One of the two active stories I'm writing. I could never ever get the beginning of the story right so prepare for revisions and edits. DO NOT POST HERE!!! A feedback thread to come. Enjoy the story please. Prologue The bright fluorescent lights shone overhead as the attendees sat around the chrome table. “What the he!! do you want with us Phoenix?” Juliet asked, agitated. Phoenix smiled a smile that was far from reassuring. “It seems as if we have some new members to add to our group.” Margaret’s hands dug deep into the table, the metal melting in her hands like putty. “Who?” she whispered almost angrily. “My little brother is one,” Phoenix said, taking a curious side-glance at Margaret. Her hands dug deeper into the table and Phoenix smiled. Aaron came out of nowhere as he walked from the shelter of the shadows under the lights, his head hung down like a prisoner. Aaron came up to the table swiftly. “Don’t do it Aaron,” Margaret whispered, hoping he had heard. He had, but didn’t listen. “I believe I’ll make a…wonderful…asset to the group,” Aaron said mechanically, his hands clenching and unclenching. “Of course you will. Shame I can’t control you like the others though,” Phoenix said. Juliet glared at the table. Phoenix dug a coin out of a black leather pouch and threw it at Aaron. He caught it in mid-air. It was the size of a quarter with the four elements on either side of it, and some unknown words engraved around the edges. As he lifted it from his palm he scowled down at the burn mark it left in his hand, an emblem of the Elementals. He clenched his fists experimentally and was relieved he felt no pain. Although he never expected to feel any in the first place. A pair of leather gloves stitched with flames was thrown at him and landed at the table. Aaron put them on absently and drew his hands back into a fist. “Who’s the other member?” he asked, not making any eye contact with his brother. “Some chick named Christina,” he replied removing an imaginary piece of lint from his jeans. “Elemental?” Aaron pressed on. Phoenix stared at his brother for awhile and smiled wickedly. “Ice.” “Do you want her dead or alive?” Aaron asked angrily glaring at his brother with eyes like daggers. “Har har. Very funny little brother. Now move on if you want to make it to her by night,” Phoenix replied. Aaron stood rigidly by the table, his body emitting steam. “Go on now. Shoo,” Phoenix said as one would with a pesky animal. Aaron stalked out of the room, grabbed a backpack that was waiting for him by the door and left quickly. He paused just outside where no one would see him. He opened his gloved hand and concentrated. Flames began to dance across his palms and fingers for a few seconds until he extinguished them with his fist. Run while you can Ice girl, he thought as he continued moving.
Chapter 1 Christie grabbed a backpack from under her bed and hastily packed (or stuffed) anything her hands touched first. One mission was set, or burned, into her mind. To run away. The cool morning wind blew through the open window of her bedroom. Christie slung the backpack over her shoulder and put on a dull colored knit cap over her head. She stuck her head out the open window, pulling away the curtains as she did so, and estimated the height of the jump she was about to make from her two story house. If I’m lucky, she thought, I’ll get away with nothing worse than a twisted ankle. Then again Christie couldn’t remember the last time she was particularly lucky. She swung her legs over the edge of the window, took the bag full of her meager amount of items off her shoulders, and dropped the bag below. It landed with a rather loud thump in a dying shrub. As Christie turned herself slowly around to follow after the bag her doorknob began to turn with an irritatingly loud squeak. Cursing silently to herself she hauled herself back into her room, slammed the window shut, and turned to face the door, arms crossed and a cold look on her face. “Christina!” her wicked step-mother yelled, banging the door against the side of the wall loudly. “What the hell are you doing? Get dressed. Time is money,” she said, brushing off wrinkles on her business like get up. Christie sneered defiantly as her step-mom slammed the door shut. She stood angrily for a moment concerning two things: 1) her step-mom in general 2) her step-mom using the name Christina. Releasing herself from her stupor she ran swiftly to the door in a few strides and laid her ear against it. No sound. Walking back to the window Christie opened it up with a grunt and swung her legs over the side again. “Christina! Hurry up!” her step-mom yelled abruptly, pounding loudly and forcefully on the door. Panicked, Christie gave a surprised yell from her spot at the window and fell down the two stories of her house.
Chapter 2 The cold was the first thing she felt when she had landed. Opening her eyes Christie found herself staring at a glittery white powder beneath her hands. I am so dead, she thought to herself. Sitting up Christie was surprised to find herself in her backyard. Looking to her right she found a disheveled backpack sitting in a drift of glittering powder. Snow. "Christina you little brat!" her witch of a step-mom yelled from her room. Looking up, Christie grabbed her backpack slung it over her shoulder and wiped off the snow that had glued itself to her clothing. With her foot she brushed the pile of snow under a dead bush as best as she could and started to make a wild run towards the back gate, to her freedom. You'll never see the likes of me ever again, she thought with satisfaction. The gate swung easily under her hand and closed itself with a loud band. Just like that, Christie Snowborn was gone.
Chapter 3 Last Week... "Let go of me!" Christie yelled desperately as she feebly hit her step-mom's hand. As if the grip on her shoulder and hair wasn't bad enough. "Let go!" Christie repeated, sobbing uncontrollably as she did so. When they had reached the sink Christie knew she was in trouble. She watched as the sink began to fill to the brim in horrid fascination. Her step-mom grabbed her curly haired mane in one hand while her other hand took her neck. Christie had no time to react before her head went beneath the water. Christie struggled ferociously to reach the surface for air, but to no avail. The water suddenly began to decrease in temperature rapidly and Christie felt her whole body grow stiff as a cooling sensation spread throughout her body. I'm dying, is the only thought that managed to surface in her foggy mind. To her greatest,and possibly most pleasant, surprise her head resurfaced from the sink and she began to breath wildly. She felt like a fish out of water. "What the..." her step-mom whispered in awe. Confused for a second, Christie looked down at the sink and realized why she was in shock. The water in the sink had turned into an icy slushy. Miniature ice burgs floated around in the water and what looked like steam was emitted from the water. "What the..." her step-mom repeated touching the surface of the water and flinching back. "Come here,"she said regaining her usual sour behavior. Taking Christie's mane of hair, she pulled her over to the dining table and forced her to sit. A large glass of water was plopped down in front of her. Christie stared at the water, fuming for a moment. "What?" she demanded looking at the glass to her step-mom. Even in her wet foggy minded state Christie already knew what her step-mom was going to ask her to do. Her step-mom snorted like Christie was an idiot. "Turn it to ice. Like what you did in the sink." Christie almost refused to, but then again she didn't want to have to endure the head in the sink torture. Touching her finger in the glass of, Christie tried to concentrate. Not knowing exactly what was going to happen, the cooling sensation began to spread through her body. Simultaneously the glass began to fog up, slowly at first then rapidly until the glass appeared opaque. The water began to form spider web cracks across it's surface. Christie drew her finger away and when her step-mom turned the glass upside down, no water fell out. It had turned into a solid block of ice. Christie turned towards her step-mom and scowled at her. But in her face there was nothing but greed written all over it.