My father turned away from me and I was faced with his back.
"Dad- Dad!" I shouted, but the wind raged against me.
My feet chased after him, but no matter how fast I ran my hands couldn't reach him.
Somehow, my body had shrunk in size.
The cold winds brushed against my skin, marking it with goosebumps.
"Dad!"
He continued to march through the blizzard, ignoring my cries.
I reached out to him once more but my legs faltered when I saw where he was headed.
My blood went cold as I saw familiar tents flapping violently in the distance.
"No!" My voice cracked.
Pushing myself harder, I ran towards my father once more except with more effort. My fingertips grazed his shirt slightly but missed him. At each passing moment, dread filled in me.
As we drew near, two figures grew clearer.
The red-haired couple held hands while staring at my father. Their eyes glowed with determination and spirit.
I waved my hands at them like a madman. "You need to run! He is going to kill you!"
Their focus wouldn't waver and my desperation grew.
Reaching for my father once more, my hands were able to grasp onto his shirt. My eyes widened and I pulled with all my might. However, he continued forward, dragging me along.
"Daddy! Stop! Please Stop!" I cried.
Addie and Gus were mere feet from us. Their clasped hands tightened at the sight of my father and they raised their hands ready to fight.
"You can't-'' I struggled, "You can't fight him! You've already- he's too strong!"
He suddenly stopped, his sight fixated on the couple in front of us.
"Dad, please stop this! I'm right here! I'm right here! Just leave them alone! Please, just leave them alone!"
He raised his arm and I lunged for it in an attempt to stop him from moving any further.
Without effort, he shoved me off.
I landed on the ground with a grunt.
Before I could pull myself together and get back up, the wind picked back up again as grunts of pain echoed in the wind.
Fearing the worst, my head turned back slowly to their direction.
My father towered over their bodies as they lay on the ground unmoving.
"No!" I shrieked.
My legs scrambled and stumbled to my friends. A whimper escaped my lips when I saw their blood seeping through the white snow underneath them.
Though Gus was still, Addie's chest moved haggardly.
Without hesitation, I reached over and looked for her injuries. "Don't worry," I stumbled, "you're gonna be alright. I'll save you this time." No matter how much I searched, I couldn't find where the blood was seeping from. "Where is it?! Where is it?!"
Her breathing grew slower as blood seeped through her clothes and soaked my hands.
"Addie please." I wept. "Please."
Someone grabbed my collar and yanked me backwards.
Pain seared down my bottom as I attempted to scramble back up but was back pushed down.
My father towered over me.
My eyes made contact with him for the first time in a long time.
A chill ran down my spine.
His eyes were dead and cold.
Nothing like the warm and soft eyes that once looked at me with love.
Any trace of my father was gone, there was only a man with an older version of my father's face.
Addie groaned in the background, pulling me back in.
"Let me go!" I shouted. "I have to save her! Her son is waiting for her!"
He shoved me down again.
My heart dropped when his hands reached for my throat.
Each one of his fingers curled and gripped tightly.
My disbelief was destroyed when my lungs began to burn, begging for air.
I clawed at his hands desperately, however, he didn't flinch. His eyes stayed fixated on mine, watching me writhe for air and struggling to live.
"Dad." I gasped.
My vision began to fade in and out, my emotions furiously clashing.
Finally, everything slowly went dark.
The last thing in my view was the cold emotionless eyes my father gave me, his daughter.
-
I woke up with a start, sitting up with a sharp inhale. I could still feel the burning of my lungs, his large hands around my neck. My fingers trembled as they rose to the area that stung.
It felt so real.
The image of my father towering over me echoed in my head.
He was going to kill me.
Curling into a ball, I attempted to calm myself while breathing in and out.
It was useless though because when I realized that the walls surrounding me were not of the infirmary but of a cave, the events that transpired flashed through my head.
Leaving Arianna and the others behind.
The howling wind and the blizzard.
The entrance to the bunker caving.
Seeing my father amidst it all.
Violent shivers crawled under my skin, looking for an inch of my body that wasn't already sick.
My lungs felt tight again, only this time it came along with a destructive feeling inside me.
The feeling was familiar. I only felt it crashing and slamming inside me when I was losing control of my power.
Pushing my lungs to expand, I attempted to calm myself.
However, like poison, the feeling had quickly rushed through my blood and showed no traces of stopping.
I squeezed my eyes, preparing for the worst and unaware that those muffled sounds were people trying to talk to me.
My body shuddered as ice began to crackle under me.
But- like a ray of light in darkness, a clear crystal voice rang out among the ringing in my head.
"Snow!"
Sani and the girls popped into my head.
Tristan and Lucky.
Parker and his charming smile.
I forced a deep inhale, pushing my lungs to expand and shrink slowly.
After a few moments, the chilling feeling in my body began to lower. Things began to grow clearer, and although not completely, I could at least distinguish them.
An unrecognizable man reached over to grab my hands.
My body flinched and my heart began to race again.
"I'm not going to hurt you," he said softly. "I can help but you need to calm down. Do you understand?"
I slowly nodded.
He reached for my hands once more, a stern and strong energy swirled into me.
A feeling of surprise emerged when the nasty feeling began to dwindle in me, as it was calmed down by his energy.
Not long after, my muggy eyes and ears cleared up.
The features of the man helping me began to show dark brown hair. Stern eyes above a small crooked nose. His full concentration was deep on my hands.
Behind him, the others looked at me worriedly.
Dan, Brianna, and Liz peered behind Sani and Tristan, who peered behind Sharp-eyes.
My eyes scanned for someone who wasn't there.
The man in front of me let out an exhausted sigh as he let go of my hands. "You- you're a tough one." He chuckled slightly.
"We knew that much already." Dan peeped as the others nodded.
He shook his head, "Her connection to her element is strong. I've never seen anything like it. We gotta work on controlling that, otherwise you'll endanger everyone around you"
I grew quiet.
He looked over at Sharp-eyes. "I'll go check up on Parker now."
I perked up. "What's wrong with Parker?"
They cautiously glanced at each other.
"Sir." I said sternly.
Sharp-eyes crossed his arms with a sigh. "We followed you as you ventured into the storm. I've never seen an elementalist lose control but it seemed like Parker knew. Even so, he went and grabbed you before you collapsed and brought you here."
"Where is he?" I asked.
"He's currently unconscious."
My heart dropped.
"When an elementalist gets close to another who is out of control, they can absorb some of that energy. Since Parker is the opposite of your element, your energy is like poison to him." The man cut in to explain.
Again.
I hurt him again.
Without hesitation, my body stumbled to its feet.
"Snow!" Sani reached over to support me but I pushed her away.
"Lead me to him"
The man quickly blocked me. "You can't meet him."
I glared at him and he flinched.
"Snow, just listen to him."
"Where is he?"
"There's nothing you could do." Despite his wavering voice, the man's eyes stayed stubborn.
My teeth gnashed.
He's in that state because of me and I can't do anything.
Then an idea popped into my head before despair devoured me.
"That thing you did for me, I can do it for him."
His eyes curved with confusion but it quickly dawned on him.
If I placed my energy into him, then I'd be able to take it out again.
"It took me years to perfect that technique and even then it's still hard for me." He protested.
"I can do it." I said stubbornly.
He grew hesitant.
Sharp-eyes stepped in. "That's enough."
"Just let me try." My voice pleaded. "Please."
"Sno-"
"Fine." The man gave in. "But the moment I tell you to stop, you stop. Do you understand?"
I nodded.
"Marzec, is this a good idea?" Sharp-eyes glanced at him.
We stood still for a couple of moments, as he pondered.
Finally, he simply shrugged. "I don't know but I'll stop her when she fails."
My fists clenched. I can't fail.
"Come on."
"I'll help you walk." Liz appeared next to me.
I glanced at the patch of frost on the ground.
Gently pushing her hands away, I shook my head. "I'm fine."
Her eyes flashed with hurt but it quickly went away and a smile replaced it.
The area where I rested was separated from the others, deep into the cave. As we walked through the tunnels, our footsteps echoed. And not long after, soft chatters began to mix in with our footsteps.
Then I saw him.
Parker laid on the ground, covered with several blankets and near a small fire. Lucky towered over him with creased eyebrows.
My heart dropped when I caught sight of his appearance.
His face, usually round and full of life, was overshadowed by paleness and sickness. His pink lips had shriveled and turned blue. The curveness of his eyes were replaced with grimacing ones.
A small shaky breath escaped my lips.
"Snow!"
Lucky ran towards us, while I avoided her hug.
She quickly recovered. "I'm glad to see you're okay! I was worried."
I rubbed my arms awkwardly.
"How is he, Lucky?" The man asked.
Lucky's smile turned awkward. "He's- He's doing better than yesterday. Although I'm a little worried about his recovery rate."
He nodded grimly and turned to me. "Before you touch him, I want you to practice with me. If you can't succeed at least 3 times, you'll have to give up. Do you understand?"
I nod in agreement.
He plopped onto the ground, motioning me to do so as well.
"How did she tell me to do it again?" He pondered out loud before sighing heavily. "Okay close your eyes."
My eyes closed.
"I'm going to grab your hands okay?"
I felt the warmth of his hands as he held them.
"I was you to imagine the blood rushing through my body. Every vein that connects my brain, heart, and limbs. Can you see it?"
It wasn't hard.
In my head were pictures of blood rushing through little tunnels, supplying oxygen to every part of his body.
"Now this is harder to picture, but our energy is connected the same way. It's connected through invisible veins that supply strength throughout our bodies."
I frowned but tried to see the picture he was describing anyway.
There was darkness at first, then I felt something firm and saw something cloudy in my mind.
"Try looking for my energy, you felt it before right? It was firm and sturdy. It gives you confidence but also feels like it can break you."
I nodded.
The feeling I felt must've been the key. So I kept looking for it. When I found it and followed the feeling, it grew stronger and the cloudiness cleared.
There it was.
Veins of energy that ran through his energy, sturdy and unbreakable like rocks.
"I- I can see it." I mumbled.
"Can you really?!" He shouted, startled. "Can you really see my energy?!"
I nodded.
There was silence.
"Sir?" My head tilted.
"Sorry! I was just amazed, I've never seen anyone accomplish it so easily. You must be-"
"Sir."
"Right. Sorry." He inhaled. "Okay, now you have to imagine your own energy. See how it connects our hands together and try to mix our energy."
I paused.
"I'll let you know when to stop."
Mix our energy?
What if I can't bring it back? Would I hurt him as well?
I let go of his hands and opened my eyes. My hands clasped together in sweat.
"What's wrong?"
I don't want to hurt anyone anymore.
I-
I'm- I'm scared.
"It's okay if you can't do it." His voice was gentle. "I can help Parker and he'll be back on his feet. It'll just take a little bit longer."
Parker's name caused me to snap back up. "No. I'll do it."
Grabbing hands once more, I closed my eyes.
I'm scared but- I have to at least try. For Parker.
The connections came back, only this time I saw mine as well.
My energy felt the way it always did, cold and soothing.
I imagined the two feelings, mixing them to create a new emotion.
An alleviating feeling that came with confidence.
He breathed in. "You- You did it. You mixed our energies."
As proud as I was, I only wanted to separate before creating another mess. "What now?"
"Since you're the one who connected our energies, it'll be easier to untangle that connection. Try it."
I saw where the strings touched and held each other. My hands grabbed those connections gently, beginning to unravel them.
When the last sting was disconnected, the feeling had completely faded out.
My eyes opened and I let go of his hand.
He stared at me with awe.
I shifted uncomfortably.
"Just who are you?" He mumbled. "I've never heard of anyone your age doing what you just did. You-" The man stared at me, visually flabbergasted.
"Marzec." Sharp-eyes called the man out of his trance.
The man blinked and nodded. "Maybe it was just a fluke. Let's do it again."
Much to his surprise, it was not a fluke.
I was very much able to tangle and untangle our energies as many times as he begged.
Then I found myself sitting next to Parker.
"Go ahead, I'll be monitoring the situation in case things go south." The man motioned.
His words brought anxiety to me.
At a closer glance, Parker looked worse than I thought.
Goosebumps covered his body as he shivered violently from time to time. His cheeks were hollow and sunken.
I reached for his hand, trembling slightly.
Parker flinched when my hand grabbed his.
His hands were so cold.
Everything is going to be fine. I can do this. I have to do this.
Closing my eyes, I did the same as before. Looked for the comforting and empowering feeling Parker gave me whenever we came into contact. However, it was harder to find, as all I felt was my empty and cold energy.
It's more tangled than I thought.
I'm not sure how long I spent looking for it but when I finally found it, relief poured over me. His energy felt like the times I had been near him, warm and comforting.
Then I spent my time entangling the horrid knots that tormented him. One by one, they unraveled and came back to me.
His energy grew steadily stronger.
My eyes opened when I was finally done.
"You did it!" The man exclaimed.
I glanced down at Parker, who was already looking better. His complexion had returned and his cheeks were no longer pale. His eyes relaxed and he slept peacefully.
The warmness of his hands returned.
Time had passed, as Liz, Brianna and Tristan were slouched against the cave, dead asleep.
Sani and Lucky smiled with relief.
"My name is Marcez, I was actually an elementalist researcher before the war, what you just accomplished was extraordinary and never done within such a short time!" The man spoke with enthusiasm, his hand stretched out to me.
His gesture reminded me that I was still holding Parker's hand.
A moment of hesitance came over me, which I quickly pushed away.
I quickly let go and placed his hand under the mound of blanket.
"I'm going back to rest. You all can stay here." My voice was barely audible.
"Snow!" Lucky called out to me as I walked back to the corner of the cave but no one made any attempts to follow me.
The frost I had left behind had melted onto the hoodies on the ground.
In silence I picked them up, squeezed them of water and extended them in an area that was not wet.
Then, I sat on the ground and hugged my knees.