Fire & Ice

ch. 10

DANIEL

When Adrian, Jamie, and I got back to the house from the store, I headed inside with Adrian. Jamie joined her friends on the front lawn, and I made a mental note to keep a close eye on them. 

When we entered, there was no one in the kitchen except for Ethan. 

"Hey, Danny. Can I talk to you?"

I froze, raising an eyebrow as I set the burner phones down on the counter. Adrian stepped further into the kitchen, patting my shoulder as he walked on by. 

"Let's go back in the garage," Ethan said. 

Well, this should be lovely. I braced myself for a beating as I joined him in the garage, but he seemed hesitant. 

"What's this about?" I asked him after a few agonizing seconds. 

"Natalie," he said, and I swear my heart stopped, but then he continued, "She's been acting weird since we got here."

Out of all people, Ethan was confiding in me about Natalie. How ironic. 

"Acting weird how?"

"She's just not talking to me as much and acting distant. I guess it could be the whole rebellion thing getting to her, but I'm worried about her. I'm worried about all of us, honestly." 

I bet you won't be as worried about me when you find out I kissed your girl.

"Or maybe," he said, "she's worried about the promise ring I gave her recently..?"

Excuse me, what? 

"Promise ring?" 

"Yeah, I gave it to her last Wednesday, and she seemed happy, but I don't know anymore. It seems like I created a problem between us..."

Last Wednesday? That was the day after our first kiss on the roof. She hadn't mentioned a thing about it after the obstacle course that day. 

You created a problem, alright, I thought. But what came out of my mouth was, "I don't know, Ethan. Nat seems fine to me. Don't worry too much about it." 

"Alright. Well if she says anything weird to you or Adrian, let me know. I know we're not super close, but given the circumstances, I can't really talk to anyone else, you know?" 

So I was your last resort? Asshole.  

"Yeah, sure," I said, wanting nothing more than to end this conversation. Thankfully, he walked back inside. I knew I needed to have a conversation with Natalie, but instead, I decided to get some space from it all. I'd caught a glimpse of a balcony on the house on our way in from the store, so I found the staircase.

As I reached the top of the stairs, it emptied into an extra bedroom and bathroom. There was a sliding glass door leading to the balcony, and I headed outside. As much as I enjoyed looking out at this unknown world, it made me miss home and the Academy and Headquarters more than ever. But more than that, I missed Amber and Jake.

Jake had been so excited about gaining Master status...he'd struggled this year to keep his grades up in our advanced training courses, but we all knew he was going to make it. He told us that after graduation, he was going to marry Jasmine, his soulmate.

And Amber...she was more than just my sparring partner. She'd been with me through my darkest days, constantly motivating me and making me smile during tough training sessions. And then, she'd given her life for my sister in the end.

She didn't deserve to die. Neither of them did. When I got the chance, I was going to make Jordan Keel pay for what he'd done.  

"Danny?"