The Final Home

Prologue: Part 2

My eyes flew open as I gasped for air. Brightness blinded me. I saw nothing but white. I blinked rapidly, desperately trying to get my eyes to adjust, and when they finally did, I still couldn't see anything but white. White, cold, shimmering snow surrounded me. It stretched on forever in all directions. Snowflakes floated everywhere. I stood up and walked around, the snow crunching underneath my feet. Moon had told me of strange places like this before. I felt my face twist with displeasure.

Moon. The one who I still hated. The one who had sent me away. The only one I'd had since... No. Better not think about it now. It was too painful. I tried to forget it by thinking of something else, and that's when I remembered about my rug. I reached for it under my arm. It was gone. I started to panic, looking around frantically. My rug was nowhere to be seen.

"You know," said a voice. "Your rug's still here."

I whirled around to see who it was, but found no one. Suddenly, a girl dressed in a shimmering, white jumpsuit landed right in front of me, black, high-heeled, fur boots sinking gently into the snow. Her green, hooded cape made her look powerful in a way. She had straight, jet black hair flowing down to her waist and kind, smiling, ice blue eyes. I guess I should have mostly been surprised about her almost transparent blue skin, but I'd learned to avoid being caught off guard. So, I pretended that she looked perfectly normal.

"Who are you?" I growled.

She didn't seem fazed by my growl. Instead, she looked almost as if she couldn't believe that I didn't know who she was. She tried to hide her expression with seriousness, but failed.

"I'm your new mentor of course," she said.

I thought she was joking, but the disbelief in her voice told me that she was telling the truth. She muttered a few words that I couldn't quite catch under her breath.

"I have had many titles appointed to me," she continued. I am Master of the High Winds, Reader of Innermost Thoughts, Protector of the Snowspirits, Ruler of the Snowcapped Mountains, and as you'll soon find out, Guardian of the Snowflake Staff. Of course, I appointed those titles to myself."

She paused to take a breath.

"Can I call you something else?" I asked, not wanting to remember all of her titles.

"I was getting to that part," she huffed, putting her hands on her hips. "Besides, I have other titles as well that I can torture you with"

"So, um... what's your name?" I asked, determined not to give her the chance to carry out her threat.

"Suko," she sighed, shaking her head in disgust. "But don't call me that."

I immediatly made a mental note to call her that.

"Then, what do I call you?" I said, putting on an innocent face.

She didn't answer my question. Instead, she gave me a look, like she knew exactly what I was thinking. I shifted from foot to foot, uncomfortable in the silence.

"Uh... about my rug..." I said, trying to change the subject.

"What about it?"

"You said it was still here?"

"Yes, it's still here." Suko sighed again, this time in exasperation. "You're wearing it."

She looked at me as if I were stupid. I followed her gaze and saw why. My ice blue rug had somehow merged with my sweater. It was almost invisible, with the exception that my sweater was now twice as thick than before.

"Oh," I said, my face hot with embarrassment.

Then, I felt surprised. Somehow, I'd missed how abnormal it was that my rug was magically attached to my sweater.

"Come," Suko said, clearly ignoring my shock. "We've spent too much time here."

"What?" I protested. "No, wait!"

But, Suko didn't pay any attention to me. She lifted up her arm and a strange symbol appeared on her hand. I watched in awe as it glowed faintly and then disappeared.

Suddenly, strong winds picked us up into the air and I couldn't hear what Suko was trying to tell me. I decided to stay silent from then on, and after a while, I found myself enjoying the ride. It was surprisingly fun. The speed and cold air left me breathless. The cold didn't bother me at all.We flew past white fox-looking creatures that sat on small snowcapped mountains. One of them flew up into the air and rode with us. I decided then and there that I was going to travel like that every chance I got.

When we finally stopped in front of a cave covered in snow, Suko told the fox creature to keep watch. I stayed long enough to see it shimmer and disappear, before Suko caught me staring and shoved me inside. There was a small fire burning in the middle of the slightly cramped space and a few blankets covered the ground. It felt cozy and warm. Suko sat in a corner and beckoned me over. She closed her eyes and that weird symbol appeared on her hand again. It glowed just as before, but didn't go away until what seemed like a long, withered stick flew into her open hand, just missing my head. She looked back at me and smiled. It was the first time that I'd seen her smile.

"Let me tell you something," she began. "It's time for you to learn about yourself. No one can teach you this. As you live it, you will learn on your own. So..."

Suko took a deep breath, like she was preparing herself for what she was going to say next.

"I'm not going to teach you anymore," she announced.

"What?"

This was happening way too fast. I needed an explanation. I needed to think. I wasn't ready. I-

Suko's voice interrupted my thoughts. The corners of her mouth twitched, like she was trying not to laugh.

"You've already finished living this life. It can last for a few seconds to hundreds of years, depending on the student. You've already learned how to look past the the surface of things. It's all that I needed to teach you, and you learn quickly."

She stopped, looking me straight in the eyes. She was so happy for me, but I didn't feel that way at all. I felt like I was losing what I'd just gained, and everything else all over again. Suko handed me the weird stick. I peered at it more closely and saw that it had snowflakes carved all over, except for on the top where it curved.

"The Snowflake Staff," Suko explained. "It will serve it's purpose when you want it to, just like how your rug now serves you."

She put her hands on my shoulders. They were cold as ice and made me shiver.

"Never forget who you really are, Frost. Never forget why you are here,"she warned. "Maybe someday, we'll meet again... when you figure out the truth."

"No..." I whispered, struggling against the darkness.

But Suko had already disappeared, her last words still ringing in my ears. I'd been sent away once again to fall into utter darkness. Alone.