountains. She looked over towards Carsen and looked through his window and recognized the trees and the landscape. They are a few minutes away from their grandparents’ house. She sat up and yawned then put her fingers together and cracked her knuckles.

            “Do you really have to do that, you know I hate that noise” Carsen told Gwen.

            “Do you want me to open up the mountain or not?” Gwen asked sarcastically. The road took a sharp left turn at the side of a mountain, but Carsen stopped the car instead of turning with the road. Gwen got out of the vehicle and stepped in front of the car, facing the side of the mountain. She spread her feet apart to line up with her shoulders, then she raised her left leg and stomped. At the same time she stomped, she also punched her right hand forward and large amount of rock from the mountain pushed back. Gwen took a step sideways this time and pushed both her hands to her left. As she did this the same portion of the mountain moved to the left and a tunnel through the mountain became revealed. Gwen got out of her stance and stepped to the side to let Carsen drive into the tunnel. Once he got the car into the tunnel, Gwen got behind the car and pushed the mountain back to the way it was in order to prevent anyone from thinking someone just moved a chunk of the mountain in order to go inside a secret tunnel that would open up on the other side. Gwen got back in the car and they continued to drive to their grandparents’ house.

        A few minutes later Gwen and Carsen came out of the mountain, they arrived shortly after, at a two-story log cabin. As they pulled up to the front of the house, their grandparents were waiting on the porch for them.

            “Come here and give your Grandma some hugs and kisses.” Sharon said as soon as Carsen and Gwen stepped out of the car.

            “Leave the poor children alone, you just saw them last weekend, and I’m sure they’re starving.” Jr. told Sharon as she flashed everyone a smile and went inside to go make some food.

            Carsen and Gwen took their suitcases and headed up to their individual rooms. As Gwen walked into her room she saw a balcony connecting to Carsen’s room. She immediately dropped everything on the floor and ran to it stopping in front of Carsen’s window and tapping on the glass. He looked up and flashed her smile before shooing her away with his hand waving in the air. She ran back into her room and jumped onto the bed thinking this was going to be a really great week. After that she unpacked and put everything into the drawers, as did Carsen. They finished around the same time and went downstairs to see what Sharon was cooking.

            “Yummmmm, hamburgers!” Gwen said while running to the kitchen.

            Carsen wasn’t as excited as her because he was a vegetarian and didn’t know what he was having. As soon as he reached the kitchen he came to find that he was having a veggie burger.

            “Gwen set the table, and Carsen if you could get the drinks for everyone.” Sharon stated, as she was finishing up the cooking.

            Everyone put their plates away at around the same time and then watched television for the rest of the night. One by one they each went to bed.

            It was the next morning and everyone got up to take showers, put clothes on, eat breakfast, and watch some more TV.

            “Carsen it’s time for your training!” Sharon screamed from outside.

            Carsen hadn’t had much time to look around but as soon as he went to the backyard his jaw dropped. There was a river running straight through the back yard, it was so fresh and clean you could see all the fish in it and how beautiful they looked.

            “Isn’t it gorgeous?” Sharon said, snapping Carsen back to reality.

            While Carsen was training with his grandma, Gwen went to go find her grandpa so they could start training. She found him outside already waiting for her as if he knew she was eager to learn new moves. She stepped out to the side of the log cabin and saw a forest. They both walked into the forest and as she looked up, she saw mountains, they weren’t that high, or even that big, but they were still mountains, and she was determined to learn how to move them in new ways.

            After training Carsen, Gwen, and their grandparents went inside to make sandwiches.

            “You want to head into town with me for awhile so I can buy some more clothes?” Gwen asked Carsen.

            “You have enough clothes already, why do you need more?” Carsen replied annoyed.

            “A girl can never have too many clothes!” Gwen said getting defensive, “I’ll buy you a new outfit too.” She said with a wink.

            “Alright, alright, let me just tell Grandma.” Carsen said.

            Carsen got into the driver’s seat and Gwen in the passenger seat. It was Carsen’s car so he always drove; only occasionally did Gwen drive. She only had her permit while Carsen had his license. They got to town and parked at the first parking lot they saw. They both got out of the car and Gwen saw Carsen lift up an eyebrow, “How much do have?” He asked, knowing that she shouldn’t have that much.

            “That’s for me to know and you to find out.” She said sarcastically.

            They started walking and saw all the stores they could go into. The place was one of those towns with tourists everywhere, shops right next to each other, and a major vacation spot. Sort of like an outlet mall. Just then Gwen got a phone call, “Hello?” She asked.

            “Hello, Gwen can you hear me?” Sharon asked.

            “Yes I can here you.” She replied a little annoyed.

            “Well I just wanted to check up on you, have fun and don’t stay out too late.” She said before hanging up the phone.

            Gwen put her phone away and told Carsen it was their grandma and to not be out too late. They both walked for a little until they both saw a store they liked. Gwen went to the hoodies while Carsen headed to the