Thawed

Chapter 4

One thing Neil always taught his nephew was to follow his gut. It was Scott’s gut that led him into Maxine’s Clothing where he stood like a stuttering idiot in front of Icelyn. Her long black hair framed her snow white face and her ice-blue eyes bore right through him. For a brief moment the air around her seemed to sparkle, the way pixies do. But as soon as Scott’s brain could register it, it was gone and Icelyn was a seemingly human girl who was staring at him expectantly. “May I help you?”

“I’m sorry.” He shook his head. “I just kind of zoned off for a moment.” The late nights watching Lionel King were finally catching up to him. It had been a few nights now that his uncle and him have tailed him without learning anything. So far he was like Icelyn, seemingly normal. The difference was the sparkle of his glamour never faded. That was how his uncle and him could be sure they had the right guy. With their sight they were able to identify Pixies by seeing right through their disguise.

She raised her perfect, sleek, black eyebrows. Waiting.

“Um,” he hummed to fill the silence. He was realizing as he stood in front of her, he hadn’t really thought it through. Then again, he wasn’t expecting to find a pixie in a teen clothing store. If that was what she was. He still couldn’t tell if what he saw was real or his imagination. “I just started working over there.” He gestured next door. “And I- uh- just thought I’d come check this place out.”

He left, vaguely aware of making a fool out of himself. He couldn’t shake the feeling there was something off about Icelyn. With everything he knew about pixies, their beauty, complete lack of human emotions, hunger for human misery, and of course their sparkling glamour, Icelyn was still an anomaly.

He had to learn more about her.

Even though his shift was over, he waited in the café until he saw Icelyn lock up the clothing store and start walking off. He sprinted out the door after her. “Wait up!”

She turned her head inside the fuzzy hood of her white winter coat. Her eyes met his in a cold gaze. He shivered. There was definitely something not right about her. “Where’s your car?” He asked.

“I walked.”

“Oh.” In this weather? “Me too,” He lied. His Jeep Wrangler was sitting right next to where they stood in the parking lot. Icelyn didn’t offer up any conversation, so Scott carried on, making it up as he went. “Why don’t I walk you home?”

“I’m fine.” Her voice was silk, but the way she carried it, without emotion, made it fall flat.

“Oh. Well. I insist” When she didn’t say anything he added, “I’m heading that way any way.” He wasn’t.

She shrugged in response.

He thought it would be the perfect opportunity to learn more about Icelyn, but he only got short, closed-ended answers that lead nowhere. Their conversation became more of an interview so he dropped it completely. The only sound was the hollow howling of the wind weaving between them and the salt crunching beneath their boots.

Soon, their walk came to an end as they approached a log cabin with a porch wrapped around the front. The rocking chair off to the side creaked as it swayed back and forth in the winter breeze. The groveled driveway was empty and the windows were dark. For a brief moment he wondered if she lived alone.

“My mom should be home from work soon,” she stated, as if reading his mind.

“Oh. Good.” He smiled.

Her expression towards him changed somehow. Her eyes looked warmer. Her features softer. In the glow of the porch light she seemed to radiate beauty. Like some sort of snow princess. “You’re strange.”

Scott was caught off-guard. “You’re blunt.”

She smiled. A genuine smile. “Thank you for walking me home.”

“Yeah. Anytime.” But she was already unlocking the door and stepping inside. He stood there, just for a moment. He watched as the lights, one by one, turned on and her shadow passed by the curtains of the windows. He wondered what her night time schedule was like. Would she make a night time snack followed by a long shower? Or did she immediately hit the bed?

One thing was for sure. He couldn’t stand outside her door all night like a creep. He backed out of the driveway, finding it impossible to take his eyes off her home. He heard the crunch of stones beneath car tires approaching and he quickly hid behind a tall Oak tree.

Headlights glowed as the vehicle turned into the driveway, flashing its light at Scott’s hiding place. He squeezed his eyes shut, praying not to be spotted. He listened as the engine cut off and the lights went out. There was a woman’s giggling. Icelyn’s mother was probably the logical guess. He took a deep breath, then peaked around the tree to see her walking up the porch. A man had his hand on the small of her back.  She fumbled with the keys, dropping them at their feet. The man knelt down in his dress pants to pick them up. When he handed them to her, he took her wrist in his hand. She gleamed as he bent in for a kiss. Scott felt his heart thump when the porch light hit their faces and the air around Lionel King sparkled.