A/N: It's time for the longest and most action-packed chapter yet! Get some hot cocoa and settle in as we return to the snowstorm once more...
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
Alone in the blizzard, only the sound of Frazie's footsteps kept her company. That as well as the occasional chill that rocked her body, but her repurposed pyrokinetics were doing a good job keeping her going.
Where was she going, though? The trail of torches marked no clear path, only forming a loose route through endless piles of snow. Part of her wondered if she was wasting her time, but there had to be a reason these markers were here.
And there was. It took a bit of walking, but finally, the storm seemed to ease up a bit as a new area appeared before her. With the break from snow blindness, Frazie could make out a deep gorge in the ground. Roughly rectangular in shape, its walls were a cool blue where the snow didn't cover it. Inside it sat a bunch of shapes, but they were too far away to make out. A natural ramp off to the side led down into the pit, and Frazie supposed that was as good an indication as any she was meant to go down there.
Carefully, she trodded down the slope, making sure not to slip on any ice. Even being an acrobat wouldn't save her if she tumbled all the way down. At the bottom, everything looked clearer, and the things she saw were puzzling.
Piles of snow and rocks formed huge objects, almost like nature had somehow carved them itself. Teddy bears and blocks. Rattles and bottles. Pillars lined the edges of the ravine in an equally spread pattern, leaving thin gaps between each one.
It almost looked like... a giant crib?
And at the far end of it, carved in even more detail than the rest, was a giant xylophone. Curious, Frazie started to make the trek across the canyon to inspect it.
What if I can never play again?
She froze - in movement, not literally. Her eyes flicked back and forth, but there was nothing around but these statues. Where had that thought come from? It wasn't hers.
Am I really a musician if I can lose my spark so easily?
Was I ever really good to begin with?
Frazie kept looking around until she peeked down and stuck out her tongue. Some sort of gross purple goop was clinging to her feet, bogging her down.
"Ew, ew, ew," she repeated, shaking it off and sidestepping out of it. "I wiped my feet before entering, this one wasn't me!"
She hadn't expected a response to her protests, but before her eyes, the puddle she'd stepped in started to bubble and squelch.
Not only was it not her mess... it was alive.
Frazie backed away as the slime rose up into a mound and metamorphized before her eyes. Tiny hands clawed out of the muck, and above them, it split into glowing orange eyes and a gaping mouth.
She gagged. This creature was not only revolting, just looking at it made her feel uneasy. The stray thoughts had ceased, but whatever it was, it was responsible for them. And it was slowly coming her way.
There was no one to instruct her this time. She didn't want to get close to it, but psi-attacks had been her bread and butter so far. So, standing as far away as she could, she kicked her foot out and watched as her energy slammed into its face.
When she pulled it back, she'd left an imprint in the goo. And yet, the creature barely seemed phased from the impact, continuing to waddle after her while the mark faded away.
She backed up again, but it suddenly dashed towards her when it got close, its cavernous maw opened wide. Acting fast, Frazie leapt over it as it missed and faceplanted into the ground. It was back up in no time, already pursuing her again.
"Eugh. You look like something that'd grow on Dion's old socks..." Shoving that image from her mind, Frazie focused it on something else. She had no idea how it'd react, but she redirected her internal heat into her palms and focused that building warmth on her foe.
The creature lit up like kindling. She was surprised just how flammable it was, the creature howling and stomping around, completely aimless as the fire consumed it. In no time at all, it started to melt, its disgusting slime disappearing into the snow.
"Phew." Frazie wiped her brow, ready to continue her task. She turned...
...Just in time to see a whole bunch more of those puddles starting to rise up out of the ground. As if that wasn't bad enough, some familiar red portals popped out of thin air, spewing tiny men with thick wool hats and very painful stampers.
"Come on!" Getting a head start before they grouped up and attacked, Frazie dashed through them, leapfrogging an unsuspecting censor and sending it tumbling into a snow pile. "I'm trying to fix things, here! I'm on your side!"
"No!"
"Who asked you?!" Great. These stupid things had no way of telling if an intruder was helpful or not. She made good ground while the enemies made their entrances, ahead of the pack and dashing for the xylophone as they chased after.
She turned around and kept sending out waves of heat as she moved backwards, aiming for the slimes first. If a censor got too close, though, she found they were just as susceptible to spontaneous combustion. Pyrokinetic training may have been a disaster, but she had to admit, it was great for saving her bacon.
Finally making it to the giant stone instrument, she hopped, pulling herself up. Even though the tool was made of rock, it still made a musical tink when she stepped on it. It might've been kinda fun to stomp around on top... if she wasn't under attack.
But she had the high ground now. The sludges couldn't climb at all, and were sitting ducks under her heated gaze. The censors were surprisingly good at climbing and leaping with their stubby legs, but a quick chop would send them flying back off the xylophone.
Using her advantage to the fullest, she managed to disperse with the crowd without any real trouble. Before long, the final censor let out a pitiful 'no' as she dusted off her hands. "Pains in the neck. Or head, I guess..." she mumbled, ready to check out the instrument.
It was a flat kid's xylophone to be exact, with thin sticks set off to the side that were still three times her size. Little stone screws were set into both sides of each bar, and Frazie walked along them, eying them closely.
When she got to the end, she stopped. One of the final pegs wasn't a peg at all.
It was a CD?
Frazie stooped down to pick it up, the disc shiny and cold in her hand. Wiping the snow off it, she could see it was still in pretty good condition despite being out here in the middle of nowhere.
She didn't expect to find any record players out here, but she had a hunch whatever this thing was might help Phoebe out. She just had to get back to her. Frazie wasn't looking forward to the trek back, but at least she'd made progress. Probably.
Preparing to head off, she lowered herself off the xylophone... and paused.
Off to the side, there was a cave she was pretty sure hadn't been there a few seconds ago.
...Well, checking it out beat returning to the snowstorm. Maybe there was something useful inside? Keeping the CD help securely in her hands, she stepped into the hole and out of the snow.
As she departed, she didn't notice the hulking figure watching her from up on the cliff.
"WhoawhoawhoaWHOAWHOA!"
The cave had gone on for a bit, eventually tapering into a floor of sheer ice. Frazie had tried to cross it, only to find the path became a downhill slope that sent her slip-sliding on her feet.
It was a testament to her balancing skills that she managed to remain upright even as she zoomed downhill. An exit was gleaming up ahead, and she let out a yelp as the ramp launched her right out of it.
"Hup!" Adjusting herself, she landed feet first with arms outstretched, the disc safe in one hand. Nailed it.
And not only did she nail it, the tunnel had led her back to Phoebe's camp.
The kid glanced up briefly, but still looked too cold and gloomy to appreciate the trick. Mouth quirking with concern, Frazie trudged up to her, holding out the CD. "Does this mean anything to you?"
Phoebe opened up her blanket cocoon wide enough to take the recording in her hands. And when it brushed her fingers... it started to play.
Frazie whipped her head around as music surrounded them, echoing from nowhere. The air was filled with tinking and clinking as a bunch of random xylophone notes played, filling the area with light and indistinct sound. It didn't seem very important to Frazie, but for some reason, Phoebe couldn't stop smiling.
"I remember..." she mumbled. "My parents got me this little old thing to p-play with when I was a baby. Of course it didn't mean anything to me then, but I guess that was my first taste of m-making music. And it tasted pretty good."
Frazie chuckled, crossing her arms. "Like ham and eggs?"
"Yeah. O-or milkshakes and ice cream."
"Shouldn't you be thinking of something warmer?"
The music continued to play as the two girls giggled a little. But when Frazie opened her eyes again... a miracle was happening.
The snow around the campfire was melting. As if the heat decided to start working again, the piles of slush disintegrated until the rocky ground of Phoebe's old mind reappeared.
It didn't go very far - the phenomenon only took place in a wide radius around the camp. The rest of her mind was still a tundra, though oddly enough the falling snow refused to settle on the newly warmed land. It wasn't much, but it was a sign they were on the right track.
Phoebe stopped shivering. Letting out a relieved sigh, she let her blanket fall away, kicking back on her log as she warmed up. "Whoa... I guess my playing was hot even back then."
"Or something like that." Now knowing what to do, Frazie gestured to her to stay put. "You wait here, I'm going to go find more of those!"
"How about you start there?" Phoebe pointed across from her, where a new path of torches had appeared in the snow.
Frazie nodded, setting out for it. "Thanks for the tip. Be back ASAP!" Right as she reached the edge of the clearing, she paused, remembering something. "Hey... do you know anything about purple goop monsters?" she called back.
Phoebe seemed a bit surprised, then stared back into the fire again. "They're called Doubts."
So that was what she'd been hearing. Frazie nodded. "I'll destroy any I see." With that, she spun on her heel and ventured back out into the whipping winds.
She wasn't looking forward to returning to the blizzard, but now that she had a goal, the next trip wasn't nearly as bad.
Like before, the raging storm opened up after a trudge through the snow. This time the path had led her upwards, into the peaks, and though the snowfall made looking back impossible, she coulda swore she could make out the dim glow of Phoebe's campfire from up in the mountains.
But what was in front of her was far more important than what was behind. Up ahead, at the crest of the hill, sat some old ruins. Massive icicles hung from the arches, cold stone forming a large box except where wear and tear had taken chunks of rock out.
Try as she might, Frazie couldn't see an entrance, and all the footholds around the building were too slippery for her acrobatic prowess to take her to the roof. Giving the icy stalagmites up front a stern look, she wrapped her arms around them and tugged.
Not even an inch. The cold here was powerful... but so was her new power.
A heated glare and a tap to the forehead later, the obstacle lay in a puddle at her feet, revealing a double doorway beyond. Smirking proudly to herself, Frazie shoved them open and stepped inside.
It was eerily empty indoors. Not a single soul and not a single sound except for the distant howl of the wind outdoors. Shivering (and not just from the cold), Frazie started to make her way around. "Hello? Anyone here?"
No response. She passed by rows of tall stones - lockers, by the look of them. They wouldn't open when she tugged, though, mentally or not, and pyrokinesis wouldn't help her here. For awhile, she was left wandering in the dark, where the only light came from the occasional cracks and holes in the ceiling.
None of the rooms stood out to her, just shadowed chambers where fields of stone desks sat perfectly spaced from each other... except one room, way in the back.
At the far side of the temple, a big chunk of the roof was caved in and casting a bright light over some sort of long chamber. A few rows sat on one side, stacked atop each other, each one featuring sets of normal-sized rocky instruments left long abandoned. They faced the other side of the room, where only a desk and the sun's focus sat.
And basking in the sunlight was another of those green vault creatures.
Frazie snuck towards it while it snoozed, thinking aloud. "On one hand, I don't like having to hit you and I'm not sure if poking through memories is a nice thing to do. On the other... I don't really have any other leads here. Sorry..."
Shutting her eyes, she tuned out the gentle snoring as she reeled her hand up and brought it down in a psychic chop. After a brief squeal, she heard the sound of a lock opening and peeked with one eye to see the vault wide open.
Stooping down, she poked around inside. Like before, there was a pile of photographs, and once properly compiled, they told a story.
Phoebe's First Recital
Phoebe had been waiting for this day for weeks.
The school's music class had been preparing them. On top of their usual lessons, they'd been training them for the upcoming tryouts to determine who could be part of the official school band. After all that practice, Phoebe was sure she'd make the cut.
She'd barely been able to sleep, she was so excited. When the morning came, she floated through classes until it was finally time for auditions. All the applicants were gathered in the music room, forming rows with their instruments in hand.
Their teacher was a balding man with a kind face. Once he'd gotten all the kids to quiet down, he got them started one by one.
Each child had their time to shine, performing their best to see who was good enough to make it into the band. Phoebe grew impatient as the brass and the winds got their turns first. C'mon, percussion, c'mon, she thought over and over.
Finally, it was her section's turn. She could barely sit still as person after person played, until finally, it was her go.
"When you're ready, Phoebe," her teacher called, giving a swing of his baton.
She didn't hesitate. After a deep breath, she raised her drumsticks high and brought them back down.
She started with a steady beat, each thump coming heavy and steady. She was focusing intently on her work, but she could glimpse her teacher nodding out of the corner of her eye.
Her technique was good, but she wanted to make this a sure thing. She started playing faster, stronger, adding a little oomph to her performance. Her brow was taut as she focused as intensely as she could. There was nothing in the world except her and her drumset. Her and the beat.
"Stop! Phoebe, stop!"
Her heart froze as she paused, wondering if she'd slipped up. But the issue wasn't her.
The issue was her drumsticks were now on fire.
"Ah!" Panicking, she flung them into the corner. They hit it with a clatter, the licks of flame starting to spread to the carpet.
Kids started shouting as somehow, more flames were spurting up where they shouldn't have. A big patch broke out on the ceiling, while the teacher cried out when his shoe suddenly lit up.
Kicking it off, he quickly raced for the fire alarm. Bells rang and lights flashed as the fire continued to grow out of control. "Let's go, kids, let's go, follow me!"
Terrified, the class formed a line and clung to his shadow, with Phoebe in the back. As they went, it seemed like more and more fires were starting to spring up around them, like they were walking through the halls of hell.
When they were finally outside, the random fires stopped, but the damage was done. All the kids had gotten out, but they could only watch as the wing the music hall had been in became completely consumed by flames.
"I don't understand it," her teacher murmured to another. "It came out of nowhere!" Phoebe didn't understand it either, and yet somehow, she felt responsible.
Phoebe hadn't so much as looked at her own drumset in weeks.
An entire wing of the school had burned down before the firefighters had managed to stop it. The other kids hadn't minded too much outside of being a little scared... it meant they got some time off. Even when classes resumed, Phoebe was ashamed to be relieved that the music room had been the first to burn, since it meant she didn't have to get near the instruments again.
She missed playing, but that haunting feeling that something might happen if she did held her back. Instead, she just laid in bed after her homework was done, staring up at the ceiling and sighing.
With nothing to distract her, her ears picked up soft noises from downstairs. Curious, she crept to her door and cracked it open a bit, being able to hear the front door from there.
Her mother was talking to some guy, and Phoebe listened in closely to make out what they were saying.
"Ooooh no, you do not get to walk up to my doorstep and blame my daughter for the school's accident."
"Listen," the man said, "you might not like to hear it, but it's true - your daughter did it. We're not blaming her, though, I promise."
"Yes, you are! You can't even say how she did it!"
The man sighed, about as exasperated as Phoebe was confused. "It's a bit too much to explain. Just know that our agency is the only one that knows she's responsible and has provided an anonymous donation to help repair the damages." There was some shuffling. "Here. Take this pamphlet. It will explain a little... I highly advise you consider what it offers."
There was the sound of her mother flipping it open. "...Whispering Rock Summer Camp?"
"Precisely. If you have any further questions, call the number on the back and I will be happy to answer them. Until then... good day."
The front door closed, and Phoebe shut hers right after. She turned around and slid down to the floor, hugging her knees. So it had been her fault. But how? And... something about camp? Nothing about this made sense to her.
She had no idea yet that that recital was about to change her life.
Frazie closed her eyes again and sighed. She was starting to get the hunch that these memories were locked away for a reason. Maybe she'd find a happy one some day, but today was not that day. All she knew was her hunch was a bust and so she leaned back down to return the photos to their home. She hoped the vault would appreciate having its hoard back when it woke up.
...Wait a second.
Frazie squinted and leaned a bit farther into the safe. There, leaning in the shadows against the back, sat the next CD.
"Yes!" She snatched it, holding it up to the light to admire it. "Two down... however many else to go."
It was time to head back. Grateful this one had been much less guarded, she lowered the disc from her eye...
And gasped. Up above the hole in the ceiling, a monster stared back at her.
It was bulky and stout, easily twice her height and five times as wide. It was covered in bristling white fur, its face set in a scary snout and stone cold eyes. Now that it'd been noticed, it growled, its lips rumbling around sharp fangs. Using its massive mitts, it hung from the edge of the gap and lowered itself down, dropping into the room with a large thump.
Frazie backed away, holding her hands up in a futile attempt to protect herself. If yetis existed, she figured this was what one would look like... but the mind didn't care what was real and what wasn't.
"N-nice fella," she spoke softly, backed into a corner. "Nice big... hairy... very angry lookin' fella." She flinched as the creature let out a brief snarl, closing the gap between them as it walked on its huge fists. "Ahahahaha..." she laughed nervously. "Annnny chance you like circus tricks? ...No?"
It roared right in her face, spitting saliva and blowing her hair back. Clearly, it wasn't a fan of the circus.
It reeled a tree trunk arm back and Frazie had barely enough time to duck under it as it slammed into the wall above her. "Eep!" The building shook from the force and debris fell as she slid out from under the fist and booked it.
There was nothing on Earth that'd make her fight that thing if she had a say in the matter. For once, Frazie was completely unpoised as she fled for her life. Judging from the way the halls shook around her, the creature was giving chase. Its force was so immense it toppled over the rockers along the walls, forcing the girl to hopscotch her way down the hall while she dodged falling stones.
Remembering the way to the exit was kinda hard when you were running for your life, but Frazie loosely remembered the path as she skidded around corners. The monster's roars grew ever nearer, yet Frazie didn't dare look back to see how close it was getting.
At last, the glow of the outdoors appeared down the hall and Frazie urged herself to run even faster. Heart thumping, pulse racing, she shot out from the doorway and booked it towards the slope. She didn't even notice the cold.
Once the land curved downwards, she found a steep spot and leapt. Gravity took over as she slid down, finally safe as she fled back down the mountain.
Back up top, the yeti stopped at the edge of the mountaintop and roared threats at her. Its dark eyes narrowed until she was just a blip disappearing back into the storm. Once it was sure she was gone, it grunted, turning away. It headed off in a new direction, looking like it knew where it was going.
Whomp.
About halfway down the mountain she'd started accumulating snow and become a giant ball of ice. It helped soften the landing when she returned to camp, flipping out of the boulder and landing on her face.
But she'd take that over having her face eaten off. Peeling herself off the ground, she rubbed her nose and called out to her fellow camper. "Phoebe! T-there's something out there! Something huge and, and hairy, and... and what the heck is it?!"
Phoebe just looked at her like she was crazy. "I've never heard of something like that in the mind. Was it like a bear or something?"
"Bears don't walk on two feet!" Groaning, Frazie just plucked the CD out of the snowpile and marched over. "Forget it. Here... check it out."
The girl looked up from the fire, her smile looking almost as bright as Frazie headed over to deliver the disc. Like before, the instant it touched Phoebe's fingers, its contents filled the air.
This one was a lot more paced and controlled, like an actual song instead of random beating. A fierce drum solo played, starting hard and only growing harder as the cymbals crashed and the beat thumped louder.
"Yeah..." Phoebe said, bobbing her head to it. "I played this one back at school. It, uh, didn't go well. But it helped me discover a lot about myself."
"Like your pyrokinesis?"
Phoebe stared. "How'd you know?"
"Luuuucky guess."
"Well, yeah... but it also really got me into drumming. That day was awful, and yet so much good came from it..." She sighed wistfully, and as if her breath was flooding the entire field, the area began melting again.
This time, a big chunk of the area was restored to its old warm state. All around, instruments that were formerly ice blocks stood up, thumping and tooting in confusion.
When it'd stopped spreading, a massive circle was melted... but it still wasn't enough. The far reaches were still frozen over, and another path had appeared.
"One more ought to do it." While instruments started hopping over to join them, Frazie motioned for Phoebe to stay put. "We'll have this fixed in no time! I'll be right back."
Phoebe just chuckled, waving goodbye. "Good luck with your bear or whatever."
Frazie's face fell. Right. That thing that'd chased her was still out there somewhere. And somehow, she had the feeling it was waiting for her.
She took her good time making the final trip. At least only half of it was snowy.
At long last, the final landmark was in sight. It was across a big ol' frozen lake, but it wasn't very far.
Rather than go around, Frazie leapt onto the ice and hummed to herself as she skated her way across. Being balanced really had its perks sometimes. If she didn't know there was some horrific beast lurking somewhere hunting for her, she'd even say it was kind of pleasant.
But the fun had to stop sometime, approximately around the time she'd made it across. As she hopped back onto snow, she met a familiar sight.
Up ahead was Whispering Rock's main lodge... a stony approximation of it, anyway. More curious than cautious, Frazie walked up its solid steps and pushed open the door.
The inside was just as she'd expected - though, thank goodness, Chef Ford hadn't found a way to teleport here too. It worried her that that had been a legitimate concern. Stepping inside, the door shut behind her while she passed between tables of stone. The stage was just as she remembered it, and up on top of it...
The final disc.
"Jackpot." Breaking into a sprint, Frazie ran for it... and almost toppled forward when a massive thud rocked the roof.
Her eyes shot up to see what was going on, and as she watched, the roof shook a couple more times before a massive chunk of it finally caved in. Crying out, she leapt away from it, rolling back to her feet as it smashed into the floor.
Up above, the yeti was back, and it didn't look happy.
Not good. Frazie needed to get that CD and get out of here before it attacked... but before she could race for it, the creature didn't even bother with her.
Instead, it clambered down and scooped the disc up in one hand.
"Hey!" The beast shot her an almost mocking look as it made its escape, climbing up the way it'd come in.
She hadn't come this far to get robbed by Bigfoot. Indignant, she turned and charged back outside, just in time for the creature to leap off the roof and run for the lake.
Call it foolish, but Frazie was the one doing the chasing now. She didn't want to fight this thing, but it might've been the only chance to return Phoebe to normal... and that was worth possibly getting squashed for.
Halfway across, the yeti seemed tired of running from a teenager and turned, growling at her to back off. She didn't. Irritated, it roared and slammed a massive fist into the ice, cracking it loudly with one solid blow and leaving a big pool of water in its wake.
Frazie frantically skidded to a stop, teetering on the edge. That was too close. She scowled and snapped a finger at the monster. "Alright, you asked for it!"
The heat built in her mind, steam slowly rising off the beast. As the creature looked confused, its coat suddenly burst into flames. Surprised, it howled and slapped itself, desperate to put it out.
It was no use. After a few seconds the beast seemed to surrender and fell to its knees, reaching for its chest...
...And started to peel its fur off, like it was one giant coat.
"What the...?" Frazie's jaw dropped as she watched the monster disrobe, tossing the burning heap of fur to the side... and it dropped even further when she saw what lie beneath.
Somehow, the thing underneath wasn't even close to the same height. It was around the same height as her.
Because it was her.
Frazie was in a staring contest with herself. Kind of. The doppelganger was like her in every way, except it lacked flesh and color. Instead, its body was solid ice, the clone glaring at her through cold, pupiless eyes.
Frazie stammered over and over, trying to process what'd just happened. "I... wha... buh... you're me! An icy me! A... a Freezie! That doesn't even make any sense!" she yelled, gesturing wildly with her hands.
"Why not?" The creature had gained a voice, even sounding just like her in a mocking tone. "After all... you're the one who ruined everything around here."
Freezie gestured all around, the CD in her hand as she pointed out the tundra around them. "This lake? You. That storm? You. Everything currently ailing Phoebe? All you. This is all your fault. And it's too late to say sorry."
"That's..." Frazie desperately tried to find words to defend herself, but she really couldn't. It might've been an accident, but this was definitely her fault. Instead, she deflated with a sigh. "You're right. But I need that CD to undo this mess. So please," she pleaded, "give me a chance to make things right."
"Hmmmm..." Her double tapped its chin, deep in thought. "Nah."
Frazie felt like she'd been slapped in the face. "No?! Come on! This isn't a game, Phoebe might never be the same without it! I need it!"
"Oh? You need this?" Her clone pulled the disc up and waggled it. Then, she popped it sideways into her mouth. She slurped it up like a CD player, the disc disappearing into her head. "Oops."
Frazie stared in shock. "Alright, first of all, never do anything like that with my body again. Secondly, I needed that, you iceprick!"
"You should've thought of that before you played with fire, huh?"
Frazie was seeing red now. "Alright, jerk..." Was she allowed to call herself a jerk? "I don't have any other choice now." She jabbed a finger at her. "You're going down! ...I'm going down? Whatever."
The imposter just laughed. "Bring it on."
Who're you guys putting your money on? Frazie, or Frazie?
