ASHES TO ASHES , (tagged: open!)

Today was the day that Nell added another item onto the to-do list taped to her fridge: buy a space heater. It would be a handy investment, she figured, especially since her apartment had no central heating. She had woken up that morning on her floor, curled into the fetal position with her afghan wrapped around her head. Can’t…breathe…. She clawed her way out of the encasing of fabric, the only blanket she had. Sitting up, she blew stray strands of hair away from her face. Nell tried to enjoy anything about life, about a new home and new experiences, but it was very hard to enjoy the cold and snow, especially when it came to an element. She glanced over to the plants on her windowsill, and saw that a layer of frost as actually forming on their leaves.

Oh, Canada… Nell thought as she flopped back down onto the carpeted floor, the impact hurting her head a bit, but more than that she was keenly aware of the chill in the single room of her apartment. But she reminded herself firmly that she could now experience these things. Not too long ago, she could only stare out her window at the snow, and attempt to slip out when her mother was distracted with something that wasn’t hurting her. This brought her to fling herself back up and get ready for the day. Thankfully, she had bought quite a few sweaters and threw one of them over leggings and men’s work boots. Style was never a concern for her, after all she was on a budget. And she’d like to buy an apartment with walls thick enough that she didn’t hear the couple next door doing the dirty every night.

Still, she couldn’t complain. A roof over her head, and all that. She’d survived worse conditions, as far as she was concerned, so this apartment was definitely a step up from her house in The Bronx. The Bronx was divided up into sections by heritage, one not better than the other. They simply arose for the need of immigrants just off the boat to feel like they belonged, Nell remembered the term as being a ‘salad bowl’ or something. British Columbia was pretty different, but ghettos were ghettos, she guessed. Still, BC didn’t have the segregation of cultures like back ‘home’ (it could never truly be her home). Nell made hot chocolate on the stove and grabbed a cereal bar before starting off to the Academy. It would be a busy day, as every day, but she found she enjoyed it. The learning, the keeping her mind off of thoughts that decided to plague her even as she tried to distance herself from them, the feeling like she belonged with these people. The Academy was truly her sanctuary.

After classes, she headed outside and took note of the snow on the ground. Huh. She’d never made a snow angel before. Taking a furtive glance around to make sure no one was looking, she fell back onto the snow and started moving her arms and legs back and forth, giggling because she felt slightly retarded. But this was a trend with her, trying to recapture the childhood she never had. After the snow drenched her back, she got up and looked down at her work, feeling particularly satisfied. Her body was shivering and teeth were chattering, but it was worth it. Still, she figured she should head back inside before she caught her death. Inside, it was warmer but the damp on the back of her leggings and sweater was making her shudder. Okay, maybe it wasn’t such a good idea. But whatever. Nell traveled up the stairways, feeling quite a bit disoriented and though she didn’t want to admit it, lost. But she had nowhere to go, so that wasn’t quite the right word for it.

Nell didn’t know which floor she was on when she felt heat filtering out from under one of the doors of the classroom, and curiously entered the classroom, practically jumping when she saw the fire place. ”Warmth!” she cried in triumph as she made a bee-line to the flames. Then she noticed a boy in front of the fireplace, a pile of dirt he seemed to be cleaning before him. She blushed. ”Oh, I’m sorry if I’m interrupting something!” Nell said this in a high-pitched voice, now feeling like an idiot for barging into the classroom and shouting like a lunatic. But really, a fireplace, it’s like God watched her make a fool out of herself in the snow and decided to take pity. ”And if I am interrupting something, what is it…?” she asked curiously, blinking down at the soil. What looked like the fragments of a pot were scattered on the floor as well. Nell, now very intrigued by the scene, she turned her back to the fire so as to melt the snow from her sweater and sat next to the stranger. ”You wouldn’t be an earth student, by any chance?”

It wouldn’t explain the scene, seeing as it appeared to once have been a potted plant, like one of the dying ones sitting in her windowsill, trying their best to absorb sunlight that was obscured by clouds. And such were often tools for the students, Nell has come to learn in her short time here. Her powers only helped somewhat in terms of influencing plant growth, but the rest was up to the sun and water, and the weather which was certainly hampering their development as of right now. ”My name is Nell,” she said, grinning wide. ”Earth student, twelfth grade, and official snow angel creator which is why my back is soaking wet. So, uh…that’s the reason for my intrusion.” She laughed a bit as she said this, pulling at the back of her sweater so that her skin wasn’t as cold. Nell really did hope he didn’t mind her borrowing the heat and all.

Nell winced when she saw the boy cut himself on a piece of the shattered pot. "Ah, I'm so sorry!" she said, her voice rising even higher in concern. Nell composed herself before breaking out into a mantra of lo siento, lo siento, lo siento... Her Spanish tended to come out in her moments of distress, for in one of his moments of caring her father said she could get away with cursing as long as no one understood what you were saying. Plus, she started learning Spanish before English, so it was more or less her native tongue. And she was about to slip into prattling with it until she calmed. "Oh jeez..." She said dejectedly, rubbing her forehead as she mentally chastised herself for her brashness. 

Nell dropped her hand into her lap and her forehead wrinkled. "Does it hurt? I might have a band-aid or something in my bag..." She started rooting through the messenger bag on her shoulder, muttering under her breath in Spanish, reprimanding herself until she finally pulled out a strip with a "Jackpot!" Nell turned back to the injured boy and took his hand in hers, peeling back the strips and wrapping the band-aid around his finger. "I hope you like Spongebob," she said with a laugh as she noticed the yellow design on it.

She giggled at his timid nature and winked at him when she said, "Don't worry, I won't tattle." Nell tilted her head when he said that his professor's wouldn't believe him about this being an accident. "You don't seem like the type to go around smashing pots for kicks." She'd just met this guy all of five seconds ago, but he definitely did not appear to be a delinquent with his apparent bashful nature.

Nell listened in rapt attention as he explained what he'd been doing. "I see..." she murmured as she thought about this. She hadn't yet practiced such a thing outside of her apartment plants, but she was probably taking a few of the same classes as this kid, what with her supplementary lessons. She had to make up for such lost time, after all. Nell waved her hand dismissively when his voice took on a vexed edge. "It happens to the best of us. Practice makes perfect and all that jazz, ya know. Once you get a handle on all the angles and focus on everything you're supposed to do at once...voila!" Her lips split into a wide grin. "Pretty plant. But I'm sure you're aware of all this."  At the mention of the kids in the dormitory not lighting a fire, she tilted her head. "Hmm?" Nell said. "Why wouldn't they light a fire? It's freezing and this castle is pretty drafty." The question was curious and she studied him intently when she asked this.

He introduced himself as Ashton, and she shook his hand enthusiastically. "You should try it some time," Nell said as she leaned back to get further warmth on her back. "Plenty of snow around now, and it looks like there will be for a while." She'd never truly experienced winter, and so this was all very new to her. His smile was contagious, though it was not like she didn't already wear a half-smile most of the time. But this time it felt truly genuine, and she needed that with all the stress and fear in her heart. She needed that kind of smile. "So you have a brother?" she asked, unable to resist her curiosity any longer. "How old is he?" Of course she had many other questions to ask, but she tried not to be too abrasive. Self-control and all.

She took the opportunity as Ashton turned to lift her shirt up a bit to unstick it from her back, watching as the plant moved under his influence to pick the cabinet lock. Nell snorted in a amusement. "Innovative," she said, laughing airily. The boy went about cleaning up carefully and she observed him carefully, with her usual curious gaze. He threw the plant away and the other went back to its normal state. He seemed concerned about the lock and she said, "I'm sure they won't even notice. And hey, it was to clean up!" Nell leaned back even further and smiled brightly at him. "Thanks! I find it kind of odd that there's a fireplace in a classroom, but I'm thankful for it." Nell wouldn't know what classrooms usually contained, really, with the Academy being her first school. "I'm sure there's a lot of them in the dorms, huh."

Nell had come to a decision, one of those final, irrevocable ones: she would take this boy home with her. There was no doubt in her mind that he was absolutely adorable, and she had a soft spot for adorable creatures. Usually it came out with the younger kids, but Ashton was simply endearing. He kept trying to reassure her as she flipped, and now all she wanted was to give him a cup of hot chocolate or something—the gift of food always seemed best to her. She placed her elbows on her knees and cradled her head in her hands, watching him with a goofy half-smile. Chuckling at his comment she said, ”Aw, I’m sure you’re not that bad. Though I must say, it’s quite the accomplishment that you managed to cut yourself on pottery.” Even though it was totally my fault that happened. She looked askance, mussing up her hair on the back of her head.

Unfortunately, Nell didn’t really know how much Earth students were, especially when it came to the Fire students. They were enemies, yeah, but it was interesting to see how far that went. So they wouldn’t lit a fire because of the Fire kids? ”I haven’t really met any of the Fire students,” she said contemplatively at his words. ”So they’re really that bad? She chose not to judge people by their elements, really. Because Earth and Water were supposed to be allies, but her Aunt Jane wanted her locked up. And the Water students she’d met have been pretty nice, though they did enjoy their pranks. Not that she didn’t enjoy them as well, as long as they were harmless. Ashton seemed quite disbelieving that the Fire students would come down into Earth dorms to screw with their fireplace. ”Do the Fire students usually cause a lot of trouble? I’m not too worried about them sneaking into the Earth dorm, though, it seems like a bit of a waste of time.” But if they were as vindictive as the Thunder students, she wouldn’t really put it above them.

Nell knew now how ignorant she was of the Canadian climate, though she was aware that their winters lasted a bit. She also realized then how impolite it was to start rambling to herself in Spanish in the presence of another. Mentally, she hit herself over the head for possibly making the poor boy even more uncomfortable. ”Yeah, I’m new. From The Bronx, New York.” Nell believed it was the first time she ever told someone exactly where she was from, but she felt she could trust Ashton with even that little bit of information. She chuckled. ”There’s no Academy where I come from, though. I’m on academic probation here since I’ve come so late.” She shrugged lightly, going back to the topic of the snow and country so she wouldn’t have to talk so much about herself. ”Canada is a whole new world for me. But I really like it, even though our powers don’t fare so well with all the snow.” She finally discovered how nice it was to have such a thing in common with someone. Nell grew up alone with her powers, thinking she was the only one. And now, she had an entire castle-full of people with the same abilities as her. It was truly comforting.

”Oh, I bet he’s just adorable!” she said, her love for little kids shining through. Totally not in a creepy way, though. She just loved children. ”Do you two get along, Ash? I know a lot of brothers can’t really stand each other.” She wondered at the dynamic of siblings, how it varied from family to family. Nell never knew too many brothers, really, but apparently putting two boys in a house together for some years could create a bit of rivalry. But that must have been the testosterone. She also wondered about sisters and how they worked. She and Tilly were inseparable as twins and never once did Nell think of any rivalry between them. She was trying her damned hardest to save her. And then she thought of her mother and Aunt Jane, how even after all these years the woman still loved Mia.

”This place is pretty old then, huh?” Nell observed the room as he spoke. She thought the entire building was grand because, hey, it’s a castle. She grew up in a basic shack in The Bronx with freedom she only granted to herself. ”That’s pretty impressive.” Ashton was probably right in saying that this room may have had a different use in the past. It was amazing to think about, but she was easily impressed, truthfully. Still, thinking of this castle with so much history it gave her an exhilarated feeling. ”Well, on a day like this, fireplaces are nice.” She didn’t have the fear that these Earth students seemed to share, probably because she grew up without even knowing of the Fire element. So she couldn’t really being herself to freeze to death just because a Fire student may want to screw around with their power.

”So they’re bullies, huh?” she said as Ashton described general Fire student behavior. Nell didn’t like bullies at all, but she was sure that not all Fire students were like that. She always tried to see the best in people, even when convinced otherwise. And she certainly didn’t judge, especially not when it came to elements. “They sound pleasant,” she commented with a light chuckle. Ashton seemed rather uncomfortable with the topic of the Fire students, but she hadn’t had enough experience to be particularly affected. ”I suppose it’s best to avoid them… Still, not all of them could be that bad. You just have to look for the right ones.” So she hadn’t much experience with those students, but still, Nell didn’t like to judge a group based on certain people’s actions. It may have been naïve, but it was how she thought.

Nell thought about what he said. ”Water students are our allies, right? I’m not too keen on politics since I just got here, but I know about that much.” She was freshmeat in a sense, though she was a senior. Still, she’d pretty much just entered the world of these elements, and she approached it all with wide eyes and curiosity. When Ashton spoke of Fire students locking the freshmen down in the dungeons, she flinched a bit. Thinking of anything involving captivity did not sit well with her, and suddenly she didn’t like the Fire students that much for what to them seemed like a harmless prank. To her, being locked up was one of the worse things in the world. It was a great fear for her, and what steeled herself against being thrown in prison. She might have been more courageous against the family she hated if it weren’t for the prospect of jail time. ”There’s…dungeons here?” There was a lot of the castle which she didn’t know about, and this new piece of information didn’t settle well. Nell tried a laugh when she said, ”You’d think fire students would hang out around the sun, what with it being a giant ball of fire and gas.”

So the Fire kids don’t like the snow either? Well, at least they won’t be tormenting so many people according to the season. “Do they bother you much?” she asked, quite serious now. She took issue with those who picked on other people, and even though she liked to avoid such situations, she was one to protect another in such a predicament. Years of playing the victim hardened her against such behavior. And by the way Ashton spoke of them, it sounded like he was the victim a lot. Her eyebrows rose a bit at his next words. Skipping summer classes to avoid being scorched? ”Well…I’m not about to back down to anyone threatening me. I may not like fighting, but I also dislike being pushed around.” When threatened, she retaliated. When cornered, she had her defense mechanisms, now especially strong ones that weren’t around when her mother was alive (don’t think about that, Nell). She’d just do her best to avoid the worse of the fire students. Not that she wouldn’t try to make as many friends as possible, it was in her nature.

”I guess spending time apart from someone makes you appreciate them more, huh,” Nell said about his brother. She liked talking about other people’s families, especially functional ones. Living vicariously, perhaps. But really it was because she enjoyed people, listening to them and learning about them. She could listen to Ashton tells stories about his brother all day, as a matter of fact. ”Do you miss him a lot?” she asked curiously. She let her mind go to her own sister, who she missed every day even though she was dead. It must have been hard being away from a living sibling, and since Ashton was so sweet, she could believe him to be a good big brother. Nell smiled a bit thinking of this.

It was so...strange. All these politics and such. It was really sending her for a whirlwind. If politics had anything to do with it, the Sinclairs were supposed to be her allies. But personal matters got in the way. And the family was so close-knit they went along with Jane and whatever she said. Nell reminded herself to rent The Godfather to figure out how these things really worked. In any case, she wondered how much these politics worked out? ”It’s pretty interesting, to say the least, finding out about all this,” Nell said. Ashton as most likely here since he was fourteen, the usual acceptance age. She wondered if he thought of it as interesting anymore, or if it was the same humdrum. ”It's weird, seeing so many people with a pack mentality,” she noted. She hadn’t even heard of such alliances like this outside of her families. The entire reason the Sinclairs backed up Jane was because of that mentality, and the reason the Fuentes clan stuck together despite the fact that they were all assholes to each other. ”I’ve never been a part of something like it.”

Ashton didn’t seem to approve much of the Water students’ wild ways, and she grinned at this. ”You’re right in that we always need someone on our side.” She felt a sort of kinship with the rest of her students, no matter their Elements. It was most likely because she’d been alone so long, and now she finally belonged somewhere. Could she put trust in these alliances, the ones between the Earth and Water elementals? Nell tended to trust a little too easily unless given express reason not to, but she still did not open up to people well. And when it came to people being on her side, it felt like she had none. She had far more enemies than allies, it seemed. Could she change that? For it to become possible, it meant admitting secrets she didn’t even want to acknowledge herself. She added on with a chuckle, ”Even though they can be quite the rabble rousers.” Ashton seemed sympathetic to her plight, and she just wanted to hug him and give him candy for being so cute. Her broad smile stayed when she said, "I don't mind too much." She didn't mind anything much, actually. "I find it easier to find out these sorts of things for myself, anyway. But it’s nice to have you telling me about this stuff. It’s a lot more information than I’ve gotten so far.”

When she first found out about Elementals, it was through her family, and so that wasn’t very comforting at all. When she came to British Columbia, that had change vastly. Now she had much more going or her. But she still had to worry about her family, even though she kept it locked away most of the time. How far did their connections stretch? Her Aunt Jane said that the mob didn’t exist, but that was the adage used by members of such organized crime. Did such an organization stretch even into another country. She shook these thoughts away and looked at Ashton when she said, ”I like having allies. Though it would be nice to be wind so I wouldn’t have many enemies, either. But…this is kind of the first time I’ve ever felt like I belonged.” Her face heated up as she ruffled the back of her hair. ”Don’t mind the cliché, I do that often.” She winked playfully as she laugh, blush fading.

He apparently wanted to reassure her about the use of the dungeons. ”You’re right, it only makes sense that a castle would have a dungeon,” she admitted, though it still didn’t settle well in her stomach. Oh well, she broke out of such a place before, though with dire consequences. She was pretty confident that she could do it again. However, she was maybe too confident in most cases. ”I won’t worry too much about it,” Nell said with a shrug. That’s how she dealt with most things. Don’t think about it, bury it. It’s been working for her so far. She chuckled at what Ashton said. ”They seem to be fans of irony.” She’d make sure to keep away from them, then. No need to risk getting locked up. Still, she still had that idealistic belief that not all of them were bad, even though Ashton seemed wary about them even as he admitted that not all of them were complete deviants.

Nell studied the boy’s face intently as he spoke. She wouldn’t be surprised if he got picked on quite a bit—especially since Earth students were the passive group who disliked fighting. And she disliked it as well, and she even disliked when she had to stand up for herself or other people. But she knew it to be the right thing to do. She had too many scars from her mother to endure any more, bruises from hitting and belts and things that Nell kept locked up in that special place in her mind. It was difficult, decided when to be passive and when to stand up for yourself. Too bad the latter seemed to overpower her a lot lately, her defense mechanisms on overdrive. At his comment, she waggled her eyebrows. "Of course not. I'm so terrifying, no one would mess with me." She lifted her arms and flexed as if to prove her point. ”So anyone tries to pick a fight with you, Ash, send ‘em my way.” And even though she said this jokingly, she meant it. Nell may have lied about things when it came to herself, but when she said things like that, it was sincere.


Right. Most missed their parents. How many people here came from a happy home, she wondered? Sure, a lot of people must miss their parents, but how many people were like her? The two-parent, white picket fence, happy home scenario was practically non-existent in these times. How many were like her, she wondered? She wondered if there were any other fugitives hiding out here, and almost laughed at the thought. God, she was a terrible person, wasn’t she. She couldn’t help but always view herself as such. Nell laughed at what he said, and she was in an awfully cheerful mood. ”I get what you’re saying,” Nell assured him. And again, she had more questions for the boy and hoped she wasn’t overwhelming him or anything, perhaps prying too much. But he was so endearing and friendly, she couldn’t help it. ”So I take it you grew up around here, in British Columbia?”

Ashton seemed genuinely interested about whether she liked this sort of alliance. God, he was cute. She wondered what kind of food he liked. It’d be a bit random to mention it now, but she would ask sometime so she’d be able to gift him with whatever he liked to eat. Because to her, food was the best present. That wasn’t strange or anything, right? Nell smiled. ”I do,” she said honestly. ”It’s nice to always have people on your side. The camaraderie is definitely a good thing.” She felt connected with her fellow Earth students, even more so than she did with other people (she was natural empathetic, it was hard not to feel connected with others). Nell had felt alone before coming here, especially when she learned she was the black sheep of her family. They were certainly no help to her. But now she had a castle-full of people to get to know, actual allies. People were on her side, even people she hadn’t met yet. That felt very good.

It was a bit of a delayed reaction as Ashton struck a post. It started out as one of those unattractive, I-just-can’t-help-it snorts, erupting into full-blown laughter. ”Pssh, don’t have much confidence in your manliness?” She was still laughing as she said this, making it difficult to waggle her eyebrows what with her smile taking over her face. ”Don’t worry, when I need a man to come to, I’ll certainly think of you, Ash.” But really, she hoped she could rely on this guy. It’d be pretty nice, even though she tried not to burden people too much, especially with questions that everyone else seemed to know the answers to. Still, she hoped they could be pretty good friends. And hey, Nell was certainly good to people who she considered friends, even more so than when she showed random acts of kindness to strangers.

He seemed to consider his words before he spoke of the Wind elementals. ”Does that happen often?” she asked. ”When they have to choose sides?” It sounded strange to have a full-out war between Elementals, but everything sounded strange to her. Wars to her were World War One and the Civil War where soldiers used guns and not fire or water or any of the other elements. And a cold war between Elementals? It sounded ludicrous as well? In her mind, she just wondered why there has to be so much animosity. Not that she’d like everyone to get together in one big ol’ group hug, but why not just avoid each other? When it comes to large-scale wars between countries, it was usually over land or oil or power. What did they have to gain? There were so many questions, but at least Ashton offered his mind to help her out.

His eyes were kind, and she nodded, saying, ”Exactly.” There was quite literally nowhere else for Nell to go. This place is asylum, perhaps even more so for her than it was for others. True, the Elementals were based in secrecy, and so they needed this place as a sort of sanctuary. For Nell, she was also using it to escape the American government. Fugitive. Murderer. She hated to think of herself with such words, but that was truly what she was. She had to wonder if others saw it, too, underneath her cheerful face and friendly demeanor. Could they see that there was anything wrong with her? Could Ashton tell that she was a murderer? What would he think of her if he did know, she wondered. They had just met, but she already liked this boy immensely. Would he come to hate her if he ever found out about the crimes she’d committed? Of course, she would never tell him about it. Anyone, actually. Even though she hated having these secrets, she chose to bury it all. But no matter how far she ran, she couldn’t erase the fact that she’d killed her own mother.

“Ya think?” she said with a wolfish grin as he poked her arm. And then at his next comment, she laughed. ”Then you must implement my diet plan of TV dinners. They’ll bulk you right up.” She tried her best Arnold impersonation, but failed terribly. It was true though, her diet consisted of Salisbury steaks and other TV dinners. She’d love to buy much more, but she didn’t have that kind of money. Still, most of her funds went toward food. Thinking of it like that, she felt like a fatass, but her appetite mostly spanned from keeping healthy. She’d seen what lack of nutrition could do. No matter how much she tried to help her sister, the girl could barely consume food and by the time she died her cheeks were so hollow and she could barely lift her arms. Nell had survived, she was the living twin, and she made sure she’d never succumb to something like that.


It was weird thinking of people moving around, but it must have been normal for some. She’d stayed stationary. Captive. Moving had never been an option. It’s not like her mother had the money to, anyway, especially after her father left. British Columbia was a new place, it must have been what immigrant coming to Ellis Island must have felt when they laid eyes on the Statue of Liberty. ”Even with the snow, it’s beautiful. And hey, I'm in a whole different country!” And she was also an illegal, but she’d keep that on the downlow. ”Besides, I don’t mind the snow too much save for weakening my powers and being…cold. It’s really the first time I ever got to play in it.” She winced a bit. That was saying too much. Normal kids got to go out in the snow to play a lot, right?

Mi familia. Nell blinked at the thought. Family was a concept she'd never known. Her own despised her. The Fuentes side hated her for her Earth affiliation and for being Mia's daughter and taking the son they didn't care about away. And the Sinclair family hated her for being Leon's son and because Aunt Jane said so. The only true family she ever had was Tilly. And now apparently she had a lot more of them. It was…strange. Not unwelcome, though, definitely not unwelcome. She just didn’t know what entailed a family. Loyalty, she figured, acceptance. She really didn't know. As she mulled over this, her gaze became forlorn and she looked down at the fingers in her lap.

And the fact that he’s be so kind as to help her when she needed it? Even though she’d known mostly cruelty in her life, it’s people like him that she lived for. That gave her hope out in the world. It’s why she never gave up, because she knew there was more to the world than her mother and her family and everyone who’d hurt her in the past. ”Thank you…really.” Nell blushed slightly as she said, ”I’m going to pull out another cliché and say that you don’t know how much that means to me.”

Ashton seemed apprehensive about informing her of the politics going on, but she was thankful he did so. Ashton was being honest, and that was a good thing. She'd much rather hear the truth from his mouth than a cover-up to preserve her feeling. It did bother her a bit, what he said, but it was nothing she couldn't handle. Cold war seemed to be their deal. Hostility and tensions and all that lovely stuff that Nell didn’t agree with. But what can you do about it? It’s war, not afternoon tea. Things aren’t so simple, even she knew that. "Sound intense," she murmured, ducking her head in thought. "But not...too bad. Better than outward violence, at least. Still, even the hostilities seem…" She wrinkled her nose, but then sighed, brushing bangs out of her eyes. Even the hostilities seem ridiculous. But such was life, and love and war and all that.

She felt sympathetic toward the Wind students forced to choose sides. But if she were to think of it in terms of world affairs, neutral countries usually stay away from their allies during that time. Could the Wind students do that? Allies. Now that sounded like a wartime term, and it was weird to think of. At the mention of relationships, Nell looked up. Ashton sounded like he spoke from experience, like people who ask for advice by saying "I have this friend who...." She gave a languid smile in sympathy. Nell knew how things like that could go wrong. Her parents went wrong (very, very wrong) and she'd inherited their mistakes—and that was without the politics of a war. It was the inner tumult of a home and a manipulative family. ”How can we keep that from happening?” Nell asked seriously. ”So that the Wind students don’t have to choose sides, and that we can just go about our separate lives.” She laughed lightly then, more like an exhale of her breath. ”Wishful thinking, I suppose.” Especially since the Fire students seemed particularly intense.

Snowmen? She's sure she'd seen them around before. Mostly when she came to Canada, actually. There wasn't too much snowman building in The Bronx, only some she'd seen traveling the streets at night melting on people's "lawns". "Can't say I've built one before." That was pretty sad, wasn't it? Nell's lips twitched up mischievously. "How about you teach me?" Couldn’t be too hard, right? Just rolling up giant balls of snow and putting sticks for arms and…what to use for a nose? Carrots usually, right? Nell stood then, shaking out her sweater again. ”I think it’d be fun!” Was it completely childish to do this? Yeah, but she was in the middle of reclaiming her childhood, so she believed she had every right.