―iv. eighth grade dances & tea leaf readings

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ISAAC WOULD NEVER WILLINGLY ADMIT IT, but he'd let himself think about holding Nico's hand. Hell, he'd thought about holding Will's. It was purely out of curiosity—like, were Nico's hands as cold as he thought? Were Will's warm from being a son of Apollo? Did either of them do the thing where they thread their fingers together or rub their thumbs against the back of the other person's hand or—?

Focus.

If Isaac wasn't so goddamn cold, he might have been able to appreciate the opportunity to hold Nico's hand—as selfish as it was, anyway. Nico's hands weren't cold, though Isaac couldn't be sure if that was because they just weren't or if it was because everything else was freezing around them. He also did the finger-threading-thing, though Isaac figured it was more for keeping his grip than anything else.

The trek to Choi Sun-hee's house was just that—a trek. Every house they passed felt like twelve as they fought against the wind. Isaac couldn't feel his fingers or his toes; he was pretty sure his ears were gone and his nose would be going next. He'd die of hypothermia looking like the shitty villain from a transphobe's fantasy series.

Was this how Canadians lived every winter? Why did anyone live farther north than Oregon, anyway?

"There," he said, finally spotting the hot-pink mailbox at the end of the Chois' driveway. Sun-hee's baby sister had plastered it with stickers of flowers, butterflies, fairies—just about everything Amy and Cerise were currently obsessed with. It fit, seeing as the three of them were inseparable. The Pattersons and the Chois were old friends.

Isaac and Nico made their way up the snow-covered driveway. He could barely feel the gravel through the snow, but he heard it crunching faintly beneath his feet.

He breathed an exaggerated sigh of relief when they reached the front porch and grasped the door knocker, knocking a few times.

He held his breath as he waited for someone—hopefully Sun-hee—to answer. He let out another sigh as the girl in question opened the door, staring at the pair with clear shock and confusion.

"Isaac?" she asked, eyes wide. She ushered the boys inside, shutting the door firmly behind them all. "What are you doing here? It's freezing outside."

"Hadn't noticed," Isaac said sarcastically, making her roll her eyes. "We need your help."

Sun-hee straightened up. "Like, augur help?"

Isaac nodded. "Nico and I got a prophecy, with our—friend, Will, on how to stop this freak blizzard," he explained. "We were hoping you could help us figure out some of the lines."

One of Sun-hee's mothers, Ha-joon, walked in from the direction of the kitchen. She frowned at the pair of shivering boys at her front door. "Isaac? What's wrong?"

"Quest stuff," Isaac said, trying for a smile that felt more like a grimace. "We need Sun-hee's help."

Ha-joon crossed her arms over her chest. "What you need is something hot," she said. "I'll go brew up some tea. Sun-hee, bring them to the living room."

Sun-hee did as her mother said as soon as Isaac and Nico shed their coats and shoes.

As they sat down on the couch, Sun-hee asked, "What kind of questions do you have?"

"Location, mostly," Isaac said. "And, y'know, any advice to help us hunt down a couple of magical flowers and stop some blizzards."

"Hmm," Sun-hee hummed. "Okay. I'll go grab my stuff—be right back."

Isaac pulled off his beanie and shook his hair out, trying not to imagine how much of a porcupine he must've looked like. That was what he got for growing his hair out.

Through the Ice ― Nico di Angelo & Will SolaceWhere stories live. Discover now