My vampire queen.

18. Snow

Morgana had sent a worthy number of her workers to Vanya's kingdom, of course, to raise a health center. Vanya had dressed in a simple blouse, and she decided to wear a fur coat since it was so cold.

She still didn't get used to this low temperature—her body was freezing most of the time, and she could never wear just a sweater. Always needed something warmer on top to keep her from becoming ice.

"Move that to the left, Archie!" Vanya yelled from across the building site, a grin cramped on her lips. The white-haired man looked her way and nodded, grabbing the metal bar from the ground, placing it down on a frozen stone.

"Vanya," Clara called out, her dark eyes watching the queen. Vanya raised her eyebrows and nodded, crouching down and grabbing the stone pillar from one side. Clara grabbed the other side, and together they raised it up.

Dahlia groaned loudly, beads of sweat rolling down her forehead as she put another pillar down. "We're taking a break!" She announced, placing her hands on her hips, making Irene scoff and roll her eyes at her.

"Oh, shut the hell up—at least you don't have to wear a coat!" She pointed it out, annoyed by this fact. Dahlia's black eyebrows threaded together, her deep eyes glaring lightly at her. "Excuse me, but eventually, as you see, I'm not as tall as you are."

Irene crossed her arms over her chest. "No, I don't excuse you; six feet are enough." Her blue eyes peered over to the woman who was dressed in a plain white shirt, sitting alone in a corner, reading a book. "The only one that can possibly be excused from carrying things around is Cosima since she's so damn short."

"First, Cosima is the one who thought about everything, even this project; she's the one who had done it. And second, she is already doing enough by bothering to come here and make sure this hospital ends up okay."

"Still, she's not doing anyth—"

Dahlia kicked her hard in the shins and forcefully grabbed her collar, tugging her down. Irene folded, her eyes growing wide, her breath clenching in her throat. Dahlia grimaced at her, annoyed to her pulse point as she leaned in closer, aware that she indeed didn't want anyone to hear her.

"Dumb people like me, you." Her eyes peered over her shoulder at Clara. "Us." She glanced back into those enigmatic blue eyes, her iris twitching just a little. "Do the donkey work, while those who are intelligent," Her lips curled into a tiny grin as she watched Cosima sit in her small corner. "Do the harder mental work. She's calculated everything—every inch, every centimeter, stayed up for hours, nights."

"C-calculate? What does that m-mean?"

Dahlia stared at her, surprised for some moments, before breaking a tiny laugh and letting go of her collar. "You're a fool." Her lips were curved into a weak grin, and she tapped her shoulder, pointing to yet another pillar. "Let's carry that one, and then we take a break."

Irene raised her eyebrows but complied anyway. Her gloves were dusty, and her fingers had gone so cold she couldn't even bear herself to grip anything anymore. So she grabbed Dahlia's wrist weakly. "Can we take that break now?"

Dahlia's eyes glinted with concern, confusion blasting her mind. "Weren't you the one that didn't want any breaks?" She muttered under her breath, and Irene's cheeks turned red from the cold gust that hit her face.

"F-forget I said that." She glanced at the snow, and Dahlia huffed, deciding that she should as well do something to entertain herself. She crossed her arms over her chest and gazed up at Irene; her eyes narrowed playfully.

"Only if you say please." She taunted, and Irene's jaw fell. "Be careful; there's not only flies around here; there are butterflies as well." Irene pressed her lips together and pouted, her white eyebrows threaded together.