The Sweltering Winter | OPEN

It was just one of those days for Sandra, which was still a relatively new sensation for her. Not since a few months ago did her body’s temperature surpass boiling point on random occurrences and even for the entire day. This day was that kind of day. She woke up to the smell of her bed sheets roasting from the heat radiating from her body. She had to switch out her pajamas for a flame retardant shirt and matching pants. Before she left her room though she also grabbed a nice white fire resistant coat which only made her searing red skin glow even more in contrast.

It was still only mid-day when she escape from the school building and began to wander the school’s courtyard, melting the snow she passed and revealing the concrete path underneath. It was an odd feeling for her to be able to walk outside during the winter, the memories of her attempt last year still haunted her. The cold outdoor air was hardly enough to revert her core temperature back to normal, but it was at least stopping her from burning down the school from the inside.

Her mind was mostly blank as she ventured through the melting winter wonderland. Sandra could hardly think of anything that she hadn’t already went over. Her powers were out of whack, even more so than normal, she had no clue how to revert it back to normal, and if she were continue like this when would she be unable to handle the heat coming from her body. She was having a difficult time putting a positive spin on the situation, and she had been trying her hardest to ignore it and continue with her daily life, but when she became a walking fire starter there was little to lighten up her spirits.

It was ironic to think that she had originally went to the school in order to get a better grasp on her power, but now it’s become worse than ever.

Iris might've only been in Foresta for a couple of days, but it was more than enough to ignite her anxiety. There were so many students, faculty and people that shared the common gift of a supernatural power, and if that wasn't enough, she would have to actually socialize with some of them in order to maintain a decent grade... At least, it seemed inevitable that she'd force herself to eventually. Conversing battle strategies to asking for homework help, some moment would place her in the position to start talking... Although Minnie, her caretaker, had had good intentions, this was turning into a disastrous idea.

Rather than enduring the anxiety as she usually did, Iris had taken it upon herself to go on a midday stroll through the courtyard to release some of her pent up tension. She wore her oversized, light green sweater, dark blue skinny jeans and old, brown boots as she always did in the winter, finding it easy to both move and endure the freezing temperatures. Already, her fingertips were mutilated and bleeding from her incessant need to part flesh with the edges of her necklace. As she stepped outside, the frigid winds almost compelled her to return to the warm, confining depths of the school, but there was no way Iris would let that happen. Instead, she trudged forward, a few drops of the sticky blood falling upon the layer of snow beneath her feet. Her arms hung loosely at her sides, staining the white substance a sickly scarlet with her gnashed fingers. Her breath was exhaled in a cloud of condensation, absent-mindedly lifting her palms and summoning the almost fiery, liquid-like, airborne energy into the center of her hands. Right now, its color was an anxious, paled yellow, however the intensity of the energy itself was the same. It fluctuated and pulsed in her palm, causing the rhythm to soothe her ever so slightly. The monotone world around her was nothing special, for she couldn't see the beauty in it anymore when its colors and liveliness had been drained away. However, the tranquil emotion did not last long as a faded, white figure was illuminated in the distance.

Why did someone else have to be here? A few faded, navy blue sparks issued from her body, however only Iris could see them. This usually implied some sort of illness with the person in Iris' colored vision. And, as she gazed after the stranger, she noticed the snow recoil from her feet and entire body, for that matter. Some sort of fire elemental? Although Iris was tentative about approaching unfamiliar people, she couldn't help but take a few steps in her general direction, wondering if she would be able to hear her. Why would she be melting the snow so haphazardly? Wouldn't it waste her energy to do so? Of course, Iris considered the lethal probability that fury could be driving such a powerful reaction. Each breath was painstakingly slow to quiet the sounds of respiration, for she didn't want to irk this girl in the least.

Sandra had found some amusement from melting every particle of snow that came within a close radius to her. It sort of felt like she was getting revenge on the white powder for what it made her go through last year. Being lost in the freezing forest with knee deep snow would be a nightmare for anyone, but given how Sandra’s body was so susceptible to the low temperatures it was nearly the worst experience she had ever had to deal with.

As she was lost in thought she hardly noticed the sounds of another’s footsteps treading through the snow, however, as the noise came closer she began to notice more. She ceased her movements for a second to think over who could be following her. If it was one of her friends, they probably would have made their presence known to her, unless she didn’t notice. If not, kidnapping was not a new thing going around campus, but she hoped she wasn’t unlucky enough to be the first to be captured in the light of day.

Sandra twisted her body around to investigate before her mind could jump to another unlikely conclusion and when she did the person she saw wasn’t holding a tattered bag and waiting to pounce at her. Well, that solved that. The girl was easily taller than her, but it’s rare that she runs into anyone shorter than her that isn’t five years younger. She shook her head and smiled a bit. “Christ, dude. Why’d you have to sneak up on me like that?” her tone was weak, sort of like she was ill or she had gotten out of bed about four minutes ago. Both weren’t too far from the truth. After she spoke she turned the rest of her body around so that she was facing the girl. Sandra didn’t recall ever seeing the girl before, but considering the size of the school and the amount of time she spent in her dorm that didn’t necessarily make her jump to the conclusion that she had arrived not too long ago.

Sandra took a bit of time to investigate the attire of the woman, noticing that it probably wasn’t the warmest for the season, but she had no clue how other people gauged hot from cold since the way her body worked was vastly different from others. “If you’re looking for a new heat radiator, I’m in need of a winter-time job” she joked unsure of what exactly the woman wanted from her, but delighted that she’d have some human contact during a low point in her day.

Surprisingly enough, the shorter girl turned to face Iris with kinder words than she'd expected, however, her only reply wasn't even a sound. Unable to produce anything from her vocal chords due to the suddenness of the conversation, she only mouthed the words 'I'm sorry', taking a skittish step away from her. Even if she was shorter, she was literally searing to the touch, causing her to be a potential threat. Although her startled statement wasn't necessarily mean-spirited, it still caused Iris to feel an overwhelming sense of guilt. Why had she been so intrigued by another student? Shouldn't she have been accustomed to seeing others with abilities by now? Instinctively, the girl turned her palm downwards and dispersed the energy from her for the moment. She didn't want to portray herself as too defensive, right?

"If you’re looking for a new heat radiator, I’m in need of a winter-time job," the other girl joked, cracking a light-hearted smile, but Iris couldn't do the same. "N-No," she whispered in response, unsure if this girl was joking or not despite her kind jokes. Her hands fumbled with themselves for a brief moment, before reaching her right hand to the quartz crystals and slicing into her fingers. Blood dripped haltingly from her fingertips to the ground, however ensuring that Iris remained at least a couple of feet away from the student, she didn't feel as bothered by it. Anxiety expanded and weaved throughout her chest as her vibrant, green gaze fixated upon the girl. Should she say something else? Was that what she was supposed to do? "I-I'm fine," she breathed, remaining grounded and somewhat calmed by the sharp, quick pains in her bloodied fingers. Iris continued to observe the fluctuating colors of this girl, a paled orange bleeding into her vision and forming around the fellow student once the optimism and charisma of the student registered subconsciously in her mind.

When Sandra spoke to the girl she was expecting a bit more of a reply than a couple mumbled words she could barely even hear. Even most of the time her jokes would make someone at least smirk slightly no matter how bad they were. She’d met people who barely knew English that said more and spoke clearer in response, which made her a bit more curious about the girl. It could easily be the aura of heat around her that caused her discomfort, but then why would she approach her? Maybe she didn’t want to get any snow on her boots.

Sandra inspected the woman a bit more, in order to keep her mind focused more on the girl at hand than herself. She mostly noticed the constant flow of blood dripping from her fingers. The thought of the woman possibly going into shock because of it crossed her mind, but she seemed to have good posture. Besides, who was she to question other people’s hobbies? “Huh? Are you able to speak a little bit louder? I can hardly hear you” Sandra questioned her tone sounding a bit rude, though not intentionally.

Sandra’s gaze fell upon her bare searing red hands to reaffirm her condition once more. “Oh, I guess you might be a bit curious to know why I’m glowing red. Yeah, don’t mind that, as long as you don’t touch me you should be fine. I exploded the other day, so there’s less of a chance that it will happen today, you’ll be fine” she explained nonchalantly. “Me on the other hand… well, I’ll survive today… I think.”

“So, what brings you to the outdoors today?” Sandra asked as though the last few sentences she spoke hadn’t happened.

Of course, the student appeared confused at Iris' quiet voice, yet it was difficult for her to respond at a higher volume. She opened her mouth and snapped it shut, unable to conjure an acceptable reply, in her own mind, anyways. A few times she permitted her jaw to drop a bit, only to sew it closed instantaneously, finding the statement either idiotic or simply not refined enough. This "orange" girl didn't seem too intimidating or anything like that, but Iris just couldn't approach her so easily. Something far beyond a simple courtyard encounter prevented her from being outgoing, and it was directly correlated to her past.


At the girl's second statement, she tilted her head, intrigued by her powers. She'd never met anyone else who shared in the burden of wielding special abilities, and thus, Iris had to admit that she was curious. "E-Exploded?" she murmured, taking a cautious step towards the other girl. Her tone had grown louder now, finding that she had a bit more confidence than she'd originally presumed. The last part of her sentence frightened Iris as well. Survived? Was someone after her, or worse, was she on the verge of death due to a supernatural illness? As these mortifying thoughts raced through her mind, she bit her lip, a sliver of the paled energy encircling her fingers. At her question, Iris was able to actually reply, acknowledging that the girl was attempting to be kind, like Minnie had countless times, "N-Nerves..." It was only the truth, for she rarely was capable of venturing outside on her own at the foster home. But, she couldn't permit herself to remain around all of those people without having a panic attack.

Sandra thought at something out of her constant talking would hook the girl in. Her voice was loud enough for her to hear, but only if she could somehow get the girl to speak in complete sentences. She tended to enjoy shy people, if only so that she could attempt to crack their shell and break down their barriers. It seemed kind of like a game to her sometimes. This girl, however, was the worst case of it that she had ever seen.

Sandra eased her pose and began to slouch slightly as she readied herself to go into the regular explain she had to go through whenever she mentioned her ‘gifts’. “Yeah, I call them explosions, my doctor says they’re heat discharges. Either way it’s a ring of fire that shoots out of my body, I’m not too picky about what I call it. It usually goes off every two weeks or so and whenever I absorb too much heat, but lately that hasn’t been the case and my body just feels like doing whatever the hell it wants. It’s frustrating to say the least” she explained as though she was reciting a textbook. She was no science major, so she didn’t quite understand most of the technicalities behind it.

“Ah yeah, that part of your brain that tells you that fresh air is necessary. I ignored that part of my brain years ago, I’m pretty sure it’s full of shit” Sandra stated blatantly. She began to wonder what the girl responses would be like if she tried to ask her questions that required more than one word. Maybe it tied into her powers somehow, like her sentences turn into physical things that attacked people if she said something a certain way. Her mind wandered for a bit while she thought of what a teacher with that kind of power would be like. That class would be as unorganized as her thinking.

"O-Oh," Iris had responded to the girl's explanation of her abilities, wondering if she could possibly be an elemental of sorts, even with her supernatural issues. She would've commented on it being incredibly pestilent, however she didn't summon up enough bravery to go that far yet. For now, she rolled over the thoughts in her mind, considering what she'd said. Did everyone have some sort of defunct to their abilities, yet it only surfaced when strained at Foresta? She thought intently for a moment, gazing distantly at the snow beneath her feet. It wasn't until the student spoke once more in a fiery manner that manifested itself as a red streak of color in Iris's vision.

A smile tugged gently at the corners of her mouth, trying to offer some sort of expression other than trepidation to offer to the outgoing soul, only it was much more difficult to even fathom doing anything else. How badly Iris wanted to comment further, speaking of her days trapped inside of the foster home as disappointed parents came and went, but it wasn't in her nature to so, causing her only to murmur, "I-It can b-be bothersome, y-yes.." From both the cold and the anxiety tied so directly to social interaction, the girl's body trembled ever so slightly, unable to prevent her fingers from slicing themselves against the pristine crystals slung around her neck. The girl before her had both a paled yellow of illness, a vibrant, charismatic orange and a spunky scarlet flecking across her body, making her a specific range and assortment of colors for Iris to identify her by. Names were almost meaningless with that ability.

Sandra suddenly felt an air of humidity shrouding around her. It confused her for a moment until she checked her feet and noticed the melted snow around her had turned to vapor already. During the course of the conversation the snow’s reaction to her constantly heat conducting body must have slipped her mind. Even the small patches of grass that were off the stone and cement path were beginning to dry slightly. With a quirk of her lips Sandra’s gaze returned to the girl of few words. “Ugh, I probably shouldn’t be standing in one place for too long. Come on. Walk with me, talk with me” she commanded with a sweep of her hand signaling to follow.

Sandra quickly turned back around and began to wander on the trail she was following previous to their encounter, her pace being slow so the other student could catch up with ease. The more her abilities hindered her way of living the more she wished they’d just disappear. If her power interfered so much that she couldn’t even stand in one place without the possibility of setting a patch of grass on fire, there was little positive she could say of it. The heat coming off her body even made her glasses feel weird, like they were on the verge of melting. Maybe it was just the sweat making contact with the arms of her glasses, but she took them off and dipped them into the snow just in case.

As she slipped her slightly wet frames back onto her face, she twisted her head back for a moment to make sure the doe-like girl was following. “Is it what makes you poke your fingers with that necklace of yours, or are you performing some sort of ritual?” she asked the girl in a less-than-serious manner.

Iris, too, had noticed the intensity of the heat emanating from the elemental, taking the precaution of stepping back a bit. Of course, she didn't hesitate at the command either, trailing after her like a frightened lamb separated from its herd. She wasn't in a position to decline or anything like that, and for the first time in an incredibly lengthy period, she was offered a social acceptance. A rare occurrence indeed, Iris refused to let it slip through her grasp. Preferring to continue in taking the initiative, she permitted a minuscule, icy blue streak of energy to encircle her frantically as they strode along. This would give her more time to properly prepare or defend herself in case something went awry, for she wouldn't have to go through the trouble of summoning all of her necessary energy at once. It was simply an effort to save time, since the other student's rising temperature was a little off-setting.

Her boots pressed noiselessly against the trodden courtyard path as she pursued the steaming individual. She enjoyed the brief spans of comfortable silence in conversations, for it allowed her to try and formulate her words far more lucidly and professionally. It wasn't likely that her stuttering would end altogether, but vocalizing was often easier once she had some time to herself. At the girl's unintentionally insensitive statement, Iris felt her cheeks burn with discomfort and humility. She had been hoping that it was something not to discuss, however, the ritual theory was an understandable proposition, seeing that they were at a school for the gifted. "N-No, I j-just... Um... H-Have a-anxiety," she murmured, biting her lip and dragging her scarlet-stained fingers from the quartz. As if to emphasize this statement, a rustle in the bushes caused her to jolt ever so slightly, twisting around sharply and stretching out her hand in expectance for a predator of sorts to reveal itself. Stronger, blue ribbons and strips of the blue energy, now plentiful due to Iris' high-stressed levels of energy, pulsated and shone in the center of her palm, only to dissipate as she realized it'd only been a caressing breeze. A hastened, muffled apology drew slowly from her lips as she faced the strong-willed girl once more. Just as she could sense her own energy, she could feel the other female's in a similar manner, examining how it throbbed and created a rhythm within the marrow of Iris' bones. She might not enjoy socialization, sensing through other's unique energy patterns and colors was fascinating. "A-An i-interesting energy p-pulse.. I-Irregular, but b-balanced w-with a s-swift pace," she mumbled mainly to herself, though it was audiated aloud.

As Sandra continued to wander, she halted at the commotion that took place behind her. Her turn was slightly delayed and once her view was fully behind her she missed most of what happened. She did get a glimpse of the ribbon-like objects returning to her person though. Unsure of what happened Sandra didn’t really question any of it since it involved the shy girl’s ability no doubt. She wasn’t the kind of person to ask about another person’s abilities since she didn’t really like getting that question from other people. She believed in treating other people as she would want herself to be treated, so she didn’t go there regardless of how curious she was.

Sandra sort of chuckled at the girl’s statement of having anxiety. It seemed more like a torturous fear than anxiety given her behavior. At a younger age, Sandra was a lot less outgoing than how she currently is, but she could at least talk to people with little shame in every single word she said. She could relate to the girl, but not to the point that she could understand the purpose of jabbing one’s fingers until they bled. “I’m not that scary am I? Look, I’m not going to judge you for every word you say. I’m not looking to gain some advantage over you so I can spread lies around the school and make your life miserable, I’m not a bitch. How about this, I’ll say something stupid and embarrassing about myself then you can have a go, okay?” Sandra wagered before she fell into deep thought about what she could say since she had plenty that met the criteria.

As she decided on something, she began to giggle under her breath about it. “Okay, I got one. I watch 70’s pornos way more often than I probably should, in fact I watched Chatterbox just the other night. If you think that’s weird, wait until you see what I have planned for my next movie marathon.” A wide smile of shamelessness grew on her face as she looked back to her fellow student. “Top that.”

Iris had to give this girl props: She had perserverence. At this point, many people would often find either her powers or overly anxious demeanor incredibly offsetting. However, the girl only seemed to want to justify herself as a fairly reasonable person. It wasn't her specifically that was to blame for the emerald-eyed female's incredible fear of others, which dampered upon the mood of the situation. The taunts and deragatory words often thrown at 5-year-old Iris often replayed in her mind on a day-to-day basis, especially when she socialized. So, she'd subconsciously correlated any sort of social contact with pain and irrational anxiety. As she considered the student's offer to share embarrassing stories, Iris parted her jaws ever so slightly, trying to prevent the warmly-colored girl from continuing, "O-Oh no, that's o-okay.." However, her tone was far too inaudible and she'd spoken too late. Pressing her bloodied fingers together, she longed for the ability to voice to the girl that she didn't have to prove herself. She appeared fairly optimistic and supportive, but it would require years of recovery for Iris to openly place her trust in anyone.

An embarrassing fact about herself? Drawing in a quivering inhale, Iris soon came to the conclusion that a humorous one did not exist. Things like having only one known friend, not having a home with a welcoming family to go to for more than a week and being genuinely frightened of others seemed humiliating, but they were both too personal and solemn for the jubilant atmosphere the girl was attempting to create. Iris shuffled her long, gazelle-like legs as she listened intently to her words, her face gaining an immense amount of color as she spoke casually about something so... Vile. As Iris furthered her analysis of the fellow student's personality, a racy pink fluttered towards the tips of her hair, finalizing the individualized array of colors for the anxious female to memorize. Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on the perspective, Iris would be able to discern her out of the rest of the students attending Foresta, now having acclimated to her unique hues and pulse.

"U-Um," she stuttered, attempting to summon something from her mind to suffice for the girl's challenge. Iris would've declined any sort of confrontation, however, this was more of a friendly invitation, and refusing would've been rude, "I-I.. I've n-never been t-to a.. A-A party b-before..." This was true, seeing that the foster home couldn't afford for every child to have a birthday party, and she didn't have any friends on the outside, so parties were a rare treasure in Iris' eyes. A place for dining and unforgettable nights, it must've seemed odd that a young, 16-year-old girl hadn't been to one. Embarrassing? Perhaps.

Despite all the chit-chat going on between the two females, Sandra’s condition hadn’t gotten any better. For the moment she was able to ignore the immense heat trying to escape her body by keeping her mind focused on something else. Her mood was still high, but every moment of silence between the two only further reminded her of why she was outside to begin with. She felt like hopping into a mound of snow, but given her odds she was expecting that her powers would revert back to normal as soon as she would do so.

Sandra awaited for an answer from the timid teenager, despite any meek interruptions from the girl. She thought that if she’d learn a new depth to the girl’s personality to see if she could somehow squeeze her way in and find something within both their interests to keep her talking. Though her actual answer didn’t inspire too much, since it was something to be expected out of such a sheepish person. “Oh, I was expecting something more kooky” she spoke with a slight amount of disappointment on her tongue. She probably shouldn’t have expected a wild sort of answer since she was hardly at the stage to be very open about anything. She made a reply though, so it was a step up.

Sandra returned to plain face and glanced forward to quickly plan out a path, though she hardly stopped to ponder since her wander had no end goal. That is unless her body stopped acting like a volcano ready to burst. “Ah, you didn’t miss out on much. Besides, the bitches would’ve eaten you alive, given how shy you are you would’ve been an easy target for them” she stated in a more comforting tone. Nothing filled Sandra with more rage than to think back upon the days that she hung out with the clique of girls she did. The stuff they pulled on her at parties, sleep overs, etc, they all made her want to hit something with her small weak fists.

“Yeah, make fun of the girl with glasses half the size of her face because she likes b-grade cinema and not the things little girls are supposed to like. Assholes” she vented after gritting her teeth. “That reminds me, don’t ever take an invitation to a girl’s party if you don’t know them, your either being used as fodder to make their party seem bigger so that they can brag about it or they’re planning on doing some nasty shit to you” she advised after letting off some steam, both figuratively and literally.

It wasn't a surprise that the other girl wasn't pleased with Iris' bland response, causing her to release an instinctive apology at once, murmuring it softly into the air. She really hadn't had a diverse enough life to call upon wacky or "kooky" memories. Having restrained herself for the past few minutes, the intense urge to prick her fingers returned with the disappointment in the bright, orange girl's tone and expression. The fingers seemed to have a mind of their own, groping for the white crystals and running her skin along the sharp edges of the quartz. In a matter of seconds, the skin tore once more, her grotesque yet habitual routine to resurface. The blood slid silently down her pale, shivering hands as they returned to her sides. Iris didn't wish to spur on any negative feelings from anyone, yet it was almost inevitable that her tentative demeanor would cause this. There were many people that would feel betrayed and hurt if she didn't engage in social interaction, as if there was something wrong with them which prevented Iris from speaking to them. Of course, this wasn't the case, but explaining her true motive for remaining isolated was far too difficult. So, she'd try her best to cheer this girl up as best she could to make up for her blatant error.

However, the girl's words were far darker than before. They held a pain that resided within the chasm of her heart, Iris could sense its depth on a far more spiritual level. A sensitive, somber, navy blue wormed its way into the student's lips, an off-setting color when compared to its warmer-hued counterparts. A very, very intriguing combination. She nodded then, snapping out of her slight trance and murmuring, "Th-Thank you, I-I won't... If I g-get invited t-to a p-party, I-I will l-let y-you know.. I-I'm s-sure the p-people that h-hurt you r-regret it now, I-I know I-I would.." She managed a brief and minuscule smile, trying her best to fulfill her vow from earlier to preserve the girl's blissful mood in a rather timid manner.

Sandra was quick to calm herself since, just like her memories of the girls she once knew, her lividness was short lived and short fused. While the memories of them left a bitter taste on her tongue, it had been quite a few months since she actually ever thought about them, maybe even closer to a year. She supposed thinking of the shy girl’s lack of attendance at parties somehow linked her memories back to her times as a party goer. She’d been to parties she enjoyed before, just not the ones her ‘friends’ had hosted.

The overly sensitive girl tried her hand at comforting Sandra, it was a nice gesture but for her it was unnecessary. She laughed under her breath after hearing the part where she suggested that the girls regretted what they did. “Eh, if they regret it or somehow find a way to justify themselves, I don’t give a shit. Whatever they’re thinking now, that’s their own damn business not mine. I got better things to ponder about than some bitch I knew a long time ago. Sure it hurt, but it didn’t scar” she replied transitioning back to her nonchalant mood as she did so. Sandra knew better than to strain her anger about such things, she needed to save it for things that happen in the present.

“People got their opinions, I got my own and I prefer to not structure myself based on other people's, it usually leads to depression or fear. Why the hell would anyone want that?” she questioned rhetorically. “Not to say that I don’t like compliments every now and again” she stated as she regained her bubbly grin once again. “Nothing like a good ego boost every now and again.”