Keepers of Ice

Prologue

The mathematical problems in his book reminded him too much of his life; difficult, unclear and without purpose. The more he stared at the work, the more frustrating it became. David Frost groaned, buried his head in his arms and proceeded to a sleeping position on his desk.

When David was five, a mysterious fire had occurred in his home. It had stolen the lives of his parents. He remembers how his uncle and aunt had taken he and his four-year-old sister on a hurried plane flight to Australia the very next day. He also remembers feeling more confused than distressed during that time. Although he had tried to push it aside, the unwanted memory had been haunting him more than ever nowadays.

From then on, they had lived ordinary Australian lives. But after turning fifteen, he began contemplating things he did not dare contemplate before. What if the fire was deliberately started? And why were his uncle and aunt so concerned about getting them as far away as possible from their country? After all, they had migrated all the way from Canada and whenever his sister had tried asking them about it, they would suddenly change the subject. Regardless, David wanted to forget his past and look towards a brighter future, whatever that may be.

The school bell suddenly rang noisily across the classroom, causing a small uproar of cheers, shoved chairs, and scurrying feet. David grabbed his pencil case and books before making a beeline for his shabby locker. He reached for his bag and as he was shoving his equipment in, he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Hey Dave, have a good weekend!" a voice behind him said.

David turned and met his friend's startling green eyes. "You too, John."

The two of them bumped fists and went their separate ways. David marched out of the clamorous locker room and searched for his sister outside. As usual, Stacey was leaning against the school's tall, black gates with earphones plugged in. When he approached her, she looked down at her wrist watch and made an exaggerated eye roll.

"Took you long enough to get here. Any longer and we would've been too late for the weekends," she teased.

He ignored her and began leading the way back home, which was only a fifteen-minute walk from school. Even though his sister was fourteen, their uncle had made them promise to go back home together. As they continued walking on the footpath, water droplets began to fall around them.

"You must be joking." Stacey glared at the sky and broke into a run. She glanced back briefly and gestured for him to catch up.

David sighed and started sprinting just behind her. Within a minute, the harmless drizzle had turned into a downpour, soaking anyone in the area from head to toe. Fortunately for them, the siblings were only a few more minutes from their house.

When their home came into view, a man stepped out and greeted them with a smile. But that smile faded when he stared at something past them. Without warning, the man rushed towards them, grabbed them both firmly by the shoulders and led them into the house. He locked the door at once and David and his sister exchanged confused glances.

Thunder rumbled in the dark sky above as rain continued to fall. "What's wrong Uncle William?" David asked curiously. Their uncle was a tall, smart man in his late thirties. He had short, brown hair and blue eyes that seemed to sparkle whenever he smiled. David watched as William walked to a window near the front door and peered out.

With curiosity, he and his sister went to see what had gotten their uncle so worked up. The rain and darkened sky made it hard to see, but David could make out a mysterious man staring back at them, watching them intently from across the street. "Who is he?"

"Probably one of those crazy neighbours with nothing better to do," Stacey replied with a bored yawn. By now, the man was starting to walk away. But his eyes never left them.

"We need to leave. Now." Uncle William's tone was serious. He covered the window with curtains and turned to his niece and nephew. "Both of you, pack your bags. I'll explain everything in the car." And with that, their uncle marched off into the kitchen, where his wife was cooking dinner.

David and Stacey stared at each other with eyes wide open. Are we really going to move to another place just because some creepy man was watching us?

"What in the world is going on?" Stacey asked.

"I don't know, and I don't like it." David looked in the direction of his room. "We should probably get packing. I've never heard Uncle William sound so serious."

"This is crazy! Why would we have to—"

"We'll make him explain on the way. I'm sure Uncle William will tell us everything." David was not sure if he believed what he told her. He pushed away thoughts of worry and frustration and tried to focus on the task at hand. He began walking towards his bedroom.

"Tell us what?" Stacey asked, her voice desperate for answers.

He paused and looked down at the carpeted floor. Will this be the last time I step foot in this house? "I guess we'll find out soon." Without another word, he disappeared into his bedroom and closed the door gently behind him. David was tired and confused. He sat at the edge of his bed and sighed. Should I pack along my comic books or leave them behind? he thought bitterly.