The Frozen Beginning (Elemental Diamond Book 1) (11 page)

She switches the light on and steps into the silent bathroom. Retrieving the hair elastic resting on the counter, she ignorantly fiddles with it for a moment as she ponders what might happen in the arena today.

Glacier looks up at her reflection, but the girl staring back seems like a stranger.

Her hair frames her face with its usual relentless frizz. Her eyes have dark purple circles below, and her skin seems ghostly against her red scar above her eyebrow. Her jade eye seems darker than usually, her cobalt eye dim. Her face is washed out and irrefutably drained.

Glacier sighs at the sight of her pathetic reflection. There is a pull on her heartstrings as she realizes how much her suffering over the past few days has nearly drained her of life.

I want this all to be a bad dream. Dad isn’t dead. Castor is safe. I’m not about to compete in a stupid tournament to represent a region that has never considered me one of their own.

But no matter how tightly Glacier squeezes her eyes together, she opens them to the same cruel reality that has taken her father’s life. That has put Castor at risk, and has her competing in this imprudent competition.

She hastily pulls her hair back into a bulbous ponytail, catching all the wispy hairs that struggle away. Her breath hitches when she feels the tugging of her sensitive flesh at the centre of her lower back, where the imbedded chip rests nestled in her skin. Breathing through the small jerks of pain, Glacier continues to tie her white waves back behind her ears.

Her hands fall once she finishes tightening it, and her jacket lowers back down around her torso.

“Miss Glacier, I have your driver Mr Grimond paging from the lobby, requesting your presence.”

Glacier jumps from the sudden sound of PAM’s robotic voice. She takes a deep breath, steeling her spine.

I might not even compete today
…

Wait, who’s Mr Grimond?

“Thank you PAM. Can you tell, uh, Mr Grimond I will be down shortly?” Her voice is steady compared to her heartbeat.

This is it
.

“As you wish, Miss Glacier.”

Staring for a while longer, Glacier nods her head determinedly at her reflection before leaving the bathroom with a stiff stride. Once she is close enough, the suite door folds out, opening in its peculiar way.

I don’t think I will ever get used to that
.

Glacier strolls out into the hall, finding one of the twins standing by the elevator doors. From the long sleek hair tied in a thick braid, she identifies which twin it is immediately.

What if she thinks I’m a freak? What if she’s scared of me? Will she say something?

Squaring her shoulders and taking a long breath, Glacier continues towards the elevator doors at the end of the corridor. Having heard her approach, Neena’s head turns in her direction. Her small smile calms Glacier’s nerves the littlest bit.

“Good morning.” Neena’s voice is soft and delicate, much like her figure.

Despite being identical twins, Neena looks like porcelain in comparison to Keena’s rougher look. Neena stands slightly taller than Glacier, her skin a light crème, not a single freckle to tarnish her complexion. Her raven hair is in a long braid down the centre of her back, full and shiny. She is dressed in an identical uniform to Glacier’s, but with her naturally beautiful features, she looks equally as flawless as she did in her gown at the introductions.

“Morning,” Glacier replies, staring down at the tip of her shoes to avoid eye contact.

“Are you excited for today?” Neena’s question catches her off guard.

Am I excited? Of course not. I didn’t want to be here in the first place
.

“Sure, I am.”

Neena nods at her response, but adds nothing. The two of them wait patiently for the elevator, surrounded in uncomfortable silence. Glacier doesn’t like the quiet. It is as unnerving as Neena’s continuously staunch gaze.

“Um, do you know where the rest of the, uh, team is?” Glacier manages to pull the sentence together awkwardly, uncomfortable under the twin’s scrutiny.

The water elemental shrugs, “Most of them are probably already at the arena. Keena is still getting ready; she woke up a little late.”

Neena looks like she wants to say more than that, but she remains quiet as she watches Glacier cautiously. Suddenly realizing where her attention lies, Glacier hunches her shoulders and lower her head to gaze down at her charcoal runners.

“If you think of me as some sort of bomb that will explode any moment now, then you don’t have to worry; nothing’s going to happen.”

I hope
.

Neena seems to relax at her words, but she still manages to shoot her a confused look.

“I wasn’t thinking that.”

Glacier nods her head, her gaze solely on her runners, “Right.”

“Don’t leave without me, Neena!” Glacier’s head turns at the sound of a new voice. Keena jogs to where the two girls stand waiting. A shrill beep echoing in the silence indicates the elevator finally arriving.

Finally
.

Once the doors open to the elegant elevator, Glacier steps inside the small box, gravitating towards the back corner.

“You have to go in a separate car to me anyway.”

“That doesn’t mean that I want to catch the elevator by myself! What if someone from the Pyre team gets on it with me? There is no telling how much damage I would do to them when I unleash my
move
.”

She has a ‘move’?

The twins step into the elevator, their conversation continuing as Keena ignores Glacier’s presence. Neena makes awkward eye contact with the outcast as she tries to carry the conversation with her twin.

“There would be no damage. You cannot harm any of the competitors until we are in the ring—”

Keena shakes her head at her sister, annoyed, “I know, Neena. I was just saying…”

Standing with their backs to her, Glacier notices very subtle differences in their demeanours. While Keena stands tall, her shoulders pined back and her chin slightly jutted, Neena’s form is slightly hunched, making her seem smaller, not as confident as her sister. Keena’s short cut bob creates a strangely intimidating harshness, giving her a strong aura.

It is silent as the three make their way to the lobby. The ride is unbearable because of it. There is a chime through the box that Glacier believes to mean they are on the lobby floor. When the doors open, they reveal two of the earth elementals from the Terra team. When the two of them notice the girls, their smiles turn deadly.

“Good morning ladies.” The one with thick brown hair tied at the base of his neck speaks first. Glacier remembers him being introduced last night as Gamble Kelmen.

The other one stands with his hand resting on Gamble’s shoulder. His blonde hair isn’t so sharply spiked this morning, but it still has an unnatural stiffness. Porter Kayt.

The twins ignore the boys, shuffling back to make room. Glacier’s current fear of the earth elementals is not misplaced as both boys eye them with predatory stares.

Finally noticing Glacier hiding in the corner, the boys advance into the small box. Only once the doors close and the box continues its descent do the boys speak again.

“What is your name again, my little Ice Princess?” Gamble’s deep voice rumbles from his chest, but his words are no louder than a whisper, as he shuffles dangerously close to where Glacier is huddled.

Porter sniggers at the nickname, but adds nothing. Glacier takes a deep breath, hoping to release her anxiety.

It doesn’t work.

“Glacier Wardgrave.”

“Right, right, of course. Miss Glacier Wardgrave, the
ice elemental
!”

“I’ve been watching the news reports from my room. Some are throwing around the term
hybrid
.” It is Porter who speaks this time.

The word ‘hybrid’ strikes directly to her chest like a spear, but Glacier manages to hold her ground, unswayed. Her eyes swell with a potent burn, and her teeth clench painfully.

“I’m not a
hybrid
. Chamberman Amster said I'm evolved—”

“You're a liar;
he’s
a liar. You are something else entirely. Scientists predict that fire elementals will evolve to
create
fire, not melt it into lava like that
grotesque
friend of yours.” He snipes, voice full of malice. “My father is one of the scientist who estimates your species won’t even
begin
to evolve for at least another twenty generations…”

Suddenly her chin is held tightly between a thumb and finger, and her face is lifted. Gamble watches her with a cruel smirk, her skin crawling with fear. His stare is intent and searching, his curiosity barely masked.

“And you are just like
him
, that
lava
elemental. Both of you are
freaks
.” He releases a short laugh before dropping his hand from her jaw. His skin had felt neutral against hers, similar to a water elemental’s touch.

The glass lobby opens to the five contestants, shinning its bright light into the small elevator box. Before he turns to the now opening doors, Gamble sends a dangerous wink her way. The earth elemental exits the elevator, following Porter’s lead.

“Well, that was intense.” It is Keena who speaks. The rougher twin doesn’t turn back to check on her teammate. The twins both exit the elevator, leaving Glacier alone in the box.

She notices the door about to close, but before she has the opportunity to catch it, a hand shoots out between the closing doors.

Glancing up, Glacier finds the unforgettable orange eyes that have haunted her for six years.

Fielder
.

She struggles to breathe as his intense orange-brown eyes watch her, creating a vice-like grip across her chest. Glacier appraises him with her own eyes, absorbing the many differences that have improved since the last time she saw him when they were younger. His light hair is styled naturally, his curls fraying on top his head. A tight uniform jacket similar to Glacier’s, his reddish-orange instead of blue, hugs his large biceps and chest. The collar propped up outlining his neck.

“Glacier.”

Glacier… He said my name. That is the first time he has ever said my name
.

The sound of her name falling from his lips seems too easy, too natural. Like a calming breeze in the wind, his voice is soft like a caress. It reminds her that she never told him her name all those years ago, and he never told his. You can’t snitch on someone when you don’t know their name.

“Fielder.”

Simply seeing him transports her back six years ago to when he was a young boy with a thick mop of light curls on his head, dazzling her with the same orange eyes he has today. The pressure on her chest grows at the memory she has both cherished and mourned.

Fielder seems at a loss for words as he studies the girl he has missed for what feels like half his life. Glacier cannot move her eyes from his, even as she hears the ding of the elevator wanting to close the doors.

She shakes away from his trapping eyes, looking down at the elevator floor.

“How are you?” His voice is deep and rumbly, smoothing out any creasing that has gathered on her forehead.

Her father’s warnings from years ago to stay away, resounds in her ears like a taunting melody. Telling her to
never go back
.

+++

“Dad, he’s the only one who has ever been nice to me. He’s my friend
…”

“It is not a request, Glacier
.”

“But it’s not fair!”

“I don’t care if you don’t think it’s fair or not. What I care about is that you are safe
.”

“He wouldn’t hurt me
…”

“You can't trust anything a Halen says or does. He is breaking the Law by roaming the outskirts as well.”

“Dad, please! I promised I would be back tomorrow–”

“I’m not discussing this any further, Glacier. You are not going out there again. This is the last I’ll ever hear of this, understood?”

+++

She had hated her father for a long time after that argument. But Glacier never swam under the wall again.

“Uh, I need to get to the stadium…” Her voice is barely a whisper. He seems dejected by her quick dismissal.

“Right, yeah me too.”

Glacier takes a cautious step forward, waiting for him to grab her arm like he had at the stadium last night.

He doesn’t. He lets her pass without any move to stop her. She gazes around the lobby for her driver, trying very hard to not look back. His stare itches at the back of her head. She spots Lien sitting on a white sofa near the entrance, and quickly approaches him.

“Good morning, Miss Wardgrave. How are you feeling this morning?” Lien rises from the sofa as he speaks.

“Just fine,
Mr Grimond
.”

He rolls his eyes, “Just fine?”

Glacier tucks her lips between her front teeth and nods. His eyebrows rise at the unconvincing gesture, but he says nothing else about it.

“Alright, let’s get you to the stadium. The tournament starts in an hour or so, but you and the rest of your team need to run through with your coordinator about the rules and regulations that you have to adhere to as competitors.”

Nodding once more, she follows his lead. When Glacier can no longer resist, she looks back to the elevator. She finds Fielder still watching her from the elevator. His eyes follow her with wonder. He doesn’t look away when she catches him staring. He smiles at her. It’s encouraging for her to see.

I can do this
.

Glacier turns back to watch where she walks, continuing towards the exit of the lobby. Fielder is lost behind her as she climbs into the Hover that waits at the entrance, the engine running. The leather interior is as welcoming at the last time, and the drive is as uneventful as she anticipated.

Day one
.

~

The stadium is equally as extravagant as last night.

Long banners line the walls, ceiling to floor, with each contestant’s face, their names in large bold letters below their portrait.

Glacier finds hers to the right of the building, with her first name written beneath her picture. She puffs her cheeks, blowing out a long breath at the image of her curled white hair framing her face last night. Her skin had been a ghostly white, if the image was anything to go by, almost as pale as her hair.