Monsters Of Our Past: Origins

Etho: Frozen

Etho POV

There was a reason I avoided telling X then. There's a reason I don't want to now. But they need me to. They need me to make a place for people like us. Steeling myself, I told my story.

"Hi. I'm Etho. I have ice powers. I come from a family of ninjas."

Half of the hermits were immediately up in my personal space asking for ice sculptures or wanting to see my ninja skills. Uncomfortable, I pushed past the crowd of people I had just met. This is going to be a long night.

Luckily, X noticed and helped me get these people off of me.

"Now let Etho talk! Please!"

The group slowly took their seats. Thank God for X.

"Now, where were we? Right."

I just did this to remind them to go away next time. Haven't they heard of a personal bubble?

"My whole family have been ninjas for generations. Stealthy. Unseen. Murderous. I didn't want to hurt anyone. They let me steal, but only fed me if I brought something home. It was hard, but it gave me the skillset I would need to survive later."

All of the 'monsters' were muttering. A family worth millions couldn't afford to feed their child? "I can hunt just fine, thank you very much. I got my own food."

This shut them up.

Running my gloved hand through my snow-white hair, I started my story again.

"When I was sixteen, I got my powers. I found out when I woke up and my hair was bleached white."

I paused for a moment, assessing the audience.

"No, I am not centuries old."

My bad joke earned a laugh from the group.

"My brother jumpscared me like usual that morning. When he jumped out from around the corner, instead of screaming or running, ice came out of my hands. It left the hallway outside of our bedroom covered in ice and an icicle through his heart. He was dead."

The group gasped. The chaotic one I didn't know looked like he was trying to hold something in. He gave into his urges.

"Elsa?"

Even I laughed at that. I decided to play along.

"Go away Anna!"

"Okay byeeee."

We all laughed at the accidental duet.

Through the giggles, I spoke again.

"I didn't know what to do. I didn't have to. Our mother came up and saw his body. She saw me with my hair the color it now was and ice covering my hands. She ran at the sight of me."

"I ran into the forest, freezing everything in my path. Putting on gloves stopped it from spreading, but..."

I held my breath for a second. I pondered taking off my gloves. The gloves I swore never to take off in case I hurt someone again.

I reached down and pulled off my glove. The frost spread over my hand. Everyone was terrified. Just like I expected them to be. I put the glove back on.

"It's still there. As much as I want it to, it will never go away. It's as much a part of me..."

I searched for a body part that wasn't affected.

"Every part of me is different because of it. I wish it was gone every day. I nearly killed myself because of it before I met X.

I could tell every member of the group could relate.

"But I am, and will always be, a monster."

No one said against it. A testament to the monster I am.

"What about you guys, Z.I.T.?"