Gwendolyn 

I couldn't help but shiver at the papers. 

Mare Barrow, the girl I'd watched for years, is falling for the King.

King Maven.  

My usually cold body gets chills at that name. 

Coro and Genesis had almost the same expression we did.  Mare was a year younger than us three, and she was already with King Maven.

We knew once she left the Stilts something was up, then she turns into Mareena Titanos as a pawn for the Houses.  

Of course, her painted face didn't fool me, she is red, a newblood, like me. 

I am a Shiver, can control ice and snow.  But I am different.  I can make it, create it.  

One other difference I had, my father was the first newblood, but he was erased from all records for my safety.  I am officially the first newblood-red mix in Norta.  

My powers are stronger that my Father's though, before he passed, he could only control it, when I could create it. 

I knew Mare was a newblood just by the look of her, Genesis and Coro did as well, the three of us newbloods stayed in hiding from Silvers.  We watched her from the shadows, staying hidden and hiding our powers from society.  

Mare was part of the Scarlet Guard, I am conflicted on being surrounded by newbloods, scared of what my powers can do.  

I have harmed Coro and Genesis before, almost killing Genesis on my ability.  I only use it when I feel like it, otherwise I hide it, like I was born to do.

Genesis is a greenwarden, she can control plant life and earth. Coro is a windweaver, making nice breezes.  I have known them all my life, they have their abilities down, teaching each other when necessary. 

Father taught me from time to time, but when he left, I had no one except Coro and Genesis.  Coro stays out of the way, while Genesis stays with me at all times.  It might be because Coro is 21, and Genesis and I are only 18. 

"Well, there goes that plan," Genesis says with her sweet, motherly voice.  Coro just rolls his eyes.  We planned on speaking with the Barrow on the Scarlet Guard and making her our bug on this rebellion.  Now that she is in Maven's grasp, that seems almost impossible. 

"Any ideas?" Coro finally says something.  Genesis looks at the ground in our small little shed away from every city that we have called home for 10 years now. 

"No, I got nothing," I say, Coro looks at me with his teal eyes and dirty blond hair, shaking his head.  He hates now knowing what to do. 

"I have a small idea," Genesis says, losing the confidence in her tone.  Coro sits on the floor, joining the small circle we made. "The Scarlet Guard."

Coro's head falls into his hands, a chill of fear runs down my spine.

"Genesis, we've been over this,"

She stands up, proving their point.

"They know Mare better than anyone, what's the harm in being with people like us?" 

I stay silent, letting Coro be the judge. 

"They won't accept us, not with our reputation,"

"They take in newbloods like us, we've had our powers for 10 years, they have just acknowledged that they have abilities, we have ours under control,"

"What about Tiberias, he is there, a Silver, he can't be trusted, not around Gwen,"

Coro knows burners scare me, especially the Calore's.   Ice and Fire are opposites, and in most cases, they don't attract.  He notices my worry, he puts his hand on my shoulder, he got used to my cold, rough skin.  I know I may seem tough, when on the inside, I am just a bottle of fear and anger. 

"Well, no one else has any ideas," She put her hands on my hips.  I stayed seated on the damp floor; the March cold not bothering me. 

"Gen, we can't just do that, run off like that," I finally say something on the topic. 

"Why Gwen? They will find us anyway,"

I stood up. 

"I can't hurt anyone Gen, you know what happens when I do, what happened to you," I point at her arm, her right arm that completely lost its red-pink skin tone, now a white, emotionless, colorless.  When I lost control, one of my blasts hit her, almost fully losing strength in her once- dominant right hand and arm.  She was forced to be a lefty after that. 

"Gwendolyn, that was 2 years ago,"

"I have done worse, I almost killed you," The fear in my voice rose, emotions were my one weakness, the ice and winter I create lives in me, so do my emotions. I push them out, trying to be stoic. 

"Maybe they can help you,"

"Well what if they can't?" The fear was taking over me again.  Don't let them control you, Gwendolyn, control them. 

"Have hope, Gwen, it's the least we can do,"

"I lost hope when my Father died, killed by Silvers, taken out of record, no one knowing I existed!" I choked back tears from my gray eyes.  Genesis stayed silent after that, not saying a word, along with Coro. 

I wouldn't go to the Scarlet Guard, I wouldn't show anyone me, I wouldn't show my heart.

My frozen heart that hasn't been melted in years, only hardening in self-pity.

Cameron

"Cameron?"  Farley broke the silence on Tuck, the silence that was everlasting. 

"Yes Farley, what is it?" 

"The group and I are going to the Stilts to see some newbloods, we don't have their names, just their abilities," 

"Ok, what are they?"

"One shiver, a windweaver, and a greenwarden,"

"Interesting,"

"So, can you stay here with Kilorn and hold down fort for the day,"

I choke on my breath, Kilorn, dang.

"Yeah, sure, I can,"

"Ok, we will try to be back by sundown,"

I nod, Farley leaves me.  Shade got Kilorn when he jumped the other day, but staying in an island with him for a day, why me?

I shouldn't let Kilorn distract me, he had a thing for Mare anyway, he is probably heartbroken by her being with Maven.  We all are really.

***

Everyone else left in a flash, just me and Kilorn on this small, abandoned island away from Norta and the Silvers. 

He doesn't speak to me at first, which I tell myself is a good thing.  We both just sit in the dining room that hardly has enough chairs for all of us.  We sit there in silence that I find awkward, he clearly finds it awkward, he fiddles in his chair, tapping his feet and cracks his knuckles.  I just sit there in my suit that I have worn over and over again. 

"I'm hungry," He breaks the silence with the dumbest phrase. 

"Then go get something to eat, we have leftovers from last night's meal," 

"But I don't want to get up,"

"But you're hungry,"

"But I'm lazy,"

"Kilorn," I put a hand on my forehead, how can one be so silly.  

"What? I'm hungry and lazy," He shrugs, I can only sigh.  

He goes back to silence, the silence stays in the room like Silent Stone, heavy and baring.  

It was just me and Kilorn, fate has a funny sense of humor.  

Love was stupid, it seemed to be that way.  But Kilorn was different, his softness opposed my hard exterior, even though deep down, I was just emotion, that emotion couldn't be seen, duties come first, then other things. 

Kilorn should be the last thing on my mind, when in reality, when we were in the same room, the same island, the same cause, I couldn't stop staring at those thoughts.  I am just a young teenager, he was my age before, but now, I feel as if we are one in the same.

I couldn't think about that now, we need to focus on getting Mare back, not loving someone that you would most likely never be with in the first place, let alone feel the same way.

He never would, he couldn't.  He's loved Mare, everyone knows that, and yet, here I am.  I can't go down that road.

I went down there once; I can't do it again. 

Why hello! I made some new characters and I hope you like them!  Sorry for this cringy chapter, but I mean holy crap, 580 views, uhm excuse me, I don't deserve that, seriously thank you!

Hope you have a great day! Stay safe!

Hannah