Stacey could not help staring at Cody during breakfast when he was not looking. And from the way his eyes quickly darted away whenever she looked up, she knew that he was checking her out as well. That was when Stone and her brother suddenly entered the huge dining tent.
"You're awake," she stated as she raised an eyebrow at her brother.
David looked at her and then at Cody. "Uh, thanks for noticing. How long have I been asleep?"
"Since yesterday and you woke up just in time too. Stone and Dianne are going to train us today."
"Train us to do what?"
Stacey rolled her eyes. "Train us to fight, stupid. They are Keepers of Ice too, so it turns out that we're not the only ones." She had been shocked and a little disappointed to find out that there were more Keepers of Ice in Polarfrost. Guess I'm not so special after all.
David's eyes lit up instantly. "So, they're going to train us to fight eh? When do we get started?" He looked up expectantly at Stone.
"Didn't you just smash your head into a tree not long ago?" Cody asked.
"Don't worry, I'll show David how to smash into a tree properly today," Stone chuckled, which earned a facepalm from Stacey.
❄ ❄ ❄
"How many Keepers of Ice are there?" Stacey asked curiously. She was walking alongside Cody and her trainer, Dianne. Her trainer had a slender body figure and long dark hair that covered part of one eye. She looked younger than forty years of age but her serious dark blue eyes made her look experienced in the field of combat. Her lips were a mysterious cross between dark blue and purple, which Stacey guessed was the result of lipstick.
"There used to be many, hundreds even. It was Order who wiped most of us out. I believe there are only about a dozen of us left, including you and your brother." Dianne replied. There was a hint of anger and determination in her tone. "Stone and I are the best fighters in our campsite, and we hope to teach you all we know. And maybe, just maybe, we'll retake this world from Order and make them pay for their crimes."
Stacey shuddered at the thought of Dianne slaughtering many of her foes without mercy. "So, where are we going? And will I be training with my brother?"
"There are two things a Keeper of Ice must learn if they are to reach their full potential. The first is physical training and combat and the second is learning to master your ice abilities, but the training depends on the type of keeper you are."
"There is more than one type of keeper?" Cody asked.
Dianne paused, and Stacey could sense the gears in her head turning. "Yes, there are two known types of keepers, which are determined by their powers. Glacial and blizzard keepers." Dianne's gaze landed on Stacey. "Your brother's type is glacial like Stone's so traditionally, he'll learn to use either a sword or an axe with a shield. On the other hand, you are a blizzard type like myself. That means I'll teach you how to use either a spear or a bow."
Stacey recalled the memory of her terrible archery skills back at camp. "I think I'd prefer learning how to use a spear. I'm not so good with the bow."
Dianne smiled mischievously. "Then it's settled. The bow will be your weapon of choice."
Choice? Yeah right. "But—"
"No buts! Now follow me to the archery range. If you pick up archery quickly, I'll let you practice shooting apples off of Cody's head," Dianne cut off with a dark joke, much to Cody's horror.
"You won't actually try and shoot apples off of my head, will you?" Cody whispered to Stacey.
Stacey smirked. "Why not? It sounds like a great idea! I'll try my best not to shoot your handsome face though."
Cody's eyes lit up. "You think I'm handsome?"
"I m-mean, I think l-lots of guys are handsome," Stacey replied. She could feel her cheeks reddening, and the fact that Cody was beaming at her with that adorable smile of his was not helping either.
Dianne had taken them to what seemed like a poor excuse of an archery range. Instead of actual targets with bullseyes, their targets were deformed snowmen that looked terrifying without the carrot nose, scarf or smile. You'd think Keepers of Ice from Polarfrost would know how to make snowmen, Stacey thought with a frown. Stacey was given a bow and arrows and began shooting at the targets, but after a few minutes of missing, she started to feel frustrated.
"Ugh, I can't do this!" Stacey yelled after another arrow missed a snowman by two metres.
"Yes, you can. You just need more practice. Now nock another arrow and shoot that target!" Dianne commanded.
Stacey lowered her bow. "It's no use. I guess I'm just not cut out for archery."
"You can do it, Stacey! I believe in you!" Cody exclaimed.
Stacey turned and saw her friend sitting on the snow nearby. She had forgotten that he was there after being stressed out from being so bad at archery. He had his gentle brown eyes locked onto hers, and Stacey was driven with a new determination and raised her bow once again. Carefully, she reached for an arrow from her quiver, nocked it and took aim at the target. With deep concentration, she focused on the target and imagined her arrow hitting the bullseye – or rather, the face of a deformed snowman.
Finally, she released the bowstring and the arrowhead hit the target, but only at the very edge. "Yes! I did it!" she cheered as she raised her arms in the hair.
Dianne smiled. "It's a start, but you still have a lot of practice to do. Take a short break and I'll show you a few ice moves later.
Stacey returned her archery equipment to Dianne and grabbed her water bottle from Cody. He beamed at her and she returned the smile. "Hey, Cody." She gulped down half the bottle and cringed at its coolness.
"Hey, you did great. Keep it up and you'll soon drive those snowmen to extinction.
Stacey giggled. "You really think so?"
"Of course," he replied.
"Okay, break's over. You can make goo-goo eyes with your boyfriend later but right now, we have some more training to do," Dianne teased.
Stacey ignored her remark. "Right. I'm ready." Stacey marched towards her trainer. She wondered what she would learn from Dianne, but hoped it would be something amazing. Yet, it was the thought of Cody and his gorgeous smile and eyes that lingered in the back of her mind.
"First, show me what you know."
"To be honest, all I know how to do is freeze stuff."
Dianne chuckled. "Very well, I'll show you an advance move only blizzard keepers can do. You might want to take a step back." Dianne stood with her feet planted firmly on the ground with a gap in-between them. She closed her eyes and balled her hands up into fists, before pounding them together as if giving herself a fist bump. As soon as her knuckles made contact, the frigid winds swirled around her rapidly with increasing speed. Snow and hail seemed to chase each other in circles within the small snowstorm that had formed around her. Suddenly, she opened her eyes and at the same time, she quickly moved her hands in a shoving motion in front of her chest, with palms facing away from her body. The small storm that surrounded her followed the direction of her hands and shot towards that direction with insane force and speed.
"Whoa, that's awesome!" Stacey exclaimed.
"I'd hate to be in the way of that," Cody commented. His eyes were wide open and Stacey wondered what he thought about this whole supernatural power thing.
"I call it blizzard blast. It can freeze and force anything trapped within the current back at long range. However, it's also difficult to master and control."
"My turn," Stacey said excitedly as she mimicked her trainer's stance, closed her eyes and bumped her fists together. Much to her disappointment, nothing happened. "I'm doing something wrong, aren't I?"
Dianne nodded. "You have the right body position, but you also need to tap into the power within you to perform this. Summoning blizzards can only be achieved in extremely cold weathers and winds, but with enough practice, it can also be done with normal temperatures. Try it again but this time, remember to feel the elements around you and concentrate on manipulating them to your will."
Stacey decided to give it another go. She stood with her legs slightly apart and shut her eyes. This time though, she took the time to breathe in the cool air, feel its icy presence on her skin, and concentrate on what she wanted to achieve. She lifted her fists slowly and soon brought them together. Immediately, she willed the elements of ice and wind to swirl around her and instantly, she stood in the middle of her very own blizzard.
❄ ❄ ❄
There was no sun to be seen across the sky in the world of Polarfrost, but from the way the sky was darkening, Stacey knew nightfall would be here in a matter of minutes. This intrigued her, as she wondered how this world got its source of light during the day. She decided to ask Dianne that later. Stacey stood on top of a small nearby hill, looking out upon the frozen fields and hilltops as the light continued to fade into darkness. The image of her parents entered her mind and she sighed. Mum, I wish you were still here. I miss you so much.
"Hey, aren't you cold?" a familiar voice asked.
The question had disrupted her thoughts of her mother. "I'm a Keeper of Ice. It's only natural that I'm immune to the cold."
Cody stood beside her. He had a red scarf around his neck and thick clothing to protect him from the low temperatures and falling snow. "I don't think there's anything natural about being immune to this kind of weather," he laughed but quickly stopped when he saw her expression. "Sorry, this whole Keeper of Ice thing and is still a little strange to me." He bit his lip. "So, what are you doing out here by yourself? Everyone's back at camp discussing battle strategies and eating fish."
"I was just... thinking I guess. How about you? Why aren't you with everyone else?"
Cody shuffled his feet uncomfortably. "I guess I was just worried about you and wondering where you were."
By now, the sky was dark and the only source of light was from Stone's campfire, which looked like a small flame from the distance. Stacey could not help feeling conflicted with everything that was happening. She had just escaped a close encounter with the organisation that had murdered her parents, learned to control the frigid winds, and was now standing beside her crush in the dark.
"Do you think I'm a freak?" she blurted out and instantly regretted it.
Cody turned and looked her straight in the eyes. Even in the darkness, she could see his gorgeous eyes that now revealed a bit of concern and a bit of something else. "Of course not." An awkward silence passed between them before he cleared his throat. "I think you're the most amazing girl I've ever met."
Stacey's mind took a few seconds to compute what he had just said. "What do you mean?"
Cody looked away for a second. "When I met you in the school library, you seemed like an interesting girl. I mean, I really enjoyed being around you and I appreciate you as a friend and every time I see you I... I guess... I fell in l-love with you. A-And that time at the school camp during the campfire... I guess what I'm trying to s-say is—"
Stacey was smiling from ear to ear. "Aw Cody, that's so sweet!" She could not bring herself to meet his eyes. "I like you too."
More seconds of silence passed between them as they stared out into the starless sky. "Stacey, I know we haven't really known each other for that long, but I really enjoy your company and I value our friendship. I know it's a bit sudden but would you... would you like the honour of being my girlfr—"
"Yes."
Cody blushed. "You didn't even let me finish."
Stacey beamed and hugged him tightly. "Well now that I'm officially your girlfriend, you'll have to cope with me cutting you off halfway a lot," she said teasingly.
"I think I can live with tha—" Cody was cut off once again as Stacey had leant in to kiss him.
She felt his arms wrap around her as they spent a few more blissful seconds kissing in the cool darkness. A funny thought then came to mind. Aunt Yvonne's going to flip if she finds out about this.