And what of the blends of different Magic Bullets. The problem arises in the consumption of such products. Firewire must be smoked for maximum effect, Tonguewisp chewed on and Prophecy ingested. It would ruin the efficacy of the Magic Bullet to have it used sub optimally.

-From Professor Shokolov’s Journal, 18th Entry

On the morning of the trip, the mood was dim. People had woken up early to arrive at the school, and many of them had to drag bags of belongings along with them. AxEl and Nook sighed as they watched more people pile on into the field. A girl almost walked straight into AxEl, but he moved aside at the last moment.

“Tsk,” she muttered, but strode away before AxEl could respond.

Nook yawned beside him. “Nice reflexes,” he sighed out. Soon enough their chauffer arrived in the school bus, looking livelier than all of them combined.

“Alright, then, children. Are you ready to have some fun?” he asked to a surprising chorus of silence.

“Sleepy crowd,” he chuckled awkwardly. Soon enough they were piling one by one into the bus, with the professor checking off each of their names on the list. AxEl and Nook surprisingly found spaces next to Finn and HinEn on the bus.

Great, again with these two, AxEl thought to himself. It seemed as though the world wanted nothing more than to bunch them all together.

It can’t be that bad. They’re your friends, after all, something inside him said, and AxEl wondered. Nook and the others got along well, but anytime AxEl was around, it seemed the mood shifted.

Was it because of the kind of person he was? Nook didn’t seem to be scared of him, but Finn and HinEn acted polite…impersonal even. Though that didn’t matter, as they soon left the streets of Barksight and began the long trek all the way to the Ahken Peaks.

In the middle of the trip, they sang songs. Nook seemed annoyed by them, but AxEl shouted along with the rest of the bus. When their professors came back to shut them up, they merely switched to some other form of enjoyment.

“Oi, AxEl, do that tune again!” one of them asked, and so he sang in the worst voice he could come up with. The others laughed and AxEl glanced back at Nook at the others to find them embroiled in their own little conversation.

They arm-wrestled, talked about the wildest things that had happened to them and messed with each other through the whole trip. Eventually, even they died down as the trip extended onwards. The sounds devolved into whispered conversations between friends.

Nook was on his phone, tinkering with some app or another while AxEl stared out the window. He focused on the sights outside, taking in the beauty of the passing scenery until a sound knocked his attention back into the bus.

“Who’re you talking to, Nooky?” some guy was asking.

“Give that back!” Nook replied and swiped at the man’s hands unsuccessfully. He landed on the floor of the bus and issued a round of laughter from the rest of the students.

“Come on, we just want to have a look!” the bully replied and started scrolling through the phone. AxEl clicked his tongue in annoyance.

“Just give it back to him, VexIk,” AxEl said. He tried helping up Nook, but noticed a glint of blue in the shorter man’s hands. AxEl immediately cupped Nook’s hand and whispered quickly, “Put that away!”

“Just one, let me!” Nook whispered back, but AxEl wouldn’t have it. Why’s he so riled up about this? He thought to himself. AxEl held his hand out towards VexIk.

“Last warning, man, give it back. This isn’t funny,” AxEl replied. Behind him, Finn and HinEn were keeping Nook back, for which AxEl silently thanked them. The professor’s seemed to be absorbed in their own conversation, so they were no help.

“Come and take it, then,” VexIk replied with a smile. AxEl swiped at his hands to take it, but VexIk had thrown the phone back into his group of friends.

When AxEl tried pushing against the other man, VexIk shoved him back. “What’s your problem?” AxEl asked as he took a swing at Vex. He barely flinched, taking the blow in stride.

“You’re a big man, AxEl. Let’s see how big, though,” Vex replied, and took a swing back. Even with his arms raised, AxEl felt the pain radiating out from his forearms as he moved back. He shoved his hands into his pockets to take out some Firewire, but stopped once he looked around at the crowd. Finn was staring right at him, and he knew.

So, AxEl had to fight the normal way. Vex was strong and practiced, though. AxEl had experience in street fights, but Vex fought like a boxer, jabbing, weaving and blocking when he needed to. AxEl took a swing at his head, which Vex caught. He backhanded AxEl with his free hand, and AxEl spat at his side.

This would’ve been so much easier with Magic Bullets. He’s nothing, so why can’t I beat him!

AxEl’s anger took him over, and he kept hitting as hard as he could, forcing Vex on the defensive. He even kicked the man, but that was his last mistake. Vex caught the foot and put AxEl off-balance. He tripped up his other foot and knocked him down onto the ground, pinning him.

“Look at you! You actually got a few hits on me!” Vex said with a smile. But the sounds had gotten too loud. Behind AxEl, professor Inn began to make his way to the end of the bus.

“Break it up, both of you!” he chided them, and Vex backed off.

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“I thought I’d let you kids have your fun, but this?”

Vex looked downwards onto the ground, but AxEl knew he was faking his guilt. The professor helped AxEl up and dusted him off, but it was clear as day he was still angry at him.

“I-I’m sorry, professor,” AxEl replied.

“I expected better of you. Both of you,” he replied, taking a glance at Vex as well.

“Until we reach the lodge, I better not hear any sounds from anyone, understood?” The professor said, then turned around to look at everyone.

“I mean it. A single peep and I turn this entire bus around,” he ended, then gestured everyone back into their seats. Nook and AxEl settled back into theirs but VexIk shot a glance at both of them. Nook seemed willing to start another fight right then and there, but AxEl placed a hand on his shoulder and kept him there.

He shook his head and Nook stopped balling his fists. The rest of the trip passed in uneasy silence. After arriving at the steps to the lodge, they disembarked from the vehicle. AxEl started shivering from the cold, seeing his breath form in front of him.

“Why’s it so chilly?” He asked to Nook, who seemed more fit for the weather.

“It’s just how the mountains are, AxEl.” The professor guided them towards the warm inviting lights of the lodge, which stood on top of a small hill. It was a cream coloured building with a slanted wooden roof. There were large glass windows that showed the yellow lights shining within.

From their position in the parking lot, AxEl’s group could see the reception desk, as well as how far backward the place extended.

“Everyone, buddy up. Four in a group, so I can hand out your room keys,” Professor Inn told them. People bunched together quickly after that, and AxEl was left with Nook, HinEn and Finn in his group.

Professor Inn walked to them, but put the keys in Nook’s hand instead of AxEl’s. First, I’m brought to Hell’s Icebox, then I’m given the cold shoulder. Wonderful.

When he started moving, the snow crunched under his foot. He’d never been in snow before, so seeing it bend so easily under his weight uneased AxEl. He was careful to take light steps, but still left large tracks behind him as he moved forward. Inside the lodge, it was well-heated and sweet-smelling.

Each room of the lodge was barely big enough to hold a group, and the halls were packed with students filing their belongings inside as fast as they could. When AxEl brought his bag inside, he bumped into another group that was running out.

“Come on, KehA!” one of them shouted. They were wearing mittens and beanies and looked intent on something. AxEl ignored them and just went on his way. There was a lot of unpacking to be done.

****

Hours later, near midday, AxEl heard something outside of his window. When he looked outside, he just saw white snow and an open field. Before he knew it, something cold and crumbly hit him in the face and AxEl recoiled.

“Ha! We got ‘em!” someone shouted from below. AxEl wiped his face and looked to see it was AkIn. One of his classmates that he’d barely spoken to over the last year.

“Oh, you’re dead,” AxEl said, then closed the window in front of him. He put on his coat and ran towards the end of the hall, bursting out of the double doors and into the chill air of the mountains. There, he saw a war being waged.

People flung balls of snow at each other, laughing and shouting the entire while. When they came for him, AxEl ducked under the snowballs and cupped some in his hand as well. He threw it back in a random direction, hoping it hit someone.

“AkIn, where are you!” AxEl shouted, chuckling to himself as he did. That had seemed to attract everyone’s attention, though. More snowballs fell towards him, and he was barely able to keep the snow from going under his clothes.

He ran through the battlefield with snowballs in each hand, throwing it at anyone who came too close. He could see from far away that Nook and Finn were protecting a fort of their own. AkIn was somewhere in the middle of the field, laughing as he ducked under more snowballs. He seemed to be specifically aiming for the windows of the lodge, goading more people outside.

“Found you!” AxEl shouted, and AkIn turned to him. AxEl threw both of the globes in his hand, but they skimmed over the shorter boy’s head.

“Better luck next time, AxEl!” AkIn replied, then darted off behind a tree or something else. From beside him, AxEl was hit with more balls of snow. They got into his eyes and he slipped onto the pile below him.

The chill crept into his body, but he still felt his heart racing. Above him, more snowballs flew and people shouted. Time to tip the odds. It was a sunny afternoon, and no one would be looking at him. He dug through his pockets and popped the pill so fast no one would have noticed. Immediately, his eyes began to glow grey and AxEl pulled his hood over himself.

Visions flooded his mind, and even for him they were disorienting. He saw hundreds of snowballs flying through the air in a thousand different directions. AxEl focused, then ran to where he last saw AkIn.

He deftly avoided each snowball in his path, curving his body around them.

“How did you dodge that?!” someone shouted from afar. AxEl packed some snow in his hand and was about to throw it when another vision came to him. He saw it miss it’s mark, and a grin crept onto his face.

“Catch this!” he shouted, then adjusted his throw to hit the boy who had targeted him. He looked amazed that it had hit him, but moved away once he started being targeted. AxEl ran through the snow, dragging his feet through until he came upon more people. He missed a few shots, but even they were covered in snow.

He was barely getting hit now, and some people took that as a challenge. VexIk and his group surrounded him in an instant. They held massive globes of packed snow in their hands and AxEl was glad. At least they weren’t going after Nook this time.

“You’ve been doing well, haven’t you?” VexIk asked. AxEl kept his gaze low instead. Making sure no one saw his glowing eyes.

“Not in the mood to talk, I get it,” VexIk continued. Then he and his group threw their snowballs at him at once. Avoiding them all would be impossible, but AxEl did his best. He weaved through the first barrage, fell onto the floor, picked himself up and some snow off the grass and threw it back at VexIk the first chance that he got.

VexIk look surprised at the hit, but not angry. He smiled and even laughed. “Haha, that’s why you’re alright, AxEl! Don’t even complain and then do that!” He then gestured for the rest of them to follow. “Come on, leave him alone.”

What was that about? AxEl thought to himself. But his visions distracted him. He saw AkIn running off somewhere else, and this time launching a snowball into the wrong window.

AxEl ran towards the younger boy’s location, finding him staring at a window that he knew. That’s the professor’s!

AxEl held a globe in his hand but dropped it once someone hit him. He was too absorbed in his own thoughts to react. So he instead just lunged at AkIn, tackling him to the ground where they both lay covered in snow.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry! It was just a prank!” AkIn argued.

“What are you talking about?” AxEl asked. AkIn held his hands up in front of him, being defensive.

“You’re not going to pummel me? I thought that’s why you were chasing me?” AkIn asked.

AxEl peeled himself off of AkIn and stood up. He brushed the snow off of his clothes. “No, I’m not. This is the most fun I’ve had in a while!” AxEl replied. He held a hand up to AkIn, who took it and stood up.

“Just don’t throw anything at that window. I don’t think the professor was kidding about sending us home. Especially if we peeve him now,” AxEl said. He brushed the snow off of AkIn before looking towards where Nook and the others were stationed. With a renewed grin, he stomped off towards them, leaving AkIn confused by himself. That was until another snowball hit him in the face and sent him back onto the ground.