Dani's short stories

Cold

Casually reposting this. Please end me.

(Okay, small Author's note. I came up with a story over the summer about this girl named Sierra Nova Cain who has the power to numb the human senses. I don't want to elaborate too much because I might high-key publish that, but this is just a short story based off of Nova and some of the other characters. Don't judge, lol. Feel free to DM me with suggestions or if you want to hear more about this universe. Have fun!)

It was colder today than it was supposed to be, though the chill in the air did little to dampen the spirits of the residents of Quarter 3. Most of them, anyway. I was leaning against the wall of one of the buildings, my hands in my pockets and the hood of my coat pulled up in an attempt to keep me warm or at least keep the chill away from my face, although that wasn't exactly working.

It was times like this that I really wished that my power was something more useful than numbing the human senses. Sure, that could work really well in the cold, but it would only keep you from feeling cold, and then you could literally freeze to death because you didn't realize how cold your body was getting. Right now, what I really needed was someone who could manipulate fire, or maybe I really just needed to go inside.

Of course, I wasn't going to go inside. Today was the Parting Ceremony for all of the wielders who were leaving to compete in the Trails. I was too young to be chosen to compete, so like the rest of the class 7 and under wielders of Q3, I was only here to partake in the festivities. In my three years here, I have learned that this was the day of the year that most students looked forward to. Not only because we got a break from our 'studies', but also because it was the only time when we saw people from other Quarters. The ceremony wad more like a carnival than anything official. It was exciting, to say the least, and none of us would miss this, cold weather or no.

I shifted in my spot and watched a group of kids walk into one of the poorly set up tents in the large courtyard. One of them noticed me leaning against the wall and nudged the girl in front of her. They both turned to look at me, and the first girl's eyes flashed purple before they turned and headed into the tent, their laughter trailing after them.

Slightly annoyed, I pushed away from the wall and began walking in the opposite direction of the tent. Sean had told me to wait there for him, but that had been over an hour ago. Knowing him, he probably got caught up in one of the activities or shows put together by one of the older wielders. I moved along slowly, letting the blood start to flow back into my legs.

The large courtyard in front of the main building of Q3 was filled with lopsided tents and poorly constructed stages. Tables were set out along the walkways holding food and drinks from different Quarters. The beauty of the Parting Ceremony was that no one cared enough to charge you, so all of the food was free. My personal favorite thing every year was the table from Quarter 10. Penelope Ever, a 25 year old from Q10 with the power to taste and manipulate emotions, was in charge of the table. She used her power to taste emotions to make her cupcakes literally taste like happiness. They were amazing.

I decided to head that direction, figuring Sean would hunt me down if he really needed me. Penny spotted me quickly and waved excitedly.

"Hey, Sie!" She exclaimed in her bubbly voice. (SaeZen, you screaming, yet?)

My mood instantly changed as I got closer. Being around Penny was like inhaling happiness.

Penny bounced around her table, wrapping me tightly in her arms. "It's so good to see you! I hate that we only get to talk once a year." She pulled back and grabbed me by the shoulders, looking me up and down. I watched her eyes snag on my newly cut hair before drifting down my dark winter coat and sweat pants. "You need to eat more, hon." She said, patting my cheek.

I sighed, although I was smiling. "I know, I know." We moved to the other side of the table, where Penny pulled up a chair for me before handing me one of her cupcakes. I bit in and let out an ecstatic groan.

Penny chuckled. "Still that good to you, huh?" I nodded and took another bite.

We talked for a little while about our separate lives in our two different Quarters. I went in to take another bite out of my cupcake before a boy suddenly popped into existence in front of me. I let out an inhuman shrieking noise before flinging my cupcake into the air. The boy caught it and doubled over into a fit of laughter.

Penny rolled her eyes. "Nova, let me introduce you to my cousin, Mark."

I scrutinized him, glaring at his still laughing form and my cupcake which was still in his hand. He eventually sobered up enough to hand me my cupcake.

"Hi, sorry about that. I've just never had that reaction before." He smiled and chuckled deeply before extending his hand. "Mark. Teleportation."

I took his hand hesitantly. "Sierra. You can call me Nova, though. Everyone else does. Numbing the human senses."

Mark let out a low whistle as Penelope got up to help a customer. "Can you numb all of them? For how long?"

I rolled my eyes. This was the typical reaction to my power, seeing as it wasn't a very normal one, like teleportation. Mark's hand was still in mine, so I closed my eyes and gently moved my hand up to his forearm. I took a deep breath and focused on removing the world around me, making it quieter, darker, emptier. I opened my eyes to see Mark standing still in shock, his eyes glazed over. I smiled before doing the opposite and returning his sight and sense of sound.

Mark's eyes widened and he blinked a few times as his sight came back to him. He looked down at me and laughed nervously.

"Wow. You're pretty serious." He pulled his hand away from mine and ran it through his hair. "That was weird."

I nodded. "So people tend to tell me." I took another bite out of my cupcake before setting it aside. Mark swung a chair out and sat next to me.

"You're Nova, then? Whenever Penny makes her cupcakes, she tends to bring you up."

I laughed and nodded, sticking my hands in my coat pockets. "I'm a big fan of them. Her cupcakes are literally heaven."

Mark's eyes twinkled. "You like the frosting too, right? Well, let me tell you a story about my friend Gabe and the whi-"

"Mark, you're a poor excuse for a sixteen year old," Penny yelled over her shoulder. "Grow up a bit."

I laughed loudly, glancing at Mark as his face slowly turned red. I was about to attempt to make him feel better when I heard my name.

"Nova! Hey! There you are." Sean said breathlessly, moving up to the table. "You disappeared on me."

I stood up and brushed cupcake crumbs off of me. "Yeah, sorry. I wanted to come visit some friends." I motioned towards Penny, who waved cheerfully at Sean and offered him a cupcake. He took one immediately with a smile.

"Thanks! Come on, Nov, we got stuff to do." Sean waved his hand at me and I sighed before giving Penny a quick hug and moving to his side of the table. I glanced back at Mark, who smiled and waved at me. I waved back and shrugged, following Sean to who knows where.

As we got farther away from the table, I couldn't help feeling weird. My fingertips seemed to turn numb like they did when I used my power, and my stomach started to tie itself in knots.

Something was coming. I could feel it.