Chapter 10: Ice The drive home was a quiet one. The Twins knew better then to talk to Nayda while she was upset, Amira was listening to her iPod touch and little Mabel was sitting in her booster seat, braiding her doll's hair. After about 20 minutes of silent driving, Nadya turned on the radio, which everyone knew was her sign of calming down. Amira turned off her headphones when she heard the beginning of Katy Perry's Firework. She softly sang along with it and Mabel quickly joined. A'Kina joined at the beginning of the chorus and A'Kira joined a heart beat later. Nadya smiled to herself as her sister became louder and louder along with Katy Perry. She took a peak in the rearview mirror as the three in the back seat rocked side to side. A'Kina, who sat in the passenger seat, looked at Nadya when she noticed that she wasn't singing. A'Kina passed her an invisible microphone. Nadya couldn't help but laugh as she began to sing in it. The car filled with the harmonizing voices of the Nexen sisters. A'Kira and Amira took the lowest part while Mabel, A'Kina and Nadya all took the high part. After the song they all broke down in laughter, each one praising another one on her singing. Nadya just smiled and kept driving. She looked at the fuel gauge and sighed. She was almost out of gas and they weren't even halfway home yet. She made a quick u-turn and head towards the nearest gas station. Which, coincidentally, was near her school. She gave each of her siblings $2 so they could get snacks and drinks but she gave Amira another $50 to pay for the gas. Nadya watched them walk into the store as she pumped the gas. She hummed to herself as she watched the numbers rise. In the quiet afternoon, she wished this peace would last forever. She shouldn't have don't that, because that's when everything went to hell. The first the Nadya heard was a high pitched scream, a second later there was a loud bang. Nadya took off and ran inside the store. The first thing she saw was blood, and not just a small amount either. The next thing she saw was a small body in the middle of the puddle. "Bel?" She whispered. The body moved a bit to show the little girls face. It was crippled in pain. Something in Nadya broke. A sudden calmness overcame her. The temperature in the place dropped considerably. Nadya's eyes glazed over and turned to a white-blue, which actually was more white then blue. Her hair slowly turned from black to white. She walked forward and each step she took, her footprint was encased in ice. She calmly walked towards the sound of a struggle in the back corner of the store. Walking toward the chaos Nadya quietly and gently pulled her sisters', A'Kina and A'Kira, bodies off of the already disfigured man. Amira was no where in sight but she knew she was talking on the phone outside. "Sis?" They questioned at the same time. The noticed that her hair and eyes was different. "Go check on Mabel," Nadya said, her voice cold and chilling. The Twins scrambled away and ran to Mabel, checking her pulse. Nadya ignored her sisters, sensing her sister was alright, and focused on the man in front of her. He was an older man, with salt and pepper hair, dull brown eyes and was dirty. A little bit out of his reach was a gun. Nadya frowned and looked at the man. The man was saying something but Nadya wasn't listening, she was too focus on her own thoughts. 'He tried to kill my sister' she thought, and the thought repeated in her head. She squatted down in front of him an touched his hand. At first nothing happened, but eventually the man began to get cold. He looked down and say that his hand was encased in ice, and the ice was spreading! He reached for the gun and shot at her. Nadya looked at the bullet and it froze in thin air. The man yelled out and watched as the bullet fell to the floor in front of him. Nadya touched is leg and the man watched as the ice rushed up his leg. The ice formed all over his body, covering each part of him now except his face. The man begged her to stop but she wasn't listening, she just wanted him to feel the same pain as her sister did. Suddenly a strong, warm, and comforting hand closed around Nadya's shoulder. The dark haired guy was kneeling next to her, smiling at her while he placed his other hand on top of hers that still rested on the man's leg. "It's alright Nadya. He has suffered enough, now let go," his voice was deep and soothing. Nadya looked at him, eyes blurred with unshed tears, she couldn't really see his face but his voice sounded familiar. The guy moved his hand, that was still holding her shoulder, and cupped her cheek. Nadya subconsciously moved her cheek within his large, warm hand. "It's alright. I promise that this man will suffer, but right now, your sister needs you." His voice finally broke through her hypnotic state. The tears finally dripped steadily down her face, as she tried to stand. She fell head first but the guy caught her. He picked her up bridal style, and walked her to where the ambulance was taking Mabel to on a stretcher. He felt a pull at his belt buckle and looked down with a raised eyebrow. "Is she going to be alright?" Amira asked calmly. When he nodded she broke down in tears and was let away to the car by A'Kira. A'Kina, being the more questioning twin asked a question that will forever change her, and her sisters lives. To which his answer was: "My name is Josh. Josh Signs"