Cinder Klause

"This is it!" Cinder bounded up the steps, joy clear on his face.

"Oook, maybe we should...," before Serelle could say anything, Cinder was banging on the door. "Cinder, stop!" Serelle yanked the overly enthusiastic youth back just in time. The door swung open with force, drawing a chilly gust of wind off the street, through the four kids piled on the stoop and into the surly face at the door.

Awkward silence reigned as everyone stared at each other. Unsurprisingly, Cinder recovered quickest. "Mr. Krangle?!" The man fixed Cinder with a steely gray gaze, but did not respond. "My name is Cinder, Cinder Klause. I was adopted from this city 18 years ago and I think..." Cinder gulped and took a steadying breath, "I think I was born here." A new look overcame the door opener's eyes. Was it surprise? Fascination? It was hard to tell, his features had barely changed. Only reason they knew the man had even heard Cinder was because the corners of his mouth twitched and his eyes softened the tiniest bit. The steel greys from a moment before glistened a dark blue. Was that a trick of the light? A car with bright headlights had just driven by.
"No one here by that name." Moody-eyes went to close the door.

"Please!" Cinder pushed on the door, preventing Moody from shutting it in their faces. The older man's eyes widened in surprise; his shock matched that of Cinder’s, surprised at his own forwardness. He removed his hand but stepped forward making it impossible for the man to shut the door without pushing Cinder aside. "I don't mean to bother you but I've traveled from the States and need to know."

Moody Eyes stared at Cinder. Finally, with slight admiration on his face, though his voice was monotone, he said, "Come back tomorrow, noon, don't be late." On that surly invitation he shut the door with finality, making Cinder leap back or risk a broken nose.

"Oooook," Diamond drawled after their group had stared at the cold oak door for long enough, "now what?"
Cinder sighed and faced the street, turning his back on the one place he truly wanted to be at that moment. "I guess back to the hotel."

"What hotel? I told you guys, that 5-star was only for the night."

"Aw c'mon sugah mama, you know you can afford it." Serelle teased, swinging an arm around her neck and walking onto the sidewalk and off the Grinch's doorstep.

"That's beside the point 'Relle and you know it." She sounded annoyed but couldn't keep the smirk from her face.

"That's ok," Cinder chirped in, regaining his cheerful vigor, "That 3-star down the line from here didn't look so bad." Diamond grimaced.

"No faces, Madame Big-shot, if Cozy Inn isn't good enough for the Smile Queen there's always--"

"Always what?! I should just ditch you slubs."

"Heck no Dee! Orphans that lay together stay together. You're not ditching us Pillow Princess."

"I'll ditch your butt if I want! You don't own me Buck Tooth Rogers." Diamond and Serelle’s banter faded from Cinder's attention. A sudden change in the weather captured his mind. There was no name for it though Cinder felt it in his stomach and to his very core. Something big. Something bad. It had been overcast all day and bits of frost started falling right before they had knocked on Moody’s door. As he looked at the sky, Cinder’s eye caught on something falling. Too big to be snow, too fast to be rain... Cinder grunted as he crashed to the ground, his lungs crumpling under Findley's weight.

"What the hell Fin?!" Diamond cried, "You trying to kill him? This is no time to play in the snow."

"Whoa, what is this?" Serelle held a smooth sphere the size of a baseball. Cinder looked at the ice ball that nearly cracked his skull then at Findley. The sleepy eyed boy stared at him intensely.

"You saw that? Knew what it was?" Fin nodded. Suddenly there was a pop of heavy glass breaking on cement scant feet away.

"We better go." Cinder said, dragging himself and Findley to their feet. The four friends ran toward the train station at the end of the street. Narrowly reaching the railway awning without falling, the four sprinted to escape the barrage of monster hail raining down relentlessly.

Diamond bent over to catch her breath, Cinder heard a whistle of air. Instinctively, he reached his arm out parallel to the ground and caught a baseball ice cube identical to the one Findley had saved him from; his hand mere centimeters from Diamond's face. Serelle grabbed Diamond's arm and pulled her onto the waiting train. Cinder and Findley followed suite, narrowly escaping a round of ice balls that collided with the train’s steel doors.

Minutes passed, no one spoke as they fought to catch their breath.

"What, what was that?!" Diamond whispered, shock and trauma clear in her voice.

"Hail." Serelle said grimly.

"Hail doesn't fall sideways Serelle!" Diamond shrieked.

"It's windy out!"

"Not that windy!!"

Then what do you think happened? Think the ice is after Cin? Did he keep you from getting brained because he's some cross between Sinterklaas and Jackie Robinson?!" Diamond scowled, one of her favorite pastimes was fantasizing about their birth parents. Sherelle mocked her saying they were illegitimate offspring of fictional characters and famous dead people.

"My dad’s the Easter Bunny, your mom’s the Tooth Faerie and the Findley twin's uncle is the Sand-Man. Really Dee..." Diamond was near tears. Findley cleared his throat.

Cinder stared at the ice ball gripped tightly in his hand. Something wasn't right. It looked and felt like ice, but wasn't ice. Least it wasn't any ice he'd ever seen. "Cinder," Dee said softly. He looked at her. "What do we do?"

Cinder saw the fear in their eyes, the confusion, the determination. "Get some sleep, come back tomorrow, and don't leave until we get answers.

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Word Count: 1,000
Image Credit: Pixie-Tenshi of DeviantArt - http://rahwia.deviantart.com/art/Jack-Frost-349511026
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Name pronouncians:
Serelle = suh-rail
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Full Prompt: Sinterklaas (read Santa Claus - originally celebrated on Dec 5) is bringing along storm Xaver. You are visiting somewhere in Europe in a country where Sinterklaas/Sant Niclaus is celebrated. Are you sitting the storm out with friends or relatives, or got stranded on a train station? Write down your adventures!
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