The Four Seasons

## Winterising

Run.

Faster.

Smarter.

Keener.

Braver.

Harsher.

Colder.

Wind.

Ice.

Hail.

Snow.

Crystal fell. Fell as the winds tore against her thin tulle dress. As the snow grew harsher. As her fear made the ice fall from the clouds. As she felt ice-cold numbness rush up through her veins. As her consciousness left her. A neverending winter.

## Summercalling

Bloom.

Save.

Live.

Breathe.

Livelier.

Warmer.

Brighter.

Sunnier.

Sun.

Flower.

Grass.

Warmth.

Genevieve let the vines trickle around the tree she sat at, not knowing that she had saved the world. Snow disappeared and flowers bloomed. Rivers of ice turned to rivers of water. Genevieve breathed in the warm air. She had created Winterending.

## Chapter One - Near Death

Genevieve Vazlend sat under her tree, watching the snow around her melt. “Gen!” Brooklyn Vazlend, Genevieve’s older sister called.

Genevieve looked up. “What?”

“We had this year’s Winterising!” Brooklyn said.

“So?” Genevieve asked.

Genevieve Vazlend was well aware of the thousand-year-old tradition that happened to Hiedramunda once a year. It was old tradition that once a year, on the third of August, one teenage girl would unknowingly summon a Winterising- a glimmer of the coldest winter- to become that year’s Chosenchild. Then, one other girl would stop the Winterising with a Winterending, otherwise known as the girl’s Summercalling. The same happened to two boys on the seventeenth of November with Fallflowering and Springweilding.

“You made the Summercalling!” Brooklyn said her long hair swishing. “You’re a Summer Season!”

The chosen children went to their season’s homeland to learn to use their season’s powers. Genevieve held back a sigh. She, personally, didn’t want to be a Summer Season or *any* season at all. She didn’t want to live her quiet life.

“Brookie, I know,” Genevieve sighed. “But, there are more important things to think about at the moment.”

“Like *what*?” Brooklyn scoffed.

“Like finding the girl who caused the Winterising! She must be near here!” Genevieve said.

“Genev-” Brooklyn started but Genevieve darted past her and towards the fields.

She tripped over something and fell to the ground. Brooklyn caught up to Genevieve but as she went to help her up, she stopped, shrieking at the thing Genevieve had tripped over. Genevieve stood up on her own and looked down at the thing below her. A girl was lying on the ground, flecks of snow stuck to her eyelashes, and barely breathing. The Winterising girl. It was known that most Winter Seasons got too overpowered when a Summer Season created the Summercalling and didn’t make it back alive. This girl looked nearly dead. Her skin was pale- in a white, sickly way- her eyes were closed, and her hair was the palest white Genevieve had ever seen- sprawled across the ground in thick waves. All that covered her was a thin, simple, pale white dress that reached her knees. Genevieve touched her and felt icy coldness sting her warm palm.

“We need to get her help!” Genevieve said to Brooklyn.

“But she’s your opposing season! She’s the Winteriser!” Brooklyn said.

“That doesn’t matter! We aren’t enemies!” Genevieve retorted.

Genevieve tore off her shawl and wrapped it around the girl. The girl shuddered her breaths getting shallower.

“Brooklyn! Do something!” Genevieve shouted.

“What am I supposed to do?!? You’re the one with powers!”

Genevieve froze, realizing that she had to find *some* way to save this girl. She closed her eyes and hummed, focusing on the warmth of the sun. She opened her eyes and watched a golden dome of warmth wrap around Brooklyn, the girl, and herself. Then, she wobbled, feeling dizzy from the strain. And then everything went black.

↜0↝

Crystal opened her eyes blearily. She knew she must have created Winterising, but someone else, it seemed, had created the Winterending- also known as, Summercalling. She looked around and found herself in a golden dome. A tall teenage girl with long, light brown hair and pale skin was leaning over another girl, shaking her. From what Crystal could see, the girl was pale-skinned and brown-haired; a head full of curls. Crystal stood up on wobbly legs and walked over to the girl.

“Um, excuse me?” Crystal asked. The girl whipped around to reveal a pale, fearful expression, and dark blue eyes.

“You,” she said.

“Excuse me?” Crystal repeated, a little more forcefully.

“You’re the reason my sister is lying on the ground, passed out.” She said. “She tried to save you, with her Summer Season powers.”

“So she’s the girl who created Summercalling?” Crystal asked.

“Yeah. Great job, Ice Girl,” the girl hissed.

“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t choose for any of this to happen.” Crystal said quietly.

“Then you clean up this mess.”

The girl cursed. Crystal brushed her hair out of her face and kneeled down next to the girl. Her skin was warm like fire. Crystal bit her lip, unsure what to do. She took a deep breath and put her hands on the girl’s head. A blast of iciness shot through Genevieve and she opened her eyes, sitting up straight. She looked back at Crystal.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

Crystal smirked. “Anytime.”