Polarized

Hidden Island

The deck swayed under Skye's feet, so she grabbed the railing. In front of her, sunlight danced on the water, and beneath the boat, the waves crashed. A gust of wind brushed Skye's skin and blew her hair onto her face, so she tossed it back and inhaled the fresh, salty, air. Then she watched the shore grow smaller and smaller as the boat drifted further into the sea, and soon all that was left of the sandy beach with the clearing of forest was a tiny strip of land on the horizon.

After some time, the boat sailed into a cloud of mist, the fog thickening so much that the outline of the boat's cabin became hardly visible. Skye shivered at the drop in temperature accompanying the fog before hearing some footsteps behind her. She jumped, but when turning around to see who it was, Skye let out a sigh of relief and annoyance. "Ivan?" 

"If I were you, I'd go indoors," he advised. "Everyone else is inside the cabin. You're the only one on the dock." 

"Oh hell no," Skye shot back. "It smells like vomit in there." 

"But you don't look like you're handling the cold all that well," Ivan noted. "You're even doing that thing where you rub your hands to keep them warm. Just go inside and ignore the vomit, I'm telling ya."

Skye shook her head. "Nope. Can't do that. I'm going to stay outside." 

"Even if the fog monster comes out, wraps you up in seaweed, and eats you like a burrito?"

Skye rolled her eyes. "Haha, very funny." 

"Well actually…" Ivan paused. "Look behind ya." 

Skye turned her head and saw a giant squid bobbing back and forth on the water's surface. Its tentacles were stiff and it moved more like a pencil hanging from a string than an actual sea animal. It even levitated a few times. Anyone who didn't know about Ivan's illusion-casting may have been unsettled, but to Skye, the squid was nothing more than an unconvincing display.

"Oh no! What a nightmare!" Skye said mockingly. 

Ivan laughed. "One of these days you're going to run into a real fog monster and assume it's fake."

"And what will happen then?" Skye asked.

"I ain't saving ya, that's for sure."

***

A ramp extended from the boat as soon as it docked itself, and the group disembarked. Skye followed the group from pier to gravelly shore, kicking pebbles with her feet as she stared at the ground. The howls of a nearby wind barrier echoed around her, the wind barrier itself so large that she couldn't see where it began or ended. 

Elliot the wind mage parted the barrier, guiding them through an open space in some swaying trees. While trudging through the forest, Skye made her way around some logs and mud puddles, almost falling over them a few times. Thankfully, she managed to avoid dirtying her clothes, though her shoes got muddy by the end of the walk. 

At the end of the forest stood a town's market square, a cluster of buildings surrounding a brick path. The brick path encircled an open space. In the middle of the open space stood a statue of a robed woman, a familiar sight throughout Cloudgate. Skye recognized the statue as a shrine to Blanche, goddess of auras and mother of all spirits. Save for a few people strolling along the path and another leaving an offering at the foot of the statue, the square was nearly empty.

"Wow." Skye exclaimed under her breath. "Avriya is beautiful."

"Looks average to me," Ivan commented. "Every town on Cloudgate's east coast looks like this." 

"Enough chattering, let's get to business," said Juliana, tapping her cane to get the group's attention. She picked up a brisk pace, leading her followers away from the square and through an alleyway, and after making a right, Juliana led them down Avriya's Main Street, stopping by a five-foot gate. She opened the gate to a courtyard formed between three large buildings, a fountain rising from its center. There was no water in the fountain, as it got shut off for the fall.

"Welcome to Silver Run Academy," Juliana said as she sat on the edge of the fountain. "It's the only school in Avriya so we teach all grades here. Yes, I am the principal. Yes, we have dorms, though not everybody who attends this school will sleep in one. But even if you can't get a dorm, there are plenty of houses nearby. That way, none of you will have to worry about not having a place to stay again."

"Again." That word stuck with Skye because it reminded her of one of Cloudgate's harsh realities: the one where too many aura-havers had no family and no home. Skye was one of the lucky ones who had both of those, but why was that luck wasted on her? She had nothing with which she could compensate, while the aura-havers on the street could've been infinitely more talented, more intelligent, more worthy of success than she was. 

So many people would disown their children had they found them to be cursed, but Maia and Cole weren't those types of parents. Despite their misfortune of having not one, but two, children with curses, they stuck with Skye and Ivan all the way through. The Everson parents wanted their children to be safe and happy, so they did everything they could to give both siblings a "normal" life, if something like that existed. But still, despite her parent's efforts, Skye felt anything but normal. She doubted that a regular life by aura-free standards was attainable for someone like her, because even if she could pass for an aura-free person like Ivan, Skye would still live in fear. But Skye's greatest fear wouldn't have been getting found out as an aura-haver, nor was it discrimination— no, Skye's greatest fear was losing herself to her ice. Hurting those around her. Becoming the type of curse-bearer feared by aura-havers and aura-free people alike. Nobody with a "normal" life by aura-free standards worried about that. No regular, happy person's greatest fear was becoming a monster.

I don't want to be afraid of myself anymore, Skye thought. And I don't want anyone to be afraid of me. I want to live at Avriya, attend Silver Run, and train under Juliana so I could protect people and use my aura for good. If the mages of decades ago could do it, then so can I—

"Hello! Earth to Skye!" Ivan called, bringing his sister to the present. Skye jumped. 

"How much of the speech did you miss?" Ivan asked.

Skye shrugged. "I don't know?" 

"Did you hear the part about calling your parents?" 

"No?" 

"Dammit, Skye," said Ivan. "You're such an airhead. Anyway, we're calling Mom and Dad. Then we're visiting Luka."

"Are you going to tell them where we are?" Skye asked. "I think I really want to live here..."

"Bad idea," Ivan stated. "We can't let them in on a secret as big as Avriya's. Not over the phone and not when we are God knows how many miles away from them."

Skye gulped. She was so enthusiastic about leaving Maplesprings and Springs High behind, but now it may never happen. Maybe she deserved this. Maybe she deserved to have her dream life escape her before it even began. It's what she got for being naive.

End notes:
**Though wind is invisible, wind barriers are an exception because they trap dirt, leaves, and debris. They work by utilizing fast-moving air to create a blockade, so they're hard to pass through.