Elemental chapter three (part two)

Instructions

Camille prepared another section of orange air, but instead of a dome this time, it looked like a long horizontal tube that curved up at one end. “Is that another air shield? Because it’s orange, like the dome.” Alicia said. “Actually, it’s a moving tube.” Camille answered. “And it’s orange because I made it orange, not because of what it does. I could do any of these things using clear air, but obviously they’d be impossible to see.” “Makes sense. So then what does it do?” “Touch it and see what happens.” Camille smiled, and Alicia had a feeling that this would be even worse than Madeline almost drowning. Alicia walked up to the tube and stuck her hand in it. Instantly, she felt it jerk her whole body in it, and it sent her hurtling down toward the curved end. She felt a sense of dread when she saw how it curved up. She was certain of what would happen next. She was right. When the tube went up, it flinged Alicia into the air. She wasn’t sure how high she was, but it was higher than the trees across the lake. Then she fell, and as she neared the lake, there was a lot of screaming and flailing -- from Alicia and her friends. But just when she was about to hit the water, something snaked around her waist, and when she looked down, it was an orange air-lasso. She looked back just in time to see Camille flick her hand, and there was another jerking feeling as Alicia was whisked back to everyone else. “Again!” Camille said and pointed to the tube. “Why?” Alicia demanded. “I did your stupid trust exercise, and it almost killed me, it also almost killed Hannah and Madeline, and who knows what you’re going to do you Penny!” “Both you and your friends were perfectly safe,” Camille answered calmly. “Yes, you almost fell into the lake, but I stopped you. And I will continue to help you until you can do it yourself. You’re going to do the tube again until you can fly by yourself.” She pointed to the tube again. “Fine.” Alicia went over to the tube and was flinged the same way as before. She waited for the air-lasso to come again. It wrapped around her just before she would’ve hit the water. Camille was frowning. “You weren’t even trying that time.” “I trusted that your lasso thing would come. Doesn’t that count?” “No, because you were supposed to be helping yourself, not waiting for mine. Again.” The next time Alicia was flinged, she tried her hardest to fly. Camille had never given her any pointers, so Alicia was thinking commands to the air over and over. Fly! Lift me up! Stop me from falling! Bring me to the ground! But none of it worked, and instead of the orange lasso, Camille let Alicia fall into the lake.