Chapter 2: Cold Open
The note hadn't faded. It just hovered there in front of my face like an annoying pop-up ad, glowing faintly.
> Gray Fullbuster template unlocked.
Elsa template unlocked.
Bobby Drake template: locked until Season 2.
I waved a hand through it—mist clung to my skin, but the words didn't vanish until I blinked then poof it was gone.
"Okay," I muttered. "This is either the best news ever or that ROB is really mean." "it Looks like I even got Grays hand to hand skills and combat sense along with Elsa's political savvy.
The crash outside reminded me I didn't have time to get lost in Kyle land.
I tugged open my dorm room door and nearly collided with Emma. She was mid-laugh, talking to the girl beside her—dark braids, nervous posture, wide eyes drinking everything in.
"Oh, hey, Kyle!" Emma said, motioning to her friend. "This is my new roommate, Marie. We just moved in yesterday."
Marie gave a small, polite nod. "Hi."
"Hi," I said quickly, trying not to seem like I was gawking. Emma had already been enough of a surprise—now here was Marie Moreau, the Marie, looking exactly like she'd just been dropped into this circus.
Emma rocked on her heels, glancing between us. "I was about to give Marie the freshman tour. You should come with. Might as well get lost together."
"Yeah," I said, swallowing. "That'd be… good."
The three of us wound through the halls. Emma talked the most, pointing out landmarks with quick little jokes damn she cute—"That's the cafeteria, where the food looks like bad leftovers before you even eat it"—while Marie listened in quiet curiosity.
Every so often, I caught Marie sneaking cautious glances at the other students: a guy juggling fireballs like party tricks, a girl levitating her textbooks instead of carrying them. She was trying to act calm, but her lips kept twitching practically saying she was extremely exited to be here.
Emma bumped her shoulder lightly. "Don't worry, it's overwhelming for everyone at first. Trust me—I'm still figuring it out."
I kept pace with them, doing my best to hide the way my palms left frost on every door handle we passed specifically my desire to freez more stuff because Ice powers are awesome.
When we reached the quad, the crowd had already formed. Shouts, cheers, the electric buzz of phones recording.
Emma frowned. "Oh hey. Freshman fight already."
Marie shifted uneasily. "Is that… supposed to happen?"
"Supposed to? No," Emma said. "But it always does and its usually pretty fun to watch just be careful not to get to close heh."
Two students were in the middle of a brawl. One shrieked in bursts of raw sound, his voice shattering a bench into splinters. The other flicked jagged bone spikes from his forearms, whipping them like knives. Every blast and crash was met with more cheers, more phones in the air.
Marie's eyes widened. "They're going to hurt somebody."
And then it happened—Bone Guy hurled a spike into the crowd.
Right toward Emma and Marie.
"Emma—Marie—!"
I didn't think. I moved on pure instinct I made an Ice shield that surprisingly looked like a flower.
Clang! A wall of ice exploded into being, the bone spike slamming uselessly into it. Frost spread across the grass, mist hissing in the sudden temperature drop.
The crowd gasped. Phones whipped around, cameras aimed at me.
Emma peeked around the barrier, her eyes huge. "Kyle… you didn't say you could do that."
Marie stared too, her face tight with shock. "That was… ice? You froze that thing midair."
I felt a bit embarrassedby the attention but I was super proud. "Yeah I spend a lot of time messing around with my powers and I know a few tricks.
The fight stalled. Bone Guy sneered at me.
"Who the hell are you supposed to be? Ice Boy?"
The crowd laughed, already chanting. "New supe just dropped!"
Sonic Kid smirked, thrilled. "Come on, chilly. Let's see what you've got."
Emma's voice was small but urgent. "Kyle, you don't have to—"
But that glowing note flashed in my head again: Gray. Elsa. Bobby Drake waiting in the wings.
And I don't know if it was Grays template affecting me but ain't no way I was backing out of the challenge.
The air around me plummeted. Frost spread in a ring at my feet. My whole body was covered with a thin layer of frost
Sonic Kid drew in a massive breath.
I raised a hand, ice forming claws around my fist.
"Careful," I said, my voice calm, steady. "You might bite off more than you can scream."
Emma's gaze locked on me, wide-eyed.
Marie's grip tightened on her map, but she didn't look away.
And for the first time since arriving here, I felt like I wasn't just scrambling to settle in but actually having fun.