Coldsnap: Harbinger of Ice

Chapter 35: Sharpshooter Squad

At Coldsnap's house, Mike, his daughter Alexis, and their cat Ali had grown more and more worried with each passing day. The last time they had seen her was earlier that week, when she had initially returned to the Elemental Realms alongside Firebird and Leo. Soon, they learned that her friends—Alexa, Rosie, Kat, and Michael—also shared their concern, so all seven of them decided to meet up at the house that day in order to chat and get their minds off of things.

The group sat in the expansive living room in a rather disorganized manner; some were on the couch, others sat on the armrests, and some were simply on the floor.

Mike unlocked the front door and entered the area carrying a tray which held several cups of takeout coffee from Starbucks; he took one for himself, handed one to Alexis, and did the same for Coldsnap's four friends, also leaving one at a seemingly-empty spot. Finally, he opened the last cup and poured it into Ali's bowl.

As he took a seat, the sound of a toilet flushing could be heard further down the hallway, followed by Michael stepping out.

"Sorry, you guys....." he mumbled. "Nature called.....and let's just say.....it had a lot to talk about....."

He headed for the vacant couch, plopped himself in it, and took the Starbucks cup. "So.....anyone heard anything from Coldsnap recently......?"

Alexis shook her head. "Nope, I haven't heard anything. She hasn't been responding to any of my texts, either....."

"Maybe it's because they're in a different dimension and cell signals can't reach that far.....? I don't know! I'm worried, you guys....." Alexa chimed in.

"Well, the Earth hasn't burst into flames yet, so at least that's some good news," Kat quipped, much to the amusement of the others. "They did say that they were going to try and stop the Seared Hand from bringing about the end of the world.....either they're succeeding, or Flamestar's taking a really long time."

"Don't forget, we also promised to help her fight the Seared Hand once all of this comes to a head," Rosie pointed out. "Though......I'm not sure how. We're not Mage Aspects, and we can't even access the wormholes they use."

"I'm sure Coldsnap will think of something......" Michael said quietly. "She always does.....I remember Leo saying something about finding a way to provide us with weaponry and transport us all to the Realms.....guess we'll have to see how that goes....."

Within seconds, Ali had managed to drink the entirety of the Starbucks coffee that Mike had placed in her bowl, and she was darting off the walls with more hyperactivity than had ever been seen before. All of the guests had to duck whenever she barreled across the room, for fear that she would accidentally claw their faces on her flight path.

Mike rolled his eyes. "I knew I shouldn't have done that.....give me a second, you guys."

He casually caught Ali on the next rebound without even looking—much to the amazement of everyone present—then locked her in his bedroom for the rest of the get-together.

Once he returned, Alexis's phone began ringing, much to her surprise. Her eyes widened as she saw who was calling her.

"Guys......it's Cassie. Or.....Coldsnap. Whatever."

Everyone crowded around her chair as she accepted the call and put the phone on speaker so everyone could hear her.

"Hey, sis, what's up?" Alexis greeted.

"WE NEED YOUR HELP!" Coldsnap, Firebird, and Keena abruptly shouted through the phone in unison, startling all six guests and causing them to fall over onto the floor.