Freezing Cold

Chapter One- Late Night Encounters

  Flor and Hunter had shown no sign of life since the middle of July, when I left to visit my parents. I was really worried that they hadn't been picking up my calls. The worst case scenarios were the most prominent in my mind. They included, but were not limited to: they had run away to get married, they had died, or they were just ignoring me.

  Like many students who were from other states, I had gone to visit in the summer. My parents were both superheroes who played prominent roles in the super world. That meant that while I stayed there, I was practically by myself at their house. I didn't understand; they had been completely adamant I go stay with them during the holidays. It was like they were avoiding me but trying to spend time with me all at once. Honestly, my parents hadn't ever made sense. I ended up just shrugging it off.

  To my relief, they let me return to Hollington's a few days early after much begging. It was Friday, about a week until school would start up again. Sadly, I arrived to the empty dorm I shared with Flor. As you may have guessed, that did nothing to placate my fears concerning either one of my friends.

  That night, I couldn't fall asleep. Sometime after I had tried to lie down, the door creaked open. Automatically, I jumped out of bed in a fighting position, knocking down the temperature a few degrees by directing all the heat out the window. My fight-or-flight instinct made my body instantly burning cold, expelling any sort of warmth sleep had brought. In the midst of all this preparation, I heard a familiar-sounding sneeze.

  "Flor?" I asked in bewilderment, lowering my fisted hands.

  Her sheepish reply was, "Yeah..."

  I pulled her into a big hug, forgetting my current temperature. She yelped, pushing me away quickly. Laughing, I apologized. "I forgot I was in fight-mode." At that moment, I remembered my anger at her for not talking to me all summer. "Where were you while I was in Tampa?! I was so worried about you!"

  I turned on my bedside light so I could see her better. Flor was wearing dark jeans, a white t-shirt and had her brown hair in her usual pony-tail. Her brown eyes were shining with a secret.

  Sighing dreamily, she jumped into her bed. "Sorry Mys, but I was busy. Answering people's calls wasn't my number one priority."

  "Well, then what was?" I asked with a frown.

  A goofy smile lit up her face. "Bernard"

  I looked at her blankly. "Do I know him?"

  "No," Flor answered, with a shake of her head, "He doesn't go to this school. He's not a super, either."

  "Oh, I see! You completely ignored me all summer because you were with some guy. I bet you still talked to Hunter; he's been ignoring my calls, too." Bitterly, I crossed my arms over my chest. Lowering myself, I sat on the edge of my bed.

  Her face took on a look of slight surprise. "He wasn't answering your calls? I haven't seen him since you left to visit Tampa."

  My eyes got big. "What?!" I began pacing the space between our two beds. "We need to mount a search! Tell your mom to raise the alarm!"

  "He could have just been flying dangerously and couldn't call or something." I could see that Flor was beginning to drift in and out of consciousness. "Mystral, calm down. It's Hunter; I'm sure he's perfectly fine."

  I shook my head in frustration. "But he didn't answer me! That has to mean--" I stopped, having had a sudden realization. "Give me your phone." I commanded.

  "Why--"

  "Just give it! You'll see why."

  I pulled it out of her hands, dialing the number I knew by heart. He answered after a single ring. "Flor?" His voice sounded pretty awake for one in the morning.

  "No, Hunter," I corrected. "It's me."

  I might have been mistaken, but I thought I detected a hint of disappointment as he said, "Oh. Hello, Myst."

  Ignoring the pain his change in tone brought me, I yelled into the phone. "I can't believe you didn't answer my calls! Do you know how worried I was?! Where are you?!"

  Calmly, as if talking to a kid, he asked, "Is Flor there?"

  Positively fuming, I checked if she was awake. "She is. But she's asleep."

  Hunter sighed in what sounded like resignation. "Go outside you dorm."

  I obeyed. "What now?"

  "Turn to the right." His voice seemed like it came from somewhere other than Flor's phone.

  I obliged again. There stood Hunter, in all his blue-eyed handsomeness. Oh, boy. It's going to be tough staying mad at him!

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A/N: I give up on really trying to indent on this site. It just gets skewed...