HER KIND

Frozen Roots

'Chapter 38'

─── · 。ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

The room was suffocatingly silent, the only sound slicing through the stillness being Wrex's deep, continuous growl. The German Shepherd stood rigid, his body coiled like a spring, ears flat against his head, and his sharp, watchful gaze fixed on the window. Every growl that rumbled from his throat sent an icy shiver through the air—a primal warning that could not be ignored.

All eyes turned to Seraphine, her words hanging in the air like a death knell. Fear, confusion, and desperation tinged her voice, leaving a heavy, uncomfortable silence in their wake, as though the room itself were holding its breath.

"How far are they from reaching us?" Jarred demanded, his voice cutting through the tension. He rose swiftly from the floor, his movements precise, heading straight for the holster of guns resting on the kitchen counter.

"They're moving fast," Seraphine responded, her voice taut but composed. "Maybe ten minutes—if that."

Katerina turned to Jeremiah, her wide eyes betraying the calm facade she fought to maintain. Her voice faltered as she said, "That's not enough time for us to get away."

Jeremiah's jaw clenched, his arm instinctively pulling Katerina closer. "We need to move now," he said, his gaze meeting Nathaniel's in a silent, grim understanding.

"You can use the tunnels," Seraphine interjected, her tone surprisingly firm despite the tension radiating from her. "But you have to move immediately.

Dria's heart raced as she looked down at the unconscious boys. "We can't just leave them like this," she protested, her voice wavering with fear as her eyes flicked between Kane, still sprawled across her lap, and the twins. "What if they don't wake up?"

Seraphine moved closer, her green eyes unwavering as she placed a firm hand on Dria's shoulder. "They'll wake in the car," she said, her voice steady and unyielding. "Right now, you need to move. Take Kane, grab the boys, and pack whatever you can from the cottage. Don't waste a second."

Dria hesitated, her thoughts spiraling as she glanced between Seraphine and her father. The weight of the moment pressed heavily on her chest, but the urgency in Seraphine's voice brooked no argument.

"Dria, go. Edrick, Jarred, and I will get the cars ready," her father said, his eyes warm with encouragement before he turned to Seraphine. "Show us the tunnels, Seraphine."

Dria nodded reluctantly, her heart pounding in her chest as she looked back at the boys. She gently eased Kane's head off her lap, careful not to disturb his slumber. Steeling herself, she took a deep breath and rose to her feet, ready to face the peril ahead. Outside, the storm raged louder, the thunder rumbling like a warning, shaking the walls of the small cottage.

She moved quickly through the dimly lit space, gathering what she could—bags, blankets, anything that might be needed—while the anxiety of escape tightened around her chest. She could hear Kane behind her, his shallow breaths as he hurried to scoop up Elliam and Marcelo, cradling them in his arms as their faces nuzzled into his neck.

The weight of responsibility hung heavy on Dria's shoulders. She couldn't afford to falter—not now. The urgency of the moment was a constant reminder: nothing about this escape would be easy.

"Do you have everything?" Kane asked, glancing at the two bags and blanket she'd thrown over her shoulder.

"Yeah, I think so," Dria replied, her voice tight with nerves.

They hurried back to the living room, where food items floated through the air, being stuffed into a duffel bag resting on the counter. Seraphine moved her hands fluidly, murmuring a spell under her breath as the items levitated.

"Kane, go with Katerina to the cars," Jeremiah said, urgency in his voice. "The boys have the engines running."

"Five minutes," Seraphine's voice rang out, her words a reminder of the threat closing in on them.

"Are you done?" Nathaniel's voice was calm but tense, standing beside Seraphine. Dria nodded, and he turned to her, then walked toward Seraphine as she zipped the duffel bag closed after the last tin of beans slipped inside.

"Let's go," Jeremiah urged, his voice snapping with command.

With the storm howling outside, they ran into the pouring rain. Dria made a beeline for the car, where Kane was already seated with the twins, Price waiting in the back. The engine hummed loudly, a steady pulse in the chaos. Her father ran toward the truck parked nearby, quickly sliding into the driver's seat. He rolled down the window, his voice firm as he shouted to Nathaniel, "We don't stop until we reach Von Dohr." Then, with a deep growl of the engine, he put the truck in reverse, signaling their desperate need for speed.

In the car, Dria's eyes lingered on her father, who was still scanning the dark with narrowed eyes. Seraphine stood behind him, her arms outstretched, her posture taut. The air around her seemed to crackle with energy, and her hair lifted slightly from her back, glowing with a faint violet hue. Dria caught her father's slight flinch, as though he felt a silent warning in the air.

Wrex barked suddenly, his body tense, and Dria turned toward Price, her voice low but urgent. "They're here."

Her father's hands flared with fiery energy, balls of flame dancing across his fingertips. The sudden surge of power seemed to stir the approaching intruders, and Dria heard the whine of bullets slicing through the air.

Jarred leaped from the car, his weapon in hand, with Jeremiah and Edrick close behind him.

"Seraphine, hurry!" Jarred shouted, his voice hoarse with urgency as he fired shots into the dark.

Jeremiah's hands formed jagged spikes of ice, and he fired them one after the other, his aim precise, as if the cold could cut through the very darkness.

"Can you see them?" Dria heard Kane grunt. "I can see their heat signatures. There are about twenty of them. Your father's fireballs took out most, and Jeremiah's spikes are hitting their marks. Jarred's firing wherever the bullets are coming from. He's taken down a few."

Seraphine stumbled slightly, but her father caught her firmly, his grip reassuring as they rushed toward the car, with Jeremiah and Jarred covering their retreat.

Price waited until they were all inside before slamming the accelerator down. The car shot forward, bullets ricocheting off the metal, the sounds of the enemy following them echoing in the night.

"How are we going to lose them?" Kane's voice was tense, almost desperate, as the tunnel stretched on endlessly before them.

The cars came to a sudden halt. In front of them, the organization's soldiers had blocked their path, guns aimed squarely at them, while others had circled behind them, trapping them with nowhere to go. Dria could feel the weight of the decision pressing down on her father as he glanced in the rearview mirror, his eyes full of the unspoken truth: using their powers now could cost them everything.

Then, without warning, the ground trembled, and from the earth, thick roots shot up, wrapping around the enemy's vehicles. A mist of cold, crystalline fog swirled through the air, freezing the soldiers instantly, their bodies encased in ice.

The shock was palpable. Dria blinked in disbelief. "What just happened?"

As the fog cleared, she saw the devastation left in its wake—shattered frozen bodies scattered around the wrecked vehicles. And there, standing amidst the destruction, were the twins, hand in hand. One of their eyes glowed green, the other blue.

Dria's heart skipped a beat as she turned in her seat, eyes searching for Kane. But the space beside him was empty.

She looked back to the twins, their presence as surreal as the chaos they had just wrought.

─── · 。ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

𝐼𝒻 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝑒𝓃𝒿𝑜𝓎𝑒𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒸𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓉𝑒𝓇, 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓋𝑜𝓉𝑒 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒸𝑜𝓂𝓂𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓈 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝒶𝓅𝓅𝓁𝒶𝓊𝓈𝑒 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒶𝓊𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓇'𝓈 𝒽𝒶𝓇𝒹 𝓌𝑜𝓇𝓀. 𝒮𝒽𝑜𝓌 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓈𝓊𝓅𝓅𝑜𝓇𝓉!