Vega's POV

A loud thud echoes through the room as another one of my icicles hits the center of the board ahead of me. 

"Well done Ms. Kate," the substitute instructor says as he continues to walk back and forth behind us, but I don't hear him. All I can see is the board in front of me, and all I hear is the thuds as icicle after icicle hits the board perfectly in the center but despite my perfection, my head is nowhere near this room. 

All day my mind has been replaying the events of this morning. And if it wasn't bad enough that I had to sit through all my classes trying to hide my broken heart I also had to pretend that watching Seth and Carla walk around school holding hands all day didn't bother me. I had to listen to people whisper about what a cute couple they thought they were and how they knew it was only a matter of time before they got together. But what hurt the most was sitting at lunch listening to Carla giggle as Seth made some sort of joke, watching her snuggle into his side and run her hands through his hair while listening to Jade gag and mumble how much they deserved one another. 

As a young girl I always had a feeling that one day someone would break my heart, after all, that is the nature of life but I never imagined that the person who would hurt me the most was the one I loved in not only one but two lifetimes. The boy who looked me in the eyes and told me he would never leave me more times than I could count. The one who held me in his arms saying that he could never love anyone the way he loved me. Lies. It was nothing but lies! 

He never loved me. He never cared about me at all. I was nothing but an experience to him. He was everything to me but I wasn't close to the same for him. 

"Ms. Kate!" the instructor says his voice shaking slightly. 

A thousand years ago that boy got on his knees and swore he would marry me one day or die trying. He swore we would be together for the rest of our lives but it was nothing but a sweet lie. He never wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. He never wanted me for anything more than... I don't know. I don't know and I don't want to know. I want to forget about him altogether and get back to the life I had before he came in.

"Ms. Kate you need to calm down now!" 

He said he had to break up with me. He said he didn't have a choice. But how is that possible? What could possibly force you to end a relationship with someone? What could be more important than our love? Was he scared that our councils would find out? Was he worried about what could happen to us if they found out? We got away with our relationship once (mostly) so why would this time be any different? Why now all of a sudden is he so afraid of being caught? What happened to the boy who loved to take risks? What happened to the guy who told me that our love was worth all the hiding and the risk? What happened to him? Could all this time really change a person that much? I thought that death was incapable of destroying what we had but as it turns out he did that and much more.

"Vega!" my mom's voice cuts through the air pulling me from spiraling further than I already did. 

The air is colder than it was a few minutes ago and everyone looks afraid. 

"What's going on?" I ask paying closer attention to the bits of ice swarming around me like a tornado. 

"Vega," my mom says her lips wobbling like she is about to cry. "Please put your hands down."

"What are you..." my voice disappears when I notice that the bits of ice swarming around me are coming from my hands. My head tilts as I watch piece after piece of sharp ice fly from my hand joining the swarm and turning the shield around me into a weapon. 

Taking a a deep breath I lower my hands not allowing any more ice to come flying out. The shards floating around me collapse shattering as they hit the floor. Everyone gasps and jumps back keeping their distance from me like I had some sort of disease. 

"I... I'm sorry," I stutter looking around at the scared faces around me. 

"Ms. Kate," Chris's voice booms through the quiet room. I turn to look up at the balcony from his observation room. "Report to my office immediately."

My heart drops to my stomach as I walk past the small group of people still around me and up toward his office. Right before I can knock the door swings open revealing a very disappointed Chris. 

"Come in," he says cocking his head to the side. 

His eyes which normally hold a soft expression are now hard. I can feel them follow me as I walk into the cold office and make my way to the chair across from his desk. The door creaks as it is slowly closed and the hard soles of his business shoes click and clack as he walks across the tiles floor. 

"I'm very sorry for what I did," I burst out unable to keep it in any longer. "I didn't know what I was doing my head was somewhere else." It's a weak excuse and I doubt he's going to accept it but at least my truth is out there. Well, most of it anyway. 

Leaning back into the soft leather coating his chair he rests his elbows on the hard desk and looks deep into my soul. Sighing he gets up again and walks to a silver tray holding a glass container of what I can only assume is some sort of alcoholic drink. 

The lid pops open and the liquid is poured into a glass. "I'm not going to lie to you Ms. Kate I am very disappointed by your actions tonight." He takes a sip of his drink. "If you had lost complete control tonight then not only would you have seriously harmed your fellow peers but you could have killed one or two of them in the process." I've never heard him talk so professional to me. It's odd but also shockingly familiar. 

"I know. I'm sorry and I promise that if I feel myself drifting off again I will stop my exercise and walk away."

He turns back to look at me. The cold expression in his eyes is gone. "What was on your mind?" I open my mouth to answer but stop myself just before any sound can come out. "Vega," he says calmly and almost lovingly. "If something or someone is bothering you then you can tell me. Tell me and I will sort it out for you in a heartbeat."

"Isn't that a bit above your pay grade?" I nervously chuckle. 

"You are an initiate at this school and as the leader of training, it is my job to make sure that everyone who walks through these doors feels safe while they learn to harness their powers to their full extent. So no, it's not above my pay grade at all," he says with a smirk. He pulls the chair next to me out from under the desk and sits down. "So, I'll ask you again is there something or someone giving you a hard time?"

As much as I want to allow my body to release the tears it has been holding in all day and release the words I've been wanting to say I can't. Especially not here and not with him. 

So, I shake my head and mumble, "I'm just stressed about school. It's my last year of high school so lots to do with so little time to do it, you know?"

He sighs and nods. "Yes, I certainly do." he gets up and walks around to the other side of his desk. "Thank you, Ms. Kate, you may go back to your parents and they can escort you home if you wish." I nod, get out of my chair and rush to the door. "Vega!" he calls out. 

I half turn back to look at him. "If you ever want to talk to me about anything you can. My door is always open."

"No disrespect, sir, but I'd much prefer you keep it closed."  

He smirks. "I think you'll change your mind about that very soon."

I chuckle as I open the door. "I highly doubt that." Shutting the door behind me I run down the hallway and back to the training room where just about everyone except my parents have left. "Where is everyone?" I ask. 

"The instructor called the session off early," my dad briefly explains. It's the first words he's said to me today. He's still not happy about the new arrangement my mom made last night and I doubt he'll accept it for at least the next month or so. 

"You ready to go home, honey?" my mom asks gently brushing her hand over my cheek. 

I nod. "Yeah, I think I need some rest. It's been quite the day."

With my mom holding onto my hand I exit the training room and slowly make my way back to the car avoiding eye contact with every person who walks past. I'm sure everyone in the building knows about what happened tonight, hell, possibly every icebender in the city knows. But honestly, another scandal about me is the last thing on my mind right now. All I need right now is my warm bed, a cup of hot chocolate and to listen to every breakup song ever written so that I can cry all the liquid out of my body before it breaks me. 

Seth's POV

Whispers echo through the compact room each threatening to drown me. My eyes drift away from my target to the small group of girls in the far corner. Their unstoppable high-pitched giggles annoy me but not nearly as much as the lustful looks that Carla is shooting my way from across the room. From the moment we got here she's been telling everyone who will listen to her endless nonsense that we are dating and every time I want to tell that person that she is making shit up she conveniently takes out her phone holding it up like a weapon against me.

I  eventually just stopped talking to people and put all my focus on the exercise I'd selected. Well, most of my focus anyway the rest is all split between the looks she's giving me, the comments from everyone else including my mother, and Toby glaring at me from the other side of the room but let's be honest what's new there, and the burning memory of the heartbreak shining in Vega's eyes this morning. 

All day I've been forced to relive that horrible moment over and over and over again. All day I could hear the words 'we're done' flying out of my mouth and I could hear her voice breaking as she tries to deny it. And if things couldn't get worse I've had to spend the day with that little bitch. All day I've had to pretend that I wanted to spend time with her and then I had to start pretending that we're together.  

My anger bubbles within me and the only way I can release it is by shooting another fireball at my target, but it seems my anger also takes away my ability to aim. The fire sizzles out leaving behind a trail of smoke as it hits the cool board next to my target. 

Footsteps echo behind me combined with a slow not so enthusiastic clapping. "Great job, Seth, now why don't you try to aim for the actual target next time," Toby chuckles. 

A deep sigh ripples through my body. He is the last person I wanted to talk to today. 

"I was just warming up," I mumble.

He scoffs. "Sure you were. I'm sure everyone says that when they fail miserably at something."

I quickly conjure another fireball after fireball sending them all flying toward the target and I smirk at him as one after the other they hit the target right in the middle. 

"Like I said, I was just warming up."

The smirk that was living on his lips disappears and his hands curl into tight fists. "You just got lucky today," he nods toward Carla, "more than once it seems."

I roll my eyes and start moving toward the next exercise. Sitting in the closest chair I slide on a pair of the fireproof gloves they invented and try my best to push a single flame past the material. Sadly Toby follows me and decides to stand next to me way closer than I would have wanted him. 

"How did you do it?" he whispers. 

"Do what?" 

The tip of a small flame pushes against the last layer of the fabric, and I smile. Nobody has ever won this exercise and I want to be the first. 

"How did you get Carla to date you? Clearly, she's too blind to see what an asshole you are."

"Well then I guess we have our answer so can you leave me alone," I sigh.  Looking down at my gloves I wait to hear him walk away... but it doesn't happen. 

"So, know that you're dating Carla what's going to happen with your little icebender," he whispers. His words send shivers down my spine. I'm worried he might go after Vega. I mean I wouldn't put it past him after what he tried to do to her that night he took her on a 'date'. 

"Nothing was happening between us anyway so things will continue the way they are," I say as calmly as I can. 

We look into each other's eyes for what feels like an eternity. I know he's trying to catch my lie and I won't let him. 

A buzzer sounds off, and we all turn to the center of the room where our instructor is standing with a clipboard in her hands.

"Okay listen up!" she yells. "Tonight we are going to be putting you in pairs for a sparing." I can see the smirk return on Toby's face. He loves sparring because it allows him to be as ruthless as he can and put himself in the spotlight of the people who select the next group of soldiers. I hope he gets chosen to train to be a soldier because then he'll be sent to New York for at least two years. Two years where I won't have to see his face. 

"Maybe I'll see you in the ring, Seth. But let's hope for your sake I don't," he says as he eagerly walks toward the ring. 

"I agree," I whisper to myself.

* * * * 

Standing in the back of the small crowd that gathered around the ring watching the two girls circle each other like ravenous wolfs about to fight over the last piece of meat. 

"Go, Sarah!" half of the group cheers. 

"Come on, Thalia, just finish her!" Carla yells her please swiftly followed by cheers of agreement. 

Encouraged by her friends, Thalia sneers as she charges at Sarah immediately throwing a punch the second she gets close enough. Thalia might be strong but Sarah has always been quicker on her feet so with a simple step to the side she dodges Thalia's poor swing easily. Thalia screams in frustration as she tumbles to the floor landing on her side allowing Sarah to run over and pin her down ending the fight in less than two minutes. 

"Sarah wins!" the instructor calls and half of the room erupts in cheer while the rest grumble and whisper their complaints. 

A frustrated Thalia storms out of the ring toward her friends so that she can bitch and moan about how if she had more time she would have taken out Sarah while a triumphant Sarah is welcomed into her group's embrace. 

The instructor taps the clipboard with her pen sending the room into complete silence. "Alright everyone listen up. This will be the last fight for the night and the two people entering the ring will be," she looks down at the piece of paper on the board, "Seth King and Toby Samson."

Gasps fill the air along with a few cheers. Toby eagerly steps into the ring cheered on by his friends while I lazily shuffle toward him. 

"You can do it, Seth!" Carla cheers, but I don't pay her any attention as I step into the ring. 

"Okay," the instructor announces. "I'm sure you both remember the rules but I am going to stress the most important one of all: under no circumstances may you use your powers. If I see so much as single flame from either of you I will pull you out of this ring myself, understood?"

"Yes," Toby responds, and I nod.

"Perfect. Whenever you're ready boys."

The second she steps out of the ring Toby runs at me swinging his fist at my face. I block the attack but it leaves my stomach open for a shot, and that's exactly what he does. I buckle over as the wind is pushed out of me. Cheers for Toby echo through the room but amongst all the noise I can faintly hear some people supporting me.

"Oh come on, King, are you going to give up that quickly?" Toby chuckles and a few of his friends snicker. 

Pushing through the pain I rush toward him trying to send a kick to his side, but he easily grabs my legs and pushes me back, and I land on the floor with a loud thud. Like any predator seeing that its prey is injured and ready for the taking Toby rushes toward me sending kick after kick into my sides and stomach. I block a few but just as I push one away another one comes and I'm too slow to do anything about it. My vision goes blurry as the pain starts to overtake me threatening to send me into a deep sleep or worse. But as I lay here through the pain and the roaring of Toby's friends edging him on I hear a faint voice rising above the others. 

"Babe, you need to get up please!" Carla cries.

Babe. I never knew such a simple word could rile me up so much but it did. I reach out and grab both of Toby's feet stopping his attack and sending him toppling over. As he grunts in pain I push myself up and ready myself for his next wave, and it came just as quickly as I thought it would. Punch after punch after punch comes flying my way but despite the burning in my sides I manage to block them all and throw one or two of my own into his stomach and face. 

He tries to hit me again so I grab his arm and twist it behind his back. His grunts of pain turn into a scream when I knee him in the face. Blood sprays onto the floor, and that's when the instructor starts yelling at us.

"Boys that's enough. This fight is over!" 

I don't listen. Pulling him up to face me I push him back slightly. This space allows me to launch myself in the air and send a 360-degree kick toward him. My foot makes contact with his stomach sending him flying to the ground. As my body is brought back to the floor I land perfectly on my feet my hands nothing but pure flames ready for any other attack.

"Mr. King, put those flames away before I get in there."

Extinguishing the flames I storm out of the ring and past the group that parted for me.

"Seth, where are you going?" Carla calls out to me. 

I don't answer her, hell I don't even look back at her as I storm out of the room slamming the door shut behind me.