Ice Queen

Twenty-Three

*Five years later* (Mitch is 26, Kirstie is 27, and Autumn is 5. Also, Mitch is a six-year, Kirstie is a ten-year, and Autumn is obviously a five-year.)

"Mommy... they hurt..." Autumn whined as I helped her put her contacts in.

"I know baby, but you need them." I said. I kissed her on the cheek and led her into the living room, where Mitch was sitting on the couch.

"Hey baby girl," he said. She giggled and ran over to sit on his lap. He smirked at her and started tickling her stomach. She let out screeches of laughter and begged him to stop. "I'll stop when you say you love me," Mitch said.

"Love you daddy!" Autumn exclaimed. I chuckled and went into the kitchen. I pulled the water pitcher out of the fridge, and when I closed it, Heat was standing there.

"I warned you," he growled.

"Get out." I said, setting the pitcher down on the counter. Heat grabbed my arms and shoved me against a wall. I cried out in pain as his hands burned into my wrists.

"Kirstie?" Mitch called. "What was that?" 

"Mitch!" I yelled. Heat brought his knee up to my stomach. Hard.

"Get away from her!" I heard Mitch at the door. He ran over and shoved Heat away from me. I noticed Autumn at the door, and ran to her. 

"Mommy?" She whispered. I picked her up and ran into the bedroom. "What's going on?"

"Shh, baby girl." I comforted her. "It'll all be over soon." 

There was some banging around for a while, and then everything was silent. "Stay here," I set Autumn down on the bed and went into the kitchen. Mitch was breathing hard, and Heat was nowhere to be found. "Where is he?"

"He left. I got him to go away." 

"Mommy?" Autumn was at the door. She was holding her stomach.

"Autumn, I told you to stay-" 

"Tummy... hurts..." she muttered. "Bad."

She started to crumple to the ground. I ran to her and caught her. "Carry her," I told Mitch. He took her into his hands and we ran into the yard. I summoned an ice cloud and we climbed aboard. Thank God Mitch wasn't yet powerful to melt it. 

-

We arrived at the Den and ran inside. Autumn had her head buried in Mitch's neck, and kept whispering odd things. "Fall..." she whispered. "Tummy hurts... dizzy... daddy, help..." 

We got to the main den and saw Zima there. "Zima!" I exclaimed. "You have to help her! Please!"

"There is nothing I can do, child." The Original said. "Lie her down. We will see what comes of this." 

Mitch laid Autumn on a small cot and we watched as she curled into a small ball. She was sweating, but shivering at the same time. Her hair was turning brown, the color of dead leaves. "What's happening to her?" Mitch asked.

"Hush," Zima ordered. We watched as Autumn shuddered. And then she was still. She was like that for a few minutes, and I thought maybe she was dead. But then she began to move. She sat up, her newly-colored hair fell down her shoulders, framing her face. She opened her eyes and looked at us. I gasped. Her eyes... 

They were red. The color of leaves during Fall.

"What happened to her?" Mitch whispered. 

"She survived..." Zima sounded shocked. "No one ever has..."

"What happened?" I ordered. I was getting impatient. 

"Sh-she has been converted... the first Fall Elemental to survive the change."