She tries settling back into the chair without slipping, whilst pretending as if nothing is out of the ordinary. She notices that every elemental alternates around the circle. On her left she has Pae, and on her right she has Porter.
Porter turns his head slightly, senses her brief gaze. “Don’t get too comfortable, princess. I’ll be seeing you real soon.” Glacier blanches at his open threat, her eyes bulging and her breath quickening.
‘I’ll be seeing you real soon’? Who says that?
Glacier quickly settles back into her chair, the sheet of ice nearly completely melted and now dripping onto the floor, creating large puddles. Glacier feels the entire back of her shirt and pants soaked with water, clinging to her skin even tighter. The headpiece buzzes against her temples, creating an almost unnoticeable vibration across her forehead. Her focus is once again claimed by Sasis as he continues with his speech.
“Ladies and gentlemen, our contestants will be competing in a labyrinth.”
A labyrinth? Like a maze?
“What our contestants must do is to solve the labyrinth by using their elemental strengths and problem solving skills. Whichever elemental is first to find the centre of the labyrinth wins the Program for their team. But there is a little twist…”
Glacier watches as the escorts move to stand by the tunnel entrances, folding their arms behind their backs dutifully
“Once they reach a certain distance into the maze, they reach what is called a Dead Zone. The Dead Zone is an area where all elemental abilities are voided from the Program until they pass…” The humming across Glacier’s forehead slowly becomes louder, causing her eyes to lose focus.
‘Elemental abilities are voided’? How do they manage that? And what the hell am I going to use to protect myself in the Dead Zones? I can't fight, and Thomes won’t be able to help me!
Her eyes begin to ache and her skin touching the headpiece starts to itch. Glacier feels another quick zap, this time more powerful, shoot through her brain.
She clenches her eyes tight, and grits her teeth tighter. She groans quietly, her seat even more slippery. Glacier manages to hold on to the armrests of the chair to keep her from slipping, her eyes still squeezed shut.
The crowd starts to shout and clap suddenly before she hears Sasis bellows, “Ladies and Gentlemen, what are we waiting for? Let’s have them solve this labyrinth!”
Less than a second later, Glacier’s head is splitting with pain as a current of electricity shoots through her head like a lightning bolt.
Screaming out, Glacier’s fingers clamp around the armrests, her nails buried in the thin cushion. The pain last less than a second, before it becomes a squealing echo in her head.
~
Opening her eyes, Glacier is surrounded by black. The floors are lit with small yellow lights illuminating the edges of the walls. The walls themselves are completely black, windowless and stretched into long corridors running behind, in front, and to either side of her. Her mind now completely tinted on an axis, Glacier spins around, confused with where she is.
Realizing that she is now standing, she looks down to find herself in a different outfit to what she was wearing earlier.
Her trousers are now tight black cargo pants, and her dark shirt has long sleeves and a collar reaching just below her jaw. Her hands are empty - no sign of her Passkey or brace on her wrists. Her eyebrows scrunch in confusion, not quite understanding why or how she is wearing different clothes. On her hip is a small black flask, swishing with what she assumes to be water. She reaches her hands up to feel how her hair is set, and finds it tied up in a fluffy ponytail.
The walls around her seems to breathe, moving like slow, sluggish waves. Glacier’s eyes follow the movements, before she reaches her hand out to feel it. But when she touches the flat wall, she feels no movement. Her fingers run across the level surface, following it down one of the sparsely lit corridors. Her mind is dizzy and aching, and her legs feel wobbly, but she manages to support her walk along the wall.
When she finally reaches the end of the corridor, she comes to a right turn. She follows it down, her legs slowly tightening, becoming less jelly-like, and her head clears of the dizzy spell. Glacier now lightly trails her fingertips along the wall as she cautiously traces down the hall. She listens for any sound, and watches for any movement. Continuously taking right turns, not allowing her skin to leave the wall, she soon grows exhausted of the walk.
It feels like I’ve been walking for hours…
She decides to try a new approach, and slowly leaves the wall that has been guiding her. Her arms pull into her chest, her hands cupping her neck with fright as she hears a sudden low moaning emit from the walls around her. Taking long, heavy breaths, she calms her heartbeat.
It’s a Program. They are trying to scare you. Don’t be scared.
Glacier drops to the ground at the sudden sound of an unknown voice in her head.
That wasn’t me who thought that, was it?
No.
Glacier’s head turns left and right, looking for the person who spoke. But all she finds are empty, moaning halls. Her palms rub at her eyes as she tries to clear her thoughts.
This place is making me crazy.
You're not crazy; just lucky.
The voice is female. Older. Motherly. Aged with wisdom, smart with wit. Glacier doesn’t recognize the voice, so she can’t place a face or name to it. Glacier bangs her ears with the heels of her hands.
Get out of my head!
She hits her head, trying to rid the voice.
Stop. You are only hurting yourself. Doing that won’t get me out of your head.
The voice is stubborn and bossy, with an impatient underlining. Glacier stops what she is doing, her head and ears now pained. She sits on the floor, her head ringing and her muscles sore.
The only way to get me out of your head is by following my directions, and solving the labyrinth.
Glacier’s body seizes as she finally realizes the intentions of the voice in her head.
You work for Chancellor Staren… How in the world did you get in my head?
That’s not important. What is important, however, is you getting up and solving the maze. You don’t have much time. It’ll be easier if you find your teammates to help you.
Tell me something I don’t know…
Well, you have a fire elemental coming up the left corridor. I suggest you move.
Glacier’s body is suddenly on full alert. She jumps to her feet, and books it down the way she came. Taking confusing turns down different corridors, she tries to lose the Halen.
Do you actually think that you are making any progress right now? You are currently running away from where you need to be…
Glacier comes to a halt at a dead-end corridor.
Well then, where am I supposed to go?
Glacier’s thoughts are angry. She looks around to make sure she hasn’t missed something before turning around and looking down the corridor that she came from. The corridor is as empty as expected, the walls now whining like starved cats.
Go back. You will find Aleena if you follow my instructions. She is the closest to you.
Aleena? She won’t help me…
She’ll have to. She wants to win.
Glacier huffs at the voice’s remark, but waits nevertheless for her next instructions. She starts back down the hall, her breath slightly laboured, from her sprint. When she meets a corridor that goes left or right, she hears the voice.
Go right.
She turns down the right path, walking for a few seconds before coming to another left or right turn.
Turn left.
Taking a left turn, she walks for a few minutes. The walls guiding her are still as loud and creepy as they have been, completely barren of any windows or pictures; just plain black walls. When she comes to a right turn, she goes to around the corner when she hears the voice again.
Go left.
/>
Glacier looks at the wall where a left turn would be. She comes to a dead end.
There’s a wall. I can't go left…
She goes to continue down the corridor leading right, but she is stopped once more.
Go left.
I can't.
Glacier spins back to glare at the wall, confused by the voice’s directions.
There is a wall there. There’s no left turn.
As she walks closer to the wall, the moans grow quiet.
Press against the wall.
Glacier flattens both hands against the wall, pressing hard against it. She hears an almost inaudible click before a small section of the wall opens away from her, like a door.
The doorframe starts 2 inches from the floor, creating a small opening in the middle of the wall. She gazes at the small gap, hesitant about following the voice.
Where does it lead?
To Aleena. Consider it a shortcut.
Glacier stiffens her spine and squares her shoulders.
“Don’t be scared; just do it.” Glacier speaks out loud for the first time, her voice strangely mellow. She cautiously pushes the door open further, before climbing through.
She clicks the door shut behind her before turning to her front. The hall is the same as the one she came from, but she hears off in the distance. She can hear the splashing of water. She also notices an orange glow from around the corner down the hall.
Be careful. The lava elemental is there as well.
Glacier already knows what the glowing light means.
What? No! He said he wouldn’t hurt anyone else!
Glacier sprints down the hall in the direction of the light. She nearly reaches the corner when she hears a pain-filled scream. There is the sound of splashing water and then all that is left is a sizzling hiss in the air.
The smell of burnt flesh penetrates Glacier’s nostril, filling her head with revolting thoughts of Care’s melted body from the Seeding battles. The stench causes bile to rise in her throat, and before she can stop, she vomits on the floor close to the wall.
She’s not actually dead, right? She’ll just be ejected from the Program, right?
Glacier waits for the voice to reply, but she hears nothing. Complete silence.
“Answer me!” she yells out loud, suddenly realizing how soundless the corridors have become. She looks back behind her to see if anyone has heard her shout.
Get up and keep going, Glacier. She’s gone, but you still have three other teammates that can help you.
Glacier tries to breathe through the panic that has settled in her chest.
Screw you.
She wipes her mouth with the back of her hand, and then her burning tears with her other hand.
I’ve had it with him. It ends here.
Glacier, do not engage him. Take the first right down the hall.
Ignoring the mysterious voice speaking in her head, Glacier’s eyes darken as she approaches the turn. She still sees where the glowing light emanates from around the corner. The strong stench of melted flesh lingers in the air, permeating any clean, breathable oxygen. Her fists are clenched tightly as her gut swarms with both anger and disgust.
“Brink!”
She rounds the corner, finding him walking away. At her shout, he turns around with surprise before his entire demeanour changes. From surprised, he transforms into the confident jerk she knows him to be. Trying extremely hard to ignore the sludge-like body that is piled in front of her, Glacier levels him with a hateful glare.
“We made a deal. You said if I went with you to that bloody gala last night, that you wouldn’t hurt anyone else. You said that! You lying, conceited, barbaric, monstrous ass!”
She stands stiff as a board as she shouts hateful names at him, but the words don’t seem to express her wholehearted hatred for the murderer. Her body vibrates with intense loathing, and her skin prickles strangely. Her head swims with a rage so strong she can barely see straight.
Brink merely shrugs his shoulders at her voices, seemingly unfazed by her name calling.
“She attacked me, Glacie. It was only self-defence.” The sound of his voice evokes something dangerous inside of her.
Without realizing, her skin slowly coats itself in a layer of soft ice.
“I don’t care about any of that! Why are you killing everyone, Brink?” Her last question seems to ignite something inside him, this time. His expression changes from smug to infuriation in less than a heartbeat.
He sends one last look of annoyance before he rounds the corner and is out of sight. Glacier’s fingers itch, and her skin tingles.
Her fury becomes so overwhelming that she knows she has never felt this heated before.
I hate that sordid bastard.
You have a lot more in common with him than you think you do.
No, I don’t. Shut up!
Glacier finally loses control of herself.
Letting out a powerful cry, a hollow feeling settles over her body right before the white sheet in her mind clouds her thoughts.
She feels a sudden burst from within her, and all the hatred and the loathing expels from her body with a crackling sound in the air. She manages to stay on her feet, but leans against the wall for some needed support.
The smell of decay lingers, but is now slightly muffled by the bitter coldness of the room. Glacier’s eyes shoot open as her mind registers that small detail.
Cold… I can feel the cold…
Glancing around, Glacier finds herself amongst large splinters of ice and snow. The corridors around her are covered with the white slush, and the air is filled with a breathing white fog. Glacier looks down to where she had briefly seen what remained of Aleena’s body, but now finds a widening red pile of icy slush. Her body’s decayed odour has been slightly muffled by the blood-ridden gunk that conceals it, but it is still apparent.
Momentarily forgetting the amazing realization of that for once in her life, Glacier can feel the cold air around her. She turns back down the corridor and throws up more bile. The awful burning in her throat worsens as she continues to empty her stomach of any traces.
Glacier.
The voice captures her attention once more, but still she remains hunched over against the wall, with saliva and spew dripping from her lips and chin. Glacier’s eyes burn with remorse for her fallen teammate as she tries not to imagine any of Aleena’s hateful words or acts. Despite being so nasty, she didn’t deserve such a horrible and degrading death.
You need to keep moving. You can still solve the labyrinth, but you need follow my directions…
Slowly wiping her jaw with the sleeve of her shirt, Glacier’s mind fogs with indecisiveness. She then brushes the cold specks of ice off her hands, dusting them on her pants.
Fine. Help me win.
Glacier knows she has nearly reached her breaking point. She can't save anyone in the Program or the battles, but she can still save Castor.
Castor is all that matters.
You are a good person, Glacier. I’m sorry this is your cross to bear…
Shrugging her shoulders, Glacier is completely indifferent, void of any emotion. Forcing herself in the direction that the voice had originally been leading her, Glacier forces herself to forget Aleena’s mollified corpse, forget the sense of empowerment she felt briefly, and forget the feeling of the cold.
As she distances herself from the liquefied body of her teammate, the air becomes easier to breathe, and the guilt strangely begins to subside as she re-evaluates her goals.
Keep it together, Glacier. Keep walking until you reach the end of the corridor and then turn left. The corner turns at a one-eighty angle.
Glacier nods her head, not sure if the person who the voice belongs to could see that she did so. But with the thought of who the voice belongs to fresh in her mind, she voices the question.
What is your name? What do I call you?
She f
eels weird asking that question in her mind, but nonetheless she waits patiently for the answer as she continues down the dark passage. There is a brief silence in her head, which gives her goose bumps. She can sense the voice is still there, lingering in her mind and filling a void.
Just call me Sparrow.
Glacier keels over in shock, feeling winded as though she was sucker-punched in her stomach. Something echoes in her brain, but none of it makes any sense.
Sparrow… Cartmen called me Sparrow…
Glacier, you need to keep moving. Start running, you are losing time by standing out. Up ahead there is a crossroad. You take the left turn, and then immediately right.
Glacier stiffens her spine and clenches her jaw before she takes off down the passage.
“Don’t worry, I’ll win for you Aleena.” She sends a silent farewell to her fallen teammate, her anger churning dangerously.
I’m going to kill him. I’m going to kill Brink.
Just stay focused on the current situation, Glacier. Left turn, then right.
Glacier follows the mysterious woman’s instructions, taking the first left turn she comes across then immediately ducking right. The corridor is very short, with either a left or right turn.
Which way?
Right.
The Frozen Beginning (Elemental Diamond Book 1) Page 24
