The Frozen Beginning (Elemental Diamond Book 1)

by Daphne Robynson

  Aleena assumes the submitting gesture as an indication to continue with her attack, “It’s enough of an embarrassment you are here, so keep your mouth shut and we won’t have any further problems.”

  Aleena lifts the side of Glacier’s hair, revealing the scar across her forehead, and raises her lip in disgust. Glacier quickly flicks her head away from Aleena, her hair sweeping like a drape to protect her from the stony glare.

  Aleena casts her glossy bangs from her face with the flick of her head, strutting past Glacier to the front of the line. Her gown is much shorter than Glacier’s, reaching above her knees. But it is equally elegant. The dress clings to Aleena’s torso like a second layer, fanning lightly at her hips. Her brown hair is pulled back in an intricate French braid across either side of her head, coming together at the middle of her shoulders with stray curls hanging from the twist.

  Glacier breathes a long sigh of relief as Aleena struts ahead. She hunches when someone squeezes her shoulder, turning around to find a boy she has seen around Hydren. He, like the rest of the team, lives in the richer areas of Hydren.

  “Forget about Aleena, she’s just hoping to win this year.”

  The boy’s dark skin accentuates his pearl white teeth behind his thick pink lips and brightens his deep blue eyes. His head is shaved either side with stiff frizzy hair down the centre of his head. It is a stylish cut, flattering to his oval shape face. His cerulean button down is tight around his arms and chest, tucked into his trousers. His white tie is knotted perfectly at his collar, hanging to his lower stomach.

  “I’m Branch by the way,” he holds his hand out for an official shake, but Glacier meekly stares at it. He laughs off her awkward aversion, dropping his hand.

  He squints his eyes at her. She turns her head to the side to make it seem like she is looking for someone. “Are you going to tell me your name?”

  By this point they have both stopped walking, now lingering separate from their four other team members. She looks to Branch with a bored gaze.

  “You already know my name.” Her latent reputation had in her past labelled her as an anomaly to everyone around her; it would surprise her if he didn’t know who she is.

  Branch gives her a humble smile before he continues. “You’re the supposed latent.”

  At the word ‘supposed’ his eyebrows rise in a disbelieving manner. Glacier doesn’t appreciate his dubiousness and know-it-all arrogance, but she says nothing. He hums sceptically at her silence and walks off to join the rest of their team, leaving her alone to her thoughts.

  Glacier glances past her fellow teammates to digest the competition. They all stand calm and collected, some smiling and waving to the boisterous crowds that can see them behind the stage, engrossed in the fame and attention they are receiving. Others, like Glacier, simply stand straight, eyeing the rest of them with mocking and disinterested glares.

  From the corner of her eye, Glacier notices there are only four contestants standing together in the Pyre team, the fire elementals, instead of six. She notices the Terra team stand off to the other side of the stage. The six of them stand in a straight line, one beside the other at least half a metre between each of them, all wearing variations of green. No team has been announced to the stage yet, so they are all nameless in the meantime.

  A girl standing behind her Terra teammates stands petrified. Her features are tight and her eyes are jumpy. From what Glacier could see, the girl is mousey, her arms holding her body as she makes herself as small as she can.

  She doesn’t look like she’ll last a minute in a battle against any of these brutes.

  The girl’s short ash brown hair seems harshly severed; it is recently cut. Her jade green dress dwarfs her as it hangs loosely on her frame, cut diagonally from her knee across to her calf.

  Glacier’s gaze remains rooted to the strange girl until the girl suddenly glances over, catching Glacier’s stare. She looks away, instantly overcome with a prickly feeling of the girl’s strangeness. Keeping her eyes rooted to the floor at her feet, Glacier doesn’t dare to move an inch.

  A group of hurried footsteps approach the three teams from the same entrance they entered. Glacier turns to the gate as a group of earth and fire elementals walk towards the stage, surrounding someone she cannot see through the crowd. Nearly all of them wear lab coats, holding tablets or scanners. Those who aren’t are in formal attire or dressed in the High Chamber Guard’s uniform.

  The closer they get, the louder they become. Glacier can see other casually dressed elementals trying unsuccessfully to find a way past the Chamber Guard’s. She watches the group as they are led in the direction of the Pyre team.

  The waiting team seems equally as stupefied as the rest of the waiting contestants. A guard breaks formation and gathers the Pyre team in a circle towards the new group of scientists and formals.

  Suddenly, bright flashes blink furiously from her right. Glacier turns and is blinded by the fast bursts of white light. She tries to move away but the flashing follows.

  “Are you Glacier Wardgrave? Are you the latent?” Loud questions are shouted by a male voice, heard over shuttering clicks.

  Taking a step back, she covers her eyes with her arm, trying to see past the blotches in her vision.

  “If you’re latent, why are you in the tournament? What isn’t the Chancellor telling us?” He continues boldly. Despite the man being a lone reporter, Glacier feels swarmed.

  “Stop taking pictures! Stop!” Her voice is rough with surprise.

  Suddenly the flashing stops, followed by a loud smash and scuffling. Glacier lowers her arm to see a short man in a casual green suit held above the ground by his collar, with another man, this one much taller, holding him without struggle. The man above the ground is small, with a balding head and a large bird-like nose.

  “She said stop.” The new voice is unnervingly familiar, but Glacier cannot remember where she has heard it before.

  The tall man has a beautiful head of brown hair, dark at the roots with naturally lighter ends, curly and groomed into silky waves. She can only see half of his face as he stands side on to her, but what Glacier can see is clean-shaven tan skin. His horrid burnt orange shirt fits him overly well as it fits snug around his chest and torso, hugging his biceps as they bulge with his strength.

  “If I catch you harassing her again, I won’t be so friendly.” His voice is deep and menacing.

  The short guy nods his head hurriedly, before he is dropped to the floor. He ungracefully scrambles to collect what was dropped. Quickly looking down, Glacier notices an eye camera that must have fallen off his head, and a transparent glass notebook that doesn’t seem to be shattered. The small guy then scurries off with his broken camera and his pad, leaving Glacier in the company of her protector.

  I should probably thank him, shouldn’t I? I mean, he’s not from my team – am I even allowed to speak to him?

  When the man turns to face her, Glacier almost doesn’t believe her eyes. Suddenly a flash of a boy with short scruffy brown hair and dark orange eyes sprints through her mind. A boy Glacier had left behind, a long time ago.

  He is refreshingly handsome with his sharp complexion and strong jaw, but his eyes scare her from her skin. A blood orange she has only ever seen once before, six years ago. There isn’t a chance it could be anyone else.

  “It’s you…” His voice is softer this time, still deep and powerful. His eyes shine with wonder and astonishment as they appraise her.

  It has been a long time since they last saw each other. Glacier had thought she would never see him again.

  “I think you have me confused with someone else, but thank you for helping me with that photographer,” Glacier sends him a nervous smile before she tries to turn to rejoin her team.

  Just walk quickly—

  The boy springs forward in front of her, startlingly fast. He watches her with determined eyes and his arms raised in front of him, stopping her from mov
ing away again.

  “No, I don’t think I do…” Glacier’s eyes widen at his words while he watches her with renewed determination. “I couldn’t forget those eyes, even if I tried my hardest…”

  His whisper spikes her nerves and sends her blood pressure soaring, her cheeks heating.

  Glacier knows it’s him when she recognizes the small scar above his right eyebrow. The same scar she had run her finger over many times in the past.

  How could he possibly remember me after all this time? It’s been six years…

  Glacier knows she has to be careful with who she gets close to in this competition.

  We are different people now. We aren’t friends anymore.

  But the way he watches her with those striking eyes makes her feel something in the pit of her stomach. He watches her like he has been searching for her for a long time.

  Slowly, so not to scare her away, he reaches forward and sweeps her hair from her face. He holds her hair away, the entire time not touching her skin. His eyes zero in on the still fresh wound across her forehead.

  The beauticians couldn’t really do anything to cover it, so they tried to blend the makeup as close to the cut as they could. She had the dark stitches removed, keeping the cut closed with clear staples.

  His lip pulls into a tight line, his dazzling eyes narrow. “How did you get this—?”

  Suddenly the same guard who had been gathering the Pyre team earlier now stands beside Glacier, watching orange-eyes with an annoyed grimace.

  “Are you the third in the Pyre team?” His voice is as harsh as his features. His head is balding on his crown, and his face has many wrinkles gathering in various areas.

  Orange-eye’s blinks slowly, reeling from a trance. He sluggishly nods his head, gulping loudly. Glacier’s eyes remain wide, glued to the boy in front of her. The guard turns to assess her. From the colour of her dress, he establishes her element.

  “Get away from him, girl.”

  Glacier flinches from the guards’ harsh manner, but her stare remains trained on orange-eyes. The guard grabs the boy’s arm, dragging him away to where the rest of the Pyre team stand waiting.

  She continues to gaze into his strong eyes, captured in their beauty as her mind reels with the coincidence of seeing him again. His lips split into a smile that blinds her like a camera flash.

  He knows Glacier recognizes him.

  Turning away, she locates her team by the stairwell leading up to the stage. They all watch the group of scientists and formals fluttering around like nervous butterflies.

  As Glacier approaches her team, she notices all six of the High Chamber representatives rise from their thrones on the stage.

  The First Seat, Sasis Amster brings his hands together in a mighty clap, vibrating the stadium walls and floors with a mild earth shake, instantly hushing the audience.

  Glacier takes a deep breath, readying herself for the oncoming introductions.

  Sasis holds his hands up in greeting to the vast spectators, a kind smile lighting his face. His short white hair is similarly coloured to Glacier’s, and sits groomed to the side to cover where it thins. Unlike his fellow Chamber members who hold themselves with honour and etiquette, Sasis seems unworried by formalities.

  “Greetings, my children. Another three years has already passed since the Chamber’s last appearance on this stage. We have missed you all dearly, and we are pleased to welcome you to the introductions for the thirteenth tri-annual Tournament.”

  The crowd roars in appreciation at First Seat’s announcement, his deep and powerful voice projecting without difficulty.

  “This year, the Pyre team has elected to be introduced last. As the Terra team were last tournament’s winners, they will be announced first.” The crowd screams louder at the sound of their region’s team, shouting their support.

  Glacier’s shoe catches on the hem of her dress. She stumbles forward a few steps into Branch. He turns to steady her before pulling Glacier in the direction of where their team is being led.

  “Try to stay on both feet, will you?” His voice is light and playful as her face heats with embarrassment. He continues to follow the others without awaiting her response.

  He walks off ahead of her to his place as fourth, leaving her behind the fifth contestant, Neena. They are led to stand behind the Terra team that waits in a straight line at the bottom of the steps, leading up to the stage where the High Chamber waits.

  Glacier has a better view from where she now stands behind Neena, despite standing behind every person in line. She is able to see everyone on stage clearly and completely.

  The two earth elemental Chamber members, Sasis and the Fourth Seat, Julieen, step forward towards the front of the stage, closer to the opposite set of stairs that the teams wait.

  “Without further ado, Julieen and I would like to introduce to you, the Terra Team of two thousand and fifty-six!” The crowd rejoices loudly. Glacier waits for the first name.

  “Our first volunteer, Gamble Kelmen.” She watches a boy with a lean, muscular back climb the stairs two at a time, throwing his arms up to rouse the crowd. They roar at the sight of the first contender, women screaming for his attention.

  Gamble has long, thick brown hair tied at the base of his neck in a loose but elegant bun. His jaw line is straight and clean-shaven, and his eyes shine with excitement and arrogance.

  A small flying device appears from the side of the stage and lingers over his face for a while. When Glacier cranes her neck, she can see his face projected onto screens around the arena.

  Gamble pumps his fist in the air once more when he believes the crowd is settling before Julieen can announce the next contender.

  She smiles at Gamble’s antics, and waits for the audience to settle before she announces the next member of the Terra team. “Our second volunteer, Porter Kayt.”

  The audience cheers for Porter loudly as well, as he approaches the stage. He waves to the crowd as he continues over to where Gamble stands at the other end of the stage, and high-fives him once he was close enough. The hovering camera then moves onto Porter, highlighting his face on the screens. His light blonde spiky hair is intensely gelled in sharp points, and his dark green eyes shine with excitement from the attention.

  Pig-headed jerks.

  “Our third volunteer, Alidia Temp,” Sasis continues. A girl with a tight bun and sharp features steps up onto the stage with her blank stare still holding. She gave the audience a downward glance, before her lips tighten and she pumps her fist in the air to rill the crowd.

  “Our fourth volunteer, Bronze Hyde.” The next is a girl with light hair and a bright smile; she waves to the audience cheerfully.

  It continues on with Sasis and Julieen announcing the rest of the teams. The fifth volunteer is a sandy-haired boy, Isaac Loid and the sixth is the girl with short raven hair, Care Benns. The floating camera ensures every face is projected onto the screens surrounding the audience.

  Once the Terra team has been announced, they all bow and exit the stage down the steps on the opposite side of the stage. Glacier looks back up to the stage to find that Karn Hile and Emilia Frae, the Third and Sixth Seats, now stand where Sasis and Julieen were minutes ago, their parchment in hand with the names of the Hydra team.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, Emilia and I would be proud to introduce you to this year’s Hydra team.” Glacier suddenly remembers listening to the tournaments on her radio, hearing Karn’s voice through the small speaker. The sound of his voice in person is immensely more powerful than what her old radio at home could achieve.

  He is a lot younger than what she expected. His hair is a soft brown combed back behind his ears, his lips naturally pursed. He is beautiful, perfectly fashioned in a cobalt button down with the two top buttons undone and dark grey slacks.

  Emilia also looks extravagant. Her hair is in an elegant twist at the crown of her head with gentle tresses falling to frame her small face.
Her gown adorns ruffles of light blue against the dark base, shades of black intermingling. They both stand proudly with their backs straight and heads held high to the audience.

  Emilia is the first to announce a name. “Our first volunteer is Aleena Staren.” Her musical voice matches her delicate features.

  Aleena pinches her shoulders back before she takes to the stage with grace. She struts across the stage with confidence, waving to the crowd with a consuming smile. Once she reaches the corner of the stage, she blows a kiss out to the audience and waves once more. The crowd loves her confidence as they roar their appreciation. The camera lingers in front of her face, her smile blinding to the audience.

  Glacier looks to the front of the line and notices Tric watching Aleena with jealous eyes. She had heard whispers over the years that Tric is in love with Aleena; nothing had confirmed it until now. Karn’s voice hushes Glacier’s thoughts on the matter when he announces Tric.

  “Our second volunteer, Tric Holden.” Shaking his arms to loosen himself up, Tric jogs up on stage with a friendly smile and a wave. Glacier notices how handsome he looks with his pale blue sleeves rolled up mid-forearm, and his dark navy tie down his front. His lanky figure is complimented by the slightly loose clothing, but it doesn’t appear baggy. He makes it across the stage to stand by Aleena, who continues to smile and wave to the crowd.

  It went on for the next three contenders, with Emilia announcing Keena and Neena Crates, Karn calling up Branch Disk. By the time Neena is announced, Glacier is hyperventilating, unlike her fellow teammates. Hydra greets the crowd with warm smiles and sporting fist pumps, but the mere idea of stepping out onto that stage with everyone gazing at her, judging her presence, is positively terrifying to Glacier.

  What if they all hate me?

  Glancing around for an escape of some kind, anything to get her away from the stage, her palms sweat.

  “And lastly, our final volunteer, Glacier Wardgrave.” The crowd’s cheer noticeably dims at the mention of her name. The claps slowly halt, whispers breaking out amongst the spectators. No doubt trying to understand why she is here.