Deb smiled at him. It was pained, but genuine.
“I know,” she said. “I’m sorry. I get all worked up sometimes and I just need someone to help me out, you know?”
Felix shrugged and said nothing.
“I’m going to take a shower,” said Deb. “Afterward, I’ll come find you. And bring you down to the community to meet some people.”
“Uh, thanks.” Felix nodded to her. She looked away from him, and an awkward couple of seconds passed by in silence until he took the hint, and left the room.
CHAPTER 18
Felix left the apartment, took a deep breath, and turned to see Stella at the end of the hallway. He blinked, feeling a mixture of guilt and something he couldn’t quite articulate into thought.
“Felix!” shouted Stella. “Come on, we need to move!”
“Uh, okay.” He jogged down the hallway toward her. “What’s going on?”
“Something is happening,” she said. “I think the Ice Dancer is-“
The light above them flicked off, leaving them in total darkness. Felix pulled his phone out and used it to illuminate Stella’s face. Her expression was one of grim determination.
“Damn, she cut the power!” said Stella. “Get down to the first floor. Make sure the doors are locked and stay there!”
“Stella, hold on a second,” said Felix. “I-“
“We don’t have time for this!” she yelled. “Go now!”
She grabbed his arm and roughly pulled him into the stairwell. Felix hesitated for another second before heading down, taking the stairs two at a time.
With the power off, the cold had ample opportunity to sneak into the North Spire through any cracks it could find. By the time Felix reached the first floor, it already felt a few degrees colder. If the power stayed off, the situation would be life threatening within hours, and that didn’t take the Ice Dancer into account.
Felix reached the lobby, scanning his eyes across the floor. Even though the sun had already set, enough light shone from the moon and snow to illuminate most of the area. Felix didn’t see anyone, and he hurried to the door, finding that it was unlocked.
“What the fuck…?” He was sure that it’d been locked before. A chill ran up his spine.
“What do you think you’re doing?” The sheriff’s voice came from behind Felix. He slowly turned around to see Burke heading toward him, hand resting gently on his gun.
“Something is going on,” said Felix. “The power outage-“
“I’m aware of it,” snapped the sheriff. “Obviously.”
“The door is unlocked!” said Felix. “And something might be coming through it in a couple of minutes!”
The sheriff stared Felix down, his expression stern and impassive.
“You’d best go on,” he said. “I’ll take care of things down here.”
A chill went up Felix’s spine. He suddenly wondered why the sheriff had been down on the first level to begin with, and how he’d missed him when he walked out of the stairwell and into the lobby.
“No,” said Felix. “I’m here to help, Sheriff.”
Sheriff Burke took a step forward. One of his fingers twitched on the gun, as though all of his self-control was required to keep it in its holster.
“You’re not helping anyone right now,” he said. “You’re getting in the way, kid.”
“Maybe that’s what I need to do to help,” said Felix.
The sheriff took a slow breath through his nose and furrowed his brow.
“You don’t understand how this community works,” he said. “Or what it’s like to be a part of it. You’re a wanderer, Felix. Isn’t that right?”
Felix didn’t say anything.
“You don’t understand how it feels to live with the same people, day in, and day out,” said Sheriff Burke. “The decisions you have to make in order to protect them… What it comes down to in the end.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” said Felix. “Not right now, at least.”
A tense, silent moment followed, with violent potential simmering just under the surface. Felix held his breath, watching the sheriff as he continued to tap his finger on his gun. He felt as though making a single move, even just putting his hands up, would get him killed.
From outside the spire came a loud, high pitched scream. Felix turned instinctively in time to see Dani in the snow. The door to the school was open, and she was kicking through waist deep snow, moving in desperation toward the North Spire.
In the distance behind her stood the Ice Dancer, looking just as coldly seductive as she had back in the crystal caves. She walked on top of the snow, her feet sinking in only slightly, as though she wore invisible snow shoes. The ice covered every inch of her flesh, and white vapor steamed off her, as though she was colder than the ambient winter Alaskan air.
“Dammit!” Felix turned his back on Sheriff Burke and rushed toward one of the metal entrance doors. He heard the older man bark something at him and ignored it.
The door opened easily, aided by a fierce wind that seemed to originate from the direction of the Ice Dancer. Felix charged outside, feeling the punishment of the biting Alaskan cold on every inch of exposed flesh.
Dani had tripped in her hurried escape and was pulling herself to her feet. The Ice Dancer was closing the gap between them faster than she had any hope of escaping. Felix shouted wordlessly as he charged through the snow.
He saw the shovel, discarded in his encounter with the wolves earlier in the day, and bent down to scoop it up as he went by. Dani was on her feet again, but the Ice Dancer was right behind her, within grabbing distance. Felix shouted and gestured with his hand, trying to tell her to drop to the ground.
She wasn’t listening, but the snow caught against one of her legs, causing her to fall forward a second time. Felix grabbed the shovel with both hands and threw it, the angle giving it horizontal momentum, like a boomerang in flight.
It hit the Ice Dancer square in the chest, shattering a small section of her frozen armor. Dani screamed and pulled herself forward, scrambling to put distance between herself and the creature in what little time the attack had bought her.
The Ice Dancer ran a hand across her face and through her hair, melting more ice off with it. Her blonde hair and sleek, attractive face came into view. She looked human, and as she stripped more of the ice armor off, revealing her big, perfect breasts, Felix had a hard time believing that she wasn’t.
Dani reached him, halfway hysterical with fear. She grabbed his hand and tried to pull him back. The Ice Dancer was moving toward them again, too quickly this time. She’d catch them both if they tried to run.
“Go!” shouted Felix. He took a step forward and picked up the shovel from where it’d rebounded away from the Ice Dancer.
“Felix!” screamed Dani. She shot him a look, which he returned with a scowl and impatient hand gesture.
“Run, Dani!” He turned away from her, squaring off with the Ice Dancer, who was…
She was smiling at him, and there was a sense of recognition in her eyes. Felix expected her to charge forward at him, or through razor sharp icicles, or some other act of aggression.
Instead, the Ice Dancer ran her hand over the snow. It rose up into a rectangle at her command, the size and shape of a king size bed. The Ice Dancer leaned back on it and slowly began running her hand up her leg, cracking off more ice and revealing pale, perfect flesh underneath.
“Felix!” screamed Dani. She was nearing the spire’s door, and hesitated before going in, her fear supplemented by worry.
“I…” Felix couldn’t look away from the Ice Dancer. She brought her arm underneath her breasts, pulling them together suggestively. She’d cracked all of her ice armor off except for a small, panty shaped section around her crotch.
Felix thought of how she’d felt against him, how intoxicating and incredible and incomparable the experience had been. He watched as the Ice Dancer slowly slid her fingers across her ice panties, as though toyi
ng with the idea of letting them shatter, and revealing all of herself to him. She smiled and licked her lips. Felix realized that he was walking toward her with slow, small steps. He needed to be against her, needed to press his cock against that ice and shatter it so he could get into her hot, tight, supernaturally perfect pussy.
A gout of fire lanced out, missing Felix’s head by a few inches and catching the Ice Dancer on the shoulder. Her flesh didn’t burn. It melted away into water, revealing crystal clear ice under the wound. The Ice Dancer flinched back, her face contorting in pain and anger, but made no noise.
“Get away from her, Felix,” said Stella. “We need to get inside before-“
The ground began to rumble. Snow flew off the ground, collecting around the Ice Dancer’s body. Felix felt a stab of disappointment as it covered her naked flesh, and then blinked, his faculties returning.
“Jesus…” He took a step back. The Ice Dancer was growing larger, but maintaining her feminine shape. It was as though she’d summoned a body of snow, her form perfectly preserved, but larger than life. She stood at least twenty feet tall, and slowly closed her fingers into fists.
“Back!” screamed Stella. “You are not welcome here.”
She pushed her staff forward into the air and another blast of fire extended outward, this time striking the Ice Dancer in her oversized head. The creature brought up both hands to block and kicked at the snow with one foot, launching a miniature avalanche onto Felix and Stella.
Felix covered his face the best he could. The snow buried him in an instant, and only through a few seconds of desperate digging was he able to free his head and upper body. Stella faired slightly better and still held her staff. She looked tired and determined. Her eyes flashed bright green as she brought the tip of her weapon level with the Ice Dancer.
“You will leave this place!” Stella let out a fierce cry, this time summoning a blast of wind. The snow surrounding the Ice Dancer exploded into powder, and the naked woman underneath it was launched into the air, flying backward at a rate that brought her over the horizon in seconds.
“Holy fuck,” said Felix. “Stella, that was… unbelievable.”
Stella’s eyes were closed, and her grip on her staff was loosened. Felix began digging himself out as quickly as he could. He rushed over to her, pulling her from the snow. Her body was ice cold.
CHAPTER 19
Felix managed to drag Stella’s body halfway back to the tower before people emerged from the tower to help. Mayor Senhaji, Sheriff Burke, and Danica each made a tiny trail through the snow of their own as they made their way toward him separately.
“Just what the hell happened here?” shouted the mayor. Felix hesitated, catching an urgent look from Dani.
“The kid ran outside,” said sheriff. “After the girl. They were… arguing in the snow, or something, from what I could tell.”
“What?” The mayor shot Felix a skeptical look. “Then why the hell didn’t you go investigate, Burke?”
The sheriff was silent. Felix lifted Stella’s body, inviting them to take hold and help. Everyone grabbed onto her and lifted her body up and out of the snow. Dani was in position next to him, and she leaned her head in close.
“Don’t tell them the whole story,” she whispered. “Trust me.”
“They deserve to know,” whispered Felix. “How else are they going to keep themselves safe?”
Dani looked from him to Stella. She looked cold, worryingly so.
“That’s why my mom is here,” she said.
They made it to the tower after a few minutes and headed for the stairs. The process of bringing Stella upstairs, even as light of a woman as she was, made Felix wish the architects had installed an elevator. Luckily, they didn’t have to go far.
“Monique will know what to do,” said Mayor Senhaji.
They carried her down the second floor hallway, stopping in front of a room that had placard on it reading “INFIRMARY”. Dani opened the door, and the three men carried her inside.
“What seems to be the… problem?” An attractive black woman with curly, golden brown hair sat on a stool, her white physician’s coat hanging over a t-shirt and jeans. She stood up and helped them bring Stella to the bed and then immediately set out taking her pulse and temperature.
“I’m… okay,” muttered Stella. “It’s okay.”
“It’s not okay,” said the doctor. “Stella, how many times have I told you not to go outside without your jacket on?”
Stella smiled wanly. The doctor turned to everyone else in the room and nodded to the door.
“I’m going to need to get her out of her wet clothing,” she said. “A little privacy, please?”
Felix disappeared out the door, along the mayor, Sheriff Burke, and Dani. Felix smiled at Dani, and then looked over at the two men, who scowled back at him.
“I need to know more about what’s going on here,” said Mayor Senhaji. “Burke, are you going to tell me?”
The sheriff remained silent, his face expressionless, eyes devoid of emotion or clues.
“Then it will have to be one of you two,” said Mayor Senhaji. “Dani, I’ve known you for a long time. It’s not like you to, to…”
He was growing angrier by the moment, and a light stutter revealed itself in his speech. Dani shot Felix an odd look and then turned to face the mayor, setting a hand on his shoulder.
“You have known me for a long time,” she said. “Um, maybe we could talk more about this later?”
Underneath the fingers of the hand on the mayor’s shoulder flashed a tiny pink burst of light, so quick and effervescent that anyone not looking for it would have assumed it a trick of the eyes. Felix flinched back, staring at Dani in disbelief.
“Talk about it… later?” asked the mayor. “Yes… I, I guess we could do that.”
A small, genuinely embarrassed looking bulge appeared in the center of Mayor’s slacks. Felix awkwardly looked up toward the ceiling.
“And Sheriff Burke?” asked Dani. “Is there, uh, you know, anything you’d like to talk to me about?”
The sheriff glared at her and stomped off without a word.
“We could talk now,” said the mayor, with a hint of hope in his voice. “Angela isn’t usually home from the gym until later. Not that, that, it matters, of course, but we’d be able to speak privately, you see?”
“I have to stay here,” said Dani. “I’m worried about my mom.”
“Ah yes, of course,” said the mayor. He scratched his head and shrugged. “All of you are safe. I guess that’s what really matters when it comes down to it.”
He nodded to Dani, completely ignoring Felix’s existence, and then walked toward the stairs, shooting one last look of longing over his shoulder at the teenage girl. Felix waited until he was in the stairwell and then frowned and crossed his arms.
“I can’t believe it,” he said. “You just… used magic on him.”
Dani blushed and ran a hand through her brown hair.
“I didn’t have a choice,” she said, softly. “My mom would have done the same thing. Except, she’s way better at it than I am.”
Felix was silent for a couple of seconds, until his next question began to burn through the tip of his tongue.
“Are you really going to meet up with him and…?”
Dani looked like he’d just called her a whore, and Felix realized that in a sense, he had.
“You’re disgusting!” she shouted. “No! There’s no need.”
“What if he starts thinking about what happened?”
“All he’ll remember is that there was an incident, and then he had some pervy thoughts about a young teenage girl.” Dani set her hands on her hips and jutted her chin out at him. “He’s a good man. And I feel bad about doing that to him. But there’s no other way.”
“Sorry,” said Felix. “I didn’t mean to suggest anything.”
“It’s the same for my mom, too, before you ask,” she said. “She usually doesn’t nee
d to be half as suggestive as I was, back there. She just casts her spell and then bats her eye lashes.”
“Oh.” Felix shrugged and tried to act nonchalant. “So… Would I be able to tell if you used your magic on me?”
Dani flinched back, clearly flustered.
“I haven’t!” she shouted.
“But would I be able to tell?”
“I shouldn’t even have to answer that,” she said. “You’re being ridiculous, and childish, and, and…”
She balled her hands into fists, her face bright red from either anger, embarrassment, or a combination of both. After a moment, she made an exasperated noise and disappeared back into the infirmary.
CHAPTER 20
Felix waited outside the infirmary for what felt like hours. It was almost 10 by the time the door finally opened, and Dani walked out, supporting Stella on one arm. The doctor had a stern expression on her face, and she turned to Felix, as though surprised by his presence.
“You’re the new guy, right?” she asked. Felix shrugged.
“I’m Felix.”
“Dr. Monique.” She looked over at Stella and Dani. “Felix, I want you to help keep an eye on Stella tonight. She appears to have collapsed from exhaustion, and her body temperature is lower than it should be.”
“Alright,” said Felix.
“One of you should sleep in the same bed as her,” said Dr. Monique. “Given that you are a…”
She cleared her throat and glanced away from.
“Well, you’re a man,” she continued, “and it would be complicated for you to engage in skin to skin contact safely with a woman like Stella.”
“Oh.” Felix scratched his head and felt his face heat up a tad. “Right, of course.”
“It’s only something that would come up if Dani couldn’t effectively keep Stella’s temperature up on her own,” said Dr. Monique.
“Just let it go, Monique,” said Stella. “I’ve already told you a dozen times that I’m fine.”
Dr. Monique put her hands on her hips and met Stella’s eye, looking very serious.
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