Hello! I'm back! Yay me. Sorry, everybody who reads my stuff... I'm lazy. You can kill me now. BUT I REALLY AM SORRY, I just.. okay, but so much homework and ugh I'm dying but anyhoo, this is a little something I've been working on, and I'm not sure what my title will really be- I started with Dream in the Dark, and then the Pyrokinesis Act, and then Snowmelt, and then Tulips, and now Solstice. So. If it changes, don't worry. Anyhoo, this is set after the war with the Neverseen, and it's completely OC, sorry. I might sneak one or two people in there, but... probably not. I'm aiming for this fic to be about... well, anywhere between 5,000 words to 30,000. We'll see. And I might kill somebody at the end, but maybe not. That is also up for questioning. And I might make them fall in love, because that would be ADORABLE, but... maybe it'll be better off as platonic. Okay, here it is!
Day One
"Councillor Zaroff, with all due respect… is this really a good idea?" Ms. Paol Armada asked, wringing her hands anxiously.
He sighed, resting his steepled hands atop his crystal desk, strewn with papers. Being Pyrokinesis monitor was a difficult job.
"This is our only option, unless you would like Celine here to be marked as talentless or exiled?"
"No! No, sir, this will be just fine." she shook her head, the bun she had tied her dark hair into flopping.
"Good. now, may I continue, or do you have any other objections?"
"No, sir."
This was a year after the Pyrokinesis act, after Sophie Foster had defeated the Neverseen, and become a councillor. She had changed Matchmaking laws, fixed the lesser status of Talentless, and brought this into being. The Pyrokinesis act. The law now stated that as soon as a pyrokinetic manifested, they would be given an escort. This escort would be either a hydrokinetic or a cyrokinetic, and would stay with them at all times, until the pyrokinetic in question was believed to have a firm grasp over their abilities, at which point they would be granted free access to everything that a regular elf would.
Councillor Zaroff was the pyrokinesis monitor, in charge of assigning escorts and making sure no harm came to the community. It was a difficult job, and a repetitive one. The pyrokinetic always hated the cyrokinetic, a complaint was filed, he told them to stick it out a little longer, and then they either got along, or'… well, there had only been one or two fatalities, and neither was confirmed as murder.
"Celine will be paired with either a cyrokinetic or a hydrokinetic. They will stay with her at all times, as her escort. The aura from this person will also dampen her abilities slightly, making it harder for her to lose control. I have a hydrokinetic and a cyrokinetic waiting outside. You can choose now which you would like. I believe they are both extremely talented and will take on this job well."
'Which would you like, Celine?" Ms. Armada asked the dark-eyed girl sitting next to her, arms crossed defensively.
"Let me meet them first," Celine said, a flicker- a tiny one, but it was still there- a flicker of nerves in her almond eyes.
"Of course. I'll be right back," Councillor Zaroff said, walking around his desk and into the light-flooded hallway where Iva, his cyrokinetic, and Dameon, his hydrokinetic- wait. Dameon wasn't there. Only Iva, who was about as intimidating as a snowflake, with her pale, freckle-dusted skin, indigo eyes, and caramel hair chopped into a fluffy bob that brushed her shoulders. Dameon, on the other hand, was all force, with his olive skin, muscles, and squinty eyes.
"Iva. Where's Dameon?" he asked her, scowling down at the girl. She didn't flinch.
"He, well… he told me to tell you that he didn't want to be one of your… um, shall I repeat it?" her face remained serious, but a flicker of humour danced behind her eyes. Councillor Zaroff growled. "Iva, where is he?"
"To sum it up, he quit. Said something about not wanting to be a jailer? I'm not sure. But yeah, he quit."
"Ugh! Iva, get in here. It's time you met your charge."
"Yes, sir." she stood up, adjusting her pale, pale blue cape, and followed him into the room. As soon as the door closed behind them, Celine fixed Iva with a piercing stare. Iva still didn't flinch. Interesting.
Councillor Zaroff sighed and took his place behind his desk with Iva at his side. "Celine, Ms. Armada, there has been a small change of plans due to… shall we say, understaffing. This is Iva Cydar. She is our cyrokinetic, volunteering to be Celine's escort for extra credit in her advanced Councillor training program. Our hydrokinetic has been rendered unavailable, so Iva is now your only option other than Exile."
Celine glared at Iva fiercely. "There has to be another way! I won't let this pathetic wisp of an elf follow me around!" Flames danced across her shoulders, and her fists tightened on the arms of her wooden chair- a mistake, Councillor Zaroff realized. He usually gave the pyrokinetic a special chair that not even Everblaze could burn through, but today he had overlooked that fact.
"Celine, honey, don't worry. Calm down, don't lose control. It won't be so bad!" her mother said, frantic to stop what everyone in the room knew was about to happen.
"I'm. Under. Control!" Celine screamed, seconds before her chair erupted into flames. Her mother screamed and scrambled backwards, Councillor Zaroff gave a high yelp, and Iva stood her ground behind the desk, and made a sign with her hands.
The air in the room went dry, and as they all watched Iva's hands sweeping through the air, her brow furrowed, a huge ball of slush coalesced above the flaming chair. Ive swept her hand down, and the ball fell, dousing the fire and soaking everyone in the room. They stared at her, paralyzed and dripping wet, and she turned a rosy shade of pink.
"You- you- absolute idiot!" Celine yelled, the most soaked of all, and stormed out of the room with an impressive flourish.
"Sorry," Iva said meekly, making a fist with her hand and turning the melting slush into snow before drawing it out of their clothes and whisking it out the window.
"Don't be sorry, dear, you did very well," said Celine's mother. "I'd better go console her." She left the room.
"Iva, you are dismissed," snapped Councillor Zaroff, trying to maintain some authority.
"Yes, sir." Iva inclined her head respectfully before following Ms. Armada out of his office.
Councillor Zaroff breathed a sigh of relief, sitting down gratefully in his chair. Iva really was such a lovely girl, Celine to. The both of them, really. It truly was a shame they would probably kill each other.
Also, that was kinda the prologue. But also kinda not. I'm not sure. Okay, hope you enjoyed! Comments would be VERY GREATLY EXTREMELY cherished. Many thankings and loves to you all.
xoxo
Cress