The Frozen Beginning (Elemental Diamond Book 1) (34 page)

Run faster, Glacier
.

The voice is there again, unhelpful in this situation.

I’m running as fast as I can!

She almost shouts her thoughts out loud.

Glacier’s body numbs as her blood continues to drain from her head. She can feel it trailing down her neck in thick streams, soaking the back of her uniform shirt. Her vision doubles, becoming dizzy as she starts to lose her footing.

A large pile of hard clay hits her suddenly, propelling her sideways onto the solid floor. She hits the concrete hard, her sleeveless arm scraping across the harsh flooring as her head knocks against the cement. She groans out in pain, her remaining vigour leaving her body without a trace.

Her body is covered with one much larger and stronger. Her hair is pulled back, jutting her chin. She manages to peep her eyes open to her attacker, finding Porter hovering above her with a malicious, insensibly dark look.

“Found you,” he chants in a sing-song voice, his eyes glazed with evil intentions.

Glacier’s chest heaves with fear as he stares down at her near lifeless body with angry eyes. Her stomach clenches with terror as his powerful fingers wrap around her throat, pressing against her oesophagus.

The air around her is immediately cut from her lungs, her already exhausted body quickly shutting down. Her hands rise to Porter’s wrists as she weakly attempts to knock away his tight grip. The blood continues to seep through her white hair, staining everything a deathly red.

Fight back, Glacier
.

Even the voice in her head is muffled by her looming death. Glacier moves her hands, reaching up to scratch at Porter’s face. He laughs at her attempt, pressing down tighter.

“Glace!” The voice sounds far away, as the thumping of her remaining blood muffles all other sounds.

“Branch, get to the damn beacon! Glace!”

The dark look in Porter’s eyes sparks dangerously as he watches her life quickly slip between his fingers. Glacier’s face purples with lack of oxygen, and her eyes dye red as her blood vessels burst from the pressure.

With her bloodied eyes, she pleads the elemental above her to spare her life, to understand that she is here fighting for someone who needs saving. But his eyes register no sympathy or compassion, only malice.

Glacier, get up!

“
No
! Glace!”

TWENTY-TWO

FIRST DANCE

Glacier springs forward in her chair, gasping
desperately for air as her eyes readjust to her surroundings. She finds herself once again sitting in the arena, a presentation to the audience of Alluvium.

The sudden reminder has her shrinking back into her seat. The stench of blood and other bodily fluids has Glacier on high alert.

Quickly reaching around to the back of her head, she doesn’t find the wound she had in the labyrinth. There is no sticky blood matting her hair. There is no trace of the thick red substance. Breathing a deep sigh of relief, she closes her eyes in silent thanks.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we have our winning team!” The sudden sound of Karn’s voice sounding over the speakers has Glacier jumping slightly. She tries to turn in her seat, but her neighbour quickly seizes her attention.

Pae sits in her seat, a large shard of ice impaling her side. Her eyes are wide with fright as blood leaves her body from different openings. Small red streams trail from her nose and the corner of her mouth, whilst a larger sum of blood flows down the splinter of ice, pooling on the ground in a thick messy ring. As her gaze follows the blood, she notices piles of ice surrounding her chair, various ice shards littering the area like a protective barrier.

Glacier’s stomach rolls at the sight of Pae’s vacant stare, her chest constricting suddenly. Her hand rises to her mouth, capturing her shock.

I killed her. I killed Pae
…

The image of her pinned by a large spear of ice jolts the memories of Mr Michaels. The red, and the emptiness, and the stone-heavy guilt. Death hangs around her like heavy rocks, weighing her down, submerging her in the depths of fault and depression.

Pressing the heels of her palms into her eyes harshly, she forces the tears back.

This isn’t like last time, dad. This wasn’t self-defence. I’m sorry dad. I’m so sorry
.

Hiccups bloom in her chest, but still she doesn’t cry out like she wishes to. Like her body
begs
her to. Her eyes sting and her nostrils burn hot. Turning her head to the side, she unintentionally glances over to Porter. She finds him already staring at her, amused. His attractive face is soured by his dark intentions, as Glacier remembers her final moments in the Program.

He tried to kill me… He
almost
did killed me
…

Porter’s smirk widens, and his eyes gleam with excitement.

“Next time, princess,” he winks, his thin threat sending violent shivers down Glacier’s spine.

Scrambling out of her seat, she collapses onto the bloodied floor. Her pants soak in the red blood beneath her. Glacier’s hands stick to the thick fluid as she tries to clamber away from the boy who had strangled her to the brink of death. He doesn’t make any advancement as he waggles his eyebrows tauntingly in her direction.

A quick and sudden fist is launched into the side of Porter’s jaw, throwing his head back against the chair sharply. He groans out again, before another swift punch is landed.

Gathering his bearings, Porter turns in his seat quickly, launching his body against his attacker.

Glancing over to the striker, she identifies Fielder’s hate-filled glare as he hits the ground from Porter’s full-body assault.

Fielder’s jaw is struck next, throwing his head to the side. The sickening sound of knuckles hitting bone vibrates the air. Each hit is muted by both their muscle and blocking. Both boys are evenly matched, with muscled arms and athletic bodies.

Their grunts and anger-filled growls are barely heard as security bursts in, pulling the two rolling bodies from one another. The two security guards have largely muscular bodies that easily pry the two hostile boys apart.

Fielder’s lip bleeds slowly, along with his now slightly crooked nose. His jaw is already starting to swell against its usual sharp edge, and under his eye blooms a dark pink. His chest heaves harshly as he fights to slow his breathing, his fiery eyes locked on Porter’s battered form.

The guard holds Fielder’s arms behind his back, making it impossible to make another move against Porter.

The earth elemental is badly bruised. Spots on his face start to purple, blood drips from his hairline, and his teeth are stained with liquid red as he snarls at his attacker.

The security guards drag the two raging elementals apart, pulling them in separate directions towards different exits. The two continue to glare at one another, their stares unflinching until they are both out of sight. Glacier continues to sit, motionless and uncomfortable in the growing puddle of Pae’s blood.

“Calm, my children. Everything is alright. They are only disorientated from the Program. That’s all.”

Glacier hadn’t taken any notice to the rise of the audience. Some now stand from their seats, worried about their favoured elemental’s safety.

Climbing to her feet, the back of Glacier’s pants shift uncomfortably, coated in a thick seal of Pae’s life essence. Goose bumps spread across her skin like a plague, as a dark seeded depression settles in her chest.

Unsure how to get up from the blood puddle beneath her, Glacier glances around to the other contestants with pleading eyes. Those who have risen from their seats just stare back, unmoved by her desperation. Her body shakes vigorously, her mind settling with the blood.

Blood. Blood. It’s on my clothes. On my skin. Everywhere. Blood.

Fat tears fall from her eyes, as Branch and Keena walk past her without any assistance. They glare down at her with untrusting eyes, continuing towards the exit.

“The winners of this year’s first and
final
Program is the Hydra team, with Branch Disk having reached the beacon first.” Karn’s loud voice doesn’t seem as joyous as it should be, considering his team won the only Program for the year.

The death of innocent contestants rests heavily on his shoulders.

Glacier sobs quietly as she tries to use her chair to pull her away from the blood, from the slumped body, from the evidence of death. Her hands slip on the slick material, the blood on her hands lubricating the smooth surface. A pathetic feeling settles in her mind as she tries again, but falls back. The rest of the contestants leave the arena languidly, exhausted from the mentally tolling Program.

None look back to her. None come to her aid.

Except for one.

“Bunch of selfish pricks…” Brink scoops her up under her arms, easily lifting her to her feet.

The blood quickly runs down her trousers, sending chilling shivers of disgust down her spine.

“You good?” His deep timber voice rings through her ears as her body finally numbs. Her head feels heavy and her eyes burn with torturous images of the death surrounding her.

Glacier shakes her head dazedly from side to side. Despite the blood on his hands, and the hatred she feels for him, her body shouts for comfort. She needs someone to hold her.

She huddles into Brink’s side, her fingers grasping at his uniform shirt like it is her life raft to safety.

Ignoring the noise of the audience, and the four stiff bodies hanging from sterile chairs, Brink walks Glacier out of the arena.

~

Glacier’s fork shifts the food around her plate as she gazes blankly into her water glass. Her mind is reeling from the death toll after leaving the Program.

Pae Hutton, Aleena Staren, Alidia Temp and Brogan Hemmer. Four deaths during what had been a twenty-nine minute Program.

Keena drowned the boy with the red Mohawk, Brogan, during the final race to the beacon, just as Dolby had incinerated the shrewd looking earth elemental. Glacier had heard whispers of how Aleena’s body looked the most disgusting.

“Her eye sockets were completely hollow. Her face was pretty much covered with her melted brain.”

Glacier had to run to the bathroom when she heard Gamble discussing Aleena in such a foul and taunting manner. She had emptied her dinner into the closest toilet.

Her throat was instantly parched from the heaving, and in her mouth lingered the vulgar taste of bile. With a quick swish of water from the sink, Glacier rinsed her mouth before scuttling back into the ballroom for what will be the final night.

The audience seems incredibly lively, notwithstanding the death of
four
more contestants.

Despite Glacier’s early intentions of disappearing off into the background, Wendelin and Geri had refused her request of something simple and under exaggerated. Instead, they dolled her in a dark blue gown with sparkles adorning the entire bodice. Her white curls are pinned atop her head with an intricate structure, her makeup is intensely eye-catching. Her appearance made her feel celebratory despite the horrendous pit in her stomach.

Everyone who has the chance to speak with Glacier congratulates her on the win for Hydren, wishing her luck in the Deliverance. But the numbness that has settled in her mind sanctions only a small nod and a short thank you before she continues on her way through the crowd. Her thoughts continue to swirl with the blood that has been spilt.

Aleena. Pae. Brogan. Alidia. Care. Alue. It wasn’t their time. They still had full, long lives to live… It isn’t fair…

Why didn’t I die? I should have been the one who died. I was meant to
—

“Glace?” Fielder’s voice draws Glacier away from her dark thoughts, saving her from self-deprecation. For the moment.

When she glances up to find him watching her with concerned eyes, she smiles grimly. Her face scrunches into an uncomfortable grimace that has her cringing from his worried eyes.

“Come with me…” Fielder glances around at the surrounding sea of people before reaching for her hand and pulling her in the direction of the main doors.

Her heart heaves with surprise from the heat of his skin on hers. Everyone seems to notice their intimate grasp, their probing eyes watching every step the two of them take.

Once they are outside the crowded ballroom, Fielder takes her into his warm embrace, pulling her tightly against his chest in a comforting hug.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry I wasn’t there when you woke up. I thought you had been right behind me, but you… You were so far back, and Porter—” Glacier shakes her head against his chest, her eyes dribbling with tears as her heart slowly cracks at his caring tone. He holds her tighter to his chest, taking a deep breath as his lips gently press against the top of her head.

In his arms, Glacier can easily forget anything. Where they are. Who surrounds them. Where they come from. Why they are here. Who has been lost.

Being in his heated arms, she knows she is safe from the evilness of the world.

She is transported back in time to her eleven-year-old self. She can remember the white snow, and the sound of the piano making its mark in the silence. The soft patters of little Mink’s paws on the rotted wood.

“Sometimes,” Glacier starts, her voice raspy and dry, “it feels like there has been no time lost between us… It’s easy to forget that we aren’t the same kids anymore…”

Glacier closes her eyes, securing her arms around his torso like a vice, holding on like he is the remainder of her sanity.

Please don’t let me go
…

“We are mostly the same. We’re just older and wiser. What we have seen, what we have
done
, to survive this gruesome competition has scarred us. But I don’t want it to
ruin
who we are…” Fielder’s words are wishful, filled with a strange regret. “I don’t want to go home and leave you behind. I don’t want you to try pick up and piece together the remnants of what you have left inside when this is all over…”