Chapter Two: The Sister

Aesha's POV

I went outside and inhaled the fresh Autumn air. The tree leaves were dark red and orange in color. They were falling and gathering in large heaps. Warm colors are something I despise, though, I'll stay cheery 'cause it's Autumn. Yes and almost the Best Season of the Year.

Brent and Kennedy are awesome friends. I'm not the loner I used to be with them hanging out with me. Us three together, we weren't popular not also unpopular. We're just average students. Most people wouldn't really mind us at all.

I walked on the streets savoring every cold moment. The best sensation caught me when I took off my top leaving only my yellow t-shirt. As I said before, I don't care even if someone put me in a freezer in the middle of Antarctica. Well that's not I mentioned before, but you get the picture. Put me in the middle of a desert? I'd probably die. Oh did I mention before that I couldn't sweat? I know it cools the body, but I've got another way to cool myself. 

Kindergarten, I met my very first friend: Kennedy Kate Keldridge. She was shy but smart back then, well, it hasn't changed even now. I grew up knowing what my powers were so I was careful with friends. I sat far away from the children, careful not to freeze anything. A brunnette kid walked up to me asking if she could sit beside me. She had the most amazing eyes even though it was black. I nervously said yes. We talked and shared snacks for a while and I realized she's happy and bubbly once you get to know her. But I didn't tell her my powers right away. Kennedy grew up as the same shy and caring girl. Only now, she's a nerd hiding behind thick square rimmed glasses.

Er, storytime's over. 

I stopped in front of a middle-sized two-story house. It was mostly painted white for my sake. It was just a normal house, we can't afford something like Cylene's mansion. Dad passed away when I was nine and Mom's taking care of us ever since.

I knocked on the front door. When there was no answer, I let myself in. Where are they?

"Sean, Shaelon!" I called.

My brown haired brother zoomed past me, clearly trying to get away from someone. He seems to be clutching something.

"Give that back to me, dunderhead!" Shaelon demanded while rushing down the stairs. Oh great. Another sibling fight.

Sean stuck his tongue out. "That's the best you can say?"

"Give it back!"

"Catch me if you can!" Sean teased.

I turned the air cold instantly and the twins shivered. I sighed, "What did you do, this time?" I turned to Sean.

"He stole my makeup!" Shaelon cried.

"Well you'll just humiliate me in the party. With all the giggling, makeup, ugh." My brother explained.  He giggled, mocking our sister then he pretended to gag.

I narrowed my eyes. "What party?"

Shaelon stomped her foot and crashed on the couch. "Look what you've done, idiot. We were supposed to sneak out. Of course our so called babysitter won't let us out."

"You will let us go, right Aesha?" Sean turned to me.

I covered the makeup that he held with ice and I controlled it to my hand. "Did you forget what you did?"

Shaelon was caught texting in the middle of the class. She tried to protest but the teacher caught her red handed. She said that it was Sean texting and bothering her. She gave her phone for proof. Now they both earned two weeks worth of detention and one week of grounding. I was supposed to make sure they don't leave the house while Mom was away.

"Please, Aesha. The week's almost over, right?" Shaelon pleaded.

"No. Mom will kill me."

Sean perked up. I hate that moment when I imagine he has a lightbulb floating above his head. It's one of his crazy evil ideas.

"What if," He rubbed his chin, "What if you come with us to the party? That way you can watch us. But not scold. You can make sure we don't get into trouble. Mom will never know."

Shaelon's eyes lit up. "Yeah! And you can bring Kennedy and Brent along."

"Who's hosting this party?" I asked.

"Garett." They replied in unison.

I rolled my eyes. The friends of the twins had connections with Cole, which means he'll be there. Hmmm....maybe the Purple Angels are playing. No. I have to be a big sister.

"Still no. And you know you can't sneak out with me around." I warned.

They both groaned.

I froze the doorknob of the back and front door. I froze the windows shut and sealed any other exit. Cool powers, huh?

~~~~~~~~~~

I went to my room on the second floor.

I threw my bag aside and sat on my bed. My room was large enough. The walls were a mix of pure white and icy blue. Icicles hung from the ceiling and everything was frozen. Just imagine it like Elsa's room. It was the coldest place in the house. Luckily, the ice and frost never reached beyond the walls and door. 

I turned the Air Con to the max and grabbed my laptop. My two friends were online. I requested a video chat.

Brent and Kennedy's faces popped up on the screen. "Hi!" Kennedy waved at me.

"Hey how's it going?" Brent said, his attention on a game he's playing.

"Have you heard of Garett's party?" Kennedy asked. Even though she's an unpopular nerd, she gets the latest gossips and news. I don't know how.

"You mean the one Sean and Shaelon wanted to go to?"

"They're still grounded, aren't they?"

I nodded.

"You should let them go." She said.

My eyes widened. "Why? Why would you say that?"

She rolled her eyes. "Come on, Aesha. Wouldn't it hurt to go to just a little party? Just because you're the big sister doesn't mean you could lock them up. They're teenagers, that's natural."

"I'm doing what's right."

"Look at you, ice girl. You're in your room alone in the cold and that's how you like it. But them? They don't like it at all. The twins don't have supernatural powers like you. Am I right, Brent.?"

Brent looked up from his game."Huh? Oh yeah, yeah. Whatever."

"But-"

"Go with them." Kennedy encouraged.

"You'll go with me?"

She ran her hand through her smooth hair. "Uh, actually, I've got to study."

"Brent then?" I suggested.

She shook her head right away. "Remember the last time?"

I mentally facepalmed myself. The last time Brent went to a party, he got drunk. We have to help him get home and he puked in Cylene's car.

I sighed. "I'll go talk to them."

~~~~~~~~

As I reached the living room, I saw Shaelon, watching soap operas on the TV.

"Hey." I said.

She looked up at me and laughed awkwardly. "We were supposed to have Truth or Dare. And flirt with Nick."

I smirked. "Like a girly girl?"

She thought of something then laughed. "Can you imagine that Sean's the only boy in the house? Do you think we'll influence him and he'll start being gay?"

I laughed at the thought too.

I saw her lip tremble and she looked away. "H-how come.....you're not.....uh....like the others?" She stammered.

I furrowed my eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"You're not like all those other girls. You stay away from people and avoid contact with them."

"Well, you know me." I summoned a snowflake .She smirked

"I'm sorry if I'm freezing the house." I apologized.

She held the pillows close to her. "It's okay."

I thought for a moment. Should I really allow them to go? Can I trust them? They might get drunk.....or worse. I gulped. "You know, what? I'll let you go to the party."

Out of nowhere, Sean screamed. "Woohoo!"

I rolled my eyes. "Okay, guys let me change first."

~~~~~~~~

I dressed myself in a striped long sleeved t-shirt and a denim vest. 

"We're not going to fit in your motorcycle." I said to Sean.

"We're just walking." Shaelon said.

I shrugged.

"Are the Purple Angels playing tonight?" I wondered out loud. Sean nodded.

Yes! But then again, Cylene's going to be busy rocking the night out. I explained to the two that Brent and Kennedy couldn't come. After a while we reached the house. It looked like the usual party, the guests were already there. Sean and Shaelon rushed off to their friends.

I squeezed through the crowd, hoping to find Cylene. "What are you doing here?" A deep voice from behind me asked. I turned to see Cole behind me. 

"Why? Is it wrong for me to come here?" I snapped back.

"Yes, very." He glared.

"Where's your sister?"

"You should leave."

"Aesha!" A voice interrupted us. "Cylene!" I called.

She quickly pulled me aside. "Why are you here?" She hissed.

"I'm just watching the terrible duo."

She stared at me. "You have to leave!"

"I'm not going to turn this party into Iceland!"

"You might."

I frowned. "I have to stay." I glanced at the dancing teens. "I'll go somewhere else, where it's cold."

So I went to the bathroom.

~~~~~~~~~

According to Mom, my powers came from the ancient ice goddess, Khione. My dad's family were descendants of her. The power was passed on, generation to generation. There were never two people in the family who had the same power. My dad didn't really get the powers. The last person who got it before me was my great aunt.

Anyway, I went to someplace where I couldn't be bothered. Fortunately, there weren't any people inside who were vomiting their guts out. I shut the door behind me and locked it. 

I stared at my reflection. Brown hair and hazel brown eyes. Sometimes I wished I had blonde hair and blue eyes, not that I want to be pretty, it was just....cooler and colder. Maybe much better: white hair and white eyes!

Everything was strangely warm and hot, unlike in my house. Did they turn up the heater to the highest level? I think so. Cole didn't make it feel better. But I concentrated where I am now.

I pressed my hand on the mirror, watching my eyes transform from a warm hazel brown color to the most unique shade of icy blue. Ice started to creep up from my palm to the mirror, slowly scattering. Soon, the whole mirror was covered in crystal ice. 

I willed for the water to come out of the faucets and soon, the cold water was running in the sinks. I froze the water as well and kept it in place. 

My foot stepped forward, and ice came from it. Like the mirror, the ice spread out on the whole floor, and it was climbing up the walls too. I produced a thin layer of snow on the floor. Yeah, even the toilet water was frozen. Satisfied with my work, I made snow again and gathered it into one large rectangular pile creating a soft white snow bed.

I lay down on the makeshift bed. I'm going to survive this party after all.

Childhood memories rushed to me. The memories before......he died.

It was almost Autumn that day and the summer was melting away. Sean, Shaelon and I were playing outside in the yard. We decided to play hide and seek. Sean was 'it' and I went somewhere to hide. I figured Sean was still looking for me because my hiding place was not yet discovered. Minutes later, I heard Mom and Dad calling on me. I decided not to come out because I was really cozy. Half an hour later, they found me inside the.......

Freezer.

Duh.

My thoughts were disrupted by a knock on the door. This isn't the only bathroom.... 

The knock became louder and it turned into a  loud thump thump.

Whoa, woah, people. This is not a horror story.

"Just a second!" I said.

I quickly absorbed everything. It just took me....a second. I unlocked the door right after.

"Cole?!" I exclaimed.

He stood there with his arms crossed and an angry expression. "Do you have diarrhea or something? You're hogging the bathroom." 

My face heated up. "This is like, the fifth bathroom in the house! Why this bathroom?"

"The others are occupied. Since I can't hear any gagging or crazy sounds, I decided to go here. I found it locked so I knocked harder."

"You drunk yet?"

His fists clenched and he stared at me. I gritted my teeth. Why do I hate him so much?

"I'm going." I headed out the door.

~~~~~~~~

Cole's POV

Weird girl was....well weird. At least the party at Garett's will heat up my day.

Going to a teenager's party doesn't really mean you have to dress fancy. So I settled for pants and a hot red t-shirt. I heard a knock on my door.

"Hey. You're going to the party, huh?" Cylene said.

I rolled my eyes. "Of course the king of the school's gotta be in every party."

She held back a laugh. "Pffffff.....the king of the school? More like the king of ashes."

"How 'bout king of hotness?"

Cylene ignored me. "The band's playing. I'll give you a ride."

~~~~~~~~

The music blaring through the enormous speakers. Multicolored lights everywhere. Teenagers dancing their butts off and of course, drunken people inside and outside. Just like every party.

"Hey, man." Garett clapped me at the back.

"This party's cozy." I said. True enough, it was warm. Enough to snap me out of the Autumn cold. Enough to warm me from top to bottom.

After a few minutes, the air was freezing cold again. I looked at the door and there was weird girl standing along with two teenagers. Her friends were nowhere in sight.

She started going through the crowd, clearly searching for my sister. I have to get her out of here. I will not let her ruin this party for me. I squeezed through the crowd to follow her.

"What are you doing here?" I asked. She turned to face me.

"Why? Is it wrong for me to come here?" She said, hands on her hips.

"Yes, very."

"Where's your sister?" She asked.

"You should leave."

"Aesha!" Cylene called out. "Cyelene!" She shouted over the music.

Aesha? So that's her name. Hmph, doesn't even sound nice.

Cylene pulled Aesha aside and they seemed to be arguing. I decided not to butt in. Instead, I went to the bar.

~~~~~~~

I grabbed a cup of coffee to relax. 

Someone tapped me from behind. He had brown messy hair and gray eyes. He wore a black jacket over a navy blue shirt. 

"You're Cole Rogenson, right? Cylene's brother?"

I snorted. "Is my sister a lot famous than me?"

He laughed. "Nah man. You're more famous than that band. Your sister's friends with mine." He glanced at Cylene and weird girl arguing.

I cocked an eyebrow. "You're Aesha's brother?"

He nodded. "I'm Sean. And that," He pointed to one girls giggling over Nick, "Is Shaelon, my twin. Aesha's our older sister."

"Must've been a pain having her around."

Sean ran his hand through his hair. "Not actually. We were supposed to be grounded but Aesha let us go here."

"So she's here to watch you guys?"

"Yep." He said, popping the 'p'.

My eyes searched for Aesha. She wasn't with Cylene anymore.  

Sean nudged me. "Do you have anything against my sister?"

I tore my gaze away from her. "What makes you think that?"

"You were glaring at her a while ago."

I shook my head. "It's nothing." I said goodbye to Sean and looked for Aesha.

~~~~~~~

I don't know why I was looking for her. Somehow I felt like she doesn't belong at all and she needs to get out of here.

I searched everywhere, completely sure to push her away as far as possible when I find her.

Something led me to the fifth bathroom, the topmost bathroom at the end of the third floor's hallway.

I knocked a few times on the door, gently. There was no answer. I knocked again, harder and louder.

"Just a second!" a voice inside shouted. Aesha.

When the door opened, she seemed surprised to see me. "Cole?!" She exclaimed.

"Do you have diarrhea of something? You're hogging the bathroom." I insulted her.

"You drunk yet?" She said.

I stared at her. She was one tough girl. Someone who was strong but deep inside, has a soft spot. I realized that her hazel brown eyes were warm and beautiful. But I just stared at her angrily.

"I'm going." Aesha said.

~~~~~~~~

Author's Note:

Dedicated to TriziaSeras 'coz she's really funny. I like Cello too :D. You're both insanely awesome. So ambs, this chapter is for you.

-Vireen

P.S. Jelsa at the side >>>>> Aren't they the perfect couple?! Expect a jelsa chapter in this book.