When Hell Runs Cold

Chapter Twenty Three

Over the course of the last hour, Ben and Nathan had not stopped casting each other dirty looks, and the occasional elbow jab. Alysia was getting tired of it. Ben would say something about the method they were using to get information, and then Nathan would call him a goody-two shoes.

"Will you two just shut up?" Alysia asked. "Ben, you work on the invisibility people, Nathan, you and I will work on the ice people."

Nathan opened his mouth to respond, quickly closing it when he saw the glare Alysia gave him. Ben slowly nodded, grabbing his own personal laptop out of his briefcase. Nathan pulled up the other chair next to Alysia.

"Didn't realize you were the new boss, Lockheart." He muttered, a smirk causing his lips to twitch upward.

Alysia rolled her eyes with a slight smile. "Well, if both of you act like kids, I'll take the title of boss."

Nathan shook his head, leaning over her shoulder to peer at the computer screen. "Well we can cross out those two. They live in California. Doubt they'd come all this way to try to kill you."

"And this one is a young girl, so we can eliminate her." Alysia said, pointing to one of the names she had typed down. "So that leaves Flynn Cross and Connor Lawson." She put the two names in bold.

Nathan put a hand on the back of her chair, putting the other one on the desk. "Do the names ring a bell?" He made eye contact with Alysia, his eyes captivating her own. "Either of them?"

She shook her head, shaking herself out of her trance. "Nope. I don't know a Flynn Cross or a Connor Lawson. Not even someone that might be related." She glanced in Ben's direction, "Any luck?"

Ben shook his head, closing his laptop screen slightly. "None of these invisibility people live in Ziren City. And none of them have left their hometowns. So we're looking at someone not on the database."

"We have two potentials for people with ice powers." Nathan said. "Flynn Cross and Connor Lawson. They both live in Ziren City."

"So is that where we start? Gathering information on them?" Ben asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

Nathan gave him a look. "Of course. That's where we start. Aren't you supposed to be a hero? You're supposed to know how these things work, Ben."

"Well, unlike you, I don't resort to illegal methods to get what I want." Ben retorted.

"At least I get what I want. " Nathan shot back, glancing over at Ben, subtly moving his chair closer to Alysia's. "Can't say the same for you though. I mean, yeah, you put them in jail, but it takes a hell of a lot longer for you doesn't it? I'm efficient."

Alysia quietly groaned. She was just getting used to Nathan, and now if this so-called 'team effort' was going to last for more than two days, she would have to deal with Ben's and Nathan's constant bickering.

"Back to the matter at hand. We need to do background checks on these guys. But since Azrael isn't on the database, there's a good chance that Frostbite isn't as well." Alysia said, getting Nathan's and Ben's attention off of each other. "Now, if you two would stop fighting for two seconds, that would be amazing."

Ben muttered a quiet apology, and Nathan simply rolled his eyes. "Whatever." he muttered. "We need to keep our eyes on them. See if they have any connections with Alysia's dad." Nathan continued.

"No. What we need is to stop Frostbite before he harms another innocent person." Ben said, and Nathan nodded, which Alysia was pretty sure was the first time the pair had been in agreement. They were worse than Nathan and I had been at the beginning, Alysia thought.

And that was saying a lot.

But it made sense. Blitz and Whirlwind's rivalry went back further than Nathan and her's.   Whirlwind had first made his appearance back when Alysia was a senior in highschool, just after her father went into a coma, before she'd become Lux. They had fought near the outskirts of the city, and Blitz had made a public announcement, calling Whirlwind a criminal.

"I'll look into Flynn Cross." Alysia volunteered, and Nathan nodded.

"I'll join you on that. You need to be up early tomorrow anyways." When Alysia gave him a confused look, he clarified. "We need to train. You're not as experienced as me or Ben, as much as I hate to admit it. And that gives Frostbite an advantage."

"Seems like a plan. I'll take Connor Lawson then." Ben said, getting out of his seat, grabbing his briefcase. "Here's my number. Text me when you get the information." He grabbed a pen from out of his briefcase before grabbing Alysia's hand, catching her off-guard. He scribbled his number onto the back of her palm.

Nathan rolled his eyes at the action. Ben muttered quick goodbye before he disappeared in a blur. "What, were you two a thing or something?" Nathan asked curiously.

Alysia's face contorted in disgust. "Of course not. What the hell would make you come up with that idea? Did I not mention how much I dislike the guy?"

Nathan shrugged, suddenly disinterested. "Whatever. There's some leftover pizza in the fridge if you want any. I'm heading home now."

"Isn't your house getting remodeled or whatever?" Alysia asked, remembering Nathan telling her about the cabinets or something.

"I mean my penthouse." He deadpanned. "The mansion is being remodeled."

Alysia spun around in her chair to face him. "Right. Spoiled rich boy." She noted. "Keep forgetting that."

Nathan stood up, grabbing his phone and wallet, shoving them into his pockets before pulling his coat on. "Tomorrow. Six o'clock. Be awake."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Alysia replied, standing up from the chair, making her way over to the couch. She flopped onto it, pulling her blanket on it. She heard the hatch close, and she sighed. Alone at last.

Staring at the ceiling, she still didn't understand how her life had gotten to this. Ten years ago, she was an innocent child, and now? She was a vigilante who had a target on her back. Any normal twenty two year old would be in college, maybe even in their final year.

But not her.

Alysia was the opposite of normal. For god's sake, she could set things on fire with her mind. She sighed, rubbing her shoulders. 

On days like this, she just wanted her mom.

Violet Lockheart was everything Alysia aspired to be like when she got older. April was a constant reminder of her mother, the two having similar personalities. Maybe that's what had drawn Alysia to April in the first place. That same energy that radiated from them.

Alysia's mother was kind, always energetic, and enthusiastic about almost anything. She was friendly, and almost anyone who came across her path would click with her instantly. When Henry was out of the house, which was most nights, fighting who knows what, Violet made popcorn and read her bedtime stories about dragons, princesses, and brave knights. She would tickle Alysia at the scary parts of movies, making her laugh until she felt sick. On rainy weekends, they would play board games and draw pictures of the ocean, forest, wherever they wanted to vacation that day.

It was peaceful. And simple.

Sometimes she wished she was dead like her mother too.

Happy Saturday everybody! Hope you guys have had a great week!

QOTD: Which one of my characters do you relate to the most?

For me it would probably be a mix of Alysia and April! I can be super sweet like April sometimes, but I'm also very sarcastic!