The dining room is silent other than the squeaks of our cutlery scraping our plates as we scoop up portions of eggs and bacon. I glare at my parents through my tired eyes, my anger from yesterday still unrelenting and bubbling within me. My mom tried to speak to me multiple times throughout the night, but each time I ignored her. 

As my father finishes his breakfast he sighs and dramatically drops his knife and fork onto his plate. He looks over at me, "Vega, you can't ignore us forever. I know you're still upset by the way I spoke to... Seth, but trust me, sweetie, I'm going it for your own good." 

His pathetic excuse runs circles in my head. The anger surging within me grows and I stab my fork into the last bit of egg on my plate glaring hard at him all while I bring it up to my mouth and eat it. 

My mom shakes her head. "Honey, you should listen to your father. That boy doesn't seem like a good influence and we don't want you hanging around him."

"How the hell would you know anything about him you only just met him!" I yell. That all too familiar coldness starts to buzz within me, electrifying my veins and hardening my fingertips. Breaking the intense eye content with both of them I reach into my bag and take out the think pair of gloves I packed in specifically for moments like this. 

They look at one another silently, no doubt trying their best to figure out some sort of answer that they'll think I'll accept. it won't work, nothing they say at this moment will help them win me back over. Like it or not I will keep hanging around Seth because despite our entire relationship starting on a lie he is the only one who is being somewhat honest with me. 

"We can just see it," my mom says. "Honey, I went to school with boys like him I know what they are after and I don't want you being taken advantage of." 

I scoff and shake my head so that neither of them can see the angry tears pooling up in my eyes. Of course, she would bring that up, of course, she would use the incident against me. 

"Well, you're wrong. I mean sure he can be a bit of a jerk sometimes but it seems that lately, he has been the only person in my life who isn't lying to me about something." 

A worried expression appears on both of their faces, and I know I've hit some sort of jackpot. 

"What do you mean by that, sweetie?" my dad asks, even his voice failing to hide his concern. 

I shrug. "I don't know, Dad, what am I talking about?" I ask wondering if perhaps either of them is going to give in and tell me about the powers I have been displaying. 

Once again they silently look at one another. At least my mom appears to be a bit on my side in this soundless argument. I've seen that pleading look in her eyes before, I know she wants to break and I know she wants my father to agree with her, but his cold and inaudible disagreement shatters her argument and lets her head roll to the side with a sigh. 

"I'm sorry, sweetie, but we don't know what you're talking about." 

I look back at my mom who blatantly refuses to look me in the eye as she gets out of her chair and starts taking out plates to the sink to be washed up. It's obvious neither of them is going to tell me what I want to know, for some reason or other they seem desperate to keep me in the dark. Well, if they won't tell me the truth then I guess I'll just have to talk to someone else, someone they would rather die than let me speak to. 

* * * *

The car ride to school was about as silent as breakfast was with neither my father nor I making any attempt to speak or even so much as look at one another. It makes me wonder what kind of secret they have to hide that they are willing to let our relationship crack and be tainted right before our eyes. Are these powers dangerous and they don't want me to be afraid? Do they not have them and want me to go on throughout my life pretending to be normal when I'm not? Or, do they have a plan for me and these powers one that they have to keep secret from me? So many questions, but for now I need the biggest one of them all to be answered. What is happening to me and why?

The car comes to a complete stop, and I jump out without doing my normal routine of saying goodbye to my father. I briefly hear his voice calling out to me as I walk away. I don't dare turn around, too focused on my mission to locate Seth and have at least one of my questions answered today. I don't even bother searching the hallways, he's rarely in there anyway. I speed walk toward the school field and find him seated at the bench we sat at just the other day when he snuck up on me while I was drawing. The memory of him bringing me doughnuts sends a warm feeling through my chest and I can't fight back the infectious smile that he seems to bring out in me. 

As I go towards him, he seems to be doing his homework. From what I've noticed before, it's probably his English or maths assignments since he doesn't seem to focus on these subjects as much. 

"Seth!" I shout out as I get closer to him.

His head shoots up at the sound of my voice and his eyes widen to the size of saucers. I sigh and politely wave my hand, but he doesn't seem happy to see me and quickly starts shoving his books and pencils into his backpack. he doesn't even bother zipping his bag up before he starts rushing away. Sighing, I pick up my pace and eventually, I manage to catch up to him. 

"Hey," I snap as I grab onto his shoulder. The coldness shot through me, and the inside of my glove is instantly frozen solid. 

"What do want!" he yells as he shrugs away from me. I can see how much he's trying to make me believe that he isn't interested in talking to me, but between the desperate look in his eyes and the sad tone of his voice, he isn't doing such a great job. 

I quietly watch as a thin wisp of smoke starts trailing upward from his hand and the small orange glow brightens the ale skin of his palm. The second he notices me staring he clenches his hand suffocating the smoke.

"You are going to have to explain that to me one day," I say pointing toward his hand that is still clenched. 

"What do you want, Vega?" he asks again in a tone that screams defeated. 

"I just," I sigh, "I just wanted to say sorry about my father. He shouldn't have talked to you like that." Really, Vega, that's how you decide to start this conversation. 

"Thanks, is that all?" he asks as he shifts his weight from one leg to another in a nervous manner

It's now or never Vega. It's either him or your parents.

After making sure that there is no one around I lean closer to him. He doesn't lean away and allows me to get up real close. 

"What did you mean yesterday when you were talking about my powers?"

Unlike the last time, anger isn't the emotion that shows on his face. For the first time, he actually looks like he's pitting me. Like he's upset for me that I don't have any clue what is going on with me. If anything this only makes me more angry at my parents.

"Your parents really didn't tell you anything did they?"

I roll my eyes. "If they did I obviously wouldn't be standing here asking you now would I?"

He chuckles. "Good point."

I slip my glove off and shake the sheets of ice out onto my hand. With one simple motion, I crush the pieces and let them fall to the ground all while Seth watches.

"I need to know what's going on me with before I do something I might regret. I've already frozen something here at school, you know this." He nods. "I don't even want to think what could happen if someone other than you sees me. Seth... I need to know what's going on with me. My parents won't tell me anything, so right now you seem to be my only hope. A sentence I never thought I'd say in my life."

Staring silently into each other's eyes, he ponders my plea for what feels like an eternity. Suddenly, he grabs my shoulders and leads me back to the bench where I found him only a few minutes ago.

"What do you want to know?" he asks. 

"So I can freeze water and objects and God knows what else, how the hell is that even possible?"

He nervously chews on his lip while he comes up with his answer. After a brief moment of silence he says, "Vega, there are people out there in the world who are like you and me. People who can manipulate the elements of fire and ice. We call ourselves benders, kinda like the people in Avatar just different." He patiently waits for me to either ask another question or have some sort of reaction, but I don't. Too shocked to speak I tilt my head silently asking him to continue. "You are what the council calls an icebender. In basic terms, it means you can control the element of ice by either summoning or manipulating it, as you have seen before." I nod at this. "I'm... I'm the other kind, a firebender."

I watch in silent awe as he holds out his hand and without even blinking summons a small flame on the tip of his pointer finger. He moves his fingers in a wave-like motion and the little flame slowly moves to his pinky finger before disappearing.

"That's incredible."

"Now that you know what you are I highly suggest asking your parents to explain the rest to you. Until then keep yourself as calm as possible so that you don't have another... episode."

A sense of dread fills me. Just as he's about to get up to leave I grab onto the sleeve of his jacket and hold him tight.

"No, you can't leave I have more questions."

"Oh come on, just ask your parents. They'll know a lot more about being an ice bender than I will," he whines.

"Then I'll just ask you questions that you can answer."

"You're a stubborn little thing you know that right?"

"And you're making me frustrated which isn't helping." I twist my free hand over so that he can see the frost starting to form on my fingers.

"Please, Vega, just talk to your parents. I can't help you with the changes you're about to go through, mine was quite different, more... violent of you will. I burned everything in sight without even wanting to. My anger was explosive and if I felt even the slightest bit upset I didn't just summon thin wisps of smoke like you've seen me do. For God's sake, Vega, I almost burned my house down with my mom and I still inside. You need to talk to your parents today."

"I can't! I'm not on speaking terms with them right now. Not after yesterday."

"Well, that's going to have to change. You can't go through this on your own. You need to speak with them." He sighs. "But I will answer two more questions. But only two after after you talk to your parents."

"I will. Thank you." I give him a small smile. "Now when I first met you I felt a chill shoot up my spine why?"

"That was your ice spirit warning you about me. I felt the same thing except I felt hot. Your dad felt the chill yesterday that's why he yelled at me to stay away from you."

"So my parents they are..."

"Yes, Vega, they are icebenders as well."  

Just when I think I couldn't be more angry with them.

"You get one more question."

"Wasn't the question about my parents my second question?"

"Technically yes, but I feel so bad for you right now that I'll give you another one. But like a genie, I stop after three."

I giggle as I think about my final question. I think about all the information he's given me so far and the only real thing I can think of is this mysterious council he mentioned.

"What's the council?" I ask.

"They are a group of high elders for each bender group. They're kind of like our parliament, they make all the laws we have to follow and if someone breaks them they decide our judgement which they have their soldiers carry out. We used to have kingdoms too, but not anymore."

Councils, soldiers, laws, kingdoms! This is more intense than I thought.

I chuckle but it's so fake that even I hate it. "Well thank you for shattering my reality I appreciate it."

"Oh, it's what I live for," he jokes.

And once again, I find myself giggling.

"Seth!" a girl calls out, and she does not sound very happy.

We both turn around to see Carla standing by a tree glaring at us. Well more specifically at me. Seth's relaxed expression morphs into one of fear and concern and he shoves my hand that's still clasped around his arm away.

"I... I have to... go," he stutters as he clambers off the bench and rushes toward her like a scared dog. With that rotten scowl still on her face and anger still blazing in her eyes, she loops her arm with his and they walk away.

The bells ring and students flock into the building. With my heavy bag slung over my shoulder, I trail behind the crowd. Seth's right, I will need to speak to my parents. They have to help me, and even if they don't want to they'll have to tell me the truth.