Chapter Five

                                    

                                          
Chapter Five
                          
Maria
                          
I wake up to Eliena’s face staring into mine. She is sitting on her knees and is shaking my shoulders. My eyes are only slightly open and she doesn’t seem to notice.
                          
“Shit María, wake up!” I hear her say in a panicked voice.
                          
I feel like hell and don’t have enough energy to move from my position on the floor. It’s a close fit with us both huddled in here, especially with me lying on the ground. Relief floods through me and I can’t believe we are still alive. In the heat of the moment my abilities finally kicked in. If they hadn’t I am sure that we would have been crushed by the deep snow. I had shaped the trunk of the tree into a small dome, protecting us from the onslaught of the avalanche. The rough trunk had felt like play dough that had been left too long in the sun and had hardened. It was my first time using my abilities, and it had been really difficult to move the tree. Another of my abilities had also shown up during the avalanche. I can control snow; and ice I would guess. From living so long in San Martin, surrounded by the constant cold, my body has adapted; and it has saved us. I was able to divert the river of snow rushing around us. This released the tree from the huge amount of pressure just long enough for me to shape it to my needs. The tree is now wrapped around us on all sides except one, creating a small door that is frozen over with snow and ice. With my eyes half closed I cannot sense the sun from within our hollowed trunk which means we must be buried a fair way under. Or it’s night time.
                          
Eliena has given up shaking me and instead is yelling out for help to the wooden ceiling above us. She whispers a string of cusses to herself and I sense her shift back towards me.
                          
“Oh María, please wake up.” Her voice has a longing that I can’t ignore any longer. I fight to open my eyes all the way. Eliena obviously wasn’t expecting me to comply and seems shocked when my eyes open.
                          
“Hey,” I whisper. My voice is raspy from the cold air and a slight mist escapes from my lips when I breathe.
                          
Her expression of shock is replaced by curiosity and maybe a little fear.
                          
“What are you?” she asks.
                          
Once again she catches me off guard and I don’t know how to answer. How much did she understand from the events the day before?  Can I really trust a human?
                          
“I’m… um...” I stutter.
                          
“What are you on about?” I ask, deciding to play dumb.
                          
She searches me up and down as if trying to decide what to think of me.
                          
“You look normal, but only yesterday you were friggin’ moving tons of snow. And how do you explain this?” she points around at the small, dome room.
                          
She obviously saw it all. I avoid answering her questions by turning my attention to my surroundings. I lift myself into a sitting position and look towards the snow filled entrance. Not much sunlight makes its way to us but I notice now that it must be daytime.
                          
“María!” she demands, “Answer me!”
                          
“It’s complicated,” I manage, while I continue searching the entrance.
                          
“Obviously!” she says. “You bloody fainted on me straight afterwards. What was I meant to do? My best friend turns out to be some kinda alien and then faints on me, leaving me alone ten feet under the friggin’ ice!”
                          
I smile when she calls me her best friend. I’ve never had a best friend.
                          
It’s strange to hear the swear words that seem to stream from her mouth. I’ve lived for so long in the church… I don’t know if I will ever get used to it.