The Search for Artemis

Chapter TWELVE

FIRST FROST FRENZY


Before Landon realized it, the day of the First Frost Frenzy had arrived. The entire student body of the Gymnasium gathered back in the cafeteria around ten o’clock in the morning to organize themselves into teams and to put on their respective uniforms. As the event took place outside in the snow, the members of each team were supplied with a pair of muted grey snow boots, ski pants, gloves and a winter coat. Everyone looked identical except for a few strips of fabric that had been sewn onto the shoulder, lapel and back of the jacket. The team Landon was on had blue strips, whereas the other team’s were red.

By 10:30, Professor Tzu and Professor Clemens organized each team alphabetically by last name into a single file line and began to guide them to the battleground that had been set up outside. As Landon marched behind a tiny redheaded girl named Susie, he couldn’t help but look up and down at the other team’s members. He was looking for Brock and his friends. They had all disappeared after Thanksgiving.

When Landon woke up the morning after the feast, he noticed that Brock never returned from dinner. It wasn’t unusual. Many nights Brock would disappear for a few days and then show up unexpectedly in the morning, so Landon paid this occurrence no mind. That was until Wednesday, when Landon noticed that he also hadn’t seen any one of the people Brock hung out with for what was going on six days. Where had they gone? Their mysterious absence did nothing to help suppress Landon’s curiosities, especially those surrounding Brock’s search for information on Artemis.

Landon continued to walk behind Susie, moving on autopilot, as his focus remained trained on the other team. He didn’t see any of them, not Cortland, not the Crane twins and not Brock. Riley said many times over the week that he hoped they stayed missing until the First Frost Frenzy was over because that would mean their blue team had a chance at winning.

To add to the oddities, Dr. Brighton had also disappeared. Landon had received a rather impersonal note from him the day after Thanksgiving canceling their private session for the next day, and then on Monday, when Landon went to Telekinetics, Professor Clemens was there as a substitute.

It wasn’t until Landon’s eyes were watering that he realized he’d gone outside. The brisk December wind was whipping through the valley, but the weatherproof uniforms kept everyone comfortable. Hanging high in the sky, the sun also cast a mild warmth that made the cold weather all the more bearable, but reflected off the powdery white snow with blinding intensity.

The teams were soon brought around to a large field; the blizzard had blanketed the grassy area in a thick layer of soft white powder. Lines had been drawn on the field with black paint, creating a wide two-hundred-meter square, and at either end a small strip of snow was colored to match the fabric strips on the winter jackets.

Set up across the field, an assortment of items—hollow tree trunks from huge fallen trees, boxes, steel crates and large panels—had been set up throughout the area, developing a maze of objects for the students to use as cover and concealment during the match. It reminded Landon of an oversized paintball arena.

Resembling a platoon of military personnel awaiting marching orders, the teams were escorted into a large clearing at the center of the field and organized into a rigid formation. They stood staring at a set of bleachers that had been erected along the side of the field and butted up against the woods. Every professor, tutor, scientist and worker from the Gymnasium sat on its steel benches. Two towers were positioned at either end of the bleachers, and on the top of each, a single person stood beside a large horn.

Landon, after being manhandled into his appropriate position in line, began to scan the audience. The first person he noticed was Dr. Wells, who was wearing a large plaid wool cap. He wasn’t hard to find. Then, to his surprise, sitting right beside him was Dr. Brighton—he was back.

Dr. Wells stood up and spread his arms out over the crowd, commanding silence from the already quiet spectators. Then, in a stentorian fashion, he began to speak.

“Welcome, students, to the Eighteenth Annual First Frost Frenzy! The rules of the game are simple! Each team will begin in their designated colored zone, and when the horn blows, the game will begin! Do not forget, every snowball must be constructed and thrown using your abilities. Once you’ve been hit, you’re out of the match! The horn of your team will sound each time someone has been eliminated. We will continue until all members of one team have been defeated! Now, teams, proceed to your colored zones and remember, you are all that is holding you back from reaching your full potential!”

As the blue team broke formation and started walking toward their zone, Landon looked back to get a final glimpse of the red team before the match, but just before turning around to follow his team to their colored zone, he saw Cortland through the mass of bodies. If he and Dr. Brighton were back, Landon imagined the rest of them were too. Seconds later, Riley and Katie Leigh ran up to him and confirmed his suspicions.

“Brock’s back!” Riley said after catching his breath.

“Yeah, they all are!” Katie Leigh added. “Landon, have you seen Celia? She’s our only chance at winning this now.”

“Umm,” Landon said as he searched his memories of the morning. “I remember seeing her in the cafeteria changing into her uniform, but now that you ask, last time I saw her was before we lined up.”

“We’re doomed!” Riley blurted out.

“Come on, Riley!” Katie Leigh said enthusiastically after giving Riley a quick little slap on the shoulder. “We definitely are with that attitude. We haven’t lost yet.”

“Riley, Katie Leigh’s right. We haven’t lost yet, and we’re not going to.” Landon’s competitive nature strengthened within him. Growing up, Landon would always try to play it off like he didn’t care whether he won or lost, but the truth was he had a need to win that almost rivaled Celia’s. He gritted his teeth with determination and felt the warmth of his abilities heat up inside and course through his body.

Riley and Katie Leigh looked at Landon with wonder. He’d seemed so apathetic to the entire event since its announcement, but now, there was a fire in his eyes. They all turned and looked across the field, awaiting the start of the event.

“All right,” Katie Leigh said without turning to look at Riley or Landon. “We need to survive the first few minutes if we want to actually compete. There are just too many players at the start, so focus your energy on defense and once the field has cleared a bit, we can change our strategy.”

“Got it,” Riley and Landon answered in unison. In the back of Landon’s mind, he was surprised to hear Riley so willingly accepting orders from Katie Leigh.

It seemed like it took days for the starting horn to sound, but when it did, the field was sent into chaos. Numerous members of the blue team moved into the labyrinthine field, inching closer so they might get in range of their opponents. Some, to Landon’s surprise, charged the field with full force, counting on their agility and speed to keep them alive.

Simultaneously, what must have been hundreds of snowballs of various sizes were launched into the air. Many of them fell short or collided with the barriers, but some reached their targets and the deafening sound of horns started to blare in rapid succession as numerous members of each team were eliminated. The blue team’s bell seemed to ring much more often than the red one.

Landon, Riley and Katie Leigh stayed back in their blue zone. Lying in wait, they used a nearby partition wall as a shield, while, with the flick of their hands, they deflected the occasional snowball that got by.

The horn blasts began to slow, a sign that the field had cleared a bit, leaving only the most capable, or the luckiest students, on either side. Landon peeked around the wall, looking to get a gauge on the current lay of the land. From where they were stationed, Landon saw twelve members of his team scattered around the field.

In the minute he watched, a single red team member, Parker, ran by at an unbelievable speed and blasted two from the blue team with snowballs, which hit them with such force that they both fell backward into the snow. The blue horn blarred two more times.

“Landon!” Katie Leigh yelled as she pulled him back and stopped a snowball that was going to blast him right in the face. “Pay attention!”

“I think it’s time we figure out our new strategy,” Landon said. “Our team is getting taken out one by one. We’re all gonna have to work together if we want to win.” Then, without even consulting Riley or Katie Leigh, Landon turned around the edge of the partition and yelled out to his teammates, “Blue team! Come back here! We need to regroup!”

Landon watched as seven blue team members who were still in view turned and looked at him with an expression that said Ha, I don’t think so.

“All right,” Landon said after turning back to Katie Leigh and Riley, “looks like it’s just Athos, Porthos and Aramis left to win the day, as usual. So, our strategy—”

Before he could finish, someone bolted around the partition wall and crashed into Katie Leigh, throwing the group into a state of confusion. Preparing to take down the intruder as quickly as possible, Riley formed a snowball in front of him, but just as he prepared to launched it, Landon put his arm across Riley’s chest. It caused him to hesitate just long enough to realize what Landon and Katie Leigh had already; the person who’d joined them was short with cropped blonde hair and pale skin. It was Peregrine Mortimer, and on her shoulder was a strip of blue fabric.

“Riley,” Peregrine said as she gasped for air. She was crouched over with one of her arms pressed against the wall, holding herself up while she caught her breath. “Turn around . . . and . . . throw that . . . that way . . . now.” With her other arm she pointed in the direction behind Riley and looked forcefully up at him. He just stared at her as a snowball floating a few inches above his hands. “Now, Riley!”

Riley turned around and shot the snowball to where Peregrine had pointed. It seemed pointless. No one was there, and now he’d wasted the snowball by launching it off into nothingness, but just as it reached the large crate in the distance, Parker emerged and the snowball collided with her chest. She had no chance, and as the horn for the red team sounded, Parker stepped off the field. She never took her eyes off Riley. She looked at him the same way she had the first time Landon saw her during his orientation—angry and vengeful.

“Whoa, I believe we’ve found our D’Artagnan,” Landon said, excited and impressed. “And I think I have an idea. Peregrine, that night in the Atrium, you told me you used your powers to see, right?”

“That’s right,” Peregrine answered.

“That’s how you knew Parker was going to come around that crate. Can you tell how many of the red team is left?”

“Seventeen,” she replied without even breathing first.

“And how many of the blue team?”

“Nine.” A horn sounded. “Eight.”

“Landon, you can’t seriously be taking Peregrine’s word on that!” Riley interjected. “This is Peregrine Mortimer you’re asking! She can barely lift a pen! How could she know that?”

“Riley, please!” Landon replied before turning back to Peregrine. “That night when we met in the Atrium, you said something to me that, if I’m remembering correctly, could give us a fighting change. Peregrine, you said you could sense everyone in the Gymnasium and knew exactly where they were, right?”

“Yeah.”

“And could you direct us to exactly where everyone is on the red team?”

“Easily.”

“Perfect. Okay, here’s what I’m thinking. We protect Peregrine.”

“What?” Riley asked.

“We protect Peregrine,” Landon repeated sternly. “She can tell us everyone that’s coming and where they’re coming from. We’ll have the advantage, and with the three of us, we can protect each other while eliminating the other team one at a time.”

“Makes logical sense,” Katie Leigh said. “I’m in.”

Everyone turned to Riley, waiting for him to show some kind of reaction. He stood there, his face turning a deep shade of red. “Me too,” Riley conceded. “I’m in.”

“Okay, then let’s do this. We’ll circle around Peregrine and she’ll tell us where to go. . . . All for one and one for all.”

Riley, Katie Leigh and Peregrine all nodded in agreement but bore nervous expressions.

“It’ll work,” Landon said reassuredly. “Let’s go.”

He moved out from behind the partition, leading the others into the fray, emerging from the blue zone and darting from one obstacle to another. They moved across the field, blocking rogue snowballs that were lobbed over the barriers while Peregrine motioned to where someone was going to appear. They’d then fire a perfectly-shaped snowball and eliminate their enemies before they even realized they’d been had. By the time they reached the center of the battlefield, they’d eliminated seven members of the red team. At the rate they were going, the match would be over in no time.

The plan worked—initially. That was until they were surrounded.

Landon, Katie Leigh and Riley were circling around Peregrine, who shouted, “Watch out!”

“Where?” Riley asked.

“Everywhere!” she replied.

A torrent of snowballs started flying toward the group from every direction. If it wasn’t for Peregrine’s warning, they all would have, without a doubt, been taken out. But she gave them just enough time to get ready.

None of them spoke to each other; they were too preoccupied with their defense. They had no idea how many or where they were. The snowballs were coming from all around, and there were so many that they could never take the time to focus on who was throwing them. If they kept it up, Landon figured they could survive the onslaught, that was until Katie Leigh ran off.

Katie Leigh was standing at Landon’s right shoulder, and when the snowballs subsided for a moment, he saw Jeremiah Crane pass behind a crate ahead of him. He glanced over at Katie Leigh to see that she’d seen him too. She had spoken passionately many times about getting even with Brock and the Cranes since the ordeal in the Library, but he needed her to focus. He then watched her pupils dilate and her eyes narrow. Before he could try and stop her, she was chasing after Jeremiah. As she sprinted away, Landon faintly heard her say, “You’re mine.”

Suddenly, the horn sounded. Riley and Landon weren’t sure which team it was for until Peregrine said, “I’m out.”

“What?” Landon asked as he turned his head away from the incoming snowballs to look at Peregrine. Splattered across her chest was the residue of a single snowball. She’d been eliminated.

“Riley!” he started. “Katie Leigh’s gone and Peregrine’s out. We need to get out of here. Follow me.”

After stopping another snowball from hitting him in the chest, Riley turned toward Landon and followed him out of the clearing. As they moved to safety, they fought to keep clear of the snowballs. Once clear, they continued to run, not paying attention to where they were headed but attempting to get as much space between them and the red team as possible.

Landon stopped running once they reached a series of partitions that formed a concave wall. He pressed his back against the barrier and turned to Riley to regroup and devise a new plan.

“So what do we do now?” he asked as he caught his breath, but before Riley could answer, Landon reached out and pushed him. “Look out!”

Passing inches away from his right shoulder, a snowball zoomed by Riley. Without blinking, Landon formed a snowball and blasted at the red team member that had shown up. It was Scott Anders, an African-American boy the same age as Katie Leigh. Landon’s snowball rocketed into his abdomen, and the red team’s horn blarred.

“Woah, that was a close one,” Riley said as he looked over at Landon, whose hand was still outstretched. “I owe you one, and when did you get so good at this? You’re awesome!”

“No, I’m not . . . and I’m just glad I noticed him in time,” Landon returned. He didn’t look at Riley. He’d realized he couldn’t take his eyes off the field for an instant now that Peregrine was out of the game. He had a wide extensity, but his tactometric sensitivity was still lacking, even though his abilities had become much more instinctual. His eyes darted from one opening to another, ready for anyone who might come at them. “Anyways, as I asked before, have any ideas for what we do now?”

“Not really.”

“Me neither. All we can do is just keep moving and hope we feel the snowballs coming before they knock us out of the game.”

“Agreed,” Riley replied.

Suddenly, Katie Leigh bolted out from behind a large crate. Before he noticed the blue tag on her shoulder or who it was, Landon had lifted up a snowball and shot it at her. Luckily realizing it seconds before it hit her chest, he flicked his hand and redirected the snowball. A loud clang reverberated throughout the field as the compressed ice hit the empty metal crate.

“Katie, where’d you go?” Riley asked once she’d joined them against the partition wall.

“No time for that now,” Landon interjected. “We’ll have time for explanations once the game is over. Right now we need to keep moving.”

Katie Leigh and Riley agreed, following Landon as he passed through a gap in the wall. They entered the large circular area in the center of the playing field. It was wide open and still had a thick layer of snow covering the ground with the tread marks of everyone who’d walked on it during the opening ceremony.

“This doesn’t seem like the best place to be,” Katie Leigh said. “We’re right out in the open.”

“You’re right,” Landon replied. “Let’s move over there.”

They ran across the open field as fast as possible, but just before they passed through another gap in the wall, Brock Holbrooke strolled in front of them, blocking their exit. He had a large smile across his face and an even larger number of snowballs circling his body. It was like a collection of moons orbiting a planet, or perhaps more appropriately, due to their speed, electrons circling an atom’s nucleus.

“I’ve been looking for you,” Brock said as he stepped forward and turned toward Landon and the others.

“Quick! Throw everything you’ve got!” Landon yelled.

They moved away from Brock while pulling snowball after snowball off the ground and throwing them at him. None of the snowballs hit; every one that was thrown was snatched out of the air and added to Brock’s growing arsenal. He didn’t need to make his ammunition; they were giving him an endless supply.

Brock took a few steps into the opening, providing just enough room for the Crane twins to enter the field behind him. They spread out, surrounding Landon and his friends.

“What do we do now?” Riley asked once he felt his compatriots’ backs pressed against his. They had moved together, pivoting around as a single unit. Anticipating their enemies to unleash the massive supply of snowballs at any second, they’d stopped throwing their own and returned to defense.

“I must say I’m a bit surprised. I’d expected you to get knocked out right in the beginning . . . especially you, roomie. But I guess I can’t say I’m upset that I get the pleasure of doing it.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Brock lifted up his arms and forcefully threw them forward as if he were shoving someone across a room. Every snowball that was circling him froze in its orbit and flew at breakneck speed toward Landon and the others.

Landon didn’t even think. He just widened his stance, raised his hands, and made a fluid sweeping motion with his arms. The snow around them lifted off the ground and swirled up, like ice cream out of a soft-serve machine, until it connected above their heads, creating a protective dome. The bombardment of snowballs made a series of repetitive thud noises as they collided a split second later with the snowy casing.

“Impressive! When’d you learn to do that?” Katie Leigh asked. “And now what do we do?”

“You two need to get out of here,” Landon answered. His voice was strained and a bead of sweat trickled down his forehead. The force to create and maintain the dome was taking its toll on him. “Brock’s issue is with me. I don’t think they’ll follow you if I stay behind.”

“Landon, that’s insane,” Katie Leigh said. “You don’t stand a chance against all three of them. We’re not leaving you. If I hadn’t run off—”

“Katie,” Landon interrupted with the same forced voice, “can we talk about this later?” The muted thuds of snowballs colliding with the dome continued. “It’s not like he’s gonna kill me. It’s just a game. Winning is the important thing. And, I have an idea. . . . I think if I put enough into blowing this thing up, I can give you guys the cover you need to get out, but it will only be for a second or two, so you’re gonna have to book it.”

Landon then shut his eyes and slowed his breathing. He could feel the internal heat radiate through his body as he fed the blazing fire of his abilities. His face relaxed, and then without warning, he yelled, “Go!”

Landon blew up the snow dome, sending thousands of snowflakes throughout the walled-in area, forming a dense fog. The force Landon put into causing the snow cover knocked Riley and Katie Leigh over, and it took a moment for them to collect themselves. But they managed to get to their feet and run fast enough to get out.

Landon was now alone with Brock and the Cranes. He stood in the center of the field, awaiting another volley of snowballs to come rocketing toward him, but nothing happened. Body heat radiated from his exposed hands and ears as he waited, and he became aware of how exhausted he was. This was the first time outside of his sessions with Dr. Brighton that he could feel the physical taxation of his abilities on his body. He also was a bit surprised that his plan had seemed to work. Riley and Katie Leigh were gone, and the blue team’s horn hadn’t sounded yet.

When the snow settled and he could see through the fog, he watched as Brock and the twins staggered to their feet. Landon’s force had knocked them over too.

Brock brushed the loose snow off his jacket. “Well, you’re just full of surprises,” he said as he formed two snowballs just above his out-turned palms.

The Cranes had also gotten back up and were shaking the snow off of their hair and face. Once they’d realized what was going on, they formed snowballs above their hands and stood ready to throw them at Landon once they’d been given the command.

Landon stood with his feet anchored into the ground, preparing himself to deflect the next volley of snowballs as best he could. It was a long shot that he’d survive even for a second now that it was one against three, but he was determined to hear the red team’s horn blast at least once before he was out.

Landon shut his eyes. It might not have been the best idea, but he needed to center himself, and just before opening them again, he heard Dr. Brighton’s voice echo in his head, Be water, my friend.

Landon looked back at Brock and could barely see his face. The snowballs he’d formed had grown to the size of basketballs. Then with a smirk, Brock blasted them at Landon.

Landon didn’t hesitate. He wasn’t sure if Dr. Brighton was coaching him from the sidelines—projecting thoughts into his head—or if his own brain was deciding to help, but Bruce Lee had given him an idea. Landon took a crouching step forward, and then with a motion of his arms, spun the two massive snowballs around his body and directed each of them toward the Crane twins. The snowballs moved at an unbelievable speed. Landon had used the force Brock had launched them with and then gave them a bit of an extra push when he released them.

They were flying at such a speed that even when the twins’ two balls of ice collided with them in midair, they didn’t even slow down. The Cranes never had a chance to defend themselves as the basketball-sized balls of snow met with their torsos, knocking them backward into the wall. The red team’s horn sounded twice.

Brock looked enraged. The whole thing happened in a split second and he was now faced with taking on Landon alone. In his rage, he started forming snowballs as fast as he could and sending them at breakneck speeds toward Landon, who was fighting to deflect them all.

It took all of Landon’s energy to keep up with the onslaught of snowballs Brock blasted at him. He didn’t try to stop them, but instead just deflected them into the air. It was taking less of his energy, but he was fatiguing. The muscles in his shoulders were burning, and his arms felt like jelly. He knew he physically couldn’t hold out much longer, but he just needed to keep it together for a few more seconds for his plan to work.

Brock never stopped, he just fired snowball after snowball as fast as he could form them. Landon would never tell him, but he was astounded by Brock’s skill and surprised at himself that he’d managed to last so long against the Gymnasium’s alpha dog. Then it happened. Landon tried to raise his arm to deflect another snowball, but he couldn’t react fast enough. The tennis-ball-sized sphere of snow broke through his defenses and hit him square in the chest. The blue team’s horn blared.

Landon looked over at Brock, who’d stopped throwing snowballs after he heard the horn, but he wasn’t really looking at his enemy. He was watching to see if his plan would come to fruition. Brock was so focused on defeating Landon, he hadn’t noticed the shadow above him that’d been growing and growing throughout their duel. So Brock had no warning when a snowball about the size of a small car fell from the sky, right onto his head. The sound of the red team’s horn rang out through the valley. Brock was covered in a dense layer of snow and eliminated.

Landon might have been knocked out first, but throughout the last minutes of their battle, he’d sent every snowball he deflected to a place about ten feet above Brock’s stationary body—a trick he’d learned from Celia that day in the lake. With each new addition, the snowball grew and grew. Eventually, the weight of it was too much for Landon to hold while keeping up with Brock’s speedy projectiles and suppressing the full strength of his abilities, so when Landon was eliminated, he released the ball. A smile stretched across his face; if Brock had moved, the plan would have failed.

Joining the rest of the eliminated members of the blue team on a bench next to the faculty bleachers, Landon moved off the field, satisfied with what he’d accomplished. He hoped with Brock and the twins eliminated that Katie Leigh, Riley or one of the other two remaining members of his team would have a chance at pulling out a victory, but over the next five minutes, each one of them was knocked out of the game. The students had been nervous about Brock, Parker and the Crane twins, but for some reason, everyone forgot about Cortland Cartwright. He easily cleaned up the field once it was down to the final few. After all of that, the blue team lost again for the third year in a row.