Young Writers Society

One summer, the peaceful city Chicago experiences a threat unlike anything it has ever seen before. Destructive, freak blizzards - which are caused by a mysterious figure who calls herself The Snow Queen - kill many. But Chicago is only the beginning. The Snow Queen has gathered accomplices, each with their own powers and a vendetta against the world. Together are on the verge of destroying the United States, and a band of five superheroes based in Chicago most come together to stop them.

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[b]Superhero Name:[/b]
[b]Costume:[/b] (A picture will suffice)
[b]Disguise:[/b] (How they disguise themselves when going about their everyday lives)
[b]Civillian Occupation:[/b]
[b]Age:[/b] (at least 18)
[b]Backstory:[/b] (how did they get their powers?)
[b]Powers:[/b]
[b]Significant Relationships:[/b] (because all good superheroes a love interest and/or confidante. Do they have an archnemesis? If so, describe this here as well)
[b]Values/Motives:[/b] (why do they either fight crime or induce it?)

Izzy

Music always made Izzy feel at ease. It transported her into another dimension where conflict and strife did not exist. While she'd played the violin ever since she was a little girl, she had always taken it for granted. After everything that she had seen in the past year, she needed a place to go where the real world would melt away.

Only tonight was different. They were about halfway through the concert. They were playing selections from Swan Lake and were now on the main theme. Izzy had seen it once with her parents when she was thirteen, and she was fuzzy on plot details--but during orchestra rehearsals, they'd discussed the plot in great detail and watched a filmed stage version. As they played, Izzy could only think of how much the story was that of her own life, how much she was like Odette.

She hadn't seen Derek in four days. He was back in Boston, visiting his family. He'd be back in Chicago by Sunday--it was Friday--but how much she had thought about him in this time had scared her. It had been three months since she had saved his life, three months since they kissed on the rooftop. She hadn't had the courage to appear to him as Firegirl since then. For some reason Derek had chosen the girl who he was comfortable talking about anything to, and she got to listen to him talk on an almost daily basis about how wonderful and amazing she had been, and wondering why she didn't come to him. She didn't know why she wouldn't. It was clear that Derek only liked the Firegirl side of Izzy, and it's not like they could go out on dates or anything in the open. Besides, she knew her feelings for him were genuine, and for all Izzy knew Derek could just be obsessed with a shadow of a role she played because she saved his life.

They came to the end of the piece, and all of the sudden Izzy started to feel very cold. She wasn't sure if she was just imagining it, but she warmed herself up a little bit to stay warm. But it did no good. It got colder. The other musicians were starting to notice it too. It got so cold so quickly she could see her breath. And she couldn't risk warming the building up without being noticed. She made eye contact her team and Laurel in the audience. There was only one possibility. Elissa. The only thing was how to get away from the crowd without being noticed...

Abbie | In the Concert Hall

Once upon a time, long ago, she had come here with her mother to watch The Wizard of Oz. Beth had bundled Abbie up at taken her through the snow and sat in the circle with all the other mothers and fathers and children and there had been ice cream and Abbie had screamed at the witch and laughed at the scare crow and stared in awe at Glinda the Good Witch with her skirts like mercury.

Now she slumped in her seat in the back rows watching with boredom as the student orchestra played Tchaikovsky. Her parents had a Russian researcher who used to pick Abbie up from school on a Wednesday. He always played this tape in the car.

The main theme, a rousing crescendo and the familiar motif that everybody in the entire fricking world knew, filled the hall and Abbie took the signal. She made a point of coughing, standing up and leaving the hall. She had been on lookout duty this time, to make sure there was nothing amiss in the audience. She made the signal, imperceptible unless you were looking for it, to the team member stationed on the glass dome of the concert hall's foyer, before she swerved into the ladies' bathrooms.

She could feel the temperature dropping as she scooped her hair up and stripped off her dress and jacket and leggings. She opened the cubicle door and saw The Valkyrie staring back at her from the mirrors. There were big bags under the villain's eyes.

Good, thought Abbie. You deserve to be weary. I deserve to be weary.

There was really no point pretending she was not The Valkyrie. Not anymore.

Just get through tonight, she told herself and then uninvited another thought came into her head. Maybe you could take Sammy to a concert here sometime.

The first wave of civilians were leaving the theatre in a hurried panic.

Abbie braced herself.

Jedediah Perry

Jedediah lounged back in his chair, eyes half closed and mouth chewing lazily on his lunch. He was trying his best to ignore the "orchestra" on stage. He knew how that song was supposed to go, and they way they were playing it was definitely not it. So, instead of making a fool of himself by spontaneously correcting their presentation, he focused on the fluttering in the pit of his stomach. It was always rather funny to him how the Phagus got more excited in the wake of something special. Jed traced the outline of the hole beneath his breastbone and goosebumps rose on his arms. He could feel the wings of the Phagus practically brushing against the underneath of his skin.

In some ways, the sensation made him want to throw up. It was nauseating. But in another way, it was pleasant and relaxing, it produce far more pleasure than the people playing in front of him.

A crescendo.

Jedidiah peeked his eye open and scanned the crowd as casually as possible. If he wasn't mistaken, that was the cue they all agreed on, and seeing Abbie rise slowly from her seat at the back of the stadium confirmed his assumptions. Game on. Jed stuffed the rest of his sandwich down his throat and procured another from the brown bag settled at his feet. Discreetly, he crumbled the bag - gaining a few glares from his neighbors - and rose to throw it away, but once he made it to the can and disposed of his trash, he didn't turn back to his seat.

The bathrooms were nicely hid away, and otherwise empty. He changed quickly into his costume which had already been hidden in one of the trashcans. One the suit was on, he conjured one Phagus and let it roam around freely before ordering it to his shoulder. Upon exiting the bathroom he saw Abbie, already dressed and ready. He watched quietly for a moment as she observed the crowd fleeting from the stadium, and noticed himself the sudden chill in the air.

"Ready," he asked before he took another bit out of his sandwich. But strode off to find the Snow Queen before she could reply. They were officially on a schedule now, and time was of the essence.

Killian/Entwine,

I like music, don't get me wrong. I even like most Romantic stuff, but Swan Lake? Not really my cup of tea. I mean, I guess the evil guy bit is okay, with the mounting brass, but other than that, it bores me out of my skull.

So there I am, sitting low in my seat, mind wandering. Lucille is sitting next to me, riveted by the student performance. Her hand is on the armrest to my left. It would be so easy to just reach out and...but no, not easy. What if she doesn't feel the same way? What if she freaks out and thinks I'm trying to merge with her? No, I can't risk her friendship, or lose her presence in my life. If I did, well, it's inevitable, what would happen. My heart quickens. Being around this many people is a bit risky. I can feel them, pulsing with life, evey fiber of their being vibrating with astonishing energy. My hand clenches and I feel the familiar swooping sensation in the pit of my stomach. When I glance down, I see that my right hand has absorbed some of the armrest, turning my hand into a plushy velvet. A quick glance at the concert-goer to my right show that he hasn't seen me. Close. I release the armrest and my hand returns to its normal shape and texture.

I've been acting as the hero Entwine for almost a year now, and I met Izzy about five months ago, when we both showed up at the same crime scene. She told me about the group, and I came over to their home base a few times before I revealed my true identity, but eventually I relented. Izzy told us about this concert two weeks ago, and I didn't feel like going, honestly, but Lucille, out of the blue, got two tickets to it and basically forced me to come. I pretended that I was excited.

I shiver. When did it get so cold? Sure, it's Chicago, but it's the middle of summer! And it was warm just a few minutes ago, I'd swear by it. Lucille has folded her arms across her chest, to gain warmth, but is still engrossed in the music. Looking around, I see the members of the audience pulling on sweaters, shivering, murmurring. I catch Izzy's eye from on stage, just as the piece finishes. An imperceptible nod.

The audience is getting up, the noise level rising, as the cold deepens. Our breath is misting now. Definitely unnatural.

"How'd it get s-so cold?" Lucille's teeth chatter as she speaks.

"Don't know," I say distractedly, "But I might need to go."

"Go?" She frowns, "But surely this isn't...You don't think that this is some sort of crime, do you?"

"Anything's possible. I'll be back as soon as I can...Stay out of trouble." I give her a quick hug and then push my way past the now slightly-panicked crowd. Once out of the auditorium, I make my way to the janitor's closet where, earlier, I had surreptitiously stowed my large backpack. In the gloom of the closet, I quickly strip and take my glasses and wig off. Then on go the pants, shirt, boots and trenchcoat. Finally, the tinted goggles. I let them fuse to my face, effectively obscuring the upper half of my visage.

Stepping out of the cramped closet, I flex my fingers, feeling the bonds holding my flesh together loosen. Show time.

I was doing my best not to think about the mountain of coursework I had on my desk, nobody ever tells you that being a hero will seriously eat away at your study time. I'm sitting in one of the aisle seats, on my own. I suppose it doesn't bother me much, but my only 'kind-of' friends can't sit beside me for fear of drawing too much attention to ourselves and I'm pretty sure all of them have somebody normal they can hang out with.

I sighed, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear as I looked around the large interior of the building. It was definitely beautiful, a consistent theme of red and gold. I wasn't one for feeling sorry for myself, but it would be nice sometimes if the only people I talked too weren't my fellow superheroes and psychology professor.

I look out onto the stage and saw Izzy playing, she actually looked happy for once. There was something about her, even when she'd told us about the concert, there had been a little spring in her step. That was good, especially since I was telling myself that she was happy and for once, my psychological analysis appeared to be correct.

I yawned briefly and turned my head to try and grab a view of my other teammates, of course Killian was sitting beside Lucille. They had the whole beauty and the beast scenario going on, but I couldn't blame either of them, what I wouldn't give to be able to talk to that cute guy at the coffee shop. The one was clearly polite enough not to mention my increasingly frequent visits.

A few minutes passed and I watched as Abigail rose to her feet, I saw her head towards the bathroom and decided that for once, a hero entering the bathroom didn't mean trouble.

"Of course." I muttered to myself, causing the elderly gentlemen beside me to raise an eyebrow. I rolled my eyes as the bitter cold began seeping into the concert hall, something that I hardly thought was natural for the middle of April. I turned my head and watched as Killian got to his feet, hugging Lucille in the process. "I can never just have one night, not one." I hissed under my breath, wrapping my arms around myself as my exhaling became visible due to the temperature.

I took a shallow breath and allowed myself to begin descending into the ground, I looked to my left to see the gentlemen wide eyed. "You didn't see anything." I said, shrugging my shoulders absentmindedly. After my body was fully submerged beneath the floor of the concert hall, I willed my body to stop halfway through the concrete and began taking off my clothes.

I grimaced as a realisation hit me. "I love this jacket." I reluctantly took it off and did the same with my t-shirt, trousers and boots. Luckily, three weeks ago I had clued in on recent television culture and begun wearing my costume beneath my clothes. Fairly easy when all you need to do is phase out of sight and well, strip. However nobody told you that you'd have to abandon the clothes you were wearing, I should have known better.

Once retrieving my mask from inside my right boot, I placed it onto my face and briefly stretched. Willing my body to move upwards towards the hall, I found myself entering a chaos zone.

I could see Killian re-entering the concert hall, now donning his costume and I felt a little better, although I had no idea who or what could generate such a cold temperate.

Lionel De Montfort

There was silence on the roof of the concert hall, or as much of a silence as you got in Chicago. The cars roared by, each sounding like their own, individual stampede of gazelle, and the voices rose up from the street, muffled and indistinct against the city backdrop. The music of the concert didn't travel this far. It was for the best, really; Lionel didn't care for music.

The Albatross was wearing his disguise upon his rooftop. It was starting to wear thin though. The red and black had seemed like a good idea in the beginning, but now the Albatross could think of nothing but white and it's sublime perfection. Had there ever been a villain to wear white? The Albatross didn't know. It wouldn't be easy to pull off though - white wasn't a forgiving colour, but then again, Lionel wasn't a forgiving man.

As he crossed over the glass dome of the foyer, the Albatross crouched and he waited for the signal. As Abbie came into view, the winds flurried and at her tiny gesture, they whipped up into a gale force wind. This was not a power for cape-clad superheroes, but Lionel in his aerodynamic costume was unaffected by the growing storm.

The same could not be said for the flurry of panicking people who were exiting the concert hall. Look at them run. Listen to them scream, the crescendo barely lifting above the roar of the wind as Lionel bowled them over with a flick of his wrist.

Izzy

As Izzy slipped away from the crowd that was slowly descending into chaos, she cursed Elissa for attacking during a concert. Usually she was able to wear her costume under her civilian clothing, but it would have been entirely visible under her black strapless dress. She sprinted upstairs to the practice room, where her costume was neatly sealed in a zipped pocket of her bag. She replaced the costume with with the wig, black dress and glasses and quickly changed. Before she went outside she stuffed her bag in her music locker so that no one would be able to find it and look inside it in case something happened.

The scene was chaos. People who had been at the concert were running everywhere. Some noticed her and gasped. The heat outside was jarring after being inside the concert hall, but she tried to focus, locating her other teammates.

She turned around and saw the villain called the Albatross smiling at them wickedly from the rooftop above. And Izzy knew that this was serious. She only wondered where Elissa was...

"EVERYONE!" She called the the last few stragglers from the concert hall. "OUT OF HERE."

They obeyed, and Izzy summoned a wall of fire around the perimeter so that no one could escape, and to let Elissa knew that she meant business. The others began to fight, but Izzy had business with Elissa. That was when she felt a sharp coldness trickle around her skin. There was a thread of icy air leading her to the back of the theater, and no one seemed to notice it but herself. Izzy had no choice to follow.

She only met Elissa's glance for a second before she felt the world close in around her and go black.

Elissa

Elissa smiled as she regarded her friend, now frozen in ice. Her capture had been almost too easy. When they'd last met, Elissa had been still living in the abandoned apartment. She'd still just escaped from the facility in Boston and had been pretty shaken. Izzy had gotten the better of her. But now things were changed. She'd trained. She'd made friends that were helping her with her plan.

She wore the tattered blue dress and her hair in a bun. As she watched idly, the heroes had more strength then she gave them credit for. But would they falter once they realized that Izzy was captured? It would be fun to toy with them for a while first.

As she advanced to where the action was occurring, Elissa felt the heat from the fire Izzy had summoned sting her like hell. She changed it to huge blocks of ice and there was an immediate change in the demeanor of the heroes. They were weaker. Elissa smiled.

Scarlett



I smiled as I casually leaned against the maple tree in front of the building, it's shade covering me from the average person's view.

I felt the chilling air curling around me and I looked up. Elissa, already in her blue dress, strode up to the front door. That dress isn't even a costume, but to each their own. She nodded to me, a small nod that only a person who knew what to look for saw, and I saw it. Returning the silent nod, I touched the bark of the ancient, and I felt it groan to my touch.

This tree's been here longer than any of the buildings around it, and it's felt the horrible pain of its brothers. It's rage was cocooned inside of it for decades, until we met. Now it has a reason to live, and that reason is to fight.

I rested my forehead on its trunk, and its leaves rustled in response. "Give me power, ancient, and I will avenge you and your brothers." I whispered. The tree shook from its rage, and leaves began to fall like crazy.

I looked up and let the leaves fall on my face. Gently, the leaves solidified into one maple leaf that covered my right eye, its stem ingrained in my cheek.

Tracing a line in its bark, I could feel the power it was feeding me. It was angry. Very angry. "I will avenge you." Leaving a small kiss on its bark, I entered the theatre.

~~~~

The inside was much colder than the outside. Elissa, if anything, can pack a pretty punch. However, they were prepared. I could see people in costumes already and I felt a burning heat behind me.

I clenched my fists, and I felt many roots of trees now and from the past around the building. Remnants of the destruction the humans wrought upon us.

People ran past me, stragglers. Take your time, you will soon be dead anyway. Lifting my arms, I forced the roots up through the building, some larger than my body.

Die, and maybe the earth will accept you back into their land. The land of the Ancients. I closed my eyes and the building shook, its feeble structure weakening. The land of the Ancients is not for the Humans.

Abbie/The Valkyrie

People screamed even more when they saw her, kitted out totally in black, her eyes masked. Today she'd decided to equip herself with a pair of knives. But Abbie was damned if she was using those on civilians, not today.

"Mama, it's-" A tiny little blond boy stood right in front of her in the foyer, his blue eyes huge.

A woman who couldn't have been much older than Abbie swept him up and met The Valkyrie's eye. "Don't you dare."

Abbie spun her leg around high over the woman's head- her version of a warning shot. The woman ran.

The Valkyrie's instructions from hereon were clear, create havoc. Create a mob. Create a situation in which it was very easy for a member of the orchestra to get lost. As much as it pained her, that meant attacking the unarmed around her.

She started with a kick to the back of a burly man who turned on her, and she brought him down before beginning on someone new. She could multitask well enough to fight and look around. She wanted people that could take it- and people with groups, friends and family who would run to their rescue. The tide began to change, against the outward surge came a surge towards The Valkyrie of those trying to stop her, trying to bring her down. As soon as she had created one whirlpool in the crowd, she catapulted herself over heads to start another. Against the labyrinthine current she was creating, the stream of people making it through the doors was slow.

Then there was the earsplitting screech of broken glass. Hundreds of voices in the foyer screamed as the dome above them shattered into a billion pieces. The Valkyrie didn't know if it was her team or a "hero" or the police or the weather, but all around her people ducked and covered their faces. The Valkyrie stayed standing, the glass falling like sharp snow all around her.

There was only one other person still on their feet. A gangly boy, maybe a year or two older than Sammy, in a trench coat, with a shock of red hair and goggles on his face. Abbie's stomach turned, he seemed so strangely familiar...

But she didn't have time to think about where she knew that mouth or that hair from. Because while the glass was making dozens of tiny incisions into her suit, something even crazier was happening to this guy. The glass was going into him, and staying there, becoming him. And this glass-human hybrid was heading straight to The Valkyrie, with skin like knives.

Hero, thought the Valkyrie.

Jasmin Marie Sirus - Nephilum - The theater roof

I arrive late and I find the place has gone to hell, and with the storm brewing overhead, I should have guessed. Albatross was near by. I flew towards the roof and landed on the roof of the theater and saw a tall figure standing at the edge. I walked forward and stood next to Albatross, he huffs a deep sigh, and I'm the first to break the ice.

"This again, huh?" I said as I folded my arms onto my chest.

"Yeah, this again," he agreed.

I stood there staring at the storm, on a normal day, I would have considered the site beautiful, minus the fact the storm was made to destroy the area. The black clouds against the buildings, gave the clouds a sense of power. It was my turn to huff a deep sigh.

"Why do you oppose me, why do you oppose the Snow Queen?" he asked suddenly.

"I don't know, to kill time I guess. I can't exactly go back to school with my wings and everything," I said.

"You went to school? you shouldn't stop just because of your wings," he said.

"I'm not about to become the goverments next big experiement, and is that a teacher tone I'm hearing?" I said smirking.

"Uhhh," he said waving his hand dismissively.

He turned away and walked ten paces away from me, as a female, I did have my opinion on Albatross, he was definitly handsome. He had a sense of danger and mysteriousness about him, maybe that came with his abilities. Though I couldn't be certain, I turned to face him, and see he was looking back at me.

"Well, let's go!" he declared in a powerful voice.

I threw my arms out to my sides, my blades appeared and the chains coiled up my arms as the blades appeared in my hands. I breathed as Albatross settled into a battle stance, I casted the blade in my left hand out the chains that wrapped around my arms unwinnding and following the blade. Then the other at him, both blades travaled at him he pushs them off target with his wind abilities. I spun swinging the blades around, the blades quickly coming back around. As they did I was slowly inching forward. As the blades came back around he attempted to block with more of his air control, but the chains of the blades wrapped around him. I pulled hard once the chains locked into place. As long as I concetrated, the blades won't disappear, and he won't be fleeing.

Killian/Entwine,

Well, things are quickly going full-on, bats*** crazy. Not just one villain, no, that would be too easy. I've counted at least three so far, and that's just the start.Judging by the large roots forcing themselves up through the floor of the foyer, there are some others with crazy powers around.

Speaking of which, the ceiling just shattered. Glass and a howling wind rain down upon us. The mass of people around me ducks, but I stand tall, allowing the bonds holding my body together to relax. The glass enters my body, and melds into my flesh. Sharp points jab out in every direction; my whole body is transparent. When open my eyes, it is like looking through a camera lense.

One other person is still standing, oblivious to the falling glass that has sliced up her suit. Everything about her screams villain, from the black suit, to her fight stance. And yet, there's something about her brown hair...But no matter. She's causing havoc, it's my job to stop her. Dodging around those still cowering on the floor, I run towards her, noting a sudden edge of fear in her gaze.

Running like this is difficult. Everything in my glass-body grinds together, jarring with every step. When I reach the girl, I take a swipe at her torso with my hand, which doesn't really have fingers anymore, just thin shards of slightly-jointed glass. She jumps out of the way, moving more quickly than a normal person. Interesting.

"So what's your deal?" I say, circling around her. In this state, my voice is a grinding screech, difficult to understand. She looks confused for a second.

"My deal?" She mutters.

"Yeah, you know. What's the oh-so-traumatic experience that made you into an evil doer?" I snort. Inside though, memories are flicking by. That hair, those large eyes.

I seem to have struck a nerve. Instead of answering me, she charges forward and kicks out, taking my legs out and snapping of some of the shards sticking out of me. Not good. Time to get something stronger. I let the glass go, and it tinkles to the ground. Before I can stand, her next kick catches me in the ribs, and I almost let her foot sink into my torso. But no. I will not do that, even to a villain. I tumble back across the marble floor. Without thinking, I let my body absorb the marble. With a rumbling groan, the flagstone on which I was lying is sucked into my body, turning my skin smooth and nearly inpenetrable. I'm taller, too. Around us, the crowd is pulling away, the threat of the glass now eclipsed by the fear of these two fighters. I turn back to the villain, and all of a sudden, it clicks. A distant memory, from a far younger and different me. A party, full of boring adults, talking of boring things. But a girl, older than me, takes me to her room and there we play with models of things I don't yet understand, but which fascinate me. She is wearing a green dress, and has long brown hair, pulled back. Just like...

"Abbie?" I say, raising an eyebrow. The girl, about to take a leap at me by the looks of it, freezes. As she does, I glance over her shoulder, and reel back. There is Izzy, encased in ice.

I swore under my breath as a hefty man barged past me, clearly wanting to save his own hide than help others. I pressed my back against the wall behind me and signalled towards the exit. "Move slowly and orderly, help those who need it!" I was sure that nobody was taking any notice of me but I had to do something.

Minutes passed and eventually the hurrying crowds began to thin, I looked around and made sure that nobody needed my help. As I took a brief breath of relief, there was a sudden ear-splitting sound of glass shattering; almost instantly, glass began raining down upon everyone within the theatre.

I raised the palms of my hands instinctively and created a thin yet impenetrable field to stop the shards from reaching me. I closed my eyes for a brief second and then opened them, hastily looking around to see what was left of the crowd ducking.

I moved my right palm slightly and allowed my force field to travel as far as it could reach, it allowed a small family that were huddled together to relax. "Get out here, quickly!" I hissed, allowing them to move slowly towards the exit.

That's when I saw Killian standing in front of a mysterious women, her brunette hair tied into a ponytail. I took a step forward in an attempt to aid him but noticed a second woman standing by the entrance.

As Killian and the woman began their attacks, I lowered my hands to lower my force field and began running forward. I willed my body to phase and it allowed me to run directly through the rows of chairs, the glass falling directly through me.

She was wearing a mask, whoever she was but I didn't have time to issue witty niceties. Surrounding her were several roots -of plants, or trees I assumed- and abruptly stopped as one directly travelled through my body.

I looked down and made sure that it hadn't been immune to my phasing ability and then continued on. Immediately noticing that she was directing one of the roots towards a nearby civilian, I raised a force field and then gasped as the root carried on.

It appeared that my theory about my powers had been true; powers that had no affect on me in my phased state easily overpowered my force field and vice versa. The man she had been aiming for was forced across the length of the theatre and collided with the far wall; the root had impaled him and continued into the fixture of the building.

I looked back towards the villain and she shot me a dark smile, I hated when villains appeared cocky equally as much as I hated discovering another of my seemingly never ending weaknesses.

Allowing my body to once again become intangible, I ran towards her and avoided all of her attempts to stop me. The roots attempted to wrap around my ankles, my waist and one had even gone for my neck.

As I came within touching distance of the villain, a balled my hands into a fist and allowed it to collide with her cheek. She stumbled backwards and her hand instantly reached up to comfort the sore area of her face.

"You can't get hurt me whilst I'm phased, duh." I placed a hand on my hip and stuck out my tongue.

The woman shocked me by giggling and I raised an eyebrow. "I don't think you should be the one that's laughing."

"Probably not, but as you said, I can't hurt you whilst you're in your phased state."

"Yeah?" I was a little bit nervous.

"You just punched me, so you're clearly solid. How are you going to get to now?" Her hand had lowered and my eyes instantly caught onto the fingers of her other hand, it was by her side but the her fingers were moving slightly.

I immediately turned around and a root -thicker than any of the others had been- immediately wrapped around my raised and threw me through the air. I let out a cry as my body slid along the stage and collided with the abandoned instruments.

"That's going to bruise in the morning." I muttered to myself. I placed my hands onto the floor and slowly got up, instantaneously realising that a large block of ice stood beside me.

It took me a few more seconds to make out the face and I gasped, "Izzy!" I immediately stepped forced and pressed my hands against the ice block.

I willed my body to allow me to phase through it but my hands remained where they were. "I-I can't.. get.. through.." I felt my muscles tensing as I pushed my weight against it. "I can't get through ice!" I groaned with pained realisation.

That's when I looked to my right and saw the masked tree woman standing there with a look on her face. "Yeah, this is definitely going to hurt." I thought.

Gil/Time Thief
*

I wrapped my fingers around the coffee mug as it got colder, smirking to myself as I remembered the way the waitress reacted when I asked for hot coffee. Taking a sip, I turned to Flora, who glared at the theatre across the street, her eyes wide open. In past few minutes, the street turned from warm and peaceful into cold and crowded, with people running all around like ants. I watched as people from the café rushed to the windows to look out, as the sound of broken glass echoed all around.

I wonder what they're doing in there. They could've seen to keep the theatre in its normal shape. I frowned a little at the roots of the trees rising from the ground and piercing through the walls. I was around when the theatre was built, and have seen its very first show - it was somewhat sad to see it getting demolished like that, especially since I wasn't there to see its last.

"Aren't you going to do anything?" I turned to Flora as she spoke. Coffee stood on the table in front of her as well, though she barely drank a sip of it, having it there more to prove she can do all I do than for any other reason. I shrugged.

"What would I do?" I asked, watching the people who were previously running away, now carefully gathering around the theatre to observe. "They're handling it all quite well themselves, don't you think?"

She drank a bit of her coffee again and made a face, looking up at me. "How can you drink that?"

"If you don't like it, why didn't you order hot chocolate or something?" I glanced at her, and she pouted.

"Because I'm not a kid anymore."

"Sure you aren't," I muttered.

"What is that supposed to mean?" She attacked me, glaring at me though I kept my eyes on the happenings in the street. "I'm thirteen. I showed you what I can do, you know what I'm like.." she turned quieter. "You know I keep your secret,Thief."

I smirked at the name. "Everyone is children when you live for a couple of centuries," I said, keeping to compromises. Why are you still letting her drag around after you, Gil? It will just get you in trouble eventually. I sighed, slowly getting up. "Come on now, time to go."

She relucantly did the same, frowning at the people outside. Snow was falling over them and the street around them, yet they stood there and observed, still in their summer clothes and not even aware of the cold.

"Shouldn't they be freezing?" Flora asked, and I felt my lips curling into a smile. Brilliant, isn't it?

"They are freezing," I explained, buttoning up my own coat and leaving money on the table. I wasn't fond of spending it very often - usually I'd just make people believe I did - but good coffee was a rare fortune these days. I turned to Flora, who observed me with skepticism all over her face, and sighed again, stepping out in the street. Icould see my breath as little clouds before my lips, and she hugged herself to keep some warmth. "Why didn't you take your coat?"

"Because it's summer," she replied. "I didn't think you were serious when you said I might need it. So what's up with everyone?" She waved her hand around, and I licked my lips, wondering if I should tell her. The kid wanted to be a famous villain - but I was never the mentoring type.

"Their bodies are feeling the cold," I said, not bothering to keep my voice down. "When you look at them, closely enough, you can see it in their eyes, and in the way they skin looks." I watched as she approached a woman and observed her. The woman was glaring at the theatre and holding her phone, recording the entire thing, but she didn't notice a girl sniffing around her.

"You made them think nothing is wrong with the temperature," Flora stated, getting back to me. I only nodded, feeling my head hurting already. I've been maintainting the illusion of usual weather for a long time already, and it's been casted over a lot of people. I prefered using my illusions on individuals, not crowds, and it was hard to keep resisting taking total control over one or a few and letting the others go.

"Their minds can see something happening with the theatre, but not feel the cold," she continued, and I didn't bother nodding anymore. "And they don't even know..that's brilliant." I know. Her face fell a bit. "Are you going to kill them?"

"Me?" I shook my head. "I won't kill anyone. Their own minds and Eli-- Snow Queen's charming winter weather will."

"But you will..benefit from it."

"If it wasn't so, I wouldn't have came along." She nodded and then took a long, shaky breath, trying to warm up. I could just make you feel as safe as the rest of them.. I took out a key from my coat's pocket instead and handed it to her. "There. Go to the shop, and put up the closed sign. Also, the heathing. And then do whatever you want, but don't touch anything you don't need to touch."

She took the key, frowning again. "But I want to come with you."

"Yeah, no. I'll be back at some time."


I watched as she slowly turned around and started walking down the street, and then let my illusion disperse.

The people around me started shaking, some of them screaming, clawing at their own faces as their bodies changed; some of them just fell to the floor and remained lying there, not moving, not breatihing - the others stared at their own skin as it turned paler, wrinkled, spotty, older. I couldn't help but smile a bit again at their expressions, as they grew older in seconds before their eyes. It was funny, really - they didn't even pay that much attention to the coldness, or to the people dying around them.

I could practically see their energy, their time, shifting through the air andfinding its way to me. My headache disappeared, I stopped feeling tired and I wasn't even as cold anymore. I felt like I could do everything - and I wasn't too far from really being able to do it.


Stepping over a body in front of the door, careful so I don't step quite on it, I made my way through the broken glass and roots, smiling a bit as I faced the scene inside. I made myself invisible to everyone - that is, enhanced their desire to not have anyone around, more or less - and walked over to the girl frozen in ice. So you are that girl, now, aren't you..? I wondered how would Elissa react if I just shattered this girl to pieces with something. But then I just caught her eyes and nodded, hoping she'll read from it that I've done my deed outside and would be waiting for them in the base.
***

Lionel De Montfort

As the chains of her blades wrapped around his arms, Lionel found himself drawn in close, close enough to see the dark of her eyes. Nephelium. As far as the heroes were concerned, the girl was one of the more challenging opponents, but the Albatross smiled as his face brushed up against hers.

"Well isn't this cosy," Nephelium stated with a wry twitch of her lips. Slowly though, even as Lionel felt the bite of the chains boring against his arms, her smile faded to a frown and it wasn't lost on her that Lionel was making no attempt to get free.

"What are-"

"Shhhh," The Albatross hushed her. "We're waiting."

Lionel's voice thrummed with the sound of the wind and wrapped in the eye of the storm as they were, there was no other sound. The screaming dropped away, even the screech of traffic skidding over the wet and icy roads. It was almost a symphony, the thrum of the wind and far off in the distance, something else. Something coming. A rumble and a roar, a building crescendo of-

"Thunder?" The dark clouds had gathered in and the sky around them was lit by alternating bolts of silver and purple death. Even as Nephelium named the sound, the lightning struck a metre in front of them and then again.

The lightning leapt along the metal blades, sizzling into Nephelium's body through the conductor. The chains loosened and Lionel slipped free as the lightning came again to strike the roof. Lightning and hail lashing down at the glass dome which cracked into a spiderweb of faults and then crashed inward, the glass slicing into the fighters and civilians below.

The storm didn't discriminate. That was what the Albatross loved about the storm: it was everyone for themselves. It was equality.

"That hurt," Lionel murmured as he slowly rubbed his arms, the skin showing the groove of the chain in a fierce, red outline.

"Yeah, well you weren't so kind yourself," Nephelium grumbled. She drew her blades back toward her, wings flapping against the wind as she took up a fighting position once more.

"Another round?" The Albatross invited.