"Maurabel said a bunch of students dropped out because they couldn't stand to be around reds and she linked me to a couple of red websites to read. It reminded me of some stuff that happened to me back in the other world. I needed to go be by myself for a while."

"Maurabel is mean. That was a mean thing to do."

Headtilt.

"If she had just wanted elementals to know about reds why just tell the ones whose friends were leaving her school?"

"She mentioned them before, so I'd know not to go into their neighborhoods or touch marked things. She just didn't go into a lot of detail."

"But why go into detail just to the elementals who had friends who left her school?"

"So we'd know why you left school."

"You could have asked. I think she wanted to punish us for leaving by saying things in a way that'd make our friends hate us. Some didn't come back."

"Maybe," he says doubtfully. "I don't know, if she really wanted me to do something she could make me."

"I don't think she's that mean. I think she just -" shrug. "None of the other kids will quit no matter what, they don't want to lose their friend."

"Maybe she thinks you'll get used to the reds. I think that's why she wanted you to all have elemental friends. You could have just shared a bunch of us, she found a complete set just for them, even, but she wanted you to be used to us. That and translating."

"But it's mean to try to make people get used to something by telling their friends they're evil if they don't get used to it fast enough."

"How should she do it instead?"

"Dunno.

Maybe we could have all emailed before the classes started telling about ourselves so people would know the reds already. Instead of them being a surprise. They could have started out not going to both sessions so people felt like they had a little control over it. There could have been a glass wall.

She could have not sent an email that made you all want to leave. You could have asked me and we could have talked and even if after that you wanted to read about reds and then left then I wouldn't have thought you were gone forever because you hated me."

"The emailing is a good idea," he says. "It's too late for that one, I think there aren't any more red mages because people killed them if they happened and aren't letting reds have clams.

I'm sorry. I was scared."

Snuggle. 

Invisible wings go around kid.

"I don't want reds to be hurt I just feel so itchy around them, like when you know an ant crawled up your pant leg but you don't know if it's still there."

He looks at his pants. "...if you can't feel it any more why does it matter if it's still there?"

"...dunno."

Snuggle. "The reds won't go near you."

"I know. I stopped showering all the time, it made Dad so sad. Even though it's nice."

"Is it? I learned how to use a shower but I don't think they're very fun."

"I like it! Water feels nice. Maybe if you were a Water."

"I'm not sure Waters would see the point. They go flying in clouds, or swimming in the sea, or just have their halos on."