Where Tears Fall Like Snow

27

-Shelby-

"Morning." Rain says
"Morning." I say. Scott and Callum walk in from outside.
"Good morning." Scott says.
"You guys are up early." Rain says
"Uh, yeah." Callum says, "Great chat." They head upstairs.
"That's a ship, right?" Rain says
"Huh?"
"I mean, I'm not the only one who ships that, right?"
"I think Lauren does too." I say. Andy and Skye walk in.
"Happy birthday." Rain says
"Yeah, great chat." They head upstairs.
"Rain." Ivory walks in, "Hey Shelby."
"Yeah?"
"Uh, update on Ash." She says. They walk into the other room.
"Morning." Stella slides down the railing, "Everyone's hanging out upstairs." We head upstairs into Scott, Oli and Callum's room.
"Welcome to the party." Oli says, "It's not a party, we have no idea what to do."
"Why were you guys awake at five?" I ask
"We couldn't sleep and Andy needed help finding Skye." Scott says
"Oh, speaking of Skye, it's her birthday." Ivy says, "Don't say anything about it."
"Rain already did." I say
"Great." She says, "Eli, you were gonna tell Rain not to say anything."
"I did." He says
"Why do people not like their birthdays?" Callum asks
"When you spend part of your life in a place where you don't feel safe you tend to hate the day you were brought into that place." Eli says "And sometimes it was worse on your birthday because that's the day your parents remind you that you weren't supposed to exist." Luna adds
"There's also other reasons to hate your birthday." Ryan says, "Like Ari, Alex, even me for a little."
"Yeah, a lot of us don't really enjoy celebrating the day we were born." Eli says
"Wait, shh." Violet listens for a second, "There's someone in the house." She turns into a dog and runs out. Ivy holds out her hand, a green dome forms around us. Violet runs back in with Andy and Skye, a purple dome appears.
"Eli, yours next." Violet whispers. Another green dome forms.
"Skye." A yellow dome forms.
"Luna, Stella, Ryan." A dark purple and blue dome forms followed by a grey one.
"Callum, Scott."
"What do we do?" Scott asks
"Callum, fire make dome." Luna says, "Scott." She motions something.
"Fire make dome." Callum says quietly. An orange dome forms. Scott motions something and a teal dome forms.
"Shelby, Lauren, Yammy, Oli."
"Dome." A white dome appears.
"Stars and sky, make a protective dome." Lauren says
"Light transform, dome." Yammy says.
"And Andy."
"What about Joel and Lizzie?"
"They won't work." Skye says. There's a crash from outside the door.
"Andy, hurry!" He starts mouthing something. Luna locks the door, a sword appears in her hand.
"Skye, invisible, now." Luna tosses her a metal ring.
"No, I can't use it."
"Skye, a hunter is on the other side of that door and he's looking for you." Luna says sternly, "Put it on." Skye puts the band around her wrist. It shrinks to fit it and she disappears.
"Everyone with a dome up, hold out you dominant hand." Stella says. We all hold out our hand. Andy stops and hold out his hand. The door busts open. The hunter looks at us and pounds against one of the domes. Ivy winces.
"C'mon, keep it up." Violet says. He keeps pounding. Ivy collapses and her dome disappears. A sword appears in the hunter's hand. He swings it against the next dome twice and Violet collapses.
"Skye, take your dome down." Luna says. He hit the next dome taking it out. Skye's dome disappears. Luna, Stella and Ryan collapse with their domes. He disappears and reappears in front of us.
"Where's Skye?" He asks
"Stay hidden." No one says anything.
"Fine, I'll ask again." His hand turns black as he grabs Callum's arm.
"Tell me where Skye is or your friend won't have any use for this arm."
"Fire make heat." Callum puts his hand on the hunter's arm and burns him. The hunter releases his grip.
"Think you're clever do you?" He says. He grabs him and they both disappear.
"Oh look, he left a piece of paper." Luna says "Give me Skye and you get your friend." Ryan reads, "Well that's a terrible deal, we're not taking that."
"I'm not saying we should, but what about Callum?" Scott asks
"We'll come up with something."

-???-

I study the boy.
"He looks weak." I say
"They'll want him back." He says
"I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't come for him." I say, "You said I can do what I want with him?"
"Keep him alive." He walks out.
"I always like to introduce myself before I torture someone." I say, "I'm Gaia, what's your name?" He just stares at me.
"Quiet are we?" I say, "That's fine, I just have one more question." He doesn't say anything.
"So out of bow, sword, whip, knife or magic, how would you like to be tortured?" He doesn't say anything. I turn my nails into claws and run one across his cheek, red blood spills out.
"A red blood." I say, "He brought me a red blood. That's weak." A fire starts next to me.
"Oh, that's cute." I say, "You should work on your aim though." I pick up my bow and fire an arrow. He inhales sharply as it brushes his ear.
"Relax, I'm not allowed to kill you." I say, "Remind me of your name." He just stares at me.
"Ok, I know you're new here and all so I'm gonna tell you the most important rule." I say, "If anyone here asks you a question, you answer it. If anyone here tells you what to do, you do it. Got it?"
"And if I don't follow the rule?"
"He speaks." I say, "Well, you're already slowly loosing feeling in your arm." I motion to the black mark on his right arm.
"I'd say I get to use my whip." I say, "So let me ask one more time. What's your name?"
"Callum." He says
"That's better." I say. Kat appears.
"Sir didn't bring him here for you to talk to him." She says. She disappears and reappears in front of him.
"My name is Kat, wanna know how I got that name?"
"Because your breath smells like fish?"
"You're not funny." She says
"I dunno, I thought it was a little amusing." He says. She scratches him.
"Hurts doesn't it?" She says, "Yeah, that's why I'm Kat."
"Ok, here Kitty." I say. She appears next to me.
"You gonna use your whip or what?" She says
"Wait, do you wanna see him get really scared?" I say
"Duh." I take my bow and fire at him. He inhales sharply again as it grazes his arm. Kat laughs.
"And he's bleeding too, that's so cute." She says.
"Wanna get into his head?"
"Nah, you can."
"I was hoping you'd say that." I walk up to him.
"Look at me." He looks at me blankly.
"Ok, Callum, let's see what goes on in your head." I blink a couple times. He tries to look away.

"Oh, that's fun." I say eventually. I break the focus, "This little boy has a boyfriend." 
"He's not my boyfriend." He says
"You both have feelings for each other and you've kissed twice." I say
"What's his name?" Kat asks
"Scott." I say, "He sounds interesting, tell us about him." He just looks at us.
"Not one to kiss and tell?" Kat taunts.
"Kat, Gaia, that's enough for tonight." 
"Awwww." We say in unison.
"Come on, let's go." Tyler says. I turn out the lights as we leave.
"Sorry Ty, he's got a boyfriend." Kat teases
"Shut up." He says, "He's not even that cute and I have a boyfriend."
"Mhm, keep telling yourself that."