Winter's Child

Chapter Twenty-Nine~Ghost

Elodie sat cross-legged on her bed, staring blankly at the small, ice heart that she turned around in her hand multiple times. She had attempted to freeze it together again with the Crystafidelia spell. It still held but, it wouldn't for long.

Elodie lifted her head when she heard the doorknob turn. Her gaze brightened a bit when it fell upon Amaryllis, who stood in the doorway with a look on her face like Elodie's father used to have when he came to check on her when she was little. The expression held love mingled with endearment.

Amaryllis entered and crossed the room with a weary sigh as she sat down at the end of Elodie's bed. She rested her hands uncomfortably in her lap, as if she was nervous about something. Her violet eyes flickered to the small heart in Elodie's hands. A warm smile lit up her face.

"Who gave that to you?" she asked, her eyes returning to Elodie's.

"Jack," Elodie replied, turning the heart over in her hand once more. Amaryllis nodded. She had seen the way the young man looked at Elodie. Nothing but adoration. It was understandable that he would give her something so precious.

"He cares deeply for you," she commented softly. "Do you return this love?" Her eyes met Elodie's with curiosity. Elodie's eyes held regret as she solemnly shook her head. Amaryllis was sad to hear it. However, she knew that the girl had had feelings for North. There was a bit of a silence where no one spoke. Eventually, Amaryllis sighed and broke the quiet. "What are you going to do?" Elodie looked up at her, her eyes empty.

"I need to leave," she mumbled, dropping her gaze to the heart in her hand. "I need to go home." Amaryllis slowly nodded and lifted herself from the bed. She gave Elodie a small smile.

"Whenever you want. If you need anything for now, let me know." Elodie nodded and dropped her gaze once again as Amaryllis exited the room, closing the door gently behind her. Elodie sighed before pulling herself from her bed and setting Jack's corecry on the side table.

Elodie slipped on her jacket and hurried from the room, down the regular series of hallways, out the front gate and down the cobblestone path. She quickened her pace to a sprint as she rounded the corner and rushed through the short-cut to the open field where she and Jack had practised archery.

With a grim expression and dark eyes, she raised a hand and focused her rare power on the snow before her. So, she could create life? She would.

She closed her eyes as she pictured what it was she wanted to create. She formed the snow with telekinesis, using both hands, adding the details that she remembered. When she opened her eyes, the snow was replaced by fabric, skin, bone, blood, eyelashes, hair and all the small details she had missed.

She got choked up when she saw him. He studied his slender hands with confusion in his crystal eyes. His dark brows were furrowed as he looked up at her, bewildered. Elodie cried as she stumbled towards him, throwing her arms around him as she clung to him desperately, longingly. He felt like him, he smelled like him, he looked like him. But, it wasn't him. It wasn't her North.

Elodie's sobs shook her frame as well as his. Her hands shook and turned white at the knuckles as she held on to his robes as tightly as she could. She pulled away and quickly wiped her tears as she held his face in her hands.

"Look at me, look at me." Her brows furrowed and her eyes were desperate. He met her eyes and she searched desperately for recognition. For anything. There was nothing. It wasn't him. "LOOK AT ME!" she screamed, her voice holding bitter anger and brokenness. He was looking right at her but, he didn't see her. He saw a girl. North would see Elodie.

Elodie dropped her head and sobbed, her cries heart wrenching to the ear. Her hands quivered as she gripped his robes. She looked up at him one last time. She just needed to remember his face.