Fire and Ice

Chapter 34: Into the Shadows

No dreams plagued me that night but that didn't mean my mind wasn't occupied. Swirling round and round plan after plan of how I can see my love without us getting caught. Sneak around in school? No, anyone can see us and that would spread like wildfire in that gossip-hungry school. Meet up after school? Can't because I'm grounded, and my parents will kill me if I disappear like that again. Video call? One it's not the same and secondly, my parents will hear us and become curious. Over and over again a new plan came to mind only to be crushed by the possible outcome. 

I hoped I would have had a solution by the time I got here but walking into the school parking lot my mind was still blank. Strolling through the empty hallways I slowly make my way to my locker where I am shocked to see a certain figure leaning against it. With a wide smile tugging on his lips and a single red rose in his hand, Seth moves away from my locker and steps closer to me. 

"Good morning, beautiful," he greets. Planting a quick kiss on my forehead he hands me the rose, which I gracefully accept with a small smile. 

"Good morning," I mumble trying my best to sound as enthusiastic as he is... it doesn't work and I fail miserably. 

The smile which was gracing his lips from the second I saw him drops and his arms quickly wrap around me pulling me close. His hand reaches up cupping my cheek in his warm palm, "What's wrong, my love?" 

Shaking my head I gently push him away keeping him locked at an arm's distance. "We can't do this here. The last thing we need is someone seeing us," I firmly state. 

My heart shatters ever so slightly at the sliver of pain that shines in his eyes but despite how badly I want to pull him back into my arms and comfort him I can't take the risk of someone seeing us. It's like some sort of deception game but losing means you might get kicked out of your house and shunned by your family and friends. 

"Okay, I'll keep my hands off of you at school," he whispers. 

I nod, "Okay."

Pushing his pain and disappointment away his smile returns and he leans against one of the closest lockers. "Well, If I can't be with you here can I at least take you out after school? We can go to the mall and get some ice cream or maybe a coffee shop for some doughnuts, what do you think?"

"I think that sounds lovely," I mumble through my sad smile while rocking on the balls of my feet like a small child afraid to tell her parents she broke the family lamp. 

"But," he sighs. 

Looking up into his gorgeous eyes I sigh. I never could keep anything from him. "My parents were not happy about how I just vanished yesterday. I managed to convince them that I was helping Evan from English class, but they still grounded me. So, for four weeks I'm not allowed to go anywhere after school besides back home." 

Pushing himself away from the lockers he paces back and forth with fists clenched and his teeth being ground into dust. Standing back as far as I could I watch as the anger bubbles inside of him. The pain and sadness that was coursing through him not even a minute ago was long gone making way for this anger to come through. Mumbling incoherent words a small flame lights up his palms emitting a bright orange glow. Looking all around me I breathe a sigh of relief at the empty hallway but it won't stay this way forever. As the seconds tick by the wave of students that are going to come rushing through the door gets closer and closer. I can't risk him exposing himself like this. 

"Seth-" 

"Why can't they all just leave us alone!" he yells the flame in his hand growing bigger and bigger consuming more and more of his skin. 

Storming closer to him I hiss, "Please keep your voice down." I point at his hand, "And get rid of that," I add. 

Looking down at me with the anger still blazing in his eyes he takes a couple of deep breaths the flame growing smaller and smaller with each breath until it eventually dies, disappearing as t it was never there in the first place. 

"Why can't they let us be together? Why do we have to sneak around like this? Why?" he cries his eyes growing glassy with tears. 

Taking full advantage of the still-empty hallway I take his warm hand in mine squeezing it as hard as I could. "I know you're angry, okay, I'm angry too. I want nothing more than to walk around these hallways holding your hand or go out for ice cream and doughnuts, but... we can't do that yet." He sighs and slowly nods. "Do you remember what it was like for us back then?" He nods again. "We spent months sneaking around in that castle and we would have lasted a lot longer if we hadn't... you know."

"Not that I don't appreciate this little walk down memory lane what exactly is the point you are trying to make here?" 

"We knew that the only way for us to be together was to be in the shadows and as much as I hate to say it we have to do that again. A thousand years might have gone by but nothing has changed. Fire and ice benders still hate each other and they will never let us be together. Once high school is over then we can leave and do whatever we want but for now we have to go into the shadows. If anything think of it as a game I know that's not the best thing to compare this to but it's all I can think of."

Silence reigns around us but eventually, he nods and plants a quick kiss on my forehead. 

"Well then into the shadows we go."