The Frozen Beginning (Elemental Diamond Book 1) (12 page)

Her shoulder is shoved harshly, causing her to stumble back from the entry gate. Glacier glances up as Aleena strides past her. Tric follows close behind, arms swinging and fists clenched. Glacier stands straight before following their lead.

The Hydra team makes their way towards where the stage had been last night. Now, a large circular arena sits below the floor of the stadium, covered with a dome-like glass.

“So are you still going to tell me you’re latent?” Glacier turns sharply to her right. She finds Branch walking alongside her, clear excitement in his eyes. They follow Aleena and Tric towards a flight of stairs against the side of the building.

I didn’t even notice them last night
.

Glacier lowers her head, remaining silent as she follows up the stairwell to what she guesses to be the prep room. The door at the top slides open as they approach it. The door opens inwards, revealing another door with a small spiral in the form of a raindrop, white with a light blue outline of Hydren’s crest.

Branch leans closer and whispers, “What you did last night was incredible! All that ice, it was amazing—”

“There was nothing
amazing
about it.”

Surprised by her abrupt response, his jaw slackens for a short while.

When they approach the door with the Hydren crest, their Passkeys on their wrists beep. Glacier’s gaze lowers quick enough to see a quick flash of light blinking on the side of her Passkey before the door slides open.

On the other side is the rest of the team. Neena looks up at the sound of the opening door, the others continuing with whatever they are doing.

“Glacier, you’re unique. That’s pretty amazing if you ask me.”

She turns back to Branch when she hears his voice again. She finds him watching her with an unsure smile and stiff eyes. Having no words to comment, Glacier stands stiff with a tight-lipped grimace. Branch reaches out to grip her shoulder, giving it a small squeeze before he walks past her into the prep room. Glacier stares down at her shoes, his words echoing through her head.

Unique? That’s just another word for hybrid. Freak. Mutant. Unique. They all mean the same thing.

Different.

Glacier turns to her team with her teeth clenched and her back straight, continuing on into the prep room. Everyone is sitting on a separate bench, all keeping busy.

Keena and Neena are holding each other’s hands as Keena speaks in a hushed voice. Tric is sitting close to Aleena, his eyes drift to her every few seconds in between adjusting a strap on his jacket. Aleena is the only one away from a bench, standing in front of a full-length mirror as she adjusts her appearance, loosening her braided bun to enhance its size, pulling some tresses down to frame her face.

I hope whoever she’s up against deliberately messes her hair.

Glacier glances over to catch Branch resting his forearms on his thighs, exhaling loudly. His foot bounces; his face is a mixture of excitement and nerves. His lower lip is held between his teeth.

Before she has the opportunity to approach one of the benches and take a seat, the sound of the door opening behind her has her pivoting back around. A guard enters first, the same one from the hospice with dirty blonde hair and green eyes, followed by Karn, Emilia and another guard.

There is a shuffling sound in the room as her team rise to their feet. Karn and Emilia make their way into the prep room, the door closing behind them.

Glacier’s face remains impassive as the two newcomers approach. Karn steps forward, wearing a dark blue suit across his torso with a high collar and long pants.

“Chamber Emilia, Chamber Karn, it is an honour.” Aleena’s voice is sickly sweet, her head lowered in respect.

Karn’s focus is deterred by Aleena’s presence for less than a second, the crease between his brows deepening slightly. “Thank you, Miss…” His sentence trails off as he prolongs the formality.

He’s forgotten her name
.

Glacier notices Aleena’s jaw tick when she realizes this as well, “Staren.
Aleena
Staren.”

“Of course, Miss Staren.” And with that, his eyes centre on Glacier. “How are you feeling, Miss Wardgrave?” Aleena’s shoulders still when Karn addresses Glacier without hesitation.

Glacier nods her head in response, “Great.” He smiles widely, nodding his head.

“Wonderful. Well, Emilia and I have come to wish you all good luck!” Karn turns way to address the rest of the team. “Over the next three days, before your first program, the Selected will fight their first battles individually. The winners determine who advances from the Seeding into the Harvest battles.” Karn smiles at each of the competitors, admiring his representatives for his region.

Emilia steps to Karn’s side, wearing a deep obsidian gown with shiny sequins adorning every inch. The deep neckline is still modest, with thin straps over her shoulders. Her hair is similar to last night’s updo, however less glamorous.

“You are all to show attendance in the arena, as support for your fellow team members, even if you have already fought your Seeding battle.

“You will be led back down to the arena by your escort. She will explain everything that will be occurring over the next week.” Her smile is constant as she speaks, gazing around the room to the various team members with intrigue.

“Good luck, Hydra! Do our region and your families proud out there!”

Karn’s last chant riles Keena, Tric and Branch to hoot out in agreement. Aleena retreats back to where the rest of the team stand, talking amongst themselves as they guess who they would be paired with for their first battle.

Karn and Emilia do not miss the team’s ignorance towards Glacier, as she remains silent in the corner of the room.

Karn reaches forward to rest his hand on her shoulder. He gives it a gentle squeeze of reassurance. Once his hand drops, the group exit out the same way they came.

No less than five seconds have past when the door opens once more, this time revealing an unfamiliar face. A woman walks in with dark blonde hair and light blue eyes, wearing long, deep blue trousers and a pale coat.

“Greetings Hydra team, my name is Reela. I am your prompter for this year’s tournament. If you have any questions or queries, ask them now.” Her voice is clipped and snarky, with beady eyes following over the faces in the room.

When no one speaks, she continues, “Fine then. Follow me, in your order of introduction.”

Reela leads the team out the door, down the opposite way they entered from. The team walks in a single file starting with Aleena, ending with Glacier.

Glacier’s feet scrap the ground as she follows Neena silently, the rest of her team buzzing with excitement. They trail down the corridor, passing until they come across another door.

The new door slides open when they near it, revealing a barren, odd-shaped room. The floor has a thin white-blue lighting where it meets the wall, outlining the room’s edges.

“You will all stand in the middle of the platform—”

Platform?

“—In the order of introduction. I want the first introduced standing here…” From there they are arranged to stand one behind the arm of another, facing the opposite wall to the door.

“Once you reach the ground, walk straight ahead down the tunnel, towards the arena. Go down the steps, and you will be further guided from there. Good luck, team.”

The sound of loud cheering echoes through the wall. The team looks to one another in anticipation.

The wall they face suddenly opens either way like sliding panels, revealing the team to the large, noisy crowd. They sit in high stand, situated around a large underground arena. When the shutter opens around them, the crowd’s chants grow in strength. At the bottom is a runway with steps leading downwards at the end.

Suddenly, the floor moves beneath their feet, pulling down towards the crowd.

This is what she meant by platform
…

The crowd studies the approaching team, roaring with excitement and anticipation. The platform brings the Hydra’s lower to the ground, moving similar to a sluggish elevator.

Glacier doesn’t miss Aleena standing with her hands on her hips, a confident smirk on her lips. She assesses the crowd, drinking in the attention and applause. The others in the team have their arms raised, smiling as they wave. Glacier simply stands with wide eyes and a locked body.

Finally, Glacier feels a small jolt as the platform meets the floor. Now in front of them is a short walkway, barred with tall glass barriers on either side.

Aleena leads the way with a powerful strut. The glass tunnel keeps the audience back, as they bang and shout against it. The rest of the team follows behind, still waving as they walk. Glacier trails behind, her head down as she studies the back of Neena’s shoes.

The crowd bangs harshly on the glass, trying to catch the competitor’s attentions. They scream out in appraisal, lavishing confidence in the team. Their voices are slightly muffled through the thick glass.

“
Freak
!”

Glacier halts, glancing up in the direction of the call. The voice was barely audible past the yelling, but that word seeks her out like a bullet does its target. Her eyes burn and her chest constricts.

Freak
…

“Glacier, come on!” Glacier looks up to find Neena giving her a sad but hurried look. She then realizes how far she has fallen behind them. She quickly catches up, the numbing noise of the crowd now a distant sound.

Following Neena down the steps, a man waits at the bottom wearing the same uniform as Reela.

“Greeting team! I’m Tanner, your Team Supervisor and Escort. Whilst you are down in the arena, you are to follow my every instruction as well as abide by the rules of the arena.” The man looks to be in his early twenties, with short dull brown hair, his eyes forest green.

“The rules are as such: rule one, you cannot fraternize with the other competitors. Rule two, you must always compete in your assigned battle. Only two of you will be chosen each day. Rule three, you must
not
, under
any
circumstance
, interfere with another battle that is not your own. When you are not competing, you must wait in your team’s area, and remain there for the remainder of the battles unless you have been selected.”

Heads nod, signalling the team’s understanding. Glacier keeps her head down, waiting until they continue toward the arena.

Glacier’s feet drag along the concrete floor, creating an irritating scraping sound to bounce off the walls. They walk towards the end of the dark tunnel where light blooms. When they finally emerge from the tunnel, Glacier looks up through the dome.

From mid-way down the wall, she catches the decent of the Pyre team, with Brink standing in front. His arms sit folded across his wide chest, his hair tucked behind his ears, his expression bored.

Without the chance to look over the rest of the team, they are out of view.

“Take your seats.” Tanner’s voice loses the echo it had once they step out of the tunnel.

He leads them to a small glass box off to the side, where a long wooden bench is perched. Carved onto the glass surrounding the box is the crest for Hydren.

Glacier looks around the large battle ring, noticing two other areas where the two opposing teams will wait, with their region’s crests displayed on the glass.

The arena has a small moat of clear water surrounding the dirt surface. On the outer edge of the moat is a channel of fire incorporating the three elements. There is a small bridge leading from each team’s box into the ring across the fire and water. You can hear the swishing of the water, along with the crackling of the fire.

The Terra team is already seated in their box, having been introduced first. Glacier notices both Gamble and Porter watching her with a predatory stare. Gamble’s smirk deepens when he notices she has seen them. He puckers his lips for a second, kissing the air as his eyes linger.

Please don’t make me fight one of them
…

Taking her seat beside Neena, Glacier looks up in time to see the Pyre team being escorted in by a woman wearing an identical uniform to her team’s escort. The only difference is the core colours. This time, however, her eyes are immediately drawn to Fielder.

Glacier can tell he was looking for her the second their eyes meet. When he sees her, his lips pull to a heart-warming smile. She immediately glances down, her cheeks flushing warmly. Sneakily peeking to see if he is still looking, their eyes reconnect again. Now he simply watches her, his eyes interested and unwavering.

It’s not until she hears the booming of his voice that Glacier takes notice of what is happening around her.

Sasis stands in the centre of the arena above the glass. The crowd’s murmurings cease near instantaneously.

“Greetings, my children. I hope you all are well.” His voice is warm, his smile endearing. “It’s time to commence the Tournament!” The crowd erupts in loud cheers and applause, hungry for their tri-annual event.

Her eyes roam the edges of the crowd curiously. Her heart clenches as she meets a pair watching her intently.

Amongst the crowd, she can see Thomes smiling down at her. He sits calmly in his seat, whilst everyone around him chants and cheers loudly.

When he realizes she has seen him, he raises his hand and thrums his fingers in the air, like a lazy wave. Glacier’s chest constricts at the last memory she has of him. Suddenly, it all comes together in her head. Her hand shoots to her back where the small device sits planted in her spine.

That’s how they plan to use my power
…

EIGHT

THE SEEDING

Sasis takes a step back to his seat as a chart
flickers on the glass the team’s crest is situated. There are six small rectangles with each contestant’s name.

Aleena’s name is written on the top of the box followed by Tric, Keena, Branch, Neena, and then finally Glacier.

“When you are selected, your name will light up on the screen, so keep an eye on the chart.”