Chapter Two
Rivalry & Broken Ice
Three years later saw me waking up at dawn but not torturing my poor mother. I woke up a little more slowly, but was still up within seconds. I immediately checked to make sure Angela was not in need a smack across the shoulders. She was terribly ill, and had been for years. Sometimes during the night her throat would get clogged and only a quick smack could clear it. Being the first one to rise besides Aireff, I had chosen to take the responsibility of caring for her. She had been ill for so long that I simply had grown used to the chore.
Thankfully, Angela was doing fine, though I could here sniffling as she breathed. I walked out of the room, but at this point I was comfortable on my hind legs. I completely ignored my parents' room and instead headed straight into the kitchen.
"Mornin', Fratley," Aireff said.
"Mornin'," I said simply, and I immediately began to rummage for food.
"Fratley, why can't ya wait for ye mothe' ta wake up?" Aireff asked me.
"'Cause I'm hungry an' I can't wait. Not m' fault," I replied.
"Well, maybe ya should take ye mind off ye stomach for a little while an' look outside," Aireff told me.
"All right, whateve' ya say," I commented, heading down the stairs.
I opened the door leading into the house, and found myself faced with a white wonder. Burmecia was covered in a soft yet thick layer of white, glistening snow. Instead of rain, snow fell from the sky endlessly. I let out a cry of delight as I closed the door and ran up the stairs.
"It snowed! It snowed! Does that mean we get to go to the lake, huh huh huh? Does it, does it?" I asked eagerly, my voice temporarily turning to a normal Burmecian accent.
Aireff laughed. "Calm down, ya lunatic. I'm not the one that makes that decision. Ya will 'ave to ask ye mothe' when she wakes up."
"She's not goin' ta wake up for another hour! Can't I wake 'er up now?" I asked, my voice returning to the accent I had inherited from my father.
Aireff laughed again. "An' 'ave 'er screamin'? Nah, let 'er sleep."
"Who's talking about someone screaming?" Ruben asked as he entered the room, yawning. Unlike me, he had a Burmecian accent, plain and simple.
"It snowed! I want ta wake up mamá ta see if we can go ta the lake, but papá doesn't want 'er screamin' in the mornin'," I explained.
Ruben laughed heartily. "And I don't either! When she screams, lord, does she scream!"
"Angela all right?" Aireff asked Ruben.
"Yes, she's as all right as she can get. A little clogged, but she's still breathing fine," Ruben replied.
Aireff nodded. "That's good. Either of you want some tea?"
Ruben nodded while I made a face.
"Ew, no thank ya," I said with disgust.
Aireff laughed. "Ya will like it someday, I'm tellin' ya."
"Maybe, but I know I don' like it now," I retorted.
Ruben laughed lightly. "You're amazing, Fratley. Always have something to say, no matter how dumb it is."
I stuck my tongue out at him. He only rolled his eyes and accepted a hot mug of tea from Aireff. He sat at the mahogany table, sipping the tea. I also sat down at the table, but I wasn't there for long. I soon had to stand up and begin pacing.
"Oh, Fratley. Can't ya stay still?" Aireff asked.
"I want mamá ta wake up," I moaned.
Suddenly great coughing was heard from the children's bedroom. Angela had clearly woken up. We were all tense, hoping she would stop coughing and come in. Soon, the hacking ceased, and a red-faced Angela came in.
"Morning," she hacked out with a cough.
"Here," Aireff said, handing her some of tea.
Angela took the tea. "Thank you." She stumbled over to the table and sat down on the nearest chair. She took a big gulp of the tea despite its heat. The tea washed away any pesky glucose that refused to leave her throat. She let out a gasp and began to pant. This was a good sign.
"Hope I didn't wake up mamá," Angela said between gasps.
"I doubt it," Aireff said with encouragement. "She sleeps like a log."
"Bummer," I muttered.
"Hush, Fratley," Ruben snapped, grinning.
A brief silence of about 30 seconds followed before I sighed.
"That's it! I'm wakin' 'er up," I declared.
"Oh no ye don'!" Aireff cried, grabbing me by the arm and pulling me back. "Let the poor woman sleep for goodness sake."
"How? Ya are all so noisy," Rose commented as she entered the room.
"'Ello, Rose. Sorry we all woke ya up. Fratley's excited 'bout the snow," Aireff explained.
"Snow?" Angela asked. "You never mentioned snow." She then let out a series of coughs.
Ruben gave Angela a light smack across the back, ceasing her coughing.
"Thank you," Angela muttered with a final hack.
Rose had been watching Angela with concern.
"If only Junes could do something. Dear God, why my child? Why mine?" Rose muttered softly under her breath, and though most of us didn't hear her, I did.
"Mamá," I said, trying to bring Rose off Angela's hopeless condition. "It snowed! Does this mean we can go ta the lake?"
Rose's eyes sparkled. "That depends on how deep the snow is. Is it deep?"
"Oh, no! There's barely any out there," I said, growing excited. "Oh, can we go? Please? Please?" I stretched the 'e' in the last word.
Rose laughed lightly. "Maybe. Give me time to think in the morning, would ya?"
Rose opened a cabinet and searched through it. She took out a loaf of bread.
"Can't ya guys even make breakfast on your own?" Rose asked, tossing the loaf at Aireff's head. Aireff dodged and Ruben caught the loaf.
"I didn't know we had bread left," Ruben commented, breaking off a chunk.
"We have everything in here, you dipwads!" Rose replied. "Meat, bread, fruits, so forth!"
"But it's dry," Aireff complained.
"Then ya can go catch yourself a rabbit, skin it, and cook it yourself. All food's dry, no matter what!" Rose retorted.
"She's too crabby in the mornin'," I muttered to Angela, who nodded with agreement.
"Hush, Fratley, she'll hear you," Ruben said suddenly, giving Angela the bread.
"I'm not hungry," Angela said, which was typical. She gave the bread to me, and I took a huge chunk and gave the loaf to Aireff.
Aireff took a chunk and gave the last of the bread to Rose, who just began to eat the last of the loaf. She was watching Angela with concern. I was so excited that I didn't notice anything. I knew Rose would let us go to the lake. She liked going there and chatting with others. Aireff liked to start snowball fights, so he would agree easily. Ruben loved holding races, and Angela enjoyed the fresh air, if anything.
"Well, about your question, Fratley," Rose began, catching my attention immediately. "I really don't know if Angela -"
"Mamá, I'll be fine," Angela interrupted. "I could use the fresh air, and I like to watch the other kids."
Angela hated when Rose tried to keep her home. She didn't want the rest of us to miss out on the fun. She couldn't participate in any games because her legs had become so weak, and talking too much made her begin to cough, but she still desperately tried to be like the other kids. Indeed, she could play cards, and she was deadly at it, but her hands shook so much that sometimes she dropped the cards. Most kids avoided her except for her greatest friends and the nicest kids.
Rose sighed. "All right, then, yes, we can go."
"All right!" I shouted with a mouth full of food.
"FRATLEY! Ya won't be going anywhere with those manners!" Rose snapped immediately.
"Oops," I muttered, swallowing the food. "Sorry, mamá."
Ruben had leapt out of the chair, knocking it over, and headed into our room to change into clean clothes. Angela had risen to her feet slowly and limped shakily into the room as well. I soon followed her. We choose warm clothes and headed to different areas to change. Angela stayed in the room, while Ruben headed downstairs and I headed into our parents' room. We all changed as speedily as possible. I came out first, Ruben next, and Angela last. By then Rose had, thankfully, had some tea and was in a better mood. Aireff was talking quietly with her, and none of us disturbed them. Angela immediately sat in the chair and took a pack of cards out of her pocket. She began to play solitaire. I paced around excitedly while Ruben merely yawned and got another mug of tea. At last, Rose left the room with Aireff, and they disappeared into the bedroom.
Three minutes later, Rose and Aireff reappeared in clean clothes. Ruben immediately put his tea aside while I stopped pacing and instead began to jump up and down with glee. Angela rose shakily to her feet.
"Well, you're all ready, so I guess we'll get moving," Rose said.
I practically flew down the stairs and straight into the door. As I slammed into the door, I opened it, and flew straight to the ground. The Burmecians outside stared at me with confusion. I rose to my feet and waited eagerly for my slower family. Angela was getting a ride on Aireff's shoulders, and Ruben was running so quickly that he crashed into me. We both fell to the ground. Rose shook her head with disbelief.
"Ya are all going to kill yourselves! Be careful!" she scolded with concern.
Ruben and I rose to our feet and began to race to the lake. We knew the way by heart. Sliding between people and charging through alleys, we raced far ahead of the rest of the family. As we reached the gatehouse that led to the castle grounds, I made a running jump up the stairs and through a massive set of doors that led to the marketsquare. From there I headed in the direction of the castle. Before I reached the main gate, however, I was taking a sharp turn toward a gorgeous garden. The lake was in this direction. Soon, I could see its frozen surface, and the kids enjoying themselves skating barefoot on it. Groups of parents were talking casually, young children and babies by their sides. Three snowball fights had already been started.
"Awesome! Look at all the people on ice!" Ruben cried with delight as he at last caught up with me.
I watched Ruben rush down toward the lake. I followed my energetic brother and soon was hit by a snowball. Quickly I leapt to my feet.
"Fast recovery," a blue-eyed boy with black hair commented. "Come here, kiddo. I want you to help me out."
I walked over, curious.
"I'm Dan," the boy said. "Who are you?"
"Fratley," I replied.
Dan nodded. "Right. See, I got in a bit of an - eh - endless and hopeless fight. Perhaps you can help?"
I grew excited. "Sure! I love snowball fights."
Dan smiled. "Yeah, well, let's see if you like this one."
Dan dodged a flying snowball. I grabbed some snow and began to pack it. As I was, I was hit in the head with a snowball. There was a rock in it! The rock left my head throbbing. I glared angrily at my opponent. What a cheater! You weren't supposed to use rocks. My anger caused me to pack the snowball extra thick and hard. I then threw it at my opponent with so much speed that he couldn't dodge. The snowball plowed into his face and knocked him straight over.
"Whoa!" Dan shouted, impressed.
Our opponent staggered to his feet, glaring angrily at me.
"You could've killed me!" he snarled angrily.
I couldn't help but laugh.
"What 'bout ye rock?" I asked. "That can kill. I can't."
"What is the matter, Eroy?"
Dan and I both looked in the direction of the feminine voice to see a silver-haired girl approaching our opponent. To me she was oddly familiar, but I couldn't remember why.
"That guy flapped me in the face with a snowball," our opponent Eroy complained, pointing to me.
"Are you saying you can't take a snowball to the face?" the silver- haired girl asked.
"No!" Eroy retorted. "It's just that he wasn't playing fair!"
"What about ye rock?" I asked angrily.
"No putting rocks in snowballs," the silver-haired girl told Eroy. She then turned to me. "And no throwing snowballs at other people's faces."
"Oh, aren't ya the smart one," I sneered. "Bet ya can't even throw a snowball."
The silver-haired girl's eyes narrowed. "Don't taunt me."
"I wouldn't," Dan muttered to me. "Freya's a deadly snowball player. She'll wallop you."
I ignored Dan. "So, you're Freya?" I asked the silver-haired girl.
The silver-haired girl nodded.
"I'm Fratley," I said, "and I challenge ya ta a snowball fight."
"What's in it for me?" Freya asked, though she seemed quite eager to simply get on with the snowball fight.
"Well," I began, thinking the question over. "If ya win, I 'ave ta fight all snowball fights for ya when ye are challenged. If I win, it's the opposite. Deal?"
Freya's eyes sparkled with mischievous amusement as she smiled. "Deal."
Immediately I knelt down and began packing together some snow. Freya also packed together some snow, and she threw it before it was at a good size. The snowball hit my half-made snowball and made it fall apart. Mumbling to myself, I began to make another snowball. I tried to make it swiftly, but soon I was knocked onto my back by another snowball Freya had made in seconds. I leapt to my feet and threw my snowball at her. She dodged it easily and threw the one she had made while dodging. I was hit in the shoulder, but it didn't stop me from making the massive snowball I was creating.
Freya certainly wasn't a normal girl! Most of them despised snowball fights, and they were ditzy when they got in them. They'd rather play cards and talk about strange things. But Freya was not only willing to get into a snowball fight, she was a killer!
I threw my massive snowball at Freya, and she was plowed to the ground. At first I thought I had won, but then she kicked outward and plowed with me over with a bunch of snow. The two of us lay there.
"Draw," Eroy announced after five seconds.
Displeased, I rose to my feet. Freya also looked displeased, but the both of us both knew that that snowball fight had indeed been a draw, and nothing else. We both looked around, not daring to even glance at each other.
"Race," Freya said suddenly.
"Race?" I asked.
"Look," she said, pointing toward the ice. "A race. I wonder who will win?"
I looked in the direction she pointed and saw five boys sliding expertly across the ice. I looked down toward their feet, and was shocked. Was the ice cracking?
"Look! The ice!" I shouted, pointing to the ice.
Freya padded close to the ice and examined it. Her green eyes bulged.
"Get off the ice!" she screamed.
Her scream caused everyone to begin to scramble along the ice. While most listened to her, the racers and some older kids ignored her. A few kids, however, bumped into each other and fell. There was a loud snap, and suddenly five kids were engulfed in icy water as the ice tipped and cracked in half. The racers managed to get off the ice as cracks traveled through the ice. Then, suddenly, the ice that had tipped slammed back into place.
The kids were trapped! I ran over to a sharp rock nearby and grabbed it. Then, I scrambled onto the ice, slipped, and fell into my stomach. I slid over to a crack and began to chip at it frantically.
"FRATLEY! GET BACK HERE!" I heard Rose scream, but I ignored her.
Soon, Freya was beside me, following my example. Then, suddenly, we heard something snap. Freya immediately slid away, but I was too late. The ice reared upward and dumped me into the icy water as the weight became too much. I screamed with terror, and icy water filled my mouth. Panicking, I began to sink in the icy water.
Strange screams came to my ears within the waters. I tried to swim toward the surface, and my head met solid ice. I began to claw at it. My finger caught a hole, and I began to pound at the hole. Soon, there was a breakage, and I tried to pull myself through. The ice snapped into many tiny pieces as I slammed my head through. I was pulled out of the water as I gasped and choked. Soon, four other children, who I heard the ice cracking and managed to swim over to the hole I had made, were hauled up. One child, however, was missing.
I felt warm arms around me, and someone dropped a huge blanket on me. I pushed my heard through the blanket and found myself staring at Rose.
"Fratley, why didn't you listen?" Rose asked me, her voice plagued with worry.
"The - kids - were - in - trouble," I said through chattering teeth.
"'Ere's the last!" I heard Aireff cry, and I twisted my head to see him helping the last shivering, terrified kid out of icy water.
"What happened?" Rose asked Aireff.
"Ice 'ad been too weak ta support all the activity," Aireff said. "Then when all the kids panicked from the shout, it just snapped."
"Hey! Is everyone okay?" Ruben asked, panting. "God, that ice scared me! I thought I was going to go under!"
"I think everyone's fine," Freya said, watching the scene.
"Cold, but fine," I muttered, shivering.
"Let's head home, then. I don't want you to catch pneumonia," Rose said, and I could tell she was nervous.
Rose rose to her feet, helping me along. Angela staggered over and was hoisted on Aireff's shoulders. He did one last check of the area before nodding.
"Everyone's okay. The last child almost drowned but someone was able ta 'elp out," Aireff told Rose.
Rose nodded as she began to head in the direction of home. Pushing my wet shoulder-length hair out of my face, I followed. Ruben and Aireff followed last. I took one last look behind me, and saw Freya staring at me. I read her look, and I suddenly understood.
I was going to be in forever debt to Freya, the curious girl. -------- That's Chapter Two! Hope you like it =) Oh, and for those who couldn't figure out the last sentence: Freya was the one who pulled Fratley out of the water.
This story is copyright to me. The world, some events, and most characters are copyright to SquareEnix.
Rivalry & Broken Ice
Three years later saw me waking up at dawn but not torturing my poor mother. I woke up a little more slowly, but was still up within seconds. I immediately checked to make sure Angela was not in need a smack across the shoulders. She was terribly ill, and had been for years. Sometimes during the night her throat would get clogged and only a quick smack could clear it. Being the first one to rise besides Aireff, I had chosen to take the responsibility of caring for her. She had been ill for so long that I simply had grown used to the chore.
Thankfully, Angela was doing fine, though I could here sniffling as she breathed. I walked out of the room, but at this point I was comfortable on my hind legs. I completely ignored my parents' room and instead headed straight into the kitchen.
"Mornin', Fratley," Aireff said.
"Mornin'," I said simply, and I immediately began to rummage for food.
"Fratley, why can't ya wait for ye mothe' ta wake up?" Aireff asked me.
"'Cause I'm hungry an' I can't wait. Not m' fault," I replied.
"Well, maybe ya should take ye mind off ye stomach for a little while an' look outside," Aireff told me.
"All right, whateve' ya say," I commented, heading down the stairs.
I opened the door leading into the house, and found myself faced with a white wonder. Burmecia was covered in a soft yet thick layer of white, glistening snow. Instead of rain, snow fell from the sky endlessly. I let out a cry of delight as I closed the door and ran up the stairs.
"It snowed! It snowed! Does that mean we get to go to the lake, huh huh huh? Does it, does it?" I asked eagerly, my voice temporarily turning to a normal Burmecian accent.
Aireff laughed. "Calm down, ya lunatic. I'm not the one that makes that decision. Ya will 'ave to ask ye mothe' when she wakes up."
"She's not goin' ta wake up for another hour! Can't I wake 'er up now?" I asked, my voice returning to the accent I had inherited from my father.
Aireff laughed again. "An' 'ave 'er screamin'? Nah, let 'er sleep."
"Who's talking about someone screaming?" Ruben asked as he entered the room, yawning. Unlike me, he had a Burmecian accent, plain and simple.
"It snowed! I want ta wake up mamá ta see if we can go ta the lake, but papá doesn't want 'er screamin' in the mornin'," I explained.
Ruben laughed heartily. "And I don't either! When she screams, lord, does she scream!"
"Angela all right?" Aireff asked Ruben.
"Yes, she's as all right as she can get. A little clogged, but she's still breathing fine," Ruben replied.
Aireff nodded. "That's good. Either of you want some tea?"
Ruben nodded while I made a face.
"Ew, no thank ya," I said with disgust.
Aireff laughed. "Ya will like it someday, I'm tellin' ya."
"Maybe, but I know I don' like it now," I retorted.
Ruben laughed lightly. "You're amazing, Fratley. Always have something to say, no matter how dumb it is."
I stuck my tongue out at him. He only rolled his eyes and accepted a hot mug of tea from Aireff. He sat at the mahogany table, sipping the tea. I also sat down at the table, but I wasn't there for long. I soon had to stand up and begin pacing.
"Oh, Fratley. Can't ya stay still?" Aireff asked.
"I want mamá ta wake up," I moaned.
Suddenly great coughing was heard from the children's bedroom. Angela had clearly woken up. We were all tense, hoping she would stop coughing and come in. Soon, the hacking ceased, and a red-faced Angela came in.
"Morning," she hacked out with a cough.
"Here," Aireff said, handing her some of tea.
Angela took the tea. "Thank you." She stumbled over to the table and sat down on the nearest chair. She took a big gulp of the tea despite its heat. The tea washed away any pesky glucose that refused to leave her throat. She let out a gasp and began to pant. This was a good sign.
"Hope I didn't wake up mamá," Angela said between gasps.
"I doubt it," Aireff said with encouragement. "She sleeps like a log."
"Bummer," I muttered.
"Hush, Fratley," Ruben snapped, grinning.
A brief silence of about 30 seconds followed before I sighed.
"That's it! I'm wakin' 'er up," I declared.
"Oh no ye don'!" Aireff cried, grabbing me by the arm and pulling me back. "Let the poor woman sleep for goodness sake."
"How? Ya are all so noisy," Rose commented as she entered the room.
"'Ello, Rose. Sorry we all woke ya up. Fratley's excited 'bout the snow," Aireff explained.
"Snow?" Angela asked. "You never mentioned snow." She then let out a series of coughs.
Ruben gave Angela a light smack across the back, ceasing her coughing.
"Thank you," Angela muttered with a final hack.
Rose had been watching Angela with concern.
"If only Junes could do something. Dear God, why my child? Why mine?" Rose muttered softly under her breath, and though most of us didn't hear her, I did.
"Mamá," I said, trying to bring Rose off Angela's hopeless condition. "It snowed! Does this mean we can go ta the lake?"
Rose's eyes sparkled. "That depends on how deep the snow is. Is it deep?"
"Oh, no! There's barely any out there," I said, growing excited. "Oh, can we go? Please? Please?" I stretched the 'e' in the last word.
Rose laughed lightly. "Maybe. Give me time to think in the morning, would ya?"
Rose opened a cabinet and searched through it. She took out a loaf of bread.
"Can't ya guys even make breakfast on your own?" Rose asked, tossing the loaf at Aireff's head. Aireff dodged and Ruben caught the loaf.
"I didn't know we had bread left," Ruben commented, breaking off a chunk.
"We have everything in here, you dipwads!" Rose replied. "Meat, bread, fruits, so forth!"
"But it's dry," Aireff complained.
"Then ya can go catch yourself a rabbit, skin it, and cook it yourself. All food's dry, no matter what!" Rose retorted.
"She's too crabby in the mornin'," I muttered to Angela, who nodded with agreement.
"Hush, Fratley, she'll hear you," Ruben said suddenly, giving Angela the bread.
"I'm not hungry," Angela said, which was typical. She gave the bread to me, and I took a huge chunk and gave the loaf to Aireff.
Aireff took a chunk and gave the last of the bread to Rose, who just began to eat the last of the loaf. She was watching Angela with concern. I was so excited that I didn't notice anything. I knew Rose would let us go to the lake. She liked going there and chatting with others. Aireff liked to start snowball fights, so he would agree easily. Ruben loved holding races, and Angela enjoyed the fresh air, if anything.
"Well, about your question, Fratley," Rose began, catching my attention immediately. "I really don't know if Angela -"
"Mamá, I'll be fine," Angela interrupted. "I could use the fresh air, and I like to watch the other kids."
Angela hated when Rose tried to keep her home. She didn't want the rest of us to miss out on the fun. She couldn't participate in any games because her legs had become so weak, and talking too much made her begin to cough, but she still desperately tried to be like the other kids. Indeed, she could play cards, and she was deadly at it, but her hands shook so much that sometimes she dropped the cards. Most kids avoided her except for her greatest friends and the nicest kids.
Rose sighed. "All right, then, yes, we can go."
"All right!" I shouted with a mouth full of food.
"FRATLEY! Ya won't be going anywhere with those manners!" Rose snapped immediately.
"Oops," I muttered, swallowing the food. "Sorry, mamá."
Ruben had leapt out of the chair, knocking it over, and headed into our room to change into clean clothes. Angela had risen to her feet slowly and limped shakily into the room as well. I soon followed her. We choose warm clothes and headed to different areas to change. Angela stayed in the room, while Ruben headed downstairs and I headed into our parents' room. We all changed as speedily as possible. I came out first, Ruben next, and Angela last. By then Rose had, thankfully, had some tea and was in a better mood. Aireff was talking quietly with her, and none of us disturbed them. Angela immediately sat in the chair and took a pack of cards out of her pocket. She began to play solitaire. I paced around excitedly while Ruben merely yawned and got another mug of tea. At last, Rose left the room with Aireff, and they disappeared into the bedroom.
Three minutes later, Rose and Aireff reappeared in clean clothes. Ruben immediately put his tea aside while I stopped pacing and instead began to jump up and down with glee. Angela rose shakily to her feet.
"Well, you're all ready, so I guess we'll get moving," Rose said.
I practically flew down the stairs and straight into the door. As I slammed into the door, I opened it, and flew straight to the ground. The Burmecians outside stared at me with confusion. I rose to my feet and waited eagerly for my slower family. Angela was getting a ride on Aireff's shoulders, and Ruben was running so quickly that he crashed into me. We both fell to the ground. Rose shook her head with disbelief.
"Ya are all going to kill yourselves! Be careful!" she scolded with concern.
Ruben and I rose to our feet and began to race to the lake. We knew the way by heart. Sliding between people and charging through alleys, we raced far ahead of the rest of the family. As we reached the gatehouse that led to the castle grounds, I made a running jump up the stairs and through a massive set of doors that led to the marketsquare. From there I headed in the direction of the castle. Before I reached the main gate, however, I was taking a sharp turn toward a gorgeous garden. The lake was in this direction. Soon, I could see its frozen surface, and the kids enjoying themselves skating barefoot on it. Groups of parents were talking casually, young children and babies by their sides. Three snowball fights had already been started.
"Awesome! Look at all the people on ice!" Ruben cried with delight as he at last caught up with me.
I watched Ruben rush down toward the lake. I followed my energetic brother and soon was hit by a snowball. Quickly I leapt to my feet.
"Fast recovery," a blue-eyed boy with black hair commented. "Come here, kiddo. I want you to help me out."
I walked over, curious.
"I'm Dan," the boy said. "Who are you?"
"Fratley," I replied.
Dan nodded. "Right. See, I got in a bit of an - eh - endless and hopeless fight. Perhaps you can help?"
I grew excited. "Sure! I love snowball fights."
Dan smiled. "Yeah, well, let's see if you like this one."
Dan dodged a flying snowball. I grabbed some snow and began to pack it. As I was, I was hit in the head with a snowball. There was a rock in it! The rock left my head throbbing. I glared angrily at my opponent. What a cheater! You weren't supposed to use rocks. My anger caused me to pack the snowball extra thick and hard. I then threw it at my opponent with so much speed that he couldn't dodge. The snowball plowed into his face and knocked him straight over.
"Whoa!" Dan shouted, impressed.
Our opponent staggered to his feet, glaring angrily at me.
"You could've killed me!" he snarled angrily.
I couldn't help but laugh.
"What 'bout ye rock?" I asked. "That can kill. I can't."
"What is the matter, Eroy?"
Dan and I both looked in the direction of the feminine voice to see a silver-haired girl approaching our opponent. To me she was oddly familiar, but I couldn't remember why.
"That guy flapped me in the face with a snowball," our opponent Eroy complained, pointing to me.
"Are you saying you can't take a snowball to the face?" the silver- haired girl asked.
"No!" Eroy retorted. "It's just that he wasn't playing fair!"
"What about ye rock?" I asked angrily.
"No putting rocks in snowballs," the silver-haired girl told Eroy. She then turned to me. "And no throwing snowballs at other people's faces."
"Oh, aren't ya the smart one," I sneered. "Bet ya can't even throw a snowball."
The silver-haired girl's eyes narrowed. "Don't taunt me."
"I wouldn't," Dan muttered to me. "Freya's a deadly snowball player. She'll wallop you."
I ignored Dan. "So, you're Freya?" I asked the silver-haired girl.
The silver-haired girl nodded.
"I'm Fratley," I said, "and I challenge ya ta a snowball fight."
"What's in it for me?" Freya asked, though she seemed quite eager to simply get on with the snowball fight.
"Well," I began, thinking the question over. "If ya win, I 'ave ta fight all snowball fights for ya when ye are challenged. If I win, it's the opposite. Deal?"
Freya's eyes sparkled with mischievous amusement as she smiled. "Deal."
Immediately I knelt down and began packing together some snow. Freya also packed together some snow, and she threw it before it was at a good size. The snowball hit my half-made snowball and made it fall apart. Mumbling to myself, I began to make another snowball. I tried to make it swiftly, but soon I was knocked onto my back by another snowball Freya had made in seconds. I leapt to my feet and threw my snowball at her. She dodged it easily and threw the one she had made while dodging. I was hit in the shoulder, but it didn't stop me from making the massive snowball I was creating.
Freya certainly wasn't a normal girl! Most of them despised snowball fights, and they were ditzy when they got in them. They'd rather play cards and talk about strange things. But Freya was not only willing to get into a snowball fight, she was a killer!
I threw my massive snowball at Freya, and she was plowed to the ground. At first I thought I had won, but then she kicked outward and plowed with me over with a bunch of snow. The two of us lay there.
"Draw," Eroy announced after five seconds.
Displeased, I rose to my feet. Freya also looked displeased, but the both of us both knew that that snowball fight had indeed been a draw, and nothing else. We both looked around, not daring to even glance at each other.
"Race," Freya said suddenly.
"Race?" I asked.
"Look," she said, pointing toward the ice. "A race. I wonder who will win?"
I looked in the direction she pointed and saw five boys sliding expertly across the ice. I looked down toward their feet, and was shocked. Was the ice cracking?
"Look! The ice!" I shouted, pointing to the ice.
Freya padded close to the ice and examined it. Her green eyes bulged.
"Get off the ice!" she screamed.
Her scream caused everyone to begin to scramble along the ice. While most listened to her, the racers and some older kids ignored her. A few kids, however, bumped into each other and fell. There was a loud snap, and suddenly five kids were engulfed in icy water as the ice tipped and cracked in half. The racers managed to get off the ice as cracks traveled through the ice. Then, suddenly, the ice that had tipped slammed back into place.
The kids were trapped! I ran over to a sharp rock nearby and grabbed it. Then, I scrambled onto the ice, slipped, and fell into my stomach. I slid over to a crack and began to chip at it frantically.
"FRATLEY! GET BACK HERE!" I heard Rose scream, but I ignored her.
Soon, Freya was beside me, following my example. Then, suddenly, we heard something snap. Freya immediately slid away, but I was too late. The ice reared upward and dumped me into the icy water as the weight became too much. I screamed with terror, and icy water filled my mouth. Panicking, I began to sink in the icy water.
Strange screams came to my ears within the waters. I tried to swim toward the surface, and my head met solid ice. I began to claw at it. My finger caught a hole, and I began to pound at the hole. Soon, there was a breakage, and I tried to pull myself through. The ice snapped into many tiny pieces as I slammed my head through. I was pulled out of the water as I gasped and choked. Soon, four other children, who I heard the ice cracking and managed to swim over to the hole I had made, were hauled up. One child, however, was missing.
I felt warm arms around me, and someone dropped a huge blanket on me. I pushed my heard through the blanket and found myself staring at Rose.
"Fratley, why didn't you listen?" Rose asked me, her voice plagued with worry.
"The - kids - were - in - trouble," I said through chattering teeth.
"'Ere's the last!" I heard Aireff cry, and I twisted my head to see him helping the last shivering, terrified kid out of icy water.
"What happened?" Rose asked Aireff.
"Ice 'ad been too weak ta support all the activity," Aireff said. "Then when all the kids panicked from the shout, it just snapped."
"Hey! Is everyone okay?" Ruben asked, panting. "God, that ice scared me! I thought I was going to go under!"
"I think everyone's fine," Freya said, watching the scene.
"Cold, but fine," I muttered, shivering.
"Let's head home, then. I don't want you to catch pneumonia," Rose said, and I could tell she was nervous.
Rose rose to her feet, helping me along. Angela staggered over and was hoisted on Aireff's shoulders. He did one last check of the area before nodding.
"Everyone's okay. The last child almost drowned but someone was able ta 'elp out," Aireff told Rose.
Rose nodded as she began to head in the direction of home. Pushing my wet shoulder-length hair out of my face, I followed. Ruben and Aireff followed last. I took one last look behind me, and saw Freya staring at me. I read her look, and I suddenly understood.
I was going to be in forever debt to Freya, the curious girl. -------- That's Chapter Two! Hope you like it =) Oh, and for those who couldn't figure out the last sentence: Freya was the one who pulled Fratley out of the water.
This story is copyright to me. The world, some events, and most characters are copyright to SquareEnix.