The grass whistled beside me almost mournfully as I sat on a large hill, all alone.
After I had recovered from the ordeal I had gone through, the couple took their time to obtain my story and explain things.
To start off, almost half a year had passed since I left home.
In truth, the men who had me locked up where the same people who took my mother and killed my little sister. Using force, they had contained most, if not all, of the elementalist living in the countryside. Which included my mother. Having found me, they wanted to use me to destroy their enemies, the rebels that go by the name of 'Fireflies' and obtain complete control.
To think that I was about to be forced to fight against my own people sent shivers down my spine.
I laid down on the grass, grabbing a strand of my white hair while holding it up against the light.
It glowed under the sun.
An ominous feeling came over me as I looked at it.
How many more people would try and use me?
Before I could ponder any longer on the subject, the light was suddenly gone, as though something was obstructing the sun.
"Hello."
Gasping, my body lurched forward and made hard contact with someone else's head. Pain stung throughout my forehead as a small voice cried.
While still holding my forehead, I glanced over to see a little girl. Her pitch black hair was woven into pigtails and her olive skin glowed under the sun. She was no older than five and was dressed in a plain dress that clearly did her no justice.
"Ow." She cried as she held her small hands over her forehead.
"I'm- I'm sorry! Are you okay?" I stuttered, reaching out to her.
In a flash, she caught my hand and grinned. "I finally caught you!"
A mix of confusion and distraught tumbled in me.
When I had arrived, I remembered what it felt like to be an ice elementalist. My white hair brought me looks of disgust, terror, among other hostile feeling. My father was always cautious when leaving the house, but no matter how much he wanted to shield me, I would always remember those looks of contempt.
It seemed that this place was no different.
The people here also looked at me like I was someone that could kill them at any moment. Which is why, besides Mr. August and Mrs. Adelaide, I had avoided everyone.
However, this little girl, Dixie as Mrs. Adelaide called her, had relentlessly followed me in an attempt to meet me.
I had lowered my guard for a moment and she was ready for it, like a tiger.
"You'd be good at hide-and-seek!" She praised me with a beam.
Standing, I was about to shake off her grasp but her small hands held on to me like her life depended on it.
"What-" I stopped and gave up as I didn't have the heart to push her off.
"Can you play with me?"
I stared at her. "What?"
"Play with me." She begged and shook my hand.
"I- I can't play with you."
The little girl tilted her head. "Why not?"
"Because, well- Because I could hurt you." I answered honestly.
"Why?"
"I can't control my element very well..."
"Why?"
A pang echoed in my heart. Her unceasing questions reminded me so much of my sister. "Um, no one really taught me how."
"Oh." She sounded dejected but lit up again. "That's okay! Addie can teach you how!"
"Who-" It clicked in my head.
Oh, Addie is short of Mrs. Adelaide.
"They're really good at using their powers! I've seen them myself!" She cried in excitement.
I grew quiet. Though it would be good to learn how to properly control my powers, a deep fear began to grow in me.
She tugged me down to sit on the ground and I followed. "We can just talk if you don't wanna play!"
Why is she bent on talking to me?
"My name is Dixie! I'm five years old but I'm turning six next month." She said while puffing her chest.
I smiled. "Six? You're old."
My sister was seven.
"No. I'm five, I'm almost six." She emphasized.
She was going to turn eight in two days.
"Are you excited?"
Dixie nodded enthusiastically, her pigtails waving in the air. "Addie said they'd make me a cake."
"A cake? Wow!"
She giggled.
At that moment, a group of kid laughed in the distance. The both of us watch as they chased each other with passion and excitement. A longing look swirled in Dixies eyes.
"Why," I started, "don't you go and play with them?"
The look disappeared from her eyes and was replaced with contempt.
She hugged and crossed her arms. "I don't want to. You're much better than them. Besides," she hugged their knees, "they don't want to play with me neither."
It was my turn to ask questions. "Why?"
She shuffled quietly, plucking strands of grass. "They don't like me."
"Why?"
"Because I don't have parents." Her eyes grew teary but she quickly rubbed her eyes before any tears could fall. "But I'll find them. They're just lost."
I stared at her.
Are her parents dead? Are mine?
Shaking my head, I carefully placed a hand on her shoulder. "My parents are lost too. Maybe we can look for them together?"
Dixie lit up. "Really?!"
"Why not?" I smiled lightly.
"Oh! What's your name?"
"I'm Snow."
Her eyes widened. "Like the white stuff that falls from the sky?"
I nodded, feeling a sort of discomfort and pity towards the child.
Even I, who was at least twice her age, had only seen snow until the age of seven. Then I was forbidden to go outside by my parents and wasn't able to see it again. Now in this age after the war, the old man had taught me that the heavy ammunition had caused the weather to go weird. It hasn't snowed since the beginning of the war. A once lush land had almost turned barren due to the war.
She was born into this world empty of snow, so she had only learned from stories and tales.
"Yeah."
"I've never seen it! I want to see it!" She cried in dismay.
"It's very beautiful, maybe you'll see it one day."
Dixie nodded before plopping onto the ground, she patted on the ground next to her, motioning me to lay down.
I did so and she pointed to the sky.
"Since we can't play, how about we play the cloud game?"
My eyebrows furrowed. "The cloud game?"
She gasped and sat up, staring at me from above. "You've never played the cloud game?"
I shook my head in response.
"It's the game where you look at a cloud and guess what it looks like!"
My eyes glanced at the sky suspiciously. They were gray and lumpy, covering the entire sky like a damp blanket, not showing an ounce of the blue that should be there instead.
"Oh. The cloud game." I said lamely, trying not to push on the little girl's imagination.
"I'll go first!" Dixie pointed at a clump that was darker than the rest. "I see a doggie!"
I blinked at the lump.
I guess it does look like a dog? Kinda...
"Your turn!"
Desperately, my eyes looked over all the sky in an attempt to find something. "Um, that cloud looks like a flower?"
My finger was pointed at a lump that was puffier than the rest.
"Woah it does!" She exclaimed and giggled. "You're good at this!"
My cheeks turned hot in embarrassment.
"What are we doing?"
Dixie and I sat up.
Mrs. Adelaide looked down at us, her fiery red hair wasn't tied up and flowed freely with the wind.
"Addie!" Dixie stood up, hugging Mrs. Adelaide's leg tenderly.
"Mrs. Adelaide." I stood up, awkwardly staring at them.
Mrs. Adelaide laughed in embarrassment. "Call me Addie, sweetie."
I nodded slowly. "A-Addie."
She grinned.
"We're playing the cloud game!" Dixie exclaimed.
"Oh! The weather is perfect for that!"
I started at the both of them oddly.
"Could I play as well?" Mrs. Adelaide asked.
Dixie stared at me. "Can she?"
Immediately shrugging, I said, "I don't mind."
Together we laid down and looked at the lumps of clouds that could be fairly distinguished. A big bear. A chocolate bar there. Various things appeared in our imagination and soon enough I was laughing among them.
"Why don't we play another game?" Mrs. Adelaide asked the both of us.
Dixie shook her head. "We can't."
I stared at her nervously.
"Why not?" Mrs. Adelaide tilted her head.
"Snow doesn't know how to use her powers very well. She's afraid she could hurt me."
"No- That's-"
"That's okay." Mrs. Adelaide smiled gently. "We can teach her."
My heart pounded in my chest. Was I finally going to properly learn how to use my powers?
But at what cost?
Wouldn't people just try to use me even more?
Mrs. Adelaide sat up, reaching into her pocket. "I actually came to show Snow something."
She pulled out a small black bottle and handed it to me. The label on the bottle said 'Black Hair Dye'.
I looked up at her.
"She can just learn how to protect herself and protect others." She said gently. "She doesn't have to fight."
My heart soared when hearing her words.
I don't have to fight.
I can just protect myself.
Tears began to well in my eyes but I quickly brushed them away with the back of my hand.
Clutching the bottle in my hands, a sudden realization came to me.
I don't need to hide who I am. As long as I can protect myself and not hurt others, everything will be fine.
"Thank you Mrs- I mean Addie. But I don't think I'm going to need this." I tried to hand her the bottle back but she shook her head.
"Just keep it for now."
"What is it?" Dixie peered behind me, staring at the bottle intently.
"It changes the color of her hair." Mrs. Adelaide explained.
"No!"
Her sudden outburst caused our eyes to widen in surprise.
"You can't change your hair!" She cried and held onto me. "You can't! It's too pretty!"
A burst of laughter escaped my lips. "Okay, okay. I won't!"
"Good." Dixie huffed.
Looking at her completion, I realized her nose was a little red. It caused me to remember that because of my element, I was always cooler than the average person. With enough contact, a person can easily lose their warmth near me.
"Aren't you cold?" I asked her.
She shook her head. "No, why?"
"Oh dear." Mrs. Adelaide slipped off her cardigan and placed it over the child.
I shifted away from her.
"I'm not cold!"
Mrs. Adelaide chuckled. "I believe you Dixie, it's just that fall is coming. I wouldn't want you to catch a cold."
"I don't catch colds!" Dixie huffed, inching near me.
"That's what my son says all the time. Then he gets sick."
"Well I'm stronger than him!"
Mrs. Adelaide smiled. "Yes, you are. My son is such a crybaby."
Mrs. Adelaide had a son, but that was pretty much all I knew about him. I often wondered if his eyes were as wild yet gentle as hers, or if his hair was as red and unruly as his mother. Or did he look more like his father? More quiet and composed. With his hair cut short and his eyes holding a more calmness?
It was a great way to pass the time away.
Maybe even one day, I'd get to meet him?
"Well, I've got to get going. I'm in charge of helping the cooks today!"
Dixie gasped and held onto my arm. "That means dinner is going to be tasty today!"
Mrs. Adelaide laughed, her laugh sounding like bells in the wind.
"I can't wait!"
Mrs. Adelaide looked at me. "So about learning how to use your powers, will you do it?"
I glanced at the bottle in my hands then back at the small girl next to me. "Only if Dixie promises to play with me when I do."
Dixie gasped excitedly and lifted her pinky. "I promise! I promise!"
Quickly hooking my pinkie with hers, we stamped it with our thumbs.
Looking back at Mrs. Adelaide, I stood up and bowed. "I'll be in your care then."
She smiled.