The Elementals - The Ice Princess

Chapter 6

"We're not just a bit out of town, we're nearly 5 miles." I say. "How did we get here? Did you drive?" Alexander looks a big agitated. "What are we doing here anyway?" I pretend that the cold is starting to get to me and wrap my arms around my body, pretending to shiver, even though I am not even remotely cold. "And where is my coat? It's freezing out here."

Alexander lifts his head and chuckles. I don't know if the chuckle is meant for me to hear or not. "You don't need your coat and the cold isn't bothering you." he says with a smile.

I am not prepared for this. How could he know? I've always been incredibly careful about ensuring that I don't look any different from anyone else, especially when it comes to my innate inability to feel cold. He's been here half a day and he's figured that out? My mind begins to wander about where I slipped up allowing him to know this about me. He finally breaks the silence and snaps me back to reality.

"It's not safe anymore for you in Snowspell. I brought you here to make sure that you were safe. They know who you are now after what happened in the cafeteria?"

Great! The new guy turns out to be a psycho. Better yet, he's a psycho who has brought me all the way out here, alone. "I don't know what you're talking about." I tell him and reach into my bag and pull out my phone. I begin dial my dad's number but before it can connect, Alexander reaches out and pulls the phone from my hands. "Hey!" I shout, "Give me that..." before I finish my sentence, Alexander has expertly dismantled my phone into several pieces. He looks up into my eyes and hands me a few pieces of the phone. "Don't worry, it's not broken, but you can't use this. Now that they know who you are, they will try and track you down and kill you." Kill me? Who would want anything to do with me? I'm nobody. "Who is going to kill me?" I ask, "And what would anyone want with me?"

"You are much more important that you know Eira and it's my job to protect you."

I get it! I'm being pranked. This is an elaborate trick by a bunch of seniors. Wow! They really went all out with this. It must be initiation for the new guy to welcome him into one of the "cool groups" They all probably thought that because I was so quiet that I would fall for something as outlandish as this.

I make my way to my feet deciding that I am not going to give them the satisfaction, this guy really is crazy if he thinks that he can make me the butt of his joke. I refuse to sit around and wait for the seniors, who are probably all laughing behind the bushes or trees. There is a sharp anger deep within my body that makes me want to lash out at him. This is so dumb.

"Alexander, this has been great, but my dad is going to be worried about me and since I can't use my phone to call for a ride, I have to walk. I would like to make it back to town before it gets dark." I turn to walk away from him but before I get more than 10 feet, he magically appears in front of me out of thin air. "You can't leave." he says. I am awestruck. How did he do that? "I have a lot of explaining to do and it's not safe for you to go back."

I can't believe what I just saw. "How did you...? I need to get to my dad and no offence, but this joke isn't funny".

"I'm not joking," says Alexander "and by now, it's a safe bet that your dad is dead."

My jaw drops. "What?" I ask as I take a few steps back trying to steady my balance. This joke has just stepped over the edge, but still my knees feel weak and my head begins to spin again. Alexander reaches out and tries to steady me, guiding me to sit on a nearby rock. He continues to stand and looks down on me. By the look on his face, I can tell that he truly believes what he's just told me.

"I'm sorry." says Alexander, "But it's probably true. Now that they know who you are, no one around you is safe." My legs feel like they are encased in cement. Deep inside, I can feel something stirring. It feels similar to the feeling I had in the cafeteria, that ice cold feeling that started in my stomach.