Elsa

Seventeen

We drop onto the ground by Pierce and the policemen. Jack is right- Pierce is motioning for wind, but only a slight breeze disturbs the snow by his feet. He's out of powers, but that doesn't matter.

He has one of the policemen's guns. When he sees us he turns the gun on Jack.

"One step closer and you'll be blown to bits."

Jack stops. Pierce looks over at me.

"Either you're a terrible aim or you betrayed me," he says. "I'm not sure which is worse." He sees the police out of the corner of his eye and turns the gun on them. "So which is it, Elsa?" He motions towards the officers. "Use your ice."

I swallow hard.

"I'm not playing your game, Pierce," I say. "I won't use my powers to hurt anyone."

He laughs cruelly. "Oh, but you've done it already." He glares at me. "Your precious Ariana is under three feet of snow by now on that mountain, and that's all your fault."

My breath catches in my throat. Ariana.

An angry yell rises inside me, and I throw a spiral of ice hard at Pierce's chest. He smacks against the ground hard. I turn around and grab Jack's wrist. "Take me to the mountain," I demand.

Jack readjusts so he's gripping my wrist back, but before he takes off into the sky his eyes dart behind me.

Before I can even turn around, I hear the caulk of a gun. Jack shoves me to the side. A shot cracks through the air.

It's like I can see the sparks as the bullet spins through the air. I'm falling, falling, falling. My elbow smacks against the ground. My shoulder. Then my head. Jack is heading for the ground next to me. I see Pierce before Jack blocks my view of him, the gun held in his hand.

Then things snap back into real time. I roll over and push myself to my feet, deadly ice already on my fingers. I run towards Pierce, crashing into him before he can fire again. I pull the gun from his hand and flip it around, striking the barrel against his head. He cries out and falls back a step.

My hands are around his neck in a flash. Ice crawls up his skin from my angry palms. In a second he's gasping. I don't know how cold it is, but there's fog curling downwards. His skin turns blue under my fingers.

"Elsa," I hear Jack from behind me. Pierce is choking in my grasp. He's fallen to his knees.

I don't care if Pierce dies. For all I know, Jack is dying behind me. I don't want to turn around and see blood on the snow.

I've seen blood on the snow. Images of my sister sear into my mind, and I grip Pierce's neck harder. His eyes look up into mine, pleading.

I hear the caulk of more guns and look away for a second. The police are training their guns again. On me.

Jack calls to me again. "Elsa! Don't be the monster they think you are!"

A whisper of Moon's voice screaming "She's a monster!" fills my head. My forehead creases in indecision, but I let go of Pierce. His neck is coated in ice, bright, cold red underneath.

"You could've won," he croaks at me. Two policemen grab him by the arms and drag him away. He glares at me. "You gave up without even trying!" he yells. "You let them win! You let him win!" He thrusts a finger at Jack, behind me.

I remember the shot and spin around, kneeling beside Jack. There's blood seeping over the snow, under his shoulder.

"Jack," I say desperately, lifting his head onto my lap. He grunts. "You're okay," I tell him, not even believing myself. "You'll be fine."

"Elsa," he says. He raises his hand to my face, forcing me to look at him. I stare at him. "I will be fine. It's just my arm."

Tears fill my eyes. "But you're bleeding," I say.

He grimaces. "Just because it didn't hit any vital organs doesn't mean it doesn't hurt." He grabs onto my hand and squeezes it tightly, urgently. "Elsa, listen to me. Go to the mountain. Get everyone out of the snow."

I nod violently. He lets go of my hand and closes his eyes, breathing deeply. "Jack," I whimper. "I can't fly."

"Hands in the air," I hear the police say behind me. I immediately tense. They still think I'm the monster? After everything Pierce has done?

I cringe, remembering my own violence.

Jack cracks open one eye and looks at me. I crease my brow. He nods ever so slightly, and I inhale fully.

I collect my thoughts and spread out my hands, feeling the breeze, letting it catch me. Then I'm thrown into the sky. I hear the police shouting and exclaiming below me. The wind carries me away from them in seconds, and I have to try hard to direct myself towards the mountain.

Now that Pierce's storm is gone I can see clearly. But worry gnaws at my stomach, and tiny snowflakes begin to drift through the air.

I don't even know where to start. The mountain is covered in white. Trees are bent over, some of them snapped because of the snow and the wind. Enormous drifts glint in the light reflecting off the grey sky.

The ski lift is below me. I swallow and come down at the base off the mountain, and for a second I stare blankly at the bench stalled at the bottom. Half of it is ripped off the hinges, twisted away in an ugly curve.

I don't know what else to do. "ARIANA!" I shout.

Nothing comes back but the ruffle of the breeze. I cover my ears with my hands, trying desperately to think. I have to decide. The police are going to come here to get me. I have to find everyone before they take me away.

Then I hear something.

I hear someone calling for help.