The Dark Ice Chronicles - The Magi

Chapter 14 - What I Need Is A Good Defense

My stomach likes to tie itself in knots when I’m really anticipating something. Like showing Evan my Ice power at school on Thursday.

I can barely hold down breakfast, I’m so nervous. I’m on edge as I sit through all my morning classes. By lunchtime, I’m so wired I’m about to explode.

In a very unusual twist of fate, Harris doesn’t come to our usual lunch table first today - Evan does. I think it’s better that way, though. I wanted her to be alone with me when I showed her, so it would seem a bit more special.

But how to lead in to it...that’s my real challenge. I can’t exactly drop this in her lap. That would just be rude.

“Hey there,” I say as Evan takes her seat. “Chilly today, isn’t it?”

“It’s December, it happens.” Evan smiles, pulling a green apple out of her backpack. “What’s with you today? You look kinda funny.”

“I dunno,” I say, glad Mom made a mistake and bought green apples even after I specifically asked her for red. I can now match Evan’s apple again, when I was afraid I might not get another chance to do so before winter break. “I just keep thinkin’ how much fun it would be to quick-freeze these things. Preserve ‘em for future post-apocalyptic archaeological digs, right?”

Evan chokes on her peanut-butter sandwich. “What? Do you have any idea how completely random that is?”

“But now you wanna try it out, don’t you?”

“Um…” A shy smile forms slowly on Evan’s face, and I find myself copying the expression. I did say before that I loved Evan’s shy smile, right?

“Come on,” I say in a singsong voice. “You know you wanna.”

Evan picks up her apple. “It’d be a waste of a good apple.”

“Not really,” I say. “We can unfreeze ‘em after, right?”

“Who says?”

“I says.” I don’t bring up the fact that I was able to pull Ice from my walls last night. That was different only because it was a non-living thing. Evan does bring up a good point, but one I decide to ignore in the excitement of the moment.

“You sound pretty sure of yourself,” Evan laughs.

“And why not?” I say. “Come on, you can freeze mine first. Think fast!” I throw my apple at Evan’s face, and she screams before raising her hand and freezing it. The mini-gust of wind created by her power also sends it flying a few inches back at me, finally coming to rest exactly halfway between us.

“You...you…” Evan can’t even form the words. Or, at least, she’s only pretending to be spitting mad. Given her acting skills, I’m leaning towards the latter. “That’s it, Jay, you brought this upon yourself!”

She grabs her apple and chucks it at my face, only for me to send it flying with a blast of Ice so it lands right next to hers.

Evan’s face shifts from a demonic grin to a shocked jaw-drop. “Holy shit,” she breathes. “Jason...you...how is that possible?”

“You surprised?” I ask. “That’s okay. So was I when I first found out I could do that.”

Evan laughs - I can’t tell if it’s from nerves, adrenaline, amazement, or some combination of the above. “I thought that was impossible, though. Warlocks are only supposed to have one power.”

I smile widely. “Guess again, love.”

“Holy shit,” Evan says again. “That’s so cool. I mean, I’ve heard stories about it all the time, but I never thought they were true.”