Frostbitten Past

X X V I I

ALL ANDORRA could think about was the moment in the bathroom when the Daemonium was licking her through the crack in the stall. She could practically picture the moment when the tongue met her cheek. Or when her mom almost hit it with their car. Or how the fear inside of her had been so strong she felt as though she were dying.

Those moments barely held a candle to how she felt right then. She could see the potent fear on Kyle's face, the way his body was tense. If Kyle was afraid then Andorra knew she should be afraid.

She grabbed Noah's shirt in both hands, pressing her face to his back, wishing it would go away. The sound of drooling, the sound of the man talking, the way the hairs on her body were standing on end.

"You won't be taking her," Noah was saying, his arms crossed, "because she gets to make this decision. It's in the prophecy."

The man laughed, snapping his fingers. With that sound, the Daemonium lept from the place it was sitting, seeming to fly through the air as it approached Kyle's frozen body. When the Daemonium landed just inches from the Sun Faerie, it hissed. It's long tongue wrapped around Kyle's neck, lifting him from the ground. Andorra watched in fear as Kyle began to kick, clearly struggling, clearly choking.

Suddenly, Andorra felt anger red and hot rush through her veins. Anger that Kyle, while he deserved a little pain, was about to die at the hands of a monster. It was unlike anything she'd ever felt before, and to be honest, it terrified her. She hated the feeling in her chest, like she was on fire. And she knew logically there was nothing she could do in that moment to save him.

"Noah, you have to do something!" she urged, wrapping her arms tightly around him. "He's gonna die!"

Noah had no reason to save the Sun Fae, except for the girl begging behind him. He would much rather let Kyle die at the hands of a Daemonium, but he knew that even if the blonde boy caused Andorra pain and anguish, she was still kind. She was still good natured, and she cared.

Anlithamy will destroy her big heart, he thought to himself as he unwound her arms from his body. He turned to look her in the eyes, seeing the fear there, and he knew he had to do something.

"Stay right here. Do not approach that man, or the monster. Understand?"

She nodded, even though his tone of voice was harsh, and then he turned from her. In the blink of an eye, his body transformed and became taller, harder, bigger. She realized, without having to see his face, that he'd turned back to who he really was - a 20-something man.

She pressed her back against the lockers as she watched with rapt fascination as his pale skin began to glow, thrumming with energy, causing the hallway to become harsh and bright, like sun gleaming off of snow. It was almost blinding, but Andorra forced herself to watch as the Daemonium was beginning to slow his movements, stiffening in a strange way. It took Andorra a few moments to realize Noah was freezing the monster from the inside out.

In only a few moments, the monster dropped Kyle, leaving him sputtering on the floor, hands to his neck and eyes wide as he scrambled away. Andorra could barely watch the blonde as her eyes watched Noah, impeccable as he showcased his powers.

The man had had enough. He ran towards Noah, arms wrapping around his waist and shoving the snow fae to the ground. For a moment, Noah struggled, but then the sound of crackling filled the air. Andorra watched with horror as the man electrocuted Noah right before her very eyes, noting the way she could see the currents of lighting race through him.

The anger she felt for Kyle intensified suddenly, and her body burned so much it physically hurt her. She gasped, her body buckling in pain, but her anger fueled her. She watched as Noah was dying, and she knew she had to do something.