Wings of fire descended down on her, enveloping her in warm, burning feathers. Flames surrounded her, embracing her in their protective hold. She spread out her arms, letting the fire engulf her.

She felt at home. The fire was where she belonged. Then suddenly her flames, her beloved fire, got extinguished by a powerful gale, a gust of freezing wind. She whirled around, clutching her fists furiously.

Who dared to disturb her?! That person will pay!

Then she suddenly saw the culprit. He stood a few distance away from her, back facing her, surrounded by glittering frosty ice. His hair was a gorgeous deep marine colour, clothes shining as blue armour. He seemed familiar...

The figure turned around and silver eyes met hers. Eyes glowing malignantly, sending shivers down anyone's spine when they saw those silver orbs.

The boy smirked, the blue zigzags on his face slowly, surely, fading away. That was when she suddenly saw another figure, but this time a shadow.

A shadow of the boy in front of her, pummeling his fists against imaginary glass, tears of frustration streaming down his face.

Tears of frozen ice.

The tears of Winter.

~~~

Winter choked out blood as his father kicked him in the stomach. He curled into a ball, gasping for breath as he clutched his sore stomach.

"Such an ignorant fool!" His father hissed, malice in his tone.

"F-Father... I'm s-sorry..." Winter gasped out, groaning in pain.

His father snorted disbelievingly. "I should have handed the job over to Glade. I overestimated your potential. You're nothing but a haughty brat." he snarled, roughly kicking Winter's shoulder with the heel of his boot.

Winter grunted in agony, blood trickling down his chin, and he bit back a scream as his father dug his boot's heel deep into his shoulder.

It wasn't the first time he had been violently abused. Ever since his father found out that he had been training Summer, he had gotten weekly punishments, with his father calling him a lousy fool.

Winter didn't really take his father's name-calling to heart, but it still hurt. Both inside and out...

He tried to hide his abuse by acting normal, even though he had to lie his way out of situations. For example, just yesterday Summer caught him limping and asked him what was wrong. And she even spotted one of the bruises on his arm which he had so desperately tried to hide.

As an excuse, Winter told her that he accidentally knocked over a couple of trash bins, hitting his arm against one of them. His fall thus caused his ankle to be sprained and his bruised arm.

Summer didn't buy it immediately but she still helped him to the nurse's office.

His father finally finished beating him and stalked out of the room- Winter's room. That's right, he was torturing Winter in his own room. Winter lay on the ground for a few more minutes, gasping for breath. Then he quickly, shakily, got to his feet and using his bed as a support, stumbled towards the door.

It flew open before he even grabbed the knob. Glade stood outside grinning, in his hands a shiny new metallic blue armour. "Look what came! Your armour's fi- Bro... are you alright? You're... bleeding." Glade whispered, blinking as he spotted the blood that was trickled out of Winter's mouth.

Winter flinched when he remembered that no one was supposed to know of the abuse, not even Glade. If anyone found out, his father would double the sessions. And the pain.

Winter quickly wiped the blood away with his sleeve and put on a fake smile. "It's nothing, honest." He reassured. Glade frowned, examining Winter's smile.

"You're lying." he mumbled quietly. Winter winced at the sadness in his brother's tone. He forced his smile to look brighter.

"I'm not. Look, I'm perfectly fine-"

"You're not fine Bro! I know when you're smiling a fake smile! Don't try lying to me! We've grown up together for years. There's no point trying to hide secrets. I can see right through you." Glade snapped, slamming his fist against the door.

Winter flinched at his brother's ferocity. "I..." he trailed off, unable to speak for a moment. Glade's eyes softened.

"You can tell me Bro. Fought with someone?" He asked gently.

Suddenly Winter felt like he was a child again. When he was younger, Glade would always be there beside him, supporting him, encouraging him, even when his father threw him into the incinerator (literally, his father threw him into the incinerator and let him sit there in blistering heat with the entrance closed).

Tears pooled in Winter's eyes. He wanted to let his frustration out. Why couldn't his father just understand? About the difficulty trying to gain people's trust... The pain he had to go through when he betrayed them... And his feelings for Summer. Those annoying feelings which kept getting the better of him.

But he couldn't. His father would make sure his punishments became one of hell.

"I can't. I'm sorry." he muttered, looking down to avoid his brother's worried gaze. Glade's face fell, and he quietly shoved his armour into his hands. Then he left, leaving Winter standing at the door, armour in hand, staring after his brother desolately.

~~~

Summer sighed as she trudged into class. She stared at her table and was surprised to see that Winter was already there. Once more, he was clad in a familiar blue armour. His armour was fixed!

Summer brightened, thinking that Winter would be more cheerful now. But when she neared the tables, she noticed that Winter was leaning on his table, looking quite battered, and awfully silent.

She touched his shoulder. "Winter?" Winter jerked upright, glancing around wildly. Then he winced and clutched his shoulder, teeth gritted. Pain flashed across his eyes but he still remained quiet.

"Winter, answer me." Summer said, sitting down and looking at Winter expectantly. Winter faced her, smiling wearily.

"Hey Summer. Sorry, I didn't see you there." He replied. There was something odd about his smile.

It looked more forced than natural, and his eyes weren't twinkling as usual whenever he smiled. Fake.

A sharp pang stabbed Summer in the chest and she looked away, muttering her apologies. Winter was giving her a fake smile. Fake.

Summer knew that it wasn't everyday that that would happen. There was something wrong. Winter was definitely troubled. By the time first period ended, he had been caught at least five times not paying attention in class.

Summer glanced at Winter worriedly, wondering what was going through that head of his. The rest of the classes flew by quickly, yet Winter still looked like something was bothering him. During lunch he had barely touched his homemade food, instead just playing around with it with his fork. His steps had an occasional slight limp, and Summer could see that he was trying not to let it show. He kept giving everyone his fake smile, keeping to himself.

Battlemania soon arrived. It was meant to be the most exciting subject, but Summer barely felt pumped when she went to the spectators' stand. Winter's gloomy mood was affecting her too.

The arena soon filled up with students, and the teachers took their places at the commentators' stand. "Everyone, please settle down. Now, we will begin Battlemania! First up, we have-"

"Wait!" Summer called out, cutting the teacher off. She suddenly had an idea. A way to- probably- cheer Winter up. Mr Clarke stared at her, frowning at her rudeness.

"What is it Ms Solveg?" He asked, a sharp edge in his tone.

Summer stood up and pointed at Winter, glaring defiantly at the teacher. "I want to have a rematch. With him." she announced. Gasps of shock rose from the other students. Summer felt a smack on the back of her head, and heard Beatriix's annoying high-pitched voice.

"Are you stupid? Winter beat you before; he can beat you again! There's no point asking for a rematch! He's the strongest in this school!"

Summer gave Winter a sideways glance, and saw that his face was unusually pale, even though his expression was straight. He's scared, Summer realised with a start. Of me? No way...

Winter caught her eye and his expression immediately became even stonier. His sapphire eyes flashed at her daringly, challengingly. Summer smirked at him, knowing that he had already accepted her demand for a rematch.

Mr Clarke looked to Winter. "Well, Mr Winter, do you accept?" He asked quizzically. Winter stood up.

"Yes, I do." he declared, his voice ringing through the air. The spectators watched, the air tense with anticipation, as Mr Clarke told them that the first match would be delayed, then gestured for the two competitors to get into the field.

Summer jumped down, landing lightly on her feet. Winter slowly climbed down the steps, hands in his pockets. He looked up worriedly, and Summer saw that he was staring at Glade. But his brother didn't seem to notice him, looking only straight ahead.

Winter looked like he had been struck with a sledgehammer. He cringed at the rejection and continued to stand opposite of Summer with his head low. There was definitely something going on, and it appeared to be between the brothers. Perhaps they had a fallout?

Summer stared at Winter, noticing how he tried to avoid putting too much weight on one foot. She frowned. It looked like he had sprained his ankle once more. But how? He couldn't have tripped over some trash bins again, could he?

Winter was glaring stonily at her once she looked up from where she was staring at his foot, eyes blazing with determination. Summer blinked. She had never seen Winter so... pumped up to do something before.

"Alright you two, get into position," Mr Clarke ordered. Summer unsheathed her sword, emptying her mind bit by bit as she tried to focus, remembering Winter's training sessions and the advice the strange voice had given her. I must not feel fear.

Winter pulled on his gloves and flexed his fingers, staring down at his fist as he curled it into a ball tightly. Summer pulled her mask down over her face, prepared to use her oil in the greatest times of need.

"Ready? Ok, weapons up, power charged, FIGHT!!" Mr Clarke announced, signalling the start of the battle. Summer ignited her flamesword, slitting her eyes as she imagined her fire growing, nurtured by her will.

As she focused she sensed a slight disturbance in the air around her and raised her sword, blocking the lance Winter had launched at her. She heard Winter growl, but that didn't break her concentration. Her flames gradually enlarged, surrounding her with their protective heat and power. She felt the strength flowing through them, crackling and spluttering, the heat they were giving out filling the entire arena.

Summer opened her eyes, feeling in a trance-like state, as she stared calmly at Winter. Burning, ever-bright fire encircled her. She smirked and wagged a provoking finger at her opponent.

It was time to fight.

Winter's eyes flashed murderously and he charged at Summer, creating an icicle sword and casting a tornado, before sending frost flying into it, creating a Snow Twister.

The Snow Twister zoomed towards Summer, whooshing and howling emptily. Summer raised her burning sword and pointed it at the twister. Her flames obeyed her command, blasting up towards the twister and circling it, before closing in. The twister faltered, wavering, then suddenly exploded.

Ice shards were sent flying everywhere, and Winter flew out from the smoke the twister had caused, ice sword at his side. His teeth were gritted, eyes focused only on Summer and her dangerous blade.

Their swords clashed as Summer defended herself. Ruby met sapphire, glowing with the intent to win. The ground cracked beneath them as the two opposing forces struggled to push each other back.

Summer smirked when an idea came to her, and she twitched her fingers. Winter's eyes widened and he jumped away, just in time to avoid Summer's flames from getting to him.

Gasps broke out from the crowd and the students began to chatter among each other. What was Summer doing? Why wasn't she charging head-on at Winter? Confusion spread. The last time they fought, Winter was the calm one. Now, it was Summer.

Winter charged at Summer again, eyes narrowed in frustration. He made another lance and swung it at her, letting go of his sword so that it floated in the air. Summer blocked the attack again, knowing that the more she blocked and defended herself, the more desperate Winter would become.

But why is he so desperate to win? The last time we fought he was so serene... Summer wondered, doubt flickering inside her. Winter unleashed a flurry of attacks, and Summer parried them all. She noticed that his blows were getting weaker, and the light in his eyes beginning to fade, swamped with exhaustion.

How can he be tired so quickly? Summer felt worry flare up in her chest. The limping... The bruises on his arms... Could it be that he got into a fight?

Remembering Glade's ignorance of his brother when Winter tried to catch his eye, another thought came to her. Could Glade have been the one who hurt him?

Anger flooded Summer's mind. How could Glade do such a thing to his own brother? I'll ask him later after this battle...

The consecutive attacks stopped suddenly and Summer realised that Winter was now edging away from her, panting hard. His expression was one of agony as he clutched his shoulder tentatively. Another flash of worry, this time with anxiety mixed in it.

Is Winter so terribly injured that he can barely fight? If so...

"Winter I think you should drop out," she said, worry in her eyes. Winter froze, expression dumbfounded. The other students didn't hear her plea as they were too busy discussing what was happening, which suited Summer perfectly well.

"You're badly hurt. There's no use trying to hide that fact from me Winter. You shouldn't have-"

"I don't take orders from you!" Winter snapped, interrupting her. Silence fell over the students when they heard Winter's exclamation. Summer flinched at his roughness, which was unlike the personality she knew Winter had.

"But Winter-" she began.

"Shut up!" Winter barked, his eyes flashing with a hint of a warning. Behind them, Glade was shocked by his brother's sudden change in attitude. Winter had never been so gruff. It was a new side of him, revealed due to something Glade didn't know.

Summer kept silent, knowing fully well that Winter would reject everything that she said. Was he doing this because of pride? Was he so afraid that his reputation would get ruined if he revealed a weakness in him?

She looked pleadingly at him. "Please Winter. Stop shutting me out!" She begged, feeling tears well up in her eyes. Winter froze once more, his eyes wide when he heard her pleading voice. A flicker of regret flashed across his eyes, but then it was flushed out by a hard, cold look.

"Why would you care? You should mind your own business, freak!" He snarled. Summer gasped, taking a step back. Freak. He called me a freak.

Winter never thought of me as a friend.

Winter's eyes rounded when he realised what he had said. The crowd stared on with bated breath, watching as the drama unfolded before them.

"Fine. If that's what you want, I'll just fight you with everything I've got." Summer said coldly, her tone harsh. Winter flinched and he momentarily glanced up at the stands. Glade stared back at him, his jaw hanging. He looked around and saw all that all the students were whispering and pointing at him.

Summer raised her sword and directed her eager, hungry flames at Winter, no emotion in her ruby eyes. Winter cast an ice dome around him, desperate to escape her demolishing fires. The flames ate at the ice, and to the crowd's surprise, the ice began to melt. Winter's Ice Craft was melting before their eyes.

Winter crashed through the other side of the dome, panting as he rolled on the ground and shakily got to his feet, eyes wild with panic. The flames chased after him, growling like a dragon.

Winter began to cast ice at the flames in an attempt to extinguish them, but every time he extinguished one flame, several others took its place. He glanced at Summer. He was under her mercy. The flames could kill him with their intense heat, burning his body till he became nothing but unrecognisable ash.

He gritted his teeth and sent an Icestorm at the flames, which began to greedily devour the ice shards that rained on them. Summer narrowed her eyes and her fires sprang to life, burning white and hot, speeding towards Winter.

Winter's eyes showed his horror as he tried to raise an Ice Barrier to stop the flames, but to no avail. The fire slammed into his wall and engulfed it, so that it crumbled under the flames' heat.

Then suddenly the flames stopped and retreated. Winter glanced up, wondering why the flames were going back, when he noticed that Summer was right in front of him.

He made an ice shield and blocked Summer's heavy attack just in time. He grunted as Summer pushed down, trying to break past his defense, and he felt a sharp, excruciating pain zap through his shoulder. He bit his lip. I must endure it!

Summer slashed again, her eyes cold and uncaring. Winter was pushed back each time she landed an attack on his shield. The shield was beginning to crack, splintering further. Then as Summer hit the shield one more time, it broke, shattering to dust particles. Winter's eyes widened as he saw the oncoming blade, burning with those hated fires.

Summer saw it too. She tried to twist her sword and extinguish her flames but her sword's hilt smashed against Winter's shoulder- the one that was injured- before she could.

Both Winter and Summer heard the heart-stopping sound of bones snapping, and the smell of burning metal, then flesh, filled their noses. Then Winter screamed and fell to the ground, clutching his shoulder and writhing in agony. Summer froze as she realised what she had done to him, her first friend.

She dropped her sword and crouched beside him, trying to stop him from moving. "Winter, Winter please stop moving!" Summer choked out, her breath hitching in her throat.

Winter let out a plaintive cry as he shuddered, his grip on his limp shoulder tightening. There were shouts of alarm from the spectators as they finally realised that Winter was badly hurt.

"Bro!" Glade's voice, panicked and cracking, reached Summer's ears. She looked up from Winter's convulsing form and saw Glade struggling with two other male students. "Lemme go! I need to get to my brother! LEMME GO YOU JERKS!" He roared, thrashing in the boys' hands.

Summer looked back down at Winter and saw that he had finally stopped shaking, whimpering in pain and sobbing. She gently pried his bloodied hand of his shoulder and examined the wound.

There was a deep cut in his armour, and black cloth could be seen visibly poking out. Blood gushed out from the cut from where Winter's skin had been horribly burned, and Summer could see his shoulder slightly twisted and turning purple.

"Summer- Summer help..." She heard Winter moan, gritting his teeth as he tried to move. He cried out as his movements caused his shoulder to twist further, and his expression became contorted in agony. Tears fell from Winter's sapphire blue eyes, dripping onto the ground as he tried to fight back the pain.

Summer saw Winter's eyes begin to glaze. She looked up at a stunned Mr Clarke standing at the commentator's stand. "I for-" she began, but was cut off when Winter's weak voice whispered,

"No, I forfeit. I forfeit this battle..." Then he let out a moan, twitching, as his wound began to hurt even more.

Mr Clarke heard and cleared his throat. "Winter Wolfenstrike forfeits the battle. Summer Solveg wins." No one cheered. They were so shocked by the outcome of the battle that they could only stare.

Summer stared down at Winter, about to ask him why he did that, when she realised he had fainted. Winter's body was limp, eyes slitted and glazed. She shook him gently. No response.

The medical team arrived with a stretcher and carefully placed Winter's body on it, taking extra care not to touch his twisted arm or shoulder. Summer followed the medical team into the arena's treatment room, ignoring whatever Mr Clarke said about her leaving the arena without a teacher accompanying her.

She had Winter to watch over. She wasn't going to follow orders just because she was told too. Even though she won the battle, it didn't feel fair. Winter had already been injured before the battle. It was like playing dirty. She cursed herself for not noticing Winter's strange behaviour earlier.

I'm going to take care of you Winter. I don't care if you think I'm a freak. You are still my best friend to me.

Or maybe, just maybe, even more...