Chapter 2

FREYA   I open my eyes when sun rays on my lashes become unbearable and a strange noise becomes too persistent in my ears. I look around and can say for sure that I have no idea where I am. The room with shabby wood-beamed walls looks dusty.   “Freya!” I hear a voice next to me and look in its direction. A boy who looks like he is about 8 or 9 years old stares at me with teary eyes. He sniffles and wipes his nose with his sleeve.   “H-hi,” I say slowly to him, registering that his clothes look like he is from the middle ages. Just like people I saw when I… Wait, what exactly happened to me?    “Freya!” the boy starts crying and I just know that he is referring to me even though it’s not my name. My name is… s**t! I still can’t remember it. “I thought you were going to die!” he sobs, “I thought I would lose you and stay all alone here! Freyaaaa!”   I feel a prick of consciousness and sit up on the bed, taking the boy’s hand into mine, “It’s all right. I am fine!”   “But your hair! Your hair!” he stutters and points at me. I look down at myself again and here they are – absolutely stunning platinum locks, which are also definitely not mine.   “What about it?” I ask carefully.   “Are you kidding me?” he says in surprise, “They are white as snow!”   That they are.    “And before they were…’ I start the sentence waiting for him to finish.   “Brown as mine, of course!” the boy looks at me strangely, “Are you sure you are all right? You seem…”   “I think I hit my head,” I smile apologetically, “I don’t think I remember… anything.”   Yeah, let’s go with that. For now at least.   The boy’s lips start trembling and I suddenly feel bad for him. Whoever he thinks I am is important to him.   “Freyaaa!” he sobs again and I crawl closer to him to give him a hug.   “Look, it’s not bad! I feel healthy just…” I bite my words when I notice that he is sitting in a wheelchair.   Damn it! I just upset a disabled kid! Great, just great!   “What happened to you?” he wipes his nose with his sleeve again, “What is the last thing that you remember?”   That would be the car going into the river, but something tells me I should keep it to myself.   “Um, I remember a lake. And there was something about a ring…And Beaufort something…”   “I knew it!” he hits his fist on the handrail of his chair, “That Kai and Eliza! They must have hurt you! I knew it!”   “Don’t overwork yourself there…” I stop trying to give a hint that I don’t remember his name.   “Rickar,” the boy says with a sad face, “Rickar Winter. I am your brother.”   “And I usually call you?”   “Rickie,” he blushes slightly and I pinch his cheek. Just cannot help myself. He is a sweet child and I feel for him.   “Rickie it is then,” I smile and stand up from the bed. Noticing that I am wearing the dirty dress which I was wearing when the events at the lake unfolded. Interesting.   I walk to a crooked dressing table and look at myself in the mirror that’s standing on top of it, sighing in relief. It’s my face! The body looks thinner though. And hair. I still can’t believe how long it is and the colour looks stunning if I am completely honest. I wanted to do something like this once but decided against it as I was afraid that the hair dye would burn my locks.   The room does not look modern. It’s as if from a Cinderella movie. When she lived in a dirty attic that is. Although it’s clean, all the furniture has seen so much life that it’s truly time to throw it away. And when I take a glimpse of a wheelchair… something tells me that it’s not working great. The construction looks asymmetrical and wobbly.   “So, Rickie,” I sit on the bed in front of him, “You probably already guessed that I am going to need your help here. Tell me everything.”   “What exactly do you want to now, sister?”    “Start at the very beginning,” I smile.    A few hours later a feel a strong headache. The amount of information is killing me. So, long story short, we are Freya and Rickar Winter, the last two descendants of once-great family of mages. MAGES! Our parents died right after Rickar was born. They didn’t have any magical abilities. And neither do we. That’s the reason family lost their position in the society. And the Beaufort family took us in. Well, actually they took everything that we had and made us live miserable lives with them! And by us, I mean Freya and her brother. Who got sick and didn’t receive proper care. And now he can’t walk. And no one cares except for Freya, so it’s understandable why he was so scared something happened to her. And something did. Freya is not here anymore. I am.   But that’s a thought for tomorrow. Otherwise, I would just go crazy. I don’t know why I am not hitting my head on the wall right now. Probably because of the child in the room! I don’t want to scare him more..   So, Freya does chores in the family and basically equals to a maid. The Beauforts are very distant relatives but they never accepted siblings in their family, because they are “empty” and have no powers. I guess, in this world magic means a lot.    Rickar needs treatment every half a year to keep him alive and Freya works for the Beauforts without saying a word so that they keep paying for at least that.      And what should I do now with all that information? I have no idea! A knock on the door and it slams open before I manage to answer. The girl with dark hair from yesterday and a young man, who slightly resembles her walk in, looking like they own the place.    “Finally!” the brunette rolls her eyes, “I thought you are going to rest for a week!”   I say nothing to that, just look at the little Rickar and see him lowering his head in his shoulders. He is clearly afraid of the pair. And that should make them Eliza and Kai Beaufort, our distant cousins. And proper assholes.   “I have to say the new hair suits you,” the guy says, smirking and I don’t like the way he looks at me.   “Ewe!” his sister says and hits him with her elbow, “Someone is waiting for you downstairs.”   “Who?” I ask, surprised. Rickie informed me that we have no one to care about the two of us. No family, no friends… The Beauforts took care of that.   “I am not your servant!” Eliza rolls her eyes, “Come and see for yourself!”   With that – she turns and leaves. But her brother stays behind, not taking his eyes off me.   “It’s one of my teachers from the Academy,” he says slowly, sitting on the dressing table.   “What Academy?” I raise my brows, “And why does your teacher wants to see me?”   “Huh!” Kai gives out a short laugh, “You sure changed after hitting your head! Speaking up like that?”   “Asking a normal question, you mean?” I cross hands on my chest and he smirks.   “Royal Academy of Four Elements”, he says slowly, “And professor wants to see you since you’ve shown some magical capability. He wants to test you.”    I look at Rickie and he shakes shoulders.   “All right,” I say, “I’ll be there in a minute. I just need to change.”   Kai gives me an ugly smirk, “I’ll wait for you.”   “No, thanks,” I snark.  “I insist!” now he is the one to cross hands.   “Get. Out.” I grit through my teeth, my blood boiling and yet suddenly the room becomes very cold. Kai changes in the face and stands up looking… not at me. I follow his gaze and gasp. The whole room is covered with frost!