The Sisters of Flame and Frost.

Chapter 5 (Victoria)

Art by jkrokcs on Deviant Art

"Dad, you have some explaining to do," Victoria said when they re-entered Blackmond, "Who is this?"

Her father sighed.

"This is Valorie and her daughter Sarah. They used to live here in Blackmond before they moved away a long, long time ago."

"What?" Sarah said. She looked very confused.

"We moved shortly after you were born," Valorie elaborated, "You wouldn't remember."

"Why would you ever move away from Blackmond?" Victoria asked, "When did normal people live here?"

"Normals have never lived here," her father hesitated.

"But then," Victoria trailed off as she realized what her father was saying.

Sarah seemed to pick up on it too.

"What do mean by that?"

"It means," her father said cautiously, "that you and your mother are like us."

He was still withholding information from Sarah. Waiting for her to ask the question. Giving her a chance to still be oblivious. Sarah kept going.

"And what exactly is that?"

"We are Mages. We control magic and the elements."

Victoria watched as Sarah processed that.

Instead of freaking out or breaking down, she simply turned to her mum.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she trembled, eyes shining.

Her mom looked away.

"It was for your safety."

"You always say that!" Sarah exploded, demeanor changing completely, "It's always for my safety. But how? Tell me how it kept me safe because I can't see it. I could have defended myself rather than been attacked blindly by a... by a..."

"Shadow Demon," Victoria supplied.

"Thank you. Or maybe, even if I couldn't have defended myself. I could have at least been prepared because I would have known about the danger. I could have known. But instead, I'm just lucky Victoria found me in time."  

That was true. Sarah could have died. That made Victoria scared just thinking about it.

"Sarah," her Valorie started, "I'm sorry. You're right I should have said something."

Sarah didn't respond.

Valorie sighed and then turned her focus to Victoria's dad.

"Marcus," she began, "I was trying to contact you because even before this incident, we were being tracked by Shadow Demons. That's why I came so close to the border and tried to get a hold of you. It's not safe for her."

Victoria's dad pursed his lips.

"Girls, Valorie and I need to have a private conversation. Victoria, please take Sarah back to the house."

Victoria nodded and started back towards their home, Sarah following behind.

They walked in complete silence.

"Thanks for saving me," Sarah whispered.

"No problem," Victoria shrugged.

"So since I used to live here, does that mean I have magic?"

"Probably," Victoria began, "but being in the normal world dampens our magic so you won't feel yours for maybe a week. Possibly longer. I've never heard of Mages living outside a magic border for as long as you and your mom have. You don't feel the dampening effect because it kept you from manifesting, but I can't imagine what it must have felt like for your mom. She doesn't have her mage flare, so I don't think she's used magic in a very long time."

"What's mage flare?" asked Sarah.

"This," Victoria said, brushing the brightly colored ends of hair, "All mages have it. The color shows what type of mage they are. The more you use your magic, the brighter the colors are."

"My mum doesn't have any color at all," Sarah commented sadly, "and neither do I."

"I'm sure that'll change soon enough," Victoria said cheerfully, "I wonder what kind of Mage you'll be."

"What kinds are there?"

"Geomancer, Hydromancer, Aeromancer, Floramancer, Electromancer, Pyromancer," Victoria said pointing to herself, "which is pretty rare. The other super rare ones are Cryomancer, Photomancer, and Umbramancer. All of those are different elements. Earth, Water, Air, Plants, Lightning, Fire, Ice, Light, and Darkness. There haven't been any fire, ice, light, or darkness mages in hundreds of years. Except me of course."

Sarah giggled at that. Victoria smiled.

They eventually made it to Victoria's house. It had two stories, light blue siding, and a white trim. The door was made of iron, one of the few materials resistant to magic. 

"Come on in," Victoria said as she opened the door, " We'll wait for them here."

"Wow," chuckled Sarah, "This is way bigger than my apartment."

Victoria didn't think her house was that big. It was quite modest. There was a kitchen connected to a living room with a comfy couch, a small hallway with a bathroom and laundry room, a sliding glass door to the backyard in the kitchen, and the upstairs was just three bedrooms—one for her and one for her dad plus an extra.

Victoria flopped onto the couch and Sarah sat next to her warily, pulling out a sketchbook from her backpack.

"Can I see?" Victoria asked, sitting up and scooching closer.

Sarah hesitated at first, pulling the book close to her chest. Then, after carefully selecting certain pages, she showed Victoria the book.

"Wow," Victoria said as she beheld a beautiful winter landscape, "You're an amazing artist!"

"Thanks," Sarah mumbled.

Before they could continue, Victoria's dad and Valorie came in through the front door.

"We've decided on our... unusual predicament and how we should proceed," Marcus began, "as Valorie and Sarah cannot move back into their own house, and have no way of acquiring a new one, they shall stay here for the time being."

"What?!" both girls cried.

"You can't just let people we barely know live with us Dad!" Victoria roared, "It's not fair!"

"Mom!" Sarah yelled, " What about Kingston? I was finally beginning to meet people; to fit in. We are always moving! I just want to settle down and be normal!"

"Ugh!" Victoria screeched and stomped up to her room.

"Great," Sarah snapped, "now she hates me. Thanks a lot!"

"Spare room is the first on the right," Marcus supplied.

Sarah snarled and stormed off.

"What are we going to do Marcus?" Valorie sighed, "I hate seeing them like this."

"It's for their own good," Marcus replied, "Despite how much it kills me."