Icy Inferno (Troyler AU)

⋙ Chapter Eight

"Let's try casting at the oak tree over there," I said, jerking my head in the direction rather than move my arms. Tyler let go of my arms, and held just one of my hands. Already his hand felt as though it belonged in mine. We lifted our joined hands to point at the tree. I willed my powers to strike at it.

A brilliant light was shot from our interlaced fingers. It hurled towards it at a frightening speed. In a blink of an eye it struck the tree. It caught alight, enveloping the few leaves that were hung on the branches. It looked as though Tyler had cast it all by himself. There was no hint of anything but fire.

Then I spotted a flash of white. At the base of the tree, a fine frost was forming. A steady path of ice began to immerse the flames. The tree froze over completely within a minute. No flames existed.

All too soon the frost melted away. The oak tree didn't look like it had before, but I didn't feel sorrow. I was just amazed at how new this all was to me.

Unlike in class, we kept going. We whirled around in a circle of energy. Spells were cast in every direction. Some of the grass was burnt and coated in dew. Benches were split down the middle without a mark.

However, not everything we did was violent. Flowers began to bloom, despite it being autumn. Icy webs were formed between trees, with Tyler melting it so that pictures lay within. Patterns were created in the air that shone blue and yellow all at once. Figure-eights, clovers, stars, hearts… a whole variety of shapes were formed by us.

Soon we had an audience. We caused birds to pause mid flight to observe our endeavours. We made rabbits leave their burrows to see what commotion we were causing. They left after a while, but it felt as if nature had stopped just for us, to watch us.

I wasn't focused on any of that. I couldn't focus on anything but the energy shared between us. We’d subconsciously changed positions as time wore on, clutching on to each other but no longer holding hands. The smoke around us grew in intensity as power surged within. The closer we became, the harder it was to control. I wondered how much smoke would be created if we were to kiss or - I stopped the train of thoughts there.

After an infinity, we began to slow. We both were beginning to feel drained. Soon we were left with our heavy breaths mingled together. Until then I'd been blissfully unaware of how unbelievably tired I was. Even running 1 mile in PE hadn't made me that worn out.

I opened my eyes for the first in forever, meeting his. His pupils were dilated so much that only a rim of blue could be seen. I was faintly aware of how close we were. My arms were wrapped around his waist whilst his were gripping on to the back of my neck. Eventually he slid his hands off of me, and I let go of him. Immediately I missed the previous closeness. That’s why I didn't attempt to move further away from him, and he didn't either.

His voice was still breathy when he spoke up. “Troye, look at our hands.” I looked down. Mine were tinted blue, as if they had been frosted over. His had become black, as though they had been burnt. I touched his hand instinctively, wanting to brush it away. It wasn't dusted in ash as I originally thought. Somehow, his skin had been recoloured, making him appear fiendish. However, his normal colour began to return from where my hand touched his. The blue began to disappear on mine at the same time.

“Has that ever happened to you before?” I asked, already knowing his response. He shook his head, studying the black marks as they faded away, until there was no evidence it’d ever existed.

“This is all so weird,” he said, leaning against my chest. My arms loosely went around him, worried i might scare him off I held him too tightly.

“I’m a little afraid of what’s happening to us. What makes it worse is that Mr Lester couldn't find a case happening to anyone else.”

He looked up at me sympathetically. “I’ll admit it - I’m afraid too. But at least we’re going through it together. We’re not alone.”