Coldsnap: Harbinger of Ice

Chapter 8: A Sisterly Connection

Later that evening, night fell once again. Alexis and Mike had returned from her campus tour, Firebird had taken a wormhole back to the Elemental Realms, and Leo had said goodbye to Coldsnap for the time being and returned to his workshop, where he also lived and slept. 

As the ice mage---now in normal clothes once again---laid on her comfortable bed and began making progress on her classwork, Alexis dropped by her room. 

"Hey, Cassie, how's it been?" she asked her. "Did you have fun today with your friends?" She leaned in close and said her next line in a hushed tone. "Were they.....other Mage Aspects?" 

Cassie smiled. "Yep! Went to see Firebird and Leo, and had a wonderful time with them. Went to the Orange Park Mall in the morning, briefly met another mage from the Water Sect named Keena there, had lunch, then toured St. Augustine the whole afternoon." 

"Leo? I do remember you telling me positive things about Firebird---and I've never met Keena before---but I thought you weren't on good terms with him." 

The younger sibling laughed. "No, no, no, he's a chill dude now! As long as he doesn't double-cross me, we've got nothing to worry about." 

Of course, she didn't tell her sibling about the food court fire. There was something else, though, that she felt was worth sharing. But she wanted to wait for a good time to talk about it. 

"Nice! My dad and I went around my college and I picked up a lot of merchandise at their open house!" Alexis exclaimed as she pulled up her backpack and dumped several items onto the bed. "Got some tumblers, pens, notebooks, pins, a t-shirt, some car stickers...." 

"Dang.....you're really crazy about that place, aren't you? I wish I was as happy at the idea of attending college as you are...." 

"What do you mean? Are you not all that excited about it?" 

"No, not really...." Cassie admitted. "I mean.....I'm not even exactly sure what it is I want to do. One of my initial dreams was to become a therapist, but I don't think I could handle the pressure and guilt that could happen if one of my patients were to.....you know....." 

".....Are you kidding me? I know exactly what you should do!" Alexis said. 

".....What?" 

"Dude.....you have cryokinesis. Just be a superhero!" 

Cassie chuckled. "Seriously?" 

"Yeah, why not? There's already several others out there, right? The Viper.....Nightclaw.....Powerhouse.....there's no doubt that this country has become a much safer place with those three looking after it," her sister remarked. 

Cassie remained silent for a few seconds. ".....Do you remember why I was sent to Earth in the first place?" 

Alexis nodded. "To prepare yourself to face a 'threat' that would eventually befall the Mage Aspects, right?" 

"Right." 

"Well.....what better way to get ready than by practicing your abilities and life-saving skills on the people of our planet? Plus, you'd be making quite the name for yourself....." 

Hahaha......she has NO idea..... Cassie thought to herself. 

"Actually.....I've already gotten started on that." 

"What are you talking about?" 

"Remember when I said that Firebird, Leo, and I toured St. Augustine?" 

"Sure." 

"Well, when we stopped by the aquarium, some reckless kids were throwing bouncy balls around, and one of them ended up shattering one of the glass tanks with them, almost drowning the guests in the process."