Tears Of Ice

Perdre Le Contrôle

Jake and Emma took us to the tower and helped us understand the plan.

"So if anything goes wrong, just... punch them. Hard. In the face. Or anywhere really, it doesn't matter. But the point is, this plan is fool proof." The plan that he had just recessed to us was ridiculous and would never work. I couldn't keep my sarcastic comment in and blurted arrogantly,

"Then why are you planning it?" It took a moment to sink in, then he got an offended look on his face and narrowed his eyes,

"Hey!" The children snorted, and even Enoch nudged my side and chuckled. He dropped it and continued to give us our positions. Enoch and I were up front beside the massive elephant puppet and the others were spread out around the top, hidden behind chairs and cloaked in darkness. I couldn't deny the swirling pit of nervousness swimming around in my gut and I felt as if I was going to throw up.

Beside me, Enoch was swearing nervously and covering it up by looking in a different direction.

"Are you OK?" Enoch asked. He must have seen me trembling, but I nodded, lacing my fingers with his and breathing out slowly to regain my composure.

I was not going to last long.

My fingers stiffened and my stomach started to churn unpleasantly. It left a negative feeling behind, and I knew that something was going to happen. My mind drifted to Enoch.

What were we?

A couple? Close friends? Just friends? I didn't understand. Why all the constant hand grabbing? He was acting so kind towards me and being his usual, cold self towards everyone else.

Why would he like me anyway?

The girl that can kill you with a single, lingering touch.

A girl so cold that if you lay your fingers on her skin, you can feel your blood turn to ice.

A girl with eyes so blue they don't match the sky.

Why me?

I looked over at him, and found that he was staring. He smiled softly and it was so cute I nearly fainted.

"Your hair looks really pretty when it's up." He said quietly. My cheeks must have been darker than the red roses he gave me the other day and a harsh swallow made its way down my throat.

Before I could reply, Caul's voice interrupted me.

"Children, come out. I know you're here!" He said in exasperation, Jake firing a shot from his bow that missed.

"I take it 'accuracy' is not your peculiarity, Jake." He pushed him over until Jake was down, groaning.

Freaking wimp.

Enoch grunted in annoyance from beside me but I stopped him from moving, placing my arm in front of his ready to pounce posture.

He pouted and sat back obediently, like a dog. He even sulked like a little puppy.

A while later, Emma had thrown him against the dart board with her air and Hugh's bees chased around the two other whites who desperately tried to wave them off. Enoch's turn came next, and he swung a punch at Caul.

Unfortunately, he noticed the punch from a mile away and hit Enoch instead. I refrained from calling out his name and gasped instead.

It was the last straw for me.

It was almost my turn, I was going to make it snow and create jagged spears of ice that would suddenly jab through the ground and stab the whites, but something told me that I wouldn't pursue with this plan.

My stomach boiled, and not with pain, but with pure, blinding, raw rage.

I felt my skin flare and ice cold waves of angry white mist surrounded me. Something was taking over my body and I knew what.

It had happened before, long ago before this loop, just when I'd developed my powers.

I was losing control.

I had no right to call the Hollow's beasts because in all fairness, I was one myself. My conscience began to slip away and an animalistic growl escaped from deep in my throat and I rose, letting the surging power take over me.

From my feet up, ice began to spread up my body and enveloped my skin in a protective armour.

Shatterproof.

My skin glistened blue and I flexed my fingers, the last bit of my own control slipping away like a ribbon as I looked up from the ground.

The whole group of children were staring at me in pure shock, whispering amongst themselves. I couldn't see Caul anywhere, but saw a man who looked to have the same peculiarity as me.

His hand was on Olive's shoulder, who was trying to save Bronwyn from drowning in a pool of rapidly freezing water.

Anger flared inside me again as I stomped towards the man, a look that could make the bravest of warriors scream in terror as I smacked my hand on the back of his suit jacket, grabbed it roughly, then tossed him backwards across the room.

The children gasped, then jumped up and down and clapped and cheered me on. Enoch was up and cheering too, watching me with admiration. Picking up a steel spear from the monkey-wight's bucket, I froze it instantly in my fingers and stormed towards the man, ramming the tool into his thigh.

He screamed with agony and his free leg kicked mine, making me stumble back.

This only made me angrier and roared in rage at the man, who stood up, gasping in pain and lunged at me. I easily caught my balance and grabbed him by the throat, lifting him high in the air.

His neck and face quickly turned blue with ice and his breath left him, his whole body stiffening.

Killed by your own peculiarity.

What a fun story to tell your kids.

I dropped him to the floor, and to make sure that he didn't break free, I jumped on top of him and smashed him to bits like shattered glass.

I really was shatterproof. Or so I thought. A loud noise rang out through the tower and before I knew it, I was looking down at an arrow going straight through my stomach. The power was rapidly leaving me until I was no longer armoured by ice, only fleshy skin. That was bleeding heavily.

I collapsed to the floor just as Enoch called my name, catching me in his strong arms and holding me, resting my head on his thigh.

"Oh, Snowflake. You're a hero." He whispered, a faint smile crossing his lips, I smirked back and groaned at the pain that throbbed in my abdomen.

"Eirwen? Are you alright?" Claire asked, looking into my eyes with concern. Again, as I opened my mouth to speak, Emma stopped me.

"No she most certainly is not. We must get her to a doctor or at least an ymbryne before she passes out or worse..." she glanced at Enoch, but with a small glare from him, she shut her mouth.

"I'm s-sorry that you h-had to see me like tha-at." I said in a small voice, only loud enough for my dear Enoch to hear.

"Oh sweetheart, I don't care. When you were kicking his ass I knew that I had definitely fallen in love with both a kind little snowflake and a strong, independent and badass girl." His words made me flush, his cheeks were red too.

"Oh E-Enoch. I l-" Once again I was interrupted.

"Jake and I are going to distract Caul, you stay here. Keep her awake, do not let her sleep under any circumstances. Can you do that?" Emma asked urgently, smiling softly at me.

"Aye. I'd do anything for her." I smiled at him again at his sweet comment but Emma sighed and rolled her eyes, as if she wasn't the same with Jacob,

"Yeah yeah we get it. Wish us luck." She said as she ran off in her leaden boots that left empty echoes around the tower.

"Good luck."