FROSTBITE ─── jason grace

𝟎𝟎𝟒.

𝟎𝟎𝟒.
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New York was simply fascinating. The streets were colourful and lively as people milled about, having a fun night out. Charlie decided to get an iced coffee along the way, sipping it while idly strolling around.

Distracted by the sight of a cute little stray puppy, Charlie didn't notice as she took a wrong turn into an alley. Rolling her eyes at herself, she turned around to get back when suddenly, a bad feeling overcame her senses. She felt the gaze of someone onto her back and when she turned around, Charlie let out a startled gasp as she took in the sight of a woman that wasn't there when she first caught sight of this place.

She had auburn hair and a pale complexion. Her brown eyes glinted with something Charlotte couldn't quite read. She was fairly pretty but there was something off about her.

"Charlotte Hales, decided to take a night time stroll did you?" The woman spoke tauntingly. She started inching closer to Charlie as she herself was stepping away.

"Who are you?" Charlie tried to put on a blank face and stop her voice from quivering. "And how do you know my name?" she demanded while simultaneously glancing around and trying to decide the best route to take if she had to resort to running away.

"Oh I'm Aurora, but you don't have to concern yourself with that young demigod" she waved her off. "What you do need to concern yourself with, however, is why your dear father chose not to tell you about your mother's identity."

Charlie's mind was spinning. Why was a strange lady whom she hadn't even heard of before, talking to her about her mother? Her father had always seemed hesitant about talking about her mother and would always get a faraway look in his eyes that was filled with longing and bitterness. And demigod? What was that supposed to mean? All of these questions were burning on the tip of her tongue and Charlie had to bite her lower lip in order to control herself. She decided instead, to turn around and pace away, breathing furiously and trying not to let her mind wander.

Her heart was beating furiously in her chest and she almost screamed when the woman landed in front of Charlie, blocking her path. Her mind processed the fact that there were only a few people on the streets and it had grown quite dark. Having no other option, she started sprinting away and turning left towards the direction of her aunt's house. 

Before she could get very far, a screeching sound made her freeze in her tracks as she whipped her head around. The sight in front of her made her blood run cold.

"Get back here this instant! Don't make this harder for you demigod." The woman - if you could even call her that - shrieked. She was flying. And her face remained the same. But, the rest of her body was that of a vulture-like creature. She had wings, and talons. A half bird.

Tripping and uncaringly pushing away anything that came in her vicinity, Charlotte ran the fastest she's ever had to run her whole life. She didn't know what to do. Her mind still hadn't even begun to process anything that was happening. The rest of the world was a blur. The only thing that mattered right now was getting away from that thing. She wanted to go back to her father's arms.

She caught sight of a knife on one of the fruit stands and quickly threw it at the creature. Her aim was absolutely horrible and her arms were shaking but it managed to graze one of it's wings. The creature simply hissed and continued on but it provided her a mere few seconds of extra time.

She ran into another alleyway that was doused in darkness. Maybe she could find a place to hide here. The thing would catch up in a few seconds. Frantically looking around, Charlie's sharp brown eyes caught onto the sight of a dumpster. She ran and squeezed herself behind it. But she almost jumped out of her skin when she caught the figure of a shaking boy who was huddled up in the corner.

His eyes widened when he took in her appearance. Just as he opened his mouth to speak or scream, Charlie forcefully clamped her palm over his mouth and shook her head pleadingly. She tried to steady her breathing as she heard the fluttering of wings.

It was here.

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