Chapter 1

I was born spoiled. Beauty was my only asset. When the world froze over, I didn't awaken any abilities. Still, I insisted my fire wielder boyfriend keep the safehouse at a constant 78 °F every single day.

That day, the temperature dropped by a degree. I was about to blow up when a barrage of comments suddenly appeared in front of me.

[When is this brainless side character going to get kicked out? The male lead is about to be drained dry by her.]

[Can't she see how pale the male lead looks? Is she blind or what?]

[When is the wood wielder female lead finally going to show up? Fire and wood are the ultimate combo, seriously. When they meet, sparks are gonna fly.]

[Hurry up with the plot. I can't wait to see this stupid side character get kicked out of the safehouse and freeze to death.]

I glanced at Ellis. His lips were starting to turn blue, but he was still trying to warm the room for me. My hand shaking, I tugged at his sleeve. "Ellis, I'm really not cold anymore. You should keep your energy for yourself."

*****

Lying on the tiny bed in the safehouse, I suddenly felt a chill. I glanced at the thermometer. One degree off from the 78 °F I always demanded. I got mad at once. "Ellis?"

He was curled up in a sleeping bag in the corner, only opening his eyes slowly when he heard me call. Only one emergency light was on, casting a dim, yellow glow. In that faint light, his face looked ghostly pale.

"Why is it only 77 degrees today?" I pointed the thermometer at him. "You promised to keep it at 78 °F every single day."

He pushed himself up on his arms, moving way slower than usual. He looked at me, his lips moved, but nothing came out.

"Say something," I said, tossing off the covers and walking over to him. I gave him a little shove. "Yesterday it was 77.5, now it's dropped another half a degree. Is it gonna be lower tomorrow or what?"

Ellis slumped to the side from my shove, then slowly reached for my wrist.

The moment his fingers brushed my skin, I froze. His fingertips were icy. No way. How could that be? He was a fire wielder, always running hotter than me. Normally, whenever he held my hand, I'd always whine about how hot he was, yank my hand back, and grumble, "You're roasting me." But now, his fingers were colder than mine.

"Honey," he rasped, his voice so hoarse it sounded like it was coming from miles away. "Give me a moment. Let me recover."

"Recover? From what?" I blurted out without thinking.

Then, a barrage of comments blew up right in front of my eyes.

[Here we go, classic moment: this brainless extra is about to act up again.]

[Can't she see how pale the guy looks? Is she blind or what?]

[She's obsessed with 78 °F. If she keeps this up, he's seriously gonna get drained dry.]

[When's the wood wielder heroine finally gonna show up? Fire and wood are the perfect match, seriously. When they meet, it's gonna be explosive.]

[Hurry up and move the plot along. I can't wait to watch this dumb side character keep acting up, then finally get booted from the safehouse and freeze to death.]

[Totally want to see it.]

[Count me in.]

I stood there, stunned. The comments kept popping up, and I could see every single punctuation mark. Wait, I'm a side character? And they're saying I'll get kicked out of the safehouse and freeze to death?

[LOL, did the side character see the comments? Bet she's totally confused now.]

[Who cares if she saw them? She's getting booted soon anyway. Seeing the comments won't change a thing.]

[Hang in there, male lead. hold on, the female lead's almost here.]

[Female lead's at the east warehouse, she'll reach the safehouse in like two chapters. Male lead, hang tight.]