【Re:Freezing】 | Gray Fullbuster x OC

1. Two Friends Before The Storm

"This can't be happening, not like this."

A woman reached her hand out as she cried helplessly.

"Someone please..."

It was getting cold.

The man holding her hand lying next to her began to dissipate.

It was getting darker.

"That is our only wish..."

"Please...!"

―

YEAR X774

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It was early in the morning.

"I'm really sorry about this."

"We already told you, Pandora. We don't mind, really."

A young girl with black hair watched as her older sister lowered her head in apology to the lady in front of her while her older brother stood silently next to her looking rather drowsy.

"Karissa," Pandora said when she looked at her, "You be sure to listen to miss Mika and mister Silver, okay?"

Her brother, Van, approached her and ruffled her hair with a jovial smile on his face. "If you behave, I'll ask sis to buy you something cool. So just behave and focus on getting better, alright?"

Karissa just nodded sleepily. She was feeling lethargic from her fever. "I want a mango." she mumbled. Van chuckled. He poked her soft cheek for being adorable.

"We'll get you one, don't worry." Pandora giggled at the simple request.

Silver put his hands on his hips. "You kids be careful out there, okay?"

"We will, sir!" Van grinned while making a salute.

Pandora and Van were going to the next town to buy some groceries that were cheaper, especially since there was a sale. The town they lived in sometimes sold their products at a price that was too much for them to handle. Pandora, the only person who earned a living for her two younger siblings, was the only source of income in the family since they became orphans two years ago. While the Fullbuster family was kind enough to lend them some support out of sympathy, Pandora couldn't keep relying on their kindness.

The plan was to head to the next town that was at least a week away or less from their town with both her siblings. However, the youngest child of the family caught a fever a day before the departure. The older siblings tried their best to quell her fever but it was obvious that there was no way it would. They couldn't just drag their sick sister out of the house either. Pandora couldn't skip out on the trip to the next town since they were running out of supplies and she couldn't spend her money at her town's grocery market since it would limit the number of things she could buy. For that reason, she decided with shame to ask the Fullbuster family to take care of her sister while they were away. She was ashamed of pushing her sister onto them and for choosing to leave her instead of taking care of her. It was a tough decision.

However, Silver and Mika didn't mind looking after Karissa. They were glad to help.

Karissa, Silver and Mika watched as Pandora and Van walked away together. The two adults couldn't help but worry about the two. Pandora was only thirteen but she was already acting like an adult to take care of her younger siblings who were currently ten and eight. She had been doing this ever since she was eleven.