ICE (The Benders Series) (14 page)

With that comment, another stare off ensued. Kenna reached to take Jon’s hand, but it was even icier than usual. She looked at him and could see his eye beginning to go white with rage. When she turned to her father, she saw a smug little smirk splashed across his face.

Finding herself increasingly angered by the pair, Kenna quickly pushed her chair away from the table and stood. At this, both turned to her in confusion.

“No!” she hollered. “If you two want to sit here and fight like little boys, then go ahead! I’ll stay out of both of your lives if that’s the way you want it!” Kenna shoved her chair back into its place and began to storm away.

Jon caught her hand first and tried to let out a quick apology, but the girl ripped herself away from him and continued out of the room and into the porch where she sat, arms crossed and jaw clenched.

She heard nothing for the longest time. Kenna had deliberately positioned herself in the porch so that she could hear anything that might be going on in the kitchen. But nothing. Not a sound traveled from the other room.

She rolled her eyes to herself and glanced out the window beside her. For as much as she’d heard about the beauty of spring, to her, the view was as dead and drab as ever. The magical and detailed frost that once accompanied the window had faded into droplets of clear water. And so the claws of the mighty snow leopard had dissipated into little balls of lackadaisical liquid. The arctic bird’s feathers had all but melted into pathetic and monotonous drops. The cool and clever fox whose frosty smile once made home to the glass was now just dull spring water like tears perhaps as it watched the winter fade into an acrimonious spring.

And beyond the disheartening window sat another disheartening sight. The vivacious snow was gone and in its place lay brown grass. And the trees that once glittered in the sun were now lifeless against a cloudy, gray sky. There was not a trace of green, not a trace of flower, not a trace of hope.

If Kenna had been angry when she entered the forsaken room, now she felt completely glum and even a little depressed.

But she quickly perked up her dropping head when she heard footsteps make their way towards the porch entrance. The girl wondered who it would be, Jon or her father. She figured it was fifty-fifty odds either way.

And so, it was no shock when her dad entered and took a seat next to his irritated daughter. He didn’t say anything as he sat, but put a comforting hand on her knee.

“Sorry,” he said with a long exhale. “That was very immature of me. Is there a way we could start the dinner over? Jon and I have agreed to behave ourselves.”

Kenna looked away from him. “I’m not going to go in there and find a dead body, am I?” she inquired half-heartedly.

“No,” he laughed, a real laugh this time. “Good to know you think I’d win that fight though.”

Kenna rolled her eyes again as her father stood and reached out a hand to lift her from her seat. “Yeah, yeah,” she replied, doing her best to brush off the last half an hour of her day.

When she returned to the kitchen, she found Jon sitting just where she’d left him. She could tell by the look on his face that he wasn’t happy, but when he pulled out her chair, she knew that he had every intention of sucking it up for her.

With everyone seated again, her father began in conversation. “So nice weather lately.” Both Kenna and Jon turned sharply at such a comment, unsure if he was prodding Jon again or attempting small talk. Realizing his error, the man quickly corrected himself. “But anyway. So you two have been dating for quite some time then?”

“Several months,” Kenna responded.

“I see, and so how did the two of you meet?” he asked politely.

Kenna and Jon looked at each other, not completely sure how to answer the question.

“My brothers and I were playing hockey down at the rink when Kenna and Britney showed up. We kinda started talking after that,” Jon answered quite matter-of-factly.

Her dad nodded in approval. “And that was before you jumped under the ice to save her? You know, you could have just frozen the water so she didn’t have to fall through. Would have been much less dramatic,” he joked as he sipped on his warm juice.

To Kenna’s surprise, Jon returned the laugh. “I would have if I had seen her go out onto the ice. But then again, no one would have known I was a hero if that would have been the case.”

As the dinner progressed, the pair seemed to find some common ground. Though they were opposites, they both knew a bit about the other’s skills. Kenna supposed her father hadn’t talked about bending in years and probably felt relieved to be able to discuss it in front of her after such a long time. Likewise, Jon seemed to enjoy talking about bending with someone outside his immediate family. So even if they didn’t exactly see eye to eye, at least they could relate on some level.

But as the dinner wrapped up, Kenna noticed her father becoming suddenly agitated and nervous. Before she could question it, the man came out with a question of his own.

“Jon. Would it be possible to speak to you in private before you leave?” he asked in a very non-threatening way. Jon turned to Kenna, who shrugged her shoulders, not knowing how to respond herself. “I’m not going to assault you or anything,” he joked. “Just a discussion you and I should have before we finish off the evening.”

Jon took a deep breath. “Sure.”

“Outside okay, that way Kenna can watch from the porch and know that I’m not assaulting you?”

Jon let out a small chuckle. “Sounds good.”

Consequently, the three left the dinner table together while Jon and the man headed outside to have ‘a discussion.’

Kenna sat in the porch and watched. They weren’t facing her so she couldn’t even make an attempt at reading their lips. There they stood, out near the curb so she couldn’t hear what they were saying. She could see her father constantly motioning with his hands as if they could somehow speak, and she could see Jon occasionally nodding in response.

But as far as details went, Kenna hadn’t the slightest clue as to what was being said. After about fifteen minutes, the pair turned around and strode slowly back into the house.

“So you two are done with your awkward chit chat?” she wondered as they entered silently.

“Yes,” her father retorted with a smile. “And I’ve concluded that you two can indeed be alone together,” he went on to say. “That is if you two behave of course.”

Kenna was thrilled with his answer but couldn’t help but to notice Jon’s solemnity. For someone who somehow won over her dad, he seemed awfully sad.

“Awesome, I get to walk Jon to his truck in privacy then?” she boasted with a smirk.

“Sure,” he agreed. “You have ten minutes. I’ll be counting.” With that said, he stepped out of the porch and into the house to leave Kenna and Jon to themselves.

Kenna smiled, but Jon did not return the expression.

“What’s the matter?” she asked in a whisper to make sure her father’s ears didn’t hear.

Jon shook his head. “Nothing.”

Kenna noticed that he was avoiding eye contact with her. And on top of that, his body language had gone quite sluggish. “What did he say to you?” she interrogated quietly. “Jon, if he threatened you, I swear I will-“

“No,” he stopped her. “No, he didn’t threaten me.”

“Then what is it?” she questioned again seeing that he didn’t intend on furthering his statement.

“Nothing,” he said again, still avoiding eye contact. “He just wanted to have a,” he paused to think of the right words, “mature conversation with me. And you know me, I don’t like being all adult-like.”

Kenna wasn’t entirely convinced. “You can tell me what he said,” she added innocently.  She couldn’t help but feel that whatever the problem was that it weighed very heavily on the Colewell’s mind.

Now he did look down at her. He must have felt her studying stare. “I can’t actually. It was a man-to-man thing.” Kenna’s face took on a rather skeptical expression. Seeing her uncertainty, he added, “I’ll tell you when you’re older.” At that point, he wore his typical arrogant smirk.

Though she wasn’t even a little bit persuaded by his words or his cocky smile, Kenna decided to let the issue rest for the moment. After all, how could she be upset when her father and Jon had agreed to reconcile their differences to make her happy?

“Fine,” Kenna said with an eye roll. “I guess I just expected you to be happier. You know, after winning over my flaming father and all.”

Jon let out a small laugh. “Speaking of winning over, I may have been wrong about how powerful he is. I could definitely take the guy,” he bragged as he moved to open the door as the pair made their exit.

Kenna chuckled at his boasting as they walked out to Jon’s white truck together. “Whatever you say.”  Once there, they both stopped and for a moment, the world stopped turning.

“Thanks for supper,” Jon said to break the silence. He leaned over and kissed her lightly on her pink puckered lips.

“You’re welcome,” she smiled. And they stared into each other’s eyes, hers so brown and striking, his blue and glowing. Though so different, they couldn’t help but be endlessly drawn to each other. “You’ll have to come again,” she winked.

Jon smirked back at her. “It wasn’t that good of food,” he joked as he leaned in and kissed her one more time.

“Well I don’t really think any cold food is good,” she pointed out as he pushed past her and into his vehicle.

“That’s fair,” he said as he stopped to look at her one more time. “I wish I could stare at you all day.” Kenna felt herself blushing as usual.

“That would be creepy,” she retorted as Jon shifted the gears of his truck. “And I think our ten minutes are up.”

He nodded at the observation. “I suppose they are.”

They both took in a deep breath as they waved in departure. Saying good-bye to Jon was always so bittersweet. Though it meant kisses, it also meant that she wouldn’t see him again for a few days.

But Kenna couldn’t help but smile. She knew those days would go by fast.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Normalcy.

For how strange her life had become in the past week, things felt oddly normal.

Here she was, resting on the couch, waiting patiently for her paranormal boyfriend to pick her up for a possibly elemental filled date. Whatever that meant. Despite learning of his hydrokinetic powers, Kenna felt very relaxed and very comfortable with the situation.

And when he pulled up to the driveway in his beaten down pick-up truck, Kenna couldn’t help but be filled with the same joy she had on previous dates. Calling to her father to signal her leaving, Kenna strode eagerly out of the house and into the truck where Jon was waiting for her.

“I hate the spring,” Jon said as she buckled herself into the vehicle. “If it were up to me it would always be winter.”

“There’s always Canada,” Kenna suggested sarcastically. “So what should we do this evening? Dinner and a movie maybe? We never do the classics.”

“I have a plan,” Jon replied without hesitation.

“Well as long as your plan includes food, I’m okay with it,” Kenna said while she placed her arm near his.

“How about a walk first? Then food?” he asked as began to drive away.

“Sigh,” Kenna said out loud. “A quick hike, I’m starving.”

“I think you’ll survive,” he laughed rather unsympathetically as he weaved around a few blocks as came to a halt at the ever familiar park. “Here we are!”

Kenna couldn’t help but notice that he was a bit more enthused than usual.

“Don’t be too excited,” she said. “This place is just becoming one big mud puddle.”

“Such is Spring!” he agreed as they exited the truck and began on their walk.

“Ten minutes, Jon,” Kenna warned as they became enclosed by ugly, brown trees. “Then we go get food.”

“Deal!” Jon assured, still a little too animated for Kenna to be completely relaxed.

“So, you seem awfully chipper,” she noted while they took several twisted paths until they were treading on a small, rocky path that Kenna thought no one wearing shoes should walk.

“Nah,” he said defensively. “Why would I be excited to spend time with you?”

Kenna shook her head. “Well, the only reason I’m along is cause you are paying for supper this time,” she shot back at him with a devious smile.

“Eh, I’m actually not hungry,” Jon said as his pace seemed to double in speed. Kenna practically had to jog to keep up with him.

“Jon where are we going?” she asked, realizing that she’d never been on these seemingly forgotten trails.

“You’ll see.”

For a few more minutes, Kenna managed to keep up with the Colewell. And just when she was about to complain about being out of breath- and out of shape- she saw it.

Kenna stopped in her tracks as the scene before her. In the small clearing stood a large igloo. Baffled by how such a structure could stand in the fifty-degree temperatures, Kenna inched closer to examine the magical ice. Clear as the finest crystals, the ice stood strong and resilient, even glistening in the sunlight that managed to sneak through the canopy and into the clearing. The igloo stood thick, the ice colder than any she’d ever touched before.

“Do you like it?” Jon asked, seeing her enthrallment.

“It’s amazing. You made it?” Kenna had only ever witnessed the smaller versions of his ice bending. But this, this ten foot high, twelve-inch thick igloo was something she never imagined he could create.

He laughed a little at her question. “Of course, it was easy,” Jon mocked as he took her by the wrist and guided her toward the frozen entrance.

“I didn’t realize you could do anything on such a large scale,” she explained as she examined the igloo from its interior.

“You didn’t think I could only shoot out little icicles, did you?” he teased. Kenna shrugged her shoulders at the question as she supposed she didn’t know what to expect. “Anyway, the real surprise is over here.”

He sat down on a quilt that had been spread out on the cool grass that served as the floor of the icy structure. And from underneath it, he pulled out a pizza box.

The aroma immediately made Kenna’s mouth water. “Jon you can’t eat pizza. It’s not nice to torment me like that,” she laughed.

“Come sit,” he insisted, still holding the box.

She sighed but reluctantly sat on the quilt next to the Colewell. “It really smells like pizza. You’re really killing me.”

With her level of disappointment reaching an all-time high, Jon opened the box to reveal just what was inside. And it was just that. “Pizza!” Kenna practically shrieked seeing the cheesy goodness that lay inside the cardboard.

Jon could not help but to be totally amused at her reaction. “Yes,” he chuckled. “Your half is warm, and my half was sitting on an ice block. You said you really liked it so I thought we’d give it a try.”

As ‘cheesy’ as it was, it was probably the nicest thing Kenna could ever remember anyone doing for her. She was so thrilled that tears of happiness began to glisten in her eyes.

“It’s just pizza,” Jon mocked as Kenna threw herself at him for a tight hug. “I swear there’s no jewelry or anything like that!”

But Kenna was too touched to care about his modesty. She let out a little sniffle and returned to her seated position next to him.

“Well we should eat before your half gets any colder,” he suggested seeing that she had calmed a little.

Kenna nodded as Jon proceeded to hand her a slice of the Italian goodness.

“How did you know that I like plain cheese? Normally I prefer spice, but I like pizza as plain and simple as ever,” she couldn’t help but ask as she took that oh so perfect first bite of pizza. Her taste buds began to tingle, her tongue in an almost heavenly muscle spasm as it touched the steamy, cheesy goodness.

“Well you are pretty immature, so I figured you’d just like cheese…” He caught a quick glare from her as she gulped down the first, indescribable bite. “Just kidding. I asked your dad the other day.”

Kenna choked a little as she took another bite. “You asked my dad?!”

Jon remained amused. “Yea. I told you I’m not scared of him. And besides, I’m trying to get on the guy’s good side. Surprising his daughter with pizza is perfectly harmless.”

Kenna couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear at his explanation as the pair devoured the pizza.

“You know,” she said while he closed the box and tossed it aside, “this is probably the best date I’ve been on in my entire life. Don’t get me wrong, all dates with you are great, but throwing in pizza…the bar has been set pretty high.”

He put his arm around her as they continued to sit inside the enchanted igloo. “My way of saying thanks for taking everything so well. I was afraid when I told you. I really didn’t want to lose you again,” he admitted while placing a quick but tender kiss on her forehead.

“To be fair,” Kenna recalled with a touch of resentment. “You chose to lose me in the first place. It wasn’t like I left you.”

He nodded. “I suppose. I made a mistake. But it’s a mistake I won’t make again.”

Pleased with his response and in no mood to linger on her hurt feelings, the girl quickly changed the subject. “So if you can build something like this, then what else can you do?” she asked while glancing around the beautiful ice castle.

“There’s a lot actually,” he smirked. “Well, like I told you, I’m full blooded, so I can do a bit more than most ice elementalists.”

“Like?” she interjected with a curious smile.

“Like I can create giant ice shields, shoot ice bullets or daggers faster and stronger than most. I can make it snow, I can freeze an entire section of the river relatively easily. Which is what I would have done that day you fell under if I had seen you walk so foolishly out onto the thin ice,” he mocked. “But I suppose it was more dramatic to dive in after you, huh?”

Kenna rolled her eyes. “Yea that was back when you were a complete jerk who wouldn’t even look at me.”

“I told you, you were intimidating, beautiful, made my heart race. Still do,” he rejoined, trumping her attempt to make him feel guilty. “And your statement is entirely false anyway. You know I had trouble keeping my eyes off you.”

Kenna tried to hide the fact that her face was growing warm and was likely blushing red. “You are such a butt,” she said. “Can’t you let me even pretend to be mad at you?”

“I just brought you pizza,” he defended. “I’m pretty sure that makes up for everything, right?”

She tried not to laugh but did anyway. “I suppose it does.”

The igloo grew quiet as Kenna rested her head on his sturdy shoulder and once again took in the remarkable sight that was the inside of the ice. Every inch of it seemed to twinkle. Honestly, if she were going to describe it in one word, it would have been magical.

It was Jon who eventually broke the perfect silence. “Kenna,” he sighed. “I don’t want to freak you out or anything, but I guess,” he paused, clearly becoming a little nervous, “I guess I never know what tomorrow is going to bring and,” he stopped again, and Kenna could hear his heart racing and his body trembling just slightly, “and I don’t want you to say anything back, but you should know that,” he paused a final time and took a deep breath as if to signify that he was officially going to jump from the high dive, “that I love you. And someday I want to marry you.”

Though she was expecting him to reveal some other kind of bizarre secret, what he said was twice as shocking and powerful as anything he could have been hiding. The statement caught her so off guard that she had no idea how to respond.

Love? Marriage? Those were such intense and mind-boggling words and words that Kenna had protected herself from for years. And as happy as she felt when she was with Jon and as much as she cared for and respected him, she couldn’t help but hold onto that fear and cling to it like a baby monkey clings to its mother. But then, how could she not say it back? Wouldn’t he feel completely rejected?

Interjecting upon her rather panicky thoughts, Jon added, “And you know. I think I know how you feel about those words, so if you aren’t ready to say that, that’s totally cool. I can wait til you are ready. I just wanted you to know how I felt, you deserve that.”

Kenna was still quiet. Sure, maybe she was in love with Jon. In fact, she knew she probably was. But to say it? To hold herself to that standard? To take the plunge? She knew she wasn’t ready for it.

She took a deep breath. “Thanks. It means a lot to hear that. I just…”

“It’s fine,” he said to combat her nervousness. “Don’t say it if you aren’t sure that you mean it. So, any other questions for me about bending and what have you? I’m sure you’ve thought of some.” He very nonchalantly changed the subject as he took a stand and helped her from the ground.

“Yes actually,” she breathed, finding herself relieved as they left the igloo. Jon proceeded to hold his palms out towards the ice as if he were enchanting it in some way. “Um, for example, what are you doing now?”

He didn’t answer at first, his eyes and hands focused towards the ice. But after a brief moment, he relaxed his hands and began to walk away from the structure. “I had to move the cold air that surrounded it,” he explained. “That way it melts and no one just stumbles upon a supernatural igloo.”

“So you can create cold air?”

“Sometimes. I can decrease the temperature slightly most of the time. I wouldn’t be able to create air like that in Florida or anything,” he said as they began to walk out of the clearing and towards a more defined path.

“And you can freeze water I assume?”

“Obviously. Assuming it’s not boiling. That would take a long time to freeze,” he explained. “To be honest, I’m not even one hundred percent sure what I can and can’t do. My mother has taught me what I know, and that’s it.”

“I see,” Kenna replied. “So crazy question. Could you, like, freeze the blood in my veins?”

Jon laughed a little at the morbidity of her question. “You would come up with something like that,” he chuckled. “I can’t. But I have heard of it being done by some of the most powerful ice benders in existence.”

“Fascinating,” she said while taking his arm. “And one more question?”

“Yea?”

“Do they call you snow miser?” she asked sarcastically.

“You did not just quote
A Year Without a Santa Claus
,” he said, unable to hide his appreciation for her wit.

“But I did,” she confirmed with a flirtatious smile.

“That would make your dad heat miser?”

“No, if he were the heat miser then you two would be step brothers, and I wouldn’t be able to date you,” she argued quickly.

“Only you would think of that,” he retorted. “And speaking of your father. I suppose he’s told you all about flame bending then?”

Kenna shook her head as they continued on their hike, arm in arm. “No actually. He doesn’t really want to talk about it, I think. He says he’s out of practice and that there was nothing he could really show me. Quite frankly, he always changes the subject when I bring it up.”

“That’s probably because he doesn’t want to admit that flame benders are evil,” the Colewell replied matter-of-factly.