Heart of Ice, Soul of Fire

Chapter 1 : Let There Be Light

Papa used to tell me that In the beginning there was only darkness, until the creator said "Let there be light!" and the light was born from the darkness.

When mankind was made, the darkness receded into the deepest cracks and crevices of mankind's conscience to lay dormant for millions of years. Adam and Eve shared this bond with the darkness but now only very few people do. The population of humans who could awaken this darkness were burned as witches. But now a more "humane" solution has been brought to the light by Doctor Honerva Prince and Doctor Zarkon Prince.

Children of the darkness, like me, are taken from their parents and put in institutions for our kind called The Institute for the Young Gifted.

My family has been running for 5 years, ever since I 'woke up'.

Tonight was just like any other Saturday night, my Mother was washing the dishes from dinner and I was in my room, staring up at the bright stars of ice on my ceiling. It was a crisp Autumn night meaning Mama had locked all the windows except the one in my room, that's how the archangel got in.

The first thing I noticed about my new surroundings was the blinding white and black spots swimming in my vision. "Mom?" I groaned, sitting up and holding my head in my hands. Slowly I breathed in my new surroundings.

There was an electronic door on one end of the room, obviously locked with a password or some kind of ID chip. There were 3 other beds in the room with black backboards and white sheets draped over them half hazardously, as if the occupants had been in a rush when they left. Some of the headboards were covered in photos of families- five people were a constant in every photo, most likely the occupants of this room. On the bedside table closest to me was a bundle of neatly folded clothes, glancing back up again, something across the room caught my eye; loose hanging black curtains.

A window!

Hurriedly, I rushed over and threw back the curtains. There, over the window, were black iron bars. Each of them is at least as thick as my wrist and as long as my arm. Reaching out to touch them, I jerked back in surprise when an old voice behind me spoke.

"I wouldn't touch those if I were you."

A ragged old woman in a white lab coat, The Doctor Honerva Prince, stood idly by my bedside as if she were deciding whether or not to kill me here and now. Instead, she picked up the bundle of clothes and held them out to me. "You will start classes tomorrow at 7:30. Breakfast starts at 5:30 and ends at 7:00. Four tardies and you get detention." She smiled, haunting yellow eyes showing clear distaste.

I took the bundle from her before she turned away, walking briskly back to the door but stopping to stand just in front of it. "And Welcome to The Institute for the Young Gifted, dear." Honerva smiled back at me before leaving.

After changing into the fresh shirt and slacks I sat cautiously on the side of the bed I had woken up on, the only one without photos in this room. Slowly, the doors opened, barely audible, even in the silence of the room. Despite this, I stood and turned to greet the figure lurking in the doorway.

"Who are you?" She looked at me accusingly.

"Who are you?" I asked, shocked by her appearance. She had long, thick eyelashes and raven hair that reached her shoulders- her eyes were a dark indigo and her hips, oh lord, her hips were wide and- Lance. Focus.

"I asked first," she cocked an eyebrow, looking me over as if analyzing every detail about my appearance.

"I asked second." I purse my lips into a thin line, crossing my arms over my chest and jutting my hip to the side.

She chuckled, a fire lighting in her eyes. "I'm Keith, but you can call me fire, I guess." He? She? shrugged, holding a hand out to shake mine. Oh, so it's a "he." He has fairly attractive hips. "Lance, they call me ice." I smiled, shaking his hand.