Chapter 16 Heart of Cold

Casity went to her Black Stallion. She proceeded to feed it water and a carrot, she then looked at a reflection of the water bucket that the stallion drank from. She looked at her face in the reflection and thought to herself. 'What has led my life up to this moment?' Casity looked at the small scars she had on her face, her short white hair, and the ice powers she had. "What has made me into what I am today? What has made me think that this life is good? Am I doing the right thing?" Casity then looked back to when she was a little girl, thinking about what led her to this life.

Casity had been a little, at least 6 years old. She was in a bed with many other beds in the room with other children sleeping in them, her right foot was chained to the bedpost, she also heard voices in the other room with people fighting and bottles smashing. Casity also looked beaten up and weak, skinny from a lack of food, and she also wore rags instead of nice clothes. As she tried to sleep, she tried to think of her parents to feel happy, that one day she will go back to them and they will be happy to welcome her back into open arms. As Casity thought of those happy thoughts as she tried to sleep, she heard something outside. It sounded like an explosion, but it also sounded like the sound that is made when bells are heard, like sprinkling something. She then got up slightly to look out the window, only to see a wave that looked like the aurora borealis. "SOMEONE HELP! THERE IS SOMETHING COMING!" The wave got closer and closer. "HEY, KID! SHUT UP OR I WILL USE THE BELT AGAIN!" An angry overweight drunk came into the room holding a broken beer bottle. "NO REALLY! THERE IS AN EXPLOSION COMING! LOOK OUT THE WINDOW!" The man then looked and saw the wave coming. "Huh?" Only for the wave to hit the house and knock everyone in the room back, like a hurricane. Casity woke up from the knockback, she got up and realized that she was slightly weak because of her slamming the ground as she did. It turns out that all the beds were knocked to the back of the room, along with the kids who were chained to the beds. They had all been piled on the drunk overweight guy, killing him by crushing him to death, along with the kids. As Casity was about to wait until someone came, she noticed that her ankle chain had started to turn white. As she looked closer, it looked as if small ice crystals began to cover it. She then thought that if the chain turned to ice then it would potentially get to her and freeze her to death, she then proceeded to bang her foot against the wall and break the chain into many small pieces of ice. Casity realized she was free, but she was still in shock with what had just happened, just then. "HEY! KID! WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT OF BED!" Another skinny man with orange hair walked in, he saw his friend piled with bedposts, and all he saw was Casity standing in front of it. "You did this?" Casity backed up slowly in fear. "YOU SON OF A BITCH I'LL KILL YOU! WHO CARES ABOUT SELLING YA!? NOBODY WOULD WANT YOU ANYWAY!" He then started to walk fastly toward her with a belt in his hands. "No please!" Casity started to get PTSD from those two men beating her with a belt, she then on instinct put up her hands to block him, only for footsteps to stop. Casity put her hands down, only to see an icicle the size of a bed stabbing right through the man who was going to beat him with the belt. This had Casity all kinds of freaked out, she then realized that it wasn't the chain that made itself freeze, it was Casity herself. With this one and only chance, Casity jumped out the window and ran away as fast as she could, crying extremely hard. 'I'm...sorry…' She thought, as she had no intention for the children and those two men to die. Casity proceeded to run into the west, without care of where she was going.

Eventually, the sun had risen, and Casity was just walking to nowhere at this point. She looked to be extremely weak, just barely walking until she finally collapsed in the middle of nowhere. Casity slowly started to fade, she heard vultures flying above her and circling her. 'Is...this...it?…is...this...how...I'm...gonna...die?' Casity slowly began to close her eyes, eventually fully shutting them. 'I never got to see them again…' Referring to her parents. 'I...guess...I'll...wait...for...them…' Just as she was about to give up and most likely die, she heard the sound of vultures around her, then she heard footsteps and the sound of vultures flying away. "Hello, young one." Casity barely opened her eyes, she saw a tall figure standing above her with her hand out. Casity thought it was a dream and that it was the last thing she would see before she dies, but it wasn't.

Casity woke up, she was now riding a horse, slouching on top of somebody in front of her who looked to be controlling and riding the horse. 'Who is this?' She thought as she had never met this man before. But, Casity was too weak to stay awake, she then proceeded to fall asleep again. The man looked behind him to see her sleeping, though his face was blocked by the sun and couldn't be made out, you could still see a grinning smile that never seemed to go away. The man then looked back in front of him, so he could steer the horse to his destination.

Casity this time fully woke up, she had felt a bit better after her nap but was still weak, hungry, and tired. Instead of waking up in the desert, she woke up in what looked to be a house. She looked around and saw a kitchen with a table, a living room with a couch made of animal skin, a fire with a pot over it, and a man sitting directly in front of it like he was waiting for something. Casity also noticed that she was in a bed with covers, such warm and comfortable covers. She proceeded to get out of bed to see what was going on, only to see a small table across from her and behind the man in front of the fire, on the table was a plate with what looked to be a small steak, a glass of water, and some mashed potatoes. Casity tried to sneak to the plate and was going to steal it and get out before the man knew she was awake, but just before he could touch it. "I know you're awake, young lady." Casity was nervous, she then decided to step away from the plate. There was silence between the two, the man then spoke. "By the way, I left that out for you. It's all yours to have, and I'm sorry there is so little of it." Casity didn't speak, because she was too scared, but after a long choice in her head, she decided to speak. "Thank you, sir, it is plenty." Casity proceeded to dig in like she hadn't eaten in weeks, eating and drinking as fast as she possibly could. The man who sat in front of the fire said nothing at first, as if he was waiting, which Casity noticed. She stopped eating for a second to talk to the man. "Why did you save me, kind sir?" The man didn't speak, Casity believed that he wouldn't give her any answers and would just ignore her questions. "Because you were in trouble." This shocked Casity, she thought she didn't hear that right. "Excuse me?" The man stood up. "Because you were in deep trouble, if I had not come to save you then I am sure that you would have died right then and there." Casity was thankful for being saved, but nervous when it came to trusting this man. The man then walked toward the nearby kitchen and went into a cabinet, he took out a small bowl. "Tell me, what is a young lady like you doing out in the desert?" Casity once again felt like she still didn't trust this man. "I can see by your rags and the marks all over you that you were not taken care of very well, is that correct?" Casity was going to deny it but broke down in tears. The man proceeded to walk back to the seat in front of the fire, he then sat in it. "You don't really trust me, is that it?" Casity kept crying but didn't respond. "You're scared. It's ok to not trust me, especially with what you went through." Casity's trust instincts then got triggered again. "How do you know what I've been through! Maybe you're one of them!" Casity then realized she was doing exactly what the man had said, the man didn't fight back or defend himself, which made Casity more and more suspicious. The man stood up again, he then turned around and walked toward Casity, to which Casity backed up slowly in fear. Once the man noticed this, he stopped walking and went on his knees. "Child, I promise you that I would never dream of harming you. The only people I have ever hurt were people who deserve it, like those who harm others." Casity was confused, and a bit scared. "If you want, you could kill me right now." He proceeded to pull out a hunting knife and stabbed it into the floor in front of Casity, scaring her. "Once you stab me, I will use the last bit of life I have left to tell my men to give all my resources to you, my money, my food, and even my gang to protect you with their lives." Casity was surprised and shocked by this, she then proceeded to slowly walk toward the knife and used all her strength to pull it out of the ground. Once she did, she walked over to the man and put it against his chest, pulling it away from it and aiming. Casity then thrust the knife and screamed. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Once she finally had his chance, she didn't take it. The knife was directly in front of the Man who was completely calm and didn't stop her once. 'Was he really going to let me kill him?' Casity then dropped the knife, which alerted the man. "You dropped it, but why? You could take your chance and kill me because you do not trust me." Casity then broke down into tears and dropped to her knees, she cried harder than she ever had before. The man proceeded to put his hand on Casity's shoulder. "I told you that I am not going to hurt you, I promise that I will give life and limb for you." Casity stopped crying for a second and without thinking, she jumped on the man and gave him a big hug, all while crying as she has never before, the man then hugged her back and comforted her. "It's alright young lady, I'm here." Casity never forgot that moment for her entire life, the moment where she felt like she wasn't alone that there were people in this world that cared about him.

Later

Once Casity calmed down, the man and her sat in front of each other and talked. "What is it I can do to help you young lady? I will try my best with all my resources." Casity knew exactly what she wanted. "I want to find my parents, so I could live with them and be happy again." The man said nothing, he then stood up, and spoke. "Very well, I will be on the hunt for them and bring them to you personally." Casity was so happy, she was going to get her parents back, the people she lost for so many years and wanted to find again. "Sir?" The man looked down as if he was going to answer the question. "What is your name?" The man didn't say anything, he was silent for about 20 seconds, with Casity waiting for an answer. "I used to have a name many years ago, but I abandoned it. Now, I go by a name that belonged to someone very dear to me, Billy." Casity smiled. "Alright then, nice to meet you Billy, my name is Casity." She stuck out her hand, Billy didn't move at first, he then put out his hand. "Nice to meet you too Casity." The two smiled at each other, with Casity being happy for the first time in years.

Weeks Later

Casity was outside in the middle of town, she and Billy were alone. "Try again Casity." Casity held out her palm, but nothing came out of it. "It's just not working, maybe it's gone." Billy walked up to him and got on her knees again. "Casity, if what you said is true then I truly think that you should master this power, for your safety and everyone's." Casity didn't like the fact that he said everyone's safety. "Who cares about 'everyone'? What has 'everyone' ever done for me?!" Billy was silent for a second, he then stood up and looked away from Casity. "It's not everyone's fault Casity." She was confused. "This world is so beautiful, so amazing, and I truly do believe that if this 'everyone' I speak of is bad, then it's because of the enemy." Casity wondered what he meant. "Since the West was founded many centuries ago, it has been corrupted by its leaders, which has made 'everyone' poisoned," Casity asked. "What kind of poison?" Billy turned to Casity. "Arrogance." Casity thought that Billy made sense to her. "This arrogance has caused people to be angry, to be restless, and do not care about the place that gave them life in the first place. To only care about themselves with everything else damned!" Casity was intrigued and listened the hardest she had ever listened to anyone. "I still believe they are not to be blamed, and-" he was about to continue with what he was saying, but didn't. "Humanity is precious and deserves to live. It is the enemy who is the ones to blame. It is the enemy who has forsaken you! It is the enemy who has taken you away from your parents!" Billy stopped when he realized he was scaring Casity. "The point is, do not direct your anger at the innocent, point it at the enemy and channel it to your advantage." Casity looked at her palm as he said that. "Isn't it bad to use your anger? I thought that anger was the way of the enemy." Billy looked like he was thinking. "No, I think of it like you are channeling all the love for your parents and using it like they themselves are powering you. The boost you need to be powerful and use it against those who attack you, almost like them protecting you." Casity at first had doubts about using anger, but she decided that Billy was right. Casity tried again, but this time thought about what everyone in her life put her through, the anger, the hate, the frustration of going through what she did. She concentrated everything into his palm and screamed. "AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" As a massive icicle came from the ground, pointing up. Casity panted from how tired it made her. She then looked at Billy who was still smiling. "That, Casity is just a fraction of your parents' love you have for them, coming from the pain that you went through." Casity smiled, she then collapsed from being tired, and Billy laughed. Casity now had full control of her power and decided to help Billy with his cause to fix the world.

5 Years Later

Casity was now 11 years old. She stood right next to Billy on a balcony of a different town than she was 5 years ago, she now wore a similar outfit to Gabe's except instead of brown it was black, no bandana, and black shoes instead of brown boots. "So, are you excited?" Billy asked. "Yes, I am very much excited to see my parents." Billy kept smiling as usual. "I'm giving you my horse for the journey, and to keep." Casity was shocked. "But...why?" Billy looked at the horizon. "Why not? It's just a horse isn't it?" Casity had enough, she decided it was time to speak up. "Billy?" She turned to Casity. "Yes?" Casity then went on and said what she needed to say. "Why do you give me all of this? For the past 10 years, I have been nothing but a burden to you. Making you send your men to find my parents, holding them off from drug distributions, and just being a burden!" Billy kept listening, he didn't interrupt, all he did was listen. "I'm not a person you should be giving your life to! I'm not strong like your men are! I'm just-" Casity said it. "NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU!" Casity was out of breath from all the talking, Billy took a minute and then got on his knees again to Casity's level. "Don't worry, you do not have to impress or give your life for me. You're perfect just the way you are, and that perfect person you are is needed to help me. Will you do it?" Casity began to tear up again, she then hugged Billy as hard as she could. "Thank you." Billy smiled. "You're welcome."

1 Week Later

After a long hard journey through the west, she finally made it to the town that her parents are said to have been. Casity stood in front of a hose, she was a bit nervous to walk in, having all sorts of emotions run through her head. 'Are they going to be extremely happy? Will I live here from now on? Will I ever see Billy again?' Regardless of what she was thinking, she took a deep breath, walked up to the door, and knocked. "Hello?" An old-looking woman opened the door, she looked to be in her 60s. It was no mistake, she was Casity's mother and looked just like she did in her memories. Casity then decided to happily tell her that she was her child, but before she could. "Who are you?" The woman asked, shocking Casity. "Don't you recognize me? I'm your daughter." The Woman looked shocked. "WHO IS HERE AT THIS HOUR!?" A man came to the door who looked to be the woman's age, he then stopped talking as soon as he saw Casity. "Hello Father, I came home. Because I loved you both." As soon as she said that she hugged them with a smile on her face, making her believe that she was getting a happy ending, only for her father to push her off him. Casity was confused, she didn't know why he would do such a thing to her own daughter. "You weren't supposed to come back." Her father said, making Casity even more shocked and confused. The two looked at each other as if they wondered if they should tell Casity something. "What? What is it that you aren't telling me?" Casity asked, they then spoke. "Years ago, your father met me and got me drunk for a night, then well...you were born." Casity was shocked. "We tried to raise you, but couldn't because you were such a burden to us." That was the thing that hit her, being called a Burden hurt the absolute most. "So, we sold you to some people who gave us enough money to hit the country and live here." Casity was at her boiling point, the floor below her was getting turned below 0 temperatures. "So let me get this straight…" The two parents looked at the floor below her and looked afraid. "You sold your own daughter to some guys just to make a measly buck...and now you live out your miserable lives here to try and forget about it!?" The angrier she got, the more the ice below her feet spread to the house. "I HAVE BEEN BEATEN, TORTURED, RAPED, AND SOLD TO PEOPLE LIKE A PET FOR 2 YEARS!!!!!!!!!!" The Ice began to cover the house with the couple running inside and holding onto each other in fear of what is going to happen. "THEN! I WAS FOUND AND TAKEN CARE OF BY A NICE MAN, BUT I WAS STILL SAD BECAUSE I HAD NO PARENTS! THE ONLY THING KEEPING ME HAPPY WAS THE THOUGHT THAT I WOULD ONE DAY SEE YOU AGAIN AND WE WOULD LIVE A HAPPY FAMILY!!!!!! BUT NOW!!!!!!!! NOW!!!!!!!!" The ice started to grow inside and began to freeze everything inside, including the parents, alive. "I HATE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" The house then proceeded to blow up in thin air, with millions of ice chunks coming from the sky. Casity walked away with a straight face to the stallion, she then got on it and started to head into the desert. After a bit of moving, she finally stopped and broke down in tears. 'This was all I had, the only thing keeping me going in life…" She then got off the horse and took out her knife, she got on her knees and held the knife over her heart. 'Now, there's no purpose. There's nobody.' She then began to thrust it toward her heart. "AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Suddenly, something stopped her, it was Billy.

Billy's hand had been on the knife, looking down at her, he still had the smile that he always had, but also his eyes glowing red. "I thought I would find you here." Casity was shocked that Billy was here so quickly, she didn't see him get here, and didn't know how it happened. "Billy, how did you get here…" He looked down at her before he spoke. "Nevermind that. I want to talk about you." She was confused. "I heard about information from your parents." She got up looking as blank as ever. "They sold you to a sex slave owner because they wanted money." Casity didn't look affected by those words at first. "I'm so sorry, I never imagined this would ever happen to-" Before he could finish his sentence, Casity instantly hugged him and began to cry inside his chest. "The way they looked at me...it was as if they didn't want me...they didn't want to know me…" Billy padded her back. "I'm so sorry, like I said it's the enemy's fault. One day, when I get strong enough, we will fix this world." Casity was confused. "Think about it Casity, this was the enemy who made this happen to you. It was the enemy who poisoned your parents to think about money more than their own child." She began to get interested. "One day, we will face the enemy and take the West. With this power, we will use it to provide for families, help those in need, and battle against this poison in this corrupted world." Casity thought about this for a very long time, after hearing Billy's talks about the enemy, she thought it seemed pretty logical. "I came here to tell you of your true parents' intentions to open your eyes, but also to offer your parents a chance at redemption, the world a chance at redemption." She was confused. "Join me Casity and together we will face the enemy and fix this world together as one." He held out his hand to her. 'Do I really do this? If I do then I will probably be an outlaw. But, Billy's been the only person who's cared for me and helped me, plus he is right, and I would do anything to repay the kindness he has given me." Casity then put out her hand slowly, she then took his. "I'll join you, and we will make the world a better place." Billy kept smiling. "Thank you Casity, with you on our side, we are a step closer to victory because of you." They both smiled at each other in the moonlight, with Casity now thinking. "I'll do it. For you Billy, the strongest, bravest, and most powerful man in the west."

The two sat by the Stallion for about 10 minutes, just waiting for something to happen. "Has it been 10 minutes?" Casity nodded. "But why do you want to know that." Billy got up from sitting down and held out his right hand to Casity. "Take my hand and you will find out." Casity did so, Billy also put his hand on the Stallion. "Nothing's happening." It had been at least 20 seconds later, nothing, until the two appeared right where Casity had been last. "We're here." Casity was amazing. "Incredible! How did you do that?" Billy pointed to his men, the same as before. Overweight guy, Suit guy, Badge guy, and also one more that was very strange looking. This henchman had a black cloak over him and he had also been blocking his face with it. Billy had been pointing toward the cloaked man in particular. "Who's that?" Billy answered. "My most loyal henchman, and personal friend." The cloaked man then grabbed his cloak hood and pulled it down. "David Rampsey." It was David's face underneath that mask, he had a devious smile on his face. "You alright boss? Sometimes when I teleport people to me, it can get a little complicated." Billy didn't say anything at first. "No it was fine David, I always trust you with my life." David smiled. "Now then Casity, let's get back to business."