Triple Point

Chapter 79: Hanging On

Content Warning (see in-line comments for details)

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Camilla

When Camilla opened her eyes, her vision was filled with white. It was so bright, it was blinding, and she squeezed her eyes shut almost immediately. The chill that swept through her didn't help, and she curled up into a tight ball to keep the cold at bay.

"You should come inside, if you're cold," Elsie's voice echoed through the air, and Camilla instantly opened her eyes again.

She had been lying on the ground, she realized, and the cold was from the snow that surrounded her. The sky was just as white as the ground, thick with cotton ball clouds, and when Camilla sat upright, the wintry scene extended as far as she could see.

"Did you want some?" Elsie's voice asked from right beside her.

Camilla hadn't heard Elsie approach her, and she spun around in surprise. Her shocked reaction must have looked ridiculous, because Elsie began to chuckle.

"It's just me," Elsie said, and her smile filled Camilla with a warmth that eased the sharp chill that was seeping into her bones. "Me, and some hot chocolate. With marshmallows, of course."

Camilla accepted the mug Elsie handed to her and peered inside. It definitely looked like hot chocolate, but when Camilla took a sip it tasted more like a soupy concoction of thick, lukewarm metal. She hid her grimace as best as she could and peered up at Elsie.

Thanks, she tried to say, but no words left her.

"It's terrible, isn't it?" Elsie chuckled, and she sat in the snow next to Camilla. "I figured." She took the mug from Camilla's hands and set it with her own on the ground at her other side. "I guess I'll have to keep you warm myself."

When Elsie wrapped her arms around Camilla, Camilla happily leaned into her. Elsie's closeness was enough to bring a smile to Camilla's face, making her forget about the aftertaste of iron that lingered on her tongue. But even though Camilla's heart was warm, she still felt cold, and the shiver that ran through her body gave it away.

"You're still cold, huh?" Elsie asked softly against Camilla's ear, before pressing a gentle kiss to the side of her head. "I guess your clothes don't really do any good. I wish I could give you something warmer to wear."

Camilla turned to look at Elsie, confused. But when Elsie's expression didn't tell her anything, Camilla looked down at her clothes herself.

For some reason, she had on a baggy, short-sleeved blouse with buttons running down the front and a pair of loose shorts, both made out of thin, white fabric. She was wearing nothing else; even her feet were left bare. And she was sitting in the snow.

As Camilla leaned forward to scramble to her feet, she felt a sharp pain in her lower back, and her head began to throb incessantly. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to breathe through the pain, but it didn't do much good.

"Try not to move," Elsie muttered in her ear, and she placed a hand gently on Camilla's lower back where the pain had erupted from. "They said it might be uncomfortable for a while—they couldn't give you anesthetics, after all."

Camilla looked at Elsie again, but Elsie didn't look like she had said anything out of the ordinary.

What are you talking about? Camilla wanted to ask, but she still couldn't get her voice to work.

Elsie must have noticed Camilla's confusion because her expression turned into one of pity, and she placed a hand gently on Camilla's face. At that moment, Camilla realized something was wrong: Elsie's hands felt like ice.