THREE O' CLOCK CAME and my stomach gutted as I got in my car and headed for home. Who knew what time Blane would be coming over, if he wasn't already on his way now. My heart began to nervously race just thinking about it, and I almost ran a stop sign down the road because of the distraction.

I guessed it wasn't really that I didn't want Blane coming over, or want to spend time with him. It was just. . .complications risen in the way of things.

My parents had never let me hang out with a boy or even actually date one--Ever. Never had a boyfriend, never been kissed. Not saying that a homework assignment with Blane would result in us running to the chapel to get married or anything like that, but I knew he had to feel something for me. You can't expect something not to be there when a guy looks at you the way Blane looked at me.

It had been going on since the start of the school year, and I couldn't understand why. I hadn't changed in any features or personality. I didn't wear makeup. I was still a pale blonde girl at five foot four, the nerd who got good grades, and who's only friend was the hyperactive Spanish girl everyone referred Jessi as.

Although my breasts did pretty much just now appear four years later after puberty had already come and hit the road. It wouldn't surprise me if that was the reason.

Jessi wasn't wrong though--I did have a crush on Blane. Since elementary school when he sat behind me in class I knew I liked him, though so many years later I still didn't have any sort of guts to admit it.

Pulling into the driveway I took a moment to sit there in my car, unmoving. I stared at myself in the rearview mirror, gazing at my pearl skin and eyes similar to a frozen lake. I brought a hand up to tousel my white-blonde braid, and poked at my cheeks that had never held any pigment unless I was angry or blushing. I pulled the braid free and let the long waves fall down my shoulders.

I then saw the silver Porsche appear in the mirror, and the roar of Blane's engine startled me. With a deep breath and an eternal groan, I stepped out of the car to meet him.

"Hey," Blane greeted as he approached, taking a glance over the house. "Nice place you got here."

"Thanks," I replied, awkwardly shifting from hip to hip in my place. "Do you uh, wanna' get started?"

"Yeah, of course."

I unlocked the front door and we stepped inside, tossing our bags on the hardwood floor. I turned to Blane to quickly warn him before we went further.

"I. . .have to warn you first. My parents are kind of strict on who comes over. 'Who' being any boys, actually," I told him.

Blane nodded. "Ah, I see. Well I can assure them I'll be no trouble. We're only working on a homework assignment after all. It's not like we had a choice."

"Uh, y-yeah, right," I agreed. I turned my back to him before my blush rose, and headed for the kitchen with him in tow.

"Mom? Dad?" I called out for them in the silence of the house, but received no answer in return. I turned to the fridge to see a note taped there,

Went to the store with Mom to get milk and a few things for dinner. She made me. Stay out of the chocolate cake on the island. Be back soon Snowflake.

-Dad

"Snowflake, huh?" Blane countered close to my ear, and I jumped away from him with a small gasp.

"Nosy, much?" I shot back, my heart thumping in my chest.

Blane simply shrugged and took a seat on the island stool. He teasingly stuck his index finger towards the exposed cake on the countertop, and I quickly smacked it away. He smirked at me but I responded with a roll of my eyes and opened the fridge.

"Well it looks like we're here alone for a while," I said. "Do you want something to drink?"

"Yeah, sure," he accepted. I pulled out two Cokes and handed one to him. "So, what's up with the nickname Snowflake? Has your dad always called you that?"

"I've had it since I can remember," I said. "He calls me it sometimes, not a lot."

"Well I can see why, with all the knowledge you have on them. Do you have a glass of ice for this?" he gestured to the soda, but I shook my head.

"We have glasses, but no ice. Never have."

Blane seemed a bit taken back. "You mean you've. . .never had icecubes in your freezer?"

"Nope," I dismissed, "Neither of my parents have ever cared for ice in their drinks, and neither have I, so there's no point."

"What about iced coffee, or making smoothies, or even homemade ice scream?" he named off, but none of them were ever consumed.

"None. We don't like smoothies or ice cream anyway, and Dad drinks coffee hot."

I watched Blane's face and eyebrows contort into confusion, and the notion caused a light chuckle to rise from my throat.

"Come on, let's get started on the assignment. I have some study sheets we can use up in my room."

"Okay."

Heading up the stairs we entered the bedroom, and I immediately felt ashamed for not tidying up a little bit or hiding stuff away beforehand. But to be fair I didn't exactly expect having company, especially Blane of all people.

"Uh, sorry. . .for the mess," I apologized.

"It's fine, don't worry about it," Blane assured. "You've got a nice room too. I wish my house looked as good and was as huge as yours is."

He walked over to my desk and looked over my bulletin board above it. It was covered in different papers on snow and ice information, and my own sketches of snowflakes; as well as photographs people had taken of wintery scenes around the world. I never really wondered why I had such a pull to winter and the snow since I was young. I guessed it was just a fascination because I had never seen or felt it in person. I even had a drawing of what the mysterious place looked like from my dreams. . .

"Wow, you do really know your stuff," Blane pointed. "What made you become so obsessed over Winter?"

"It's not an obsession," I defended, crossing my arms. "It's a hobby."

Blane scoffed, "Yeah, well guys don't have hobbies. Not unless you count a sport. In that case it's soccer for me."

I smirked, "See? You have no room to judge me."

"I would never judge you, Eerika," Blane then abruptly said, but his voice was soft and serious as he spoke them.

I found myself with no words next, and a blush trying to now creep its way onto my cheeks. He awkwardly cleared his throat and stepped closer to me. I felt my heart begin to speed up.

"Well it's a good thing we became partners for this assignment. With your knowledge you can teach me everything I need to know. Unless you just want to do the work for the both of us," he joked.

"I don't think so Malcaroy, don't think you can persuade or trick me. I'm too smart to fall for it," I chuckled.

Blane smiled at me that sent my stomach a swarm of butterflies, and I felt my cheeks try to grow red again.

Quit it, Eerika, don't you dare! my subconscious scolded me.

"You're not just too smart, Arnesen," Blane told me with a slight pause. ". . .You're extraordinary."

My blush flooded right then and there, and I bit my lip. "Is. . .that a good thing or a bad thing?"

Blane's smile was still slightly apparent, his green eyes fixated into mine, and his dimples barely pricking his cheeks. He gave a slow shake of his head. "It's an amazing thing."

I froze in my place, unable to think of any single form of vocabulary to respond with. My mind was jumbled, my knees suddenly wobbly. I didn't understand any of what was happening--or what I was feeling--but my mouth had now turned dry again and my stomach was nothing but jelly. Blane then slowly began to lean into me, and my breath hitched in my throat. Inch by inch his mouth drew closer to mine, and second by second I could hear my heartbeat in my ears.

Deciding on instinct to move again I too leaned towards him, and just like that our lips connected, and my racing heart stopped.

My first kiss, with Blane Malcaroy.

It was just a single kiss at first, but it quickly escalated to an intensifying pace, turning my legs into noodles. Blane and I moved in perfect synch with each other's mouths, like our lips were two puzzle pieces fit together. I latched my fingers into the tuffs of his hair, my other hand clutching his nape. His own hands were on my waist, searching and carressing in an urgent-like way, as if I would soon dissapear into the air.

After a few more moments passed both our lungs begged for oxygen, and we broke apart to retrieve it. We gazed into each other's eyes, and smiled at one another, and Blane began to lean in again before he sucked in a sharp breath.

I watched confused as he suddenly stumbled back a few steps away from me. His mouth was chattering, as if he had a chill, and his hands began to shake.

"Blane? What's wrong, are you okay?" I questioned, taking a step towards him. He stumbled back another step as if he didn't want me anywhere near him.

His eyes were wild, like a deer caught in the oncoming headlights of a car, and they stared at me. The sea of green he always possesed in his irises now looked like a blue that almost matched my own.

"Eerika, w-what the hell d-did you. .?" Blane tried to get out through his chattering teeth, his words stuttering.

The pigment of his lips that had just danced with mine so warm and soft, now began to slowly turn blue and ice crystals form over them. His quick pants of breath came out in visible white puffs, and a layer of frost began to cover his face and the rest of his body.

I ran up to him in a panic, clutching his cheeks that were now so cold. His color had drained from him and he was nearly white, and no longer moving.

"Blane! Blane what's happening? Talk to me, say something!" I begged him. "Oh my god."

Beginning to frantically search around the bedroom I found the telephone, and with shaky hands started to dial 911.

I spun back around to Blane as it began ringing, but gasped at what my eyes now saw. Every inch of Blane's body was encased in a sheet of the frost and ice crystals, like a microwaveable dinner tossed in the back of the freezer for months. His honey blonde hair was now the color of fresh snow, and his eyes were glued in a lifeless stare. His mouth gaped open like he was screaming, and no more air came out.

He was dead.

My stomach dropped and I felt like throwing up. The phone slipped from my hand and crashed onto the floor, losing its battery. I backed away from the cold corpse until my spine cracked into a wall, and slid down it until I too was on the ground; bringing my knees to my chest. My mind was running a mile a minute and for a moment I forgot to breathe, as my body began to shudder uncontrollably.

I shook my head as I stared at him, sobs escaping from my throat. I suddenly felt a cold sensation bubble in my core, and my skin tingled with the same feeling. I stared down at my hands from what I could see through the tears, and noticed very tiny ice particles starting to prick my fingertips. A mass of confusion began swirling around every emphasis of my brain.

What did I just do?

There was then an enormous shake around me, like that of an earthquake, and it nearly knocked me over from my seated position. Gazing around I got up from the spot, glancing at the Blane ice sculpture before another shake knocked me off my balance.

I fell to my knees and crawled over to my bed, grabbing onto its covers as I stood once more. There was a loud, booming sound that I'd never heard before, that seemed as though it wasn't in one spot but all around me. I looked over to my window, and to my utter shock and surprise I witnessed snow falling down in a blizzard, and ice spreading over the glass.

What the hell?

"Eerika!" my mother's voice suddenly spoke alarmed from the doorway, making me jump. I jerked around to face her and saw my father there too, and both their faces were shown in fear.

"What have you done?" Dad spoke next, and the tears in my eyes now started to spill down my cheeks.

"Mommy. Daddy," my voice quivered, and once again a cooling sensation hit me, and the crystals had now spread down my fingers. "What's happening to me?"

Another quake of the earth rocked the house and shuddered under our feet. I watched Mom immediately look
to Dad and he to her, like they already knew what it was, all while I stood so clueless.

"They've found her," she said, and they both left the doorway to go down the hall and back downstairs. I quickly followed them to try to get any answers.

"Who's found me, what's happening?"

"We have to get her through the portal before they get in," Mother told Father, as I watched them scramble around the kitchen. Father set out a pile of weapons on the table, consisting of large swords, knives, and arrows. And again I felt as though vomit would rush its way out of my mouth.

"What are those for, where did you even get them? I don't understand any of this. Someone tell me what's going on!" I demanded.

"Eerika, go upstairs and hide yourself. I'll come get you when it's over," Mom told me, urging me foward.

I jerked away from her. "No, not until I get some answers! I just. . .froze Blane from kissing him! I killed him, Mom! There is ice magically appearing on my hands, it's snowing outside in Arizona, in 90° degree weather! So someone better tell me what the freaking hell is going on so I know I'm not going crazy!"

"You've awakened your powers, that's how they've found you. It was like a beacon," Mother informed straight to the point, grabbing a sword from the table.

"Powers? What powers, you mean. . .magic?" I gave a dry chuckle, feeling ridiculous of even uttering the words.

There was suddenly a sound of clanging outside, like metal grinding together, and a wave of fear flooded me once more.

"Yes, magic, Eerika, which you have. You've just got to trust us on this, I promise soon everything will make sense."

"But magic isn't real! It's something made up in fairytales, and sci-fi movies. It's fantasy! And you're going to tell me it's real and I'm supposed to believe you?"

"Eerika, please-" my mother begged, but before she could say any further the sliding kitchen door and windows crashed open; glass flying everywhere. A long shard sliced across my cheek, and blood started to trickle from the now burning wound.

I jerked my head up at the door, and with widened eyes and disbelief a large figure entered. It looked as though it was a knight, but he was completely made of iron and looked nothing like the ones seen in fairytales. There was a pitch blackness behind the openings of its helmet, which showed it had no face at all.

My mother screamed to me as Father raised his sword to clash into the being. "Eerika, go!"

I couldn't move. My disbelief and fear had paralyzed me, and I watched as Dad's sword made contact with the knight. The part of their body that was hit seemed to break into shards, like a metal glass or black ice, but the pieces quickly set back into place.

The figure slowly turned to my father in a ghostly way, and in one fair swoop plunged his iron sword into his stomach, skewering him. A curdling scream left my mouth like heard in a horror movie, which I felt like I was suddenly in, and tears poured from my eyes again.

"Hanir!" my mother cried out, and the name confused me. But before I could have time to think it over the beast came towards me.

"Eerika, go! Go!" she screamed, attacking it from behind so I could get the headstart. She knocked the knight into the pantry, shoving her sword through the door handles to hold it off. I didn't want to go, I couldn't leave her there alone.

"Mom, no!" my refusal quivered, and I gazed into her eyes that almost seemed like an ember orange opposed from the brown.

"I'm not your mother, sweetheart. We're not. . .we were never your parents. And I'm sorry this had to happen, especially you finding out this way."

The knight slammed into the wooden door, starting to break pieces, and each sound sent my panic further.

"W-What are you talking about? Mom, I don't understand!" I pleaded, feeling like I was suddenly losing my entire mind.

"Just know that I love you," she told me, and the next thing I knew the knight had penetrated his way out, and ran his sword through her back.

I didn't hear myself scream that time, and with blurred vision from the tears I tried to make a run for the front door. But as I was just about to reach the handle the door flung open, and two more knights suddenly appeared. I was knocked back and slammed onto the ground, scooting away from them as they slowly neared towards me.

"Get away from me! No! Leave me alone, leave me alone!"

The knight who had just killed my parents came up from behind me, and grabbed my shoulder. It felt like a firey acid had poured over my skin and was burning me alive, and I cried out in searing pain.

The other two iron beasts raised their swords, preparing to strike. As the other knight still held onto me I slowly felt myself begin to fall into an unconscious darkness.

Maybe it would be okay if they killed me. I killed Blane. My parents were gone. Maybe I deserved this.

Suddenly there was a bright blue flash all around us, and I hazily watched as ice began to spread across the floors, walls, and ceiling. Icicles shot up from the ground like daggers into the knights, and their swords fell. The one who had a hold of me let go, and broke free from his frozen hold to go after the culprit of the attack.

I slowly laid down on the ice, and for the moment it soothed me and the injury. It almost felt right, as if the ice was welcoming me. I closed my eyes to gladly accept it in.

A cold death in the ice and snow.

I listened to the struggle for a moment before there was silence, and all I could hear were the snowflakes blistering in the wind. A few crunches of footsteps on top of the snow and ice then approached, and drew what bit of attention I had left to it.

I squinted to see the figure standing above me, my vision focusing in and out like a camera lense. When I was finally able to make it out, I witnessed a man who looked a few years older than me, his hair a dark coal on top of his head. His skin matched the pale complexity of mine, and his eyes were the same shade of icy blue; only his were cold, and distant. His ears were tipped into points, and if I hadn't been so delirious and close to death I would've commented on how funny they were.

My dream suddenly jumped to my mind, and I could see it as though I was dreaming right now, and maybe I was. Perhaps you even dreamed when you were dead.

I walked through the path below the trees once more, touched the sword and felt the similar pain I did when the knight grabbed me, and the blurred man held my hand. Only this time he wasn't unseen.

There before me was the pale skin, black hair, and icy blue eyes I had just witnessed in reality.

I looked back up at the man who was now leaning down towards me, as if in slow motion, and I let out any breath of shock that I could.

It was him.

And then the darkness fell over me.