- Serena -

The wall of fire that Ben was holding up suddenly had ice appearing and the ice grew into a huge box that contained the dancing flames.

The fire fizzled out and the ice dissipated into thin air.

A group of about ten men were standing behind the shiny blonde-haired man, unmoving. 

I stared at him, "Shawn."

His eyes were burning a bright blue, it was almost mystical. He stared straight at me then at Ben, "Get them, all of them."

The ten men rushed in and Ben started blowing fire at the three men who ran towards him.

Two guys grabbed me, clamping both my hands down behind me with a sort of cuff that I'd never seen before. It was extremely heavy.

Shawn looked at me, nothing registered. He looked like a total stranger. His appearance was as I remembered, but his behaviour wasn't.

His blonde hair, was as light and bright as mine. His shoulders were more built, he was slightly taller, and his blue eyes were such a pretty sky blue it looked almost alien.

I saw marks around his wrists, it looked like some gang tattoo or bracelet or something. Upon closer inspection though, they were burn marks. 

Two men were holding Austin hostage, he was yelling at me but I couldn't hear a thing. Then I heard Felicia's cries and turned to her, her face of pure fear and shock.

Two people held Roxanne and she punched one of them in the face but he got his grip on her again. The last man pulled Felicia to Shawn.

Ben stopped and turned to him, "Let them go! Or I'll burn them alive!"

The three men that were on fire were yelling their lungs out. Their screams were horrendous. Felicia was crying her eyes out. Their pain screaming through every wall and corner of your mind.

"You can kill them if you want, but I'm afraid this little girl will be the consequence of your stupidity," Shawn held Felicia's chin and her face turned blue. He was freezing her.

"SHAWN STOP! Let her go! Don't touch her! She's just a kid!" I shouted and struggled against the men who were holding unto me.

"Who is this? Your girlfriend?" Shawn asked in a mocking tone and I eyed him.

"Shawn I'm your sister, I'm your SISTER! Serena Snow!" I shouted it in his face but his expression remained unimpressed.

He cocked his head and the men holding me held a gun to my head.

"SHAWN NO stop. Don't touch her," Ben almost begged and I struggled with the men's hold.

Why couldn't I use my powers? 

"Be captured, come back to work for Tyronne and I won't kill her," Shawn stated clearly.

"I don't want to work for Tyronne anymore! You don't want to work for him anyway! You didn't have a choice!" Ben tried reasoning but he was at the end of his sanity.

Shawn laughed, "Yeah, none of us want to work for Tyronne. So work for me, we'll get rid of him."

Ben watched him, "Tyronne still doesn't know I'm alive, does he?"

Shawn shrugged, "Why would I tell him when I can use you for myself? Think about it, we are the ones with powers, why should we work for him? Besides, your girlfriend will be a good help to us too."

Ben's fire died off and the three men who were on fire grabbed him clumsily and he stared at Shawn, trying to figure out what the fuck was going on.

What the hell is wrong with him? We're dealing with a crazy abusive gang leader and Shawn wants to take over him? 

"Shawn, you are crazy. As your long-lost sister who thought you were dead until yesterday, I demand you get yourself the fuck together and let Felicia go!"

A low chuckle erupted from him and he let her go, Felicia's face returned to her normal colour and I heaved a sigh of relief. 

"I want to make a deal with you," Shawn approached me and I threw my head back, knocking the man's face behind me and the gun dropped on the floor. I jumped up and swung a kick across Shawn's face just as the three men got a hold of me again.

Shawn rubbed his face and spat blood out of his mouth, a mocking smile appearing, "I don't remember having such a violent sibling."

"Oh you would be one to know you fucker!" I yelled at him and he laughed.

"I won't talk like that now if I were you. You are of help to me but your friends are not. Felicia is starting to lose her value too.

Now the only reason I can use your friends is to get you to work for me, is that a good enough deal for you?" He gestured to Roxanne and Austin and I was so angry I could feel the frost escape my mouth.

"I won't work for a psycho maniac like you Shawn! You're my brother you're not like that let them go!" I struggled and he shrugged.

"Well okay if you insist," the men released Austin and Roxy and I felt relief wash through me.

Until I heard Ben shout, "NO!"

Shawn held his hand out and froze the both of them on the spot and I stared in horror.

The man from behind me picked the gun up from the floor and aimed it at the ice sculptures.

"Say goodbye Serena," Shawn smirked and the man squeezed the trigger tighter every second.

They will shatter. They will die.

"NO NO WAIT. I'll do it, just let them go please," I begged and felt the resolve in me die off.

Shawn nodded and unfroze them immediately, "That's my sister."

I gagged internally as the men grabbed Austin and Roxy and started pushing them out of the apartment with Felicia.

Shawn came over to me, hands behind his back, "You're probably also wondering why you cannot use your powers. I cuffed your hands for a reason, it's where you project most of your powers from. 

I've had Benjamin here to practice with me in the past so we can summon our powers as and when even without our hands. 

Our previous boss used to use these against us. That bastard.

You still have a lot to practice but it shall do for now."

I turned to Ben and realised they didn't even bother cuffing him but he didn't retaliate either. He didn't want anyone to hurt me.

"Let's get going then, we have a huge package to retrieve tonight," Shawn walked out the door and the men started shoving us out.

***

It was extremely quiet in the van. The driver and someone else sat in front.

Two men on either side of Ben, me sitting opposite him with two men on both sides as well. Shawn sat at the end of the space, watching us.

"Serena, how did you get your powers?" Shawn asked and I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Why do you care?"

Ben actually chuckled at that and Shawn turned to him, "Your story is stupid, I want to hear hers."

I looked at Ben, "How did you get your powers?"

He glanced at me, looking clearly uncomfortable.

"Go on, tell her," Shawn pressed.

"You don't have to tell me twice, I got it," Ben looked away and took a deep breath.

He cleared his throat, "I uh, I was cooking this one time at home. I was in culinary school and was trying out some new dishes.

My mum called so I chatted on the phone with her as I cooked. She told me to hang up because I was horrible at multi-tasking."

This I could understand, when his mind was occupied he couldn't do anything else. Taking down orders was one of them.

"Then everything happened in slow motion, my phone dropped on the ground, my hand knocked a glass of wine over, the wine spilt over the stove, flames blew up and eventually my gas pipes burst. 

It was extremely hot. I could literally feel myself melting and dying. It was so heavy, the flames, the smoke.

But when the firemen rescued me and the ambulance sent me to the hospital, I was fine. Not a single burn, not a scratch, nothing. I was discharged almost immediately. 

Everyone said I was a living miracle.

I quit school, I was traumatized by the incident. I still kept in contact with Austin since he was in my class.

Then one day I was driving somewhere, can't remember where. There was this burning sensation within me and I blew up. Burnt my dad's car up.

I started living with Austin from then. He graduated and was looking for a place too. Austin helped me gain some control of my powers. I was too much of a danger to the people around me. 

I worked in a small bar at that time, I was closing up when I heard a fight going on outside and went to help.

Stupid decision, it was our previous boss screwing with one of the buyers. I stepped in, blowing flames like an idiot. I got caught, was asked to work without much of a choice.

They held me at gunpoint and said they will track me if I refused to help them. I didn't tell Austin, not until this idiot here decided I was against him and wanted to kill me," Ben cocked his head towards Shawn.

Shawn erupted in laughter while I gazed at Ben.

This was his story, the one I'd been waiting so long to hear. All of a sudden he seemed much manlier, more experienced, more beautiful.

Ben turned to me, realising that I'd been keeping my eye on him and his face turned bright red.

I smiled a reassuring smile, "That was beautiful Ben, thank you."

He grinned, happy that his past wasn't as dumb as Shawn thought it to be.

"God you guys make the hairs on my arms stand. Come on Serena, what happened to you? You happily left me in the snow and decided to live without your only brother, how do you feel about that?" Shawn growled and I eyed him, wondering what the hell he was saying.

"I didn't leave you in the snow you dick head, we searched for you for months. The rescue team, the people you worked with at the resort, mum and dad and I, all of us did. 

None of us could find you. Even a year after the incident we went down as a family to look for you for the last time as a closure. 

After that mum and dad left to travel the world. They lost you Shawn, how do you think they feel? 

I came here with Roxy to start a new life. None of us could cope with the loss. 

And now that I've found you, this is what you become? Some idiot with powers trying to be the head of a gang? 

I thought more of you Shawn, you're a fucking disappointment," I spit out at him but his expression remained the same.

"I could have died Serena, I was buried in the fucking snow. I was paralysed I could barely move. I laid there for who knows how long until I crawled my way out and got found by a gang. 

What kind of choice did I have? I wanted to have Tyronne arrested, but it was stupid and futile. It was useless.

I decided to try to find you guys but no one was home, some random old couple was staying there. There was no way to contact anyone. 

Everyone I asked had no idea where you or mum and dad went. I was left fucking alone Serena. I was left to fend for myself in a dumb gang.

I learnt to fight from there, I had to make a living for myself. One thing I picked up after all these years is to save yourself.

Because no one else will sacrifice themselves for you. Only idiots like you two, willing to save your stupid friends by helping me out. 

You turned out more dense than I expected you to be," he sneered.

"How dare you!" I lashed out at him but the two men held me back.

I pulled at the cuff and my core churned like a tornado within me, I could feel the ice freeze the thick metal and felt the ice disappear.

Shawn was glaring at me, "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

He pulled his phone out, a picture of Austin, Roxanne and Felicia in a room full of men standing guard. Guns around their waist.

I seethed and felt the anger turn into tears, "I hate you, so fucking much."

Shawn smirked, "Whatever."

Ben reached out and wiped my tears away, not caring that the two men were pulling against him.

He was well built, I could tell you that. We could run any time we wanted to, but we had to take Austin, Roxanne and Felicia into account.

It was too risky.

I relished in the warmth of his touch and his loving gaze helped me feel strong again.

We'll get out of this. We'll get out of this together.