Artemis Crock was only six years old, and she was already fully aware that life was hard and unfair.
Almost every single day, Artemis had to suffer through some kind of training from her father as he taught her how to be an assassin. That day, it had been endurance training. Artemis' father, Lawrence Crock, though he was better known as Sportsmaster, had woken her early that morning to begin training. Sportsmaster was tough with his daughter and hadn't let her stop or take a break until she could do the training exercise perfectly.
Artemis was young, but she was also skilled and eager to show her father that she could be as good as he wanted her to be. Better, even. So, despite the long hours of training, Artemis didn't complain. All day long she worked, yet it wasn't until well into the night did she finally do the exercise just right.
Artemis was a tough girl and didn't like seeming weak, but when her father told her that she could be done for the day she actually breathed a sigh of relief. It was late, she had been working hard all day, and Artemis was exhausted. She wanted nothing more than to collapse on her bed and sleep.
Artemis walked back to her room where she planned on doing just that, but just as she was climbing into her bed she happened to glance out the window, and what she saw filled her with excitement. Just seconds before, her thoughts had been solely on sleep. Now, she had only one thought going through her head.
'I have to tell Cameron about this.'
Exhaustion all but forgotten, Artemis slipped on her warmest jacket and crept out of her room. Silently and carefully, because she knew that her father would not approve if he caught her, she made her way down the hall, towards her friend's room.
Cameron was probably the one consistently good thing in Artemis' messed up life. He was the son of Icicle, and since Icicle and her father worked so closely together, Artemis and Cameron had spent a lot of time together. And, despite the two-and-a-half year age difference between them, they had become best friends.
Artemis loved being around the older boy, and they used to hang out all the time whenever they weren't training. Lately though, that had been happening less and less. Ever since the day that Cameron had turned eight, his father had begun training him harder and expecting more from him. Cameron's training became longer, and he had less and less time afterwards to spend with Artemis. And even on the days that he did have time, he often just didn't have the energy to play with her because he was so tired from his training.
Occasionally though, the children had days off. It didn't happen often, but there were times when both of their fathers had to leave for a day or two, usually to accomplish a mission that The Light had given them. Whenever this happened, Artemis and Cameron had their time just for themselves.
More often than not, those kinds of days were spent just walking around Star City, pretending that they were just normal children, with normal lives. They didn't have to worry about hard training sessions or disappointed fathers. It was just the two of them in a world of their own.
Artemis loved those days more than anything, and what she had in mind for that night was something like that. She and Cameron, outside, with no worries or concerns. It was risky to go out now though, because their fathers were still around, and they would surely be in huge trouble if they were caught. But Artemis thought that it would be worth the risk. Now she just had to convince Cameron of the same thing.
Upon reaching her friend's room, Artemis grabbed the doorknob, only flinching slightly at the cold feel of the metal, and opened the door. The room was dark and cold, like it always was, because that was how Cameron liked it. Artemis tiptoed to Cameron's bed where he was laying with his back to her. She didn't know if he was asleep or just ignoring her, either way she was going to get his attention.
"Cam, are you awake?" Artemis whisper shouted.
"No." Was the mumbled response.
"Come on, get up!" Artemis shook the boy's shoulders. Cameron groaned and rolled over to look at Artemis.
"What do you want?" He asked tiredly.
"I want to go out." Artemis proclaimed. Cameron rolled his eyes and rolled back over again.
"We can't. Our dads are still around." He said.
"So?" Artemis frowned. Their dads being around just meant they had to be more careful, not that they couldn't do it at all.
"We'll get caught." Cameron said, as if it were obvious. "Besides, it's late, and I'm tired. Whatever you want to do, it can wait until tomorrow."
Artemis pouted and crawled onto the bed where she jumped on top of Cameron. "It can't wait." She said energetically.
"Why not?" Cameron groaned. Artemis smiled and whispered two words that she knew would catch Cameron's attention.
"It's snowing."
Cameron turned his head and looked at Artemis, looking for a sign that the girl was bluffing.
"You serious?" Cameron asked hopefully but dubiously.
Artemis frowned. "Of course I'm serious."
Now this he just had to see. Cameron shoved Artemis off his back and ran to the window. He pulled the curtains away and stared at the small white flakes that were falling slowly from the sky.
"It really is snowing." Cameron said in awe.
"I told you so." Artemis said smugly. She tugged at his arm. "Now can we please go play in the snow?" She asked impatiently.
Cameron smiled down at her. "Absolutely." Artemis squealed in excitement, and Cameron laughed. "But we have to be really quiet though, right? Because we don't want to get caught."
"Right." Artemis nodded seriously. If there was one thing Artemis was really good at, besides using a bow and arrow like no other six year old ever could, it was being stealthy. Cameron had just reminded her to be quiet more for his own benefit than hers, because he could be pretty clumsy sometimes.
Sneaking out went off without a hitch. Artemis, more confident in her stealth skills, beat Cameron outside, though he wasn't too far behind. Once outside, they didn't have to worry about being as careful and quiet, because it wasn't likely that their fathers would see or hear them from all the way inside. The risk of being caught gone for the moment, the children let themselves get excited about the falling snow.
Artemis giggled and ran into the flurry. She spread her arms out and twirled around. Cameron didn't do anything. He was more than content to just stand there and watch Artemis have fun as the snow fell around them. Besides, when he was standing still more snow landed on him, and Cameron absolutely loved the feel of snow on his skin.
Cameron loved everything about snow. It was like ice, except softer. More gentle. He could just sit for hours doing nothing but watching the snow fall, and he totally would, except for the sad fact that it just doesn't often snow in Star City.
Cameron had lived in Star City his whole life, and he had only ever seen it snow a handful of times. The climate was just too warm for it to snow more than once or twice every few years. And it always melted really quickly. So if Cameron wanted to see snow, he had to take what chances he could get.
Cameron lost track of time as he stood watching the snow fall. After a while, one snowflake caught his eyes more than the others. Intrigued, Cameron watched it as it slowly fell. As it came closer to him, Cameron held out his hand and let the snowflake land on his palm. He had expected the snowflake to melt quickly, like snowflakes often did when they fell on bare skin. To his surprise and fascination, the snowflake didn't melt at all. It kept its perfect one-of-a-kind shape.
"Wow." Cameron muttered in awe. He called out in a louder voice. "Hey, Artemis, come here. You gotta see this!"
Artemis came running back to Cameron. "What? What is it?" Cameron slowly held out his hand to show Artemis the small snowflake. The girl looked amazed.
"You caught a snowflake." The girl said. "That is so cool! I want one." Artemis stuck out her hands in an attempt to catch a snowflake of her own. Many landed on her skin, though they quickly melted away. Artemis frowned. "Why can't I get one?"
"your hands are too warm." Cameron said. He took his hand that the snowflake wasn't occupying and put it on Artemis' hand. She flinched at the touch.
"Your hand's cold." She whined.
"Yeah, because of my powers. It makes my body colder than yours." Cameron explained. "I guess my skin is cold enough to hold a snowflake."
"Wow." Artemis said, her disappointment about not being able to hold a snowflake for herself all but gone. Artemis stared at the snowflake in Cameron's hand for another minute before her face brightened with an idea.
"Wait, you can hold snow." Artemis said.
Cameron blinked. "Uh, yeah."
"And you can make ice." Artemis continued.
"...Yes." Cameron said hesitantly. He wondered why she was stating the obvious. Just what did she have in mind? "So what?"
Artemis rolled her eyes. "So, can you make it snow?" She asked, as if the conclusion was obvious. Cameron frowned and looked at the falling snow.
"Uh, I don't think so." Cameron said. Now Artemis was frowning too.
"Why not? Ice and snow are almost the same thing." She said logically.
"But they're still different." Cameron said. "Ice is hard and solid, while snow is soft and flimsy. They're too different."
"But they're both just different forms of water, right?" Artemis pointed out. "So they're kinda the same thing. You should at least be able to control snow a little bit, right?"
Cameron cursed how smart Artemis was. He could see how she would come to this conclusion. Logically, it made sense for him to be able to control snow. But, somehow, Cameron knew that he wouldn't be able to. Controlling ice came naturally to him, he had been born with the ability, but he still had a really hard time handling his powers. They were unpredictable, and Cameron really didn't want to even think about how much worse it would be if he tried to control snow.
"I don't think it works like that…" Cameron began.
"How would you know? Have you ever tried to control snow before?" She asked.
"Well, no, but…" Cameron tried to explain, but Artemis didn't listen.
"Then how do you know you can't do it?" Artemis asked. "You should at least try it once. Please?" Cameron wanted to say no. He wanted to tell Artemis that he wasn't good enough with his powers to even think about trying to control something other than solid ice. He wanted to tell her that he was just too tired from the days training to use his powers right now.
But he couldn't. Cameron could never bring himself to say no to Artemis. He didn't want to disappoint her, show her how weak he really was.
"Yeah, okay." Cameron muttered. He still thought this wasn't a very good idea, but if Artemis wanted him to try it, then he would try it. He would do anything to please her. Cameron took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He tried to stop thinking about all the doubts he still had. He ignored how tired he was. All Cameron did was focus on the cold chill in the air, the cool touch of snow on his skin.
A moment later Cameron could feel his hands become cold, colder than they usually were. A short while later Cameron felt a tickling sensation that began at his fingertips and down to the rest of his hands. He didn't even have to open his eyes to know that what he was feeling was frost.
This was a good sign, as frost was kind of part ice and part snow, which meant he was heading in the right direction to making pure snow. It was slow progress though, much slower than just making ice, and more difficult too. A lot more difficult. Cameron was already beginning to sweat from the effort, and all he had to show for it was a pair of frost covered hands.
It was frustrating. By this time he could normally have not just his hands, but his entire body covered in ice, and with very little effort too. And yet he had to work so hard to cover his hands in frost, which was still a type of ice. Cameron's doubts about being able to make snow began creeping back.
"Arty, I-I don't think I can do this." Cameron said. He hated to admit it, but it was true. He was a cryokinetic, which meant he had power over ice, not snow. And that wasn't about to change.
"Yes, you can." And the sheer belief in that girl's eyes just made Cameron more determined to succeed. Sure, he didn't think he could do it, but there were a lot of things Cameron doubted he could do. Artemis though, she looked up to him and thought that he was capable of anything. She believed in him when nobody else, not even himself, did. And Cameron, he would do absolutely anything if it would make her happy. And if that meant continuing to try to make snow, then fine, he would do it.
Cameron continued his attempt at making snow, though he was trying even harder than before. Five minutes later the frost had progressed to his elbows, but it was still just frost, not snow, and Cameron physically couldn't try any harder. After years of training with his father Cameron had learned that his powers had limits, and he had reached them. He was still sweating and, despite the winter air and cold frost covering his arms, Cameron felt slightly warm, which, for him, was not a good sign at all. On top of that he had a headache and his hands were beginning to shake.
Cameron couldn't continue trying to use his powers when he was in this condition. He had to stop, before things got any worse.
"Artemis, this isn't going to work." Cameron said quietly. He lowered his arms and slouched forward.
"You're giving up?" Artemis asked, a look of pure disbelief on her face. "But you're so close."
"No, I'm not." Cameron said.
"Yes, you are." Artemis huffed. "You're just not trying hard enough."
Cameron clenched his fists at those words that he hated oh so much. His dad said them to him all the time, and now Artemis was too. It just wasn't fair. He was trying. He was trying as hard as he could. Just because his attempts weren't good enough to meet other people's expectations, it did not mean that he wasn't trying. And Cameron really hated it when someone said so. He hated it, because it just reminded him that, no matter how hard he tried, he just wasn't good enough. Not for his dad...and not for Artemis.
"I'm trying as hard as I can, but I can't do it!" Cameron shouted in frustration.
"Okay, maybe you can't do it now." Artemis admitted reluctantly. "But this was just your first time trying. Next time you'll be able to-"
"No!" Cameron was close to tears now and his headache worsened. He didn't understand. He wasn't strong enough to make snow, that much should have been obvious. So why couldn't Artemis see it?
No, Cameron knew why Artemis couldn't see it. He knew that she saw his powers as a magical thing. She was young. Naive. She didn't understand that his powers had limits. Normally Cameron loved that Artemis admired him blindly and believed he could do anything. Tonight though, it just confused and angered him.
Cameron knew that he wasn't good enough to do this, and probably never would be. And yet Artemis was still insisting that he could. Her belief and (somewhat) encouraging words just made things worse because he wasn't going to get any better, and the longer Artemis believed in him, the more disappointed she would be when she saw the truth. That he was nothing more than just a pathetic, wimpy loser.
"Cam, are you okay?" Artemis asked, her voice full of concern. She reached out and touched Cameron's arm in an attempt to offer some comfort to him. But Cameron didn't want her comfort or pity. All he wanted was for Artemis to leave him alone.
"GO AWAY!" Cameron screamed and shoved Artemis away to get out of her grip. A very strange sensation passed through his fingers as his hands made contact with Artemis' shoulders. It felt kind of like when he blasted ice beams, but different. Cameron didn't think anything much of the feeling, until he saw Artemis fall to the ground.
Cameron's anger and frustration turned into confusion and concern. Why had Artemis fallen? She had great balance, and Cameron hadn't even pushed her that hard. Maybe strong enough to force her back a few steps, but not to the ground. And even if he had used enough force to knock her down, she would have immediately gotten up again. So why was she still just on the ground, lying there...not moving?
"A-arty? Are you okay?" Cameron asked. Artemis didn't even flinch, let alone respond. Cameron's concern grew. He knelt down next to Artemis and shook her shoulders to try to get a response from her. Nothing.
"Come on, Artemis. This isn't funny." Cameron begged. "Please, wake up." His voice cracked at the end, because he knew that Artemis wasn't sleeping or messing with him. She was unconscious, and Cameron didn't understand how or why. He really hadn't pushed her hard enough to hurt, and she hadn't even hit her head on the ground. She had just fallen unconscious, and Cameron had no idea what to do about it. The only thing he could think to do was to take Artemis to somebody who might.
"Hang on, Arty." Cameron whispered, though he knew that Artemis probably couldn't hear him. "I'm gonna get you some help." Cameron gently picked up Artemis so he was holding her in his arms. He then headed back inside to where their fathers were, with the hope that maybe one of them would have a better idea of what to do.
Cameron knew that he'd probably be in huge trouble for being up still, but at the moment he really couldn't care less. It didn't matter if he got in trouble or not. Artemis' safety was the only thing that was important.