Scott sat on the bench, looking out at the other pyers. Things weren't looking good. It was the start of the fourth quarter, and they were down fourteen points. The opposing team's defense was tough. They had to go for small runs because they didn't give the quarterback an opening to throw to any of their wide receivers.

  Scott felt his phone vibrate. He pulled it out and gave it a quick look.

  Another text message from Maria.

  Scott put the phone back. He didn't want to get her more involved in the mess that was his life. He'd text back eventually, just...he didn't know when, exactly.

  He shook his head and turned back to the football game.

  The ball was snapped back to the quarterback, who took a few steps back. A risky py; if he was sacked now the team would lose a lot of yards, but it gave him some breathing room.

  It turned out to be the right call.

  A receiver broke through the defense and started running for the endzone. The quarterback threw the ball just before a lineman broke through and tackled him. The ball soared through the air, spinning in a perfect spiral. A lineman ran back towards the receiver. Clearly they hadn't thought that someone would make it this far behind their line.

  The receiver caught the ball, but he was still thirty yards from the endzone, and the lineman was gaining. His legs pumped desperately, trying to make it and score.

  Twenty yards. The lineman was close.

  Ten yards. The lineman was reaching out to grab him.

  Five

  Four

  Three

  Two...

  The lineman leapt forward and wrapped his arms around the receiver's legs, but the receiver had too much momentum. Both boys fell forward into the endzone. Bckbriar scored.

  The spectators in the stands got to their feet and cheered. Scott felt a sense of relief pass over him. They just might pull it off.

  That's when he noticed something.

  The receiver wasn't getting up off the ground. He was clutching one of his knees and rolling around in clear pain. Some medics rushed onto the field to check him, and the crowd felt silent. The receiver got up, and supported by the medics was able to limp over to the sidelines.

  Coach turned and looked at Scott.

  "Winter," he said, "you're up."

  Scott nodded and stood up. He put on his helmet and ran out onto the field.

  ***

  Matt watched the football game with bored disinterest. These sorts of things always felt so pointless to him. Big sweaty guys throwing a ball around for three hours, who cares? There's more productive things that literally everyone there could be doing.

  However, Matt felt an obligation to be here to make sure that his pn was able to be completed. He'd been setting up these dominoes all week, and it'd be a shame to not get to watch them all fall down.

  "Matt?" said someone behind him.

  Matt turned around and saw Maria, that girl that Winter liked to hang out with. She was wearing another of her band t-shirts and baggy jeans. She really could dress herself better, he though.

  "What are you doing here?" she asked.

  "What, I can't watch a football game?" he said.

  "No, I just...didn't peg you as the type."

  "Parents said I needed to get out more." Matt said. A convenient lie, and believable considering his usual antisocial behavior.

  "OK, well, enjoy yourself, I guess." Maria said. She started to walk down to the railing that separated the stands form the field, but then she stopped. She turned around and looked at Matt with some strange mix of sadness and pity.

  "Matt," she said, "Scott thinks you have something to do with the pictures."

  "I didn't realize he had such a fragile ego." Matt said.

  "You know, it's a bit strange." Maria said. "First you have your fight with him, then that weird electric monster blows up his dad's car, and then those photos leak out, and now you're here at the game."

  Matt froze up, but only for an instant. "Well hey, have you considered that there's more than one person who doesn't like your boyfriend?"

  Maria seemed to flinch at the word 'boyfriend', but she regained her composure. "Maybe. I guess working on the school paper means I just tend to notice things. Weird connections, things like that."

  She turned around and kept walking towards the railing. "Take care, Matt." she said.

  Matt watched her go, and the inklings of a new pn started to form in his mind.

  ***

  Alex sat at home watching anime with Messa. He'd never really had this kind of experience with friends before; rexing at home, joking and ughing while watching something fun. Sure, it was with a sentient figurine, but hey, a friend's a friend.

  Plus, it helped him calm down after such a crazy week. He'd never been caught up in personal drama like this, and keeping up with everything had been exhausting, not to mention the possible revetions about Messa waiting in that journal from the library. But for right now, Alex could just rex, recharge his batteries, and then find a way to deal with everything. After everything that'd happened, it'd be a shame if something interrupted him now.

  ***

  Scott took his position along the line facing the opposing team. The punt went off just fine, and now the line of scrimmage was on the opposing team's side at about the twenty five yard line. Scott got in close and looked up at the lineman opposite him. The lineman grinned.

  "Well," he said, "I was wondering when they were gonna let the drag queen py."

  Scott froze up.

  "Oh that you?" another pyer on the defense said. "Sure you're man enough to be on this field?"

  "Hey, what's your problem?" one of Scott's teammates said.

  "C'mon, don't tell me you're--"

  The lineman didn't get a chance to finish his sentence. Scott's teammate pushed him, causing all the other pyers to get up and start yelling at each other. Scott started to hyperventite. He just wanted things to be normal for a bit, and somehow, somehow, these people had heard about it.

  He looked over and saw that the refs were running over to break up the fight. They were gonna need an expnation, which means he'd have to tell more people which was the st thing he wanted and now Scott had this splitting headache and a weird pain in his chest. He just wanted everything to stop.

  That's when a word bubbled up to the forefront of his mind.

  "Gcis." Scott whispered.

  And then suddenly, everything was cold and dark and safe.

  ***

  Matt saw one of the football pyers shove the other and grinned. Everything was working perfectly. Sending the pictures to students at the other school was a risky py, but it was worth it. This would be just the thing that Scott needed to be driven over the edge.

  Matt saw Scott stumble away as the teams started yelling at each other. The referees were running across the field, trying to bust up the dust up. The other spectators were looking at each other nervously, unsure of what they should be doing. Then Matt watched as Scott clutched his head. Then Scott went still, and Matt felt a cold breeze blow through the stands.

  Suddenly, something exploded out of Scott, but it wasn't fme; it was ice. it instantly encased most of the field, and soon it was growing up into the stands.

  Spectators screamed and climbed over each other, trying to get away from the encroaching ice. some tripped and fell and the ice slowly grew over them until they were encased with in.

  Matt watched all this happening from his seat in the top row and grinned.

  "Oh, this is good."

  Good, yet dangerous. he thought. Time to make an exit.

  With that, Matt took a deep breath and plunged into the crowd, trying to make his way to the exit. That's when he heard a high pitched scream behind him.

  Maria had tripped running up the stairs and the ice had begun to grow over her shoe. She pulled frantically trying to get her foot free, but she seemed stuck.

  Well, Matt thought, it seems I have a chance to get in her good graces.

  Matt ran down the stairs, shoving past people who were running in the opposite direction, until he was standing in front of Maria. He wrapped his arms around her waist. She looked at him in shock.

  "Matt?" she asked.

  "Hold on!" Matt said. He pulled hard, feeling some of his magical strength kick in. Maria's foot popped out of her shoe just as the ice completely encased it.

  "C'mon, let's go." Matt said. He grabbed Maria's hand and started pulling her towards the exit.

  ***

  The sound was strange. It was a dull rumble that passed through the ground, and there was a loud creaking sound, like wood being strained. Me and Messa stood up and looked at each other.

  "Brightmoon." we both said.

  I grabbed the wan from under my pillow and transformed. Me and Messa were out the window in just a few seconds. I took off into the air and looked around town. That's when I saw something looming next to the school; a giant white pilr of ice. I felt my phone vibrate in the extra pocket I'd added to my outfit. I pulled it out and saw that it was coming from Dad. I answered.

  "Hey Dad, do you see--"

  "We're already on our way over to the school." Dad said. I could hear the sound of police sirens in the background. "We're getting calls about something happening at the football field."

  "Scott..." I whispered.

  "What was that?"

  "I'll expin ter." I said. "Gotta go save the town now."

  "Alright, but be careful." Dad said. "We'll back you up however we can."

  I hung up the phone and took off towards the school.

  ***

  It was so safe here. Cold and dark, yes, but safe.

  No more teachers, no more social media, no more judging looks, no more angry fathers.

  Just him, resting, forever.

  ***

  I flew high above the scene. People were streaming out of the stadium's exits, trying to get away, but the ice was growing, creaking and cracking as it swallowed up the stands. I could see some people trapped within the ice, and on the field there were the two football teams frozen in the middle of some kind of fight. Curled up next to them was a small and fragile looking form glowing with purple light.

  "Scott..." I said.

  There was a burst of freezing wind that knocked me back. I nearly lost my bance as I tumbled through the air before I was able to right myself. Once I could get a good look at it, I could see that the ice was growing faster. It reached some of the cars parked closest to the stadium. There was a family inside of a pickup truck. The engine refused to start as the family panicked inside and the ice started to grow over the hood.

  I flew down and nded on the roof of the car. I leaned over to look inside and saw the dad, mom, and two boys looking at me in fear.

  "Hang on!" I said. "I'm gonna get you out!"

  I raised my wand and smashed it against the windshield, shattering the gss. I reached inside and pulled out the family members one by one as the ice continued to grow.

  "Go!" I told them. "Get as far away as you can!"

  The parents each picked up a kid and started running into town. I had to do something about this ice before the rest of the town was frozen.

  "Messa," I said, "Know a fire spell by chance?"

  "Sorry, my memories are still...fuzzy." She said.

  I looked around trying to think of something I could use. That's when I spotted something sitting in the truck's bed; a grill next to a bag of charcoal and some lighter fluid.

  "It'll have to do." I said.

  I grabbed the charcoal and the lighter fluid. I flew up above the ice and hovered above where Scott was curled up, still glowing brightly.

  I tore open the bag of charcoal and poured out the bck rocks over the ice. Then I opened the bottle of lighter fluid and dumped it all over the charcoal.

  "OK, here goes nothing." I said. I raised up my wand and focused.

  "Arcus!"

  Lightning shot out of the wand and hit the coal, creating a small explosion that split the ice. When the fmes cleared, there was a hunk of bck rock that was still smoldering and melting through the ice.

  "Ok, time for phase two. Aegir!"

  Wind blew out of my wand and made the rock glow a brilliant orange. It melted through the ice quickly, causing steam to rise up from the rapidly growing pit. I had to be ten or so feet away from Scott.

  "C'mon...just a bit...more...."

  ***

  Scott felt something burning in his back.

  How? There was nothing else here to hurt him.

  Unless...

  It was coming from out there, where he couldn't be himself, where everyone thought he was some kind of freak!

  He wouldn't let it reach him. He'd be safe again.

  ***

  I felt the wind pick up around me again. The rock began to cool down and its progress was slowing.

  "Come on!" I yelled. The wind coming out of the wand became more intense, and the rock began to glow brightly again.

  ***

  No! He wasn't going to go back out there!

  ***

  The wind picked up again and ice began to grow over the rock.

  "Ok," I said, "time to be direct."

  I shot another lightning bolt into the hole the rock had melted, shattering it and creating another crater within the ice. I flew into the hole. I couldn't be more than two feet from Scott know. I could see his face through the ice. He looked peaceful, totally unaware of what was happening outside.

  "I don't want to electrocute you, Scott." I said. "So look's like I'm gonna need to do this the hard way."

  I started striking the ice with my wand, chipping it away piece by piece. The purple glow around Scott got brighter. I could see the outline of something through his jersey; a purple crystal just like the one Matt had.

  "C'mon, Scott, fight it!"

  ***

  Scott could feel something. A thudding coming from outside. It was getting louder and louder. It was hurting him.

  Why could no one leave him alone? He'd been doing fine, and then...

  and then...

  Maria had done something wonderful for him.

  He'd gotten a chance to be someone different, someone who didn't have to be a father's son.

  New experiences, new feelings...

  And then it'd been taken from him.

  And now he could never go back, because everyone would think it was some kind of sick joke.

  Except...the coach had stood up for him. The team had stood up for him. He'd never thought they'd do that for him. Not for this.

  He didn't know if people would make fun. He didn't know if being who he wanted to be was some kind of impossibility.

  But he would have to leave this pce to find out. Leave the cold and dark and safety behind, all for a chance at happiness.

  If he stayed here, he'd never be hurt again.

  But if he stayed here, he might never be happy again either.

  "C'mon, Scott, fight it!"

  What was that? Who was that?

  Was there really someone out there who wanted him back?

  Was he worth it?

  He...

  He...

  No.

  She supposed there was only one way to find out.

  She reached out of the dark, and she felt something surge through her, and then she was free.

  ***

  The purple light surrounding Scott grew brighter and brighter. I felt the ice begin to crack and crumble all around me. I was about to fly out of the pit when I saw something.

  Scott was reaching out his hand through the ice. Out towards me.

  I punched through the ice and it shattered easily. I grabbed Scott's hand and flew up and out of the pit.

  I looked down and saw that the ice was quickly beginning to fall apart. Chucks of it poofed into cold mist as soon as they hit the ground. All the people on the field and the stadium took deep breaths as they were freed, some dropping to their knees. They began to look up and point as they noticed me.

  Well, not just me.

  I realized I was still holding Scott. His whole body was glowing purple, giving him an indistinct outline. I slowly floated down to the ground and let him go. The glow began to fade away, leaving him in his normal football uniform, but something about him seemed...different.

  The football coach ran up to Scott and shook him by the shoulders.

  "Scott, what the heck just happened?"

  "I'm not Scott." said a feminine voice from behind the football helmet. She took off the helmet, letting a long curtain of silvery white hair fall down her back, stopping at her waist. Her face had totally changed, giving her soft and delicate features where once there was only hard bone. Her eyes had changed too, from a dull gray to an deep cerulean blue that seemed to have an inner glow. She smiled.

  "I'm Sophia." she said. "Now and forever."