"So, how did it go?"
Eira looked up from her food to Gwen. "All right. They tested us again."
Gwen nodded contemplatively. "I assumed they would. When I first came here they did it as well."
"Was it..." Eira trailed off, momentarily forgetting what she was about to ask. "How was it for you? The Test, I mean."
"it was... odd. I don't particularly know how to describe it exactly; I haven't talked about it in any sort of depth to anybody. Well... I felt.. I felt like I was somewhere else entirely. As if I'd left the room and was floating around in some sort of a dreamworld. And the power,"—Gwen averted her eyes—"it was intense. That's the only word that I can think of to describe it. Or perhaps enchanting would be a better fit. It was unlike anything I'd felt before. When I use my powers now, it's never that way. I get a significant rush of feeling and power, but it's never anything comparable to the Test. But I may have felt something similar when I first used my powers outside of being Tested. I can't quite remember."
Eira nodded, considering her words. "I felt something along the lines of what you described. It must be somewhat what usually happens."
"Yes, I suppose so."
Eira would be using—or at least trying to— her powers that afternoon. After they had all been re-Tested, the Tutor had drilled information into them— things like when they were or were not permitted to use them. Not actual limits on the Frost— but rules they were forced to follow so they wouldn't get in trouble.
The three remaining students that had gone after her—William, Ronan and Katelyn— had only frozen the glass, just as Mina had. It confused Eira. Were her powers abnormally strong? The Tutor had said that she had the most prolific power she had seen in four years. That meant that whoever that was would still be here training. Maybe Gwen would know something—she seemed around that age.
"Gwen?"
"Yes?"
"How... old are you?"
"Sixteen."
"You tested four years ago?"
"Yes, why?"
Eira was embarrassed to say what she was about to, but forced herself.
"Well, the Tutor said... she said that I was the most," Eira paused momentarily, before recommencing her sentence, "powerful person that had tested in four years. I thought you might know who that was four years ago. Since you're that age."
"Oh... Madam Fairburn said that? I was informed you were powerful—but... to answer your question, she was probably referring to... me."
"To you?" Eira echoed, slightly taken aback. Who'd have known she'd been with who she was looking for all along?
"Yes, well, all the tutors say I'm the most powerful Frost of this generation. I'm not sure I believe it.. because, well, I always feel my powers are sub-par no matter how much they praise me. I always find problems with them. But if they're saying that about you... I'm sure you're quite powerful. I imagine much more so than I, once you've learned to control your powers fully. I have issues with control, mostly."
"Oh," Eira said. If Gwen was so powerful, then that was another reason for Eira to be confused about the matter of her never having friends. Was it possibly due to the other students being intimidated, or something along the lines of that? Or perhaps it was jealousy? Frankly, it angered Eira. If people were so superficial about matters like that and didn't give themselves a chance to get to know Gwen— then how would they know how nice and how good a person she was? From the short time Eira had known her, she'd been nothing but friendly and welcoming; exactly the person someone like Eira needed after being thrown into such an alien environment. She wondered if Gwen was lonely. Despite saying she didn't mind, did she? Eira had never been without friendship, despite it only being one person. She couldn't imagine how it would be in a place like this with nobody to talk to. "I'd like to see you use your powers one day." Eira smiled as brightly as she could for her friend.
"I promise you, It won't be as amazing as you are expecting it to be. But, this afternoon, Madam Fairburn asked me to do a demonstration. You would be able to see then." Gwen's head was hung low. Was she hesitant to show Eira? Embarrassed perhaps?
"Okay. Then I'll look forward to this afternoon's class."
~
Eira returned to the classroom under the guidance of Gwen. The older girl bid her farewell and then went to her own classroom, promising that she would be coming into Eira's class in exactly two hours.
Training resumed a few minutes later. Madam Fairburn swept in mere seconds after she had arrived. Eira was glad she hadn't hung around talking to Gwen for even a moment longer. If she had, then who knew what the Tutor would have done to her. Eira was intimidated by her, to say the least.
"I'm going to partner you up. Then you are going to try and and bring your powers out without any help. Then a student is going to come in and give a demonstration and then you will try again, if you did not succeed the first time. The pair who brings out each of their powers first by the end of the day will get a prize. Got that?"
A competition? Eira wasn't very interested in competing, but she supposed she would have to. Who would she be paired with? Would she manage to bring out her powers? She supposed it wouldn't be with the aid of the Test items.
"Yes, Madam Fairburn," the group chorused.
"Tracey and McLeod, you're together. Caldwell and Ross. And lastly, Lowry and Brodie."
She was with Edan? The boy whose powers had been deemed weak and not prolific in the slightest? Surely that wasn't fair. For him and for herself. Eira suspected the tutor was testing her to see if she was humble enough to not care about being put with someone who Madam Fairburn thought was much less adept than herself. But, it wasn't as if Eira did mind. What she minded about was how much the boy still reminded her of Cerin. Even looking at Edan made her heart ache considerably. However, it would be unbelievably selfish of her to object to the partnership for such a fickle and vain reason.
The boy walked over to her, head hung low. "I'm sorry," he whispered.
"What for?"
"For dragging you down like this. Your powers are so much better than mine and I know I'll hold you back in this contest."
"I don't mind." Eira tried to be cheerful for him. "I'm not one who likes to win, anyway."
"Me neither," Edan agreed.
Madam Fairburn handed each individual a small Icestone crystal. "These are amplifiers for your powers. When you are able to bring the Frost out without a struggle, then you will no longer need them."
Eira clutched her stone and tried to concentrate on it somehow. She couldn't feel anything. No freezing arms wrapping around her. No blizzard raging inside her. She just felt... normal.
She snapped her eyes open, sighing. Edan was staring straight at his own stone, cross-eyed. He groaned, looking away and rubbed his eyes. "How are we supposed to do this?"
Eira shrugged. "I don't know."
She surveyed the four other students, who looked equally as confused and frustrated. Madam Fairburn sat at her desk, watching them all like a hawk accessing its prey.
A good hour passed. The entire time Eira spent fruitlessly trying to bring out her powers. Nobody else in the room had seemingly made any progress either.
"This is hopeless," she muttered.
"Yeah, she could have at least told us how we're supposed to do this. Or maybe even just given us a few pointers," Edan said, staring at his stone for probably the hundredth time.
Eira nodded in agreement.
Without that passage being recited—whatever it was—it was impossible. Maybe she would never be able to use her powers. Maybe—
A freezing gale surging over her brought Eira out of her thoughts. She spun around to where it was emanating from, eyes widening at what she saw. Mina Cauldwell— the rich looking girl— was standing, arms raised. The wind was coming from her. Coming out of her hand. Mina had succeeded in bringing out her powers.
"Well done, Cauldwell. You weren't whom I was expecting, but you are the first that has done it."
The wind died down, leaving the room icily cold. Mina smiled proudly.
How exactly, Eira wondered to herself, did she manage to do that?
"If Ross brings out her powers, then you shall have won."
Mina and Katelyn nodded dutifully. "Yes, Madam."
A gentle knock on the door made everyone turn around.
"Come in," Madam Fairburn said.
The door handle turned slowly and the door was pushed ajar. Whoever it was seemed to hesitate for a few seconds before opening it fully and entering the classroom.
It was Gwen.
Eira waved at her and she smiled briefly in reply, nervously walking over to stand beside the Tutor.
"This is Gwen Haley. She is probably the most gifted student that is currently being trained here. She will now give a demonstration of what she can do— to give you an objective to aspire to."
"Hello, it's nice to meet all of you." Gwen sounded cheery, but still anxious.
"Go ahead, Haley. Don't waste any time," Madam Fairburn instructed her. "Students, watch and learn form this."
"Yes, Madam Fairburn," everyone, including Gwen, chorused.
All the students' eyes went to Gwen as she lifted her hands in an arching motion, letting them hover over the floor at waist height. Eira was excited to see what her friend could do.
A cold wind, much harsher than Mina's, blew over the room. Eira shivered, but it wasn't a bad sort of cold. Apparently Permafrosts weren't immune to others' powers.
Tendrils of ice snaked out of Gwen's hands, huge and jagged. They stopped before they hit the stone floor and then shattered into millions of pieces. Her brow furrowed in concentration. Afterwards, snow began to fall gently from her palms but then escalated into a raging blizzard. She reached her hands up as high as her arms could let them, palms facing the ceiling. The snowflakes came swirling and tumbling down over the room. They settled on Eira's hair delicately. Gwen moved her hands to the floor, focusing the snow that still fell only onto a small spot. It thickened and compacted on the floor, something kind of a shape beginning to form. A few seconds later, she stopped the snow and closed her hands into fists, admiring her handiwork.
She'd built a small ice sculpture, perfectly rendered, reaching to about knee height. It was far more intricate than any sort of ice sculpture Eira had even seen, but not that she'd seen many outside of roughly built snowmen. Its face was almost human.
Eira looked at everyone else's expressions. All of the other young Permafrosts' faces showed a look of awe and admiration. Gwen seemed to notice as well as her cheeks turned pink.
"Excellent work as usual, Haley," Madam Fairburn told her.
"Thank you," Gwen mumbled in reply. It was just loud enough for Eira to hear.
"She's so amazing," Edan whispered.
Eira smiled. "Yes, I agree. She's been my guide since I arrived here. I think we might be becoming friends, though I never knew she was so powerful until I asked her at lunch today. I wonder if I could ever begin to reach that sort of a level." She sort of regretted saying that once it had left her mouth. It sounded as if she was bragging.
"Really? That's so amazing. I'd like to talk to her some day."
Eira raised her eyebrows. Did Edan...?
"Maybe I could introduce you..."
"That would be so great!"
Gwen smiled at the class and excused herself, waving hastily in Eira's direction.
Edan watched her go with wide eyes. Eira thought he seemed friendly. Perhaps he would be a nice friend. He wasn't as alike to Cerin as she had first thought, which was surely a relief. It wasn't like she could ever replace Cerin anyway. He was her special friend. She would never know someone else like him. She doubted she would ever care for someone more than she did for him.
They returned to trying to bring out their powers. Mina now seemed to be able to use them again with more ease, and Eira watched her summon some snowflakes from her fingertips. She would be lying if she were to say that she wasn't slightly jealous of the girl.
Another hour passed and nobody else had any luck. Eira was beginning to get impatient. She'd been motivated by seeing Gwen's demonstration, but now any scrap of that had completely withered away, only to be replaced with frustration. If only her powers could just manifest and she could be done with it!
Her irritation only grew when another of the students, William, brought out his powers. He caused a flurry of snowflakes to blow around the room, smiling triumphantly all the while.
More time passed. Eira wondered when the class was going to end. If it ever was. Her gaze was fixed on the stone, as it had been for most of the afternoon. Her eyes were aching and she was sure she had gone cross-eyed around three-hundred times. Just how had those two worked it out? She had spent the entire time waiting for the Frost to call out to her. To wrap her in its embrace. But, of course, none of that had happened.
She bit her lip, letting her mind wander. Perhaps she was doing the wrong thing? Maybe waiting for the Frost to come wasn't how the others had done it... perhaps she should—
An idea struck her. She wasn't sure if it was the right one, but there was no harm in testing it out. Closing her eyes and clutching the Icestone, she called out within her mind. She called for the Frost. She reached out for it. She yearned for its icy touch. She imagined its tendrils twisting around her hand, pulling her along.
Everything began to feel very far away. Was it working? Somewhere off in the distance, she heard somebody say something along the lines of "I did it!". Was it one of the students? Had they managed to use their powers?
She felt a freezing wind blow over her. The blizzard raged once more. She could really feel the grasp of the Frost. She felt intertwined with it. Like they were one again. It was a familiar feeling. It was comforting.
Slowly, Eira opened her eyes. For once, she felt in control. She didn't feel overwhelmed by the Frost. Ice snaked over her fingertips and rushed through her blood, her bones. She opened up her hands, hearing the Icestone clatter to the floor. The cold began to congregate in her palms and she turned her eyes to them. Icicles hung, pointed and sharp. They glinted in the sunlight. They grew bigger and bigger. Soon they were almost touching the floor. And then, they did. They pushed against the grey stone, before shattering into millions of pieces. It was like what Gwen first did.
The Frost didn't stop. Hailstones thudded against the granite. They were as big as her fist, and were getting bigger and bigger as more and more fell from her hands. They were piling up. If she were to lift her arms—
"Close your hands," came Madam Fairburn's voice, commanding and stern.
Without giving it a thought, Eira did so. The hail stopped abruptly. It was that simple?
"Congratulations, Lowry. You managed to use your powers without the assistance of the amplifier. You certainly are something."
"Um, thank you, Madam Fairburn."
Eira was still not fully there. Part of her was still intertwined with the frost. She longed to feel what she had felt before. Using the powers felt euphoric and tranquil, but at the same time, aching and turbulent. It hadn't felt that way during the tests, or at least as strong. She needed to do it again. As soon as she could.
"Ross and Cauldwell won the contest. That concludes your training for today. Remember, students, you are prohibited from using your powers when you are not in this classroom. If you do not comply with these rules, then there will be strict consequences."
That meant punishment. She wouldn't be able to practice until Wednesday, then. Oh well. She'd suspected as much.
Mina and Katelyn—who had brought her powers out whilst Eira was attempting to, thus why the two girls were the winners of the competition— stayed behind to get their prize, whatever it was. Eira left with Edan, Ronan and William. She kept staring at her fingers. They were the same as they'd always been, but every time she spread her hands, a rush of energy went through her palms and down her through her hands, arms and entire body. She clenched them into fists. Two days. Two days until she could use her powers again. She was sure she wasn't going to dare going against the rules and bringing them out in the interim. Who knew how bad the punishment would be. She'd just wait it out.
Gwen was waiting for her in the corridor. Edan went rigid at Eira's side. She smiled when she saw Eira, righting herself from leaning against the wall.
"Hello, Gwen! This is Edan. He has something he wants to say to you." Edan looked at Eira incredulously and she grinned back. "You said you'd like to talk to her," she whispered so that only he could hear.
Edan, still wide eyed, turned to Gwen. She was smiling at him, eyebrows raised.
"Good... good afternoon, Miss Gwen! You're so skilled at using your powers. One day I'd like to be like you!" Edan hung his head low, embarrassed.
"Thank you, Edan. It's nice to meet you. And there's no need to call me 'miss'. Just Gwen is fine."
"Pleased to meet you too, M— Gwen!"
Eira watched them converse with a smile on her face. Perhaps with these two around the training wouldn't be so bad.