12 Months

Chapter 11

A week later, we’re allowed to board the military plane taking us down to Antarctica. Anything could have happened in a week, but we’re informed that they’re all still alive. Ashton has managed to set up a telepathic link with Rosie, and she tells us nobody has died yet, but they’ll get frostbite soon. Lowering their body temperatures made them more resistant to the cold. 

We climb in with Alan and his team, and I sit beside Ashton. The clothes the military gave us are warmer than the t-shirts and singlets we normally wear. Those clothes wouldn’t be good for Antarctica.

“Ready, Little Aria?”

“No. Yes. No. I can’t decide.” I shrug. “It doesn’t matter, really. It’s still going to happen.”

“Yup. You’re right.” As we take off, he grabs my hand, comforting me. A hand to hold is just what I need sometimes. The aircraft jostles us around, and the seats are uncomfortable. I focus on the feeling of belonging somewhere, finally. I focus on anything but this bumpy ride. The feeling of holding Ashton’s hand, the feeling of flying past a plane in the sky, roof-running, anything I can think of. This flight is a bit quicker than I had expected. Our landing is a bit rough, but it isn’t exactly the most flown to place in the world. As the doors open, the icy cold weather immediately begins to nip at my face. Since nobody in our group actually knows any Ice, we’re pretty much the same as the humans in this environment. We’re taken to a helicopter, since the Hagglunds have recently broken down while we were in New Zealand. Helicopters are a cool alternative, though. It doesn’t take as long as I thought it would. We land, and suddenly there’s a shout and Alyssa is out of her harness, struggling to open the door. We’ve stopped, and the door opens from the outside. Alyssa doesn’t even hesitate to run out there and search for Rosie. 

“Rosie!” Alyssa yells out and we run outside, only to see her hugging her sister. The few kids in Ice Specialty climb in as soon as they can, and they’re followed by Alyssa, Rosie, and the rest of us. Our trip back to the runway is filled with everyone telling stories. Rosie sits beside me, while Ashton is on my other side. Rosie chatters on about how happy she is to see all of us again. It makes me smile, to see her so bright and happy, with her face glowing and a cheeky grin upon her freckled face. She looks nothing like Alyssa. Her hair is ginger, and she looks way more cheerful than her older sister.

One more part of our big Daekmalenti family has been recovered.

When all our stories have been told, the conversations turn to what’s next. All of us look to Ashton, who shrugs. 

“We’ll send out two more groups, I guess. Four each. The rest of us will just wait, heal people, and improve the camp. Eventually, some of us will go back to England and get our weapons and things from the old camp. Until we get those, we’re going to have to use our powers to defend ourselves.”

A short girl who looks about ten pipes up. Her face is dotted with freckles. 

“So we won’t live in England anymore?”

“No, Elsa. We’re going to live in New York.”

“Speaking of New York,” I start “When are the humans getting dropped off?”