The Ice.

1. An Ordinary Day After School.

I run towards the door and pull it open. The bell rings. Damn it. I'm late again.

I open my locker and stuff my jacket in there and close it.

"Sorry, I'm late," I pause teacher's talk.

"Youg lady! It's the fifth time this week. Try waking up earlyer."

"Yes, ma'am."

"We're not in the military. Have a seat."

I sit by the window. A perfect place to not pay any attention to the class at all.

"What hapened? Your dog ate your clock?" asks Emma who sits next to me. She's also my best friend.

"I don't own a dog. My mum ate it."

"Hehe. I like your morning humor."

"Me too. What is she talking about?" I ask her as I grab my stuff from my bag.

"Some planets. I don't understand, really."

The teacher did talk about a planet. Jupiter to be more precise.

The bell rings and everyone rushes out. I'm alone with the teacher and I know that she's going to give me detention. Some shit's going to happen now.

"Eva. If this getting late thing continues you will be sorry. Go now."

I got out clean? No way!

"Yes ma'am."

"Not a military," she reminds me.

I exit the class and walk down the hall. Some younger graders run past me and bump into me.

"Watch it, kids! No running in the hall!"

"Whatever! You aren't my boss," a boy yells at me spiting on the floor.

"Whatever indeed."

They run away laughing. I'm pissed at people running in the hallways.

By the time the schoolday is over I sit by my locker waiting for Emma to finish her homework. I don't get it why does she do it at school anyway. Homework is ment for doing at home.

"Ok, I'm done."

"Finally. I need you to tell me where are you taking me."

Oh yeah. She promised to take me to some super secret awesome place.

"Not yet. You need to see it first, then I'll tell you what it is."

"Fine..."

We dress up, take our snacks I bought earlyer and go. She takes me through the town to a forest. It's autumn so the forest looks like a Halloween party. I love Halloween but we don't celebrate it in Estonia.

"Here we are."

"In the middle of the forest?"

"No..." she pulls a rope hidden under the leaves. A tree trunk opens a secret door in the ground. It's solid steel.

"Do you know how much you can get just by selling that hatch?"

"I'm not selling the hatch. It's the only protection we have."

"Against what. Wait...WE? There are more peopole down there? If this has anything to do with any religion I'm out."

"Relax. It's just you, me and my sister Sarah."

"Oh. So it isn't some cult location or a tunnel to hell?"

"No. After you."

"If I fall..."

"You aren't going to. Just climb down."

I enter the tunnel. There's a visible light in the bottom of it...but it's either far down or a very small hole I have to squeeze myself through. By the time I make it down there things start to get warm.

"Do you guys go to sauna here?"

"No. Why?"

"It's very hot down here."

"Hot? It's about +18°C down here..."

"What? No. I'm sure it's like +30°C atleast. What do you need protection from? Werewolves?"

"The Radioactives and the Royalists."

"Oh. Welcome to the geek club."

"These secret organisations are real. Watch your step!"

I didn't and I trip over the final pipe that was used as a ladder. I fell, but I didn't get hurt.

The room may be about 12 meters below ground, but it's worth the climb. The place is huge and looks like a bar. A pool table, an air hockey table and a ping-pong table are by the wall. A huge HD TV is on the wall and there's a green sofa under it.

"How did you get all this junk down here?"

"Portals," she replyes fast.

"No, seriously."

"Seriously."

"Emma..." I mock her.

She pulls a gun-like thing out of her pocket and shoots at the wall then does the same on the opposite wall. Sarah picks up a ball and throws into one of the opened portals. It disappears and appears out of another.

"Hey, Sarah!" I greet Emma's sister whom just appeared from around the corner.

"You don't seem surprised." Sarah replyes to me.

"No. I am not. I've seen portals before."

"Than why did you dount us?" asks Emma.

"Emma, Sarah. Let me tell you a story."

I ask them to come closer. It all looks so dramatic so I'm trying to hide my smile. They come closer to me slowly, like someone's listening.

"It's...." I whisper.

"It's classified intel."

"What!" Sarah shouts. The entire room echos.

"Calm down, sis. What do you mean classified intel?" asks Emma from me.

"Well...That's also classified. Hey, I brought popcorn and some soda. Let's get this...thing...started, shall we?"

I stand up and dust my asset because the floor doesn't feel so clean.