Ice Cold

Chapter One

Redwood is a small town in the middle of nowhere. I've been living here my whole life and there has been almost nothing extraordinary about it. My name is Alexis Reed but most people call me Lex. My best friend is Jade and she is basically like family to me. All my life I've only had to deal with one thing.

The last time something different happened here was seven years ago when my mom and dad's best friends died in an animal attack. They had a son. His name was Hayden and he was that one thing. By the word of my parent's best friends, Hayden was to stay with us if anything should happen to them. When the police dropped him off at our house that night after the attack I was confused.

My parents had to explain to me what had happened and that Hayden was to stay with us now. Hayden had had blood all over him when he arrived at our house when I was ten and my parents had instructed me to go get him cleaned up and that they would explain more afterwards. Hayden didn't say anything to me then, even when I told him that I was going to take care of him, but I still did just that that night. Now, Hayden still has that dark side to him that can never forget the loss of his parents and he never speaks about it.

Hayden seems like a quiet person but that's only because he pushes himself away from everybody, even me. He doesn't talk to anyone and only speaks to me when he needs to. I get so many questions from other people at school about him since I'm basically the only one he talks to. He speaks to the teachers if need be and if someone should ask him something he would either walk away or give a short and simple answer.

Jade and I tell each other everything but I don't talk about Hayden to anyone because I know he'd want it that way. Jade has been my friend ever since eighth grade. She thinks we are as close as we can be but I know different. I tell her things that nobody else knows but I don't tell her much of anything about my personal life.

Redwood is a fairly small town that is hardly ever recorded on any maps. I always asked my parents why we stayed here and they always answered with because they wanted me to stay in one place while I grew up. I never argued because this place was all I ever knew and I don't know how I would be able to go somewhere else. My friends are here as well as my family and all my memories. 

I look across the table at my mom who is standing at the stove putting dinner on plates to be served around the table. I then glance at my dad who was reading the paper at the end of the table. He looks up at me with vibrant blue eyes that match my own. I give him a small smile and he smiles back.

"Dinner is served," my mom says happily as she places different dishes of food on the table.

I look over at Hayden who is lost in thought. I then turn back to the table and grab what I want and place it on my plate. When my fingers brush up against Hayden's as we both reach for the bread the cold that bites my skin makes me think of the night he was brought to live with us. I look up into his grey eyes as he glances at me and I'm brought back to that night.

                              ***

"Are you Mr. Reed?" the policeman asks.

I peek around my mom to see a familiar looking boy, shaking either with cold or fear, and I can't help but notice his expression of sorrow. His black hair falls in his eyes and is tucked slightly behind his ears but as he looks up at me with those same grey eyes it falls free. I look at his pale skin with dried blood all over it.

"Alexis," my dad says, bringing me back to the conversation.

"Yes?" I ask in a small voice.

"Go get Hayden cleaned up," he says.

"What happened?" I asked.

"There's been an animal attack. Hayden is going to live with us now, but no more questions, we'll explain more later," my dad says sternly.

I nod and walk over to Hayden and grab his cold hand and pull him inside. As he walks with me to our bathroom drops of blood fall on the floor but I can't tell where it's coming from. When I get him in the bathroom I take his coat off as he stares at the floor.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of you. I'll get the blood off," I said with no response as I took a wet towel and started wiping the blood from his skin. When all the blood was off his skin my dad walked in with some fresh clothes.

"You can leave now, Alexis," my dad said and as I walked outside the bathroom I looked back in as I was closing the door. Hayden began looking up at me but then my memory goes blank and I don't remember anything else.

                        ***

"Lex," my mom says, bringing me out of my daze.

I look up at her and begin to eat. I think back to that memory. It seems as if I can't remember anything else from that point. I look up at Hayden who is giving me a curious expression. I continue eating but I don't say anything to involve myself with my parent's conversation.

Hayden never tries to put himself in one of our dinner conversations unless he has something important he wants to say or my parents ask him something directly. We all thought he would come out of that dark state where he barely talks and stares off blankly but he never did. The way he is is just specifically Hayden and nobody can change that about him.

I've tried to make him happier and have conversations with him but every time I think I'm making progress he takes five steps back. He would stay in his room or go places where I'm not and he would barely speak to me for a couple weeks. Normal for us is having small talk and barely speaking at school.

When we are at school I don't see or talk to him much. The longest time I spend with him is when we have the same class or when he sits with me and Jade at lunch. He only sits with us so no one else bothers him. He barely even speaks when he sits with us.

When I'm done I bring my plate to the sink and look at the schedule on the refrigerator. Tonight is Hayden's turn to wash dishes. I look over at Hayden to see him finishing his plate. He gets up and places it gently in the sink.

"Hayden," I said and he looks over at me. "It's your night to do dishes," I finished and he nodded.

I walked down the hallway and I saw Hayden's door cracked open. I could see his black comforter and wooden furniture through the crack and was surprised to find it spotless. I reach over and grab the doorknob.

"What are you doing?" Hayden asked, only a few inches behind me.

I jumped and let out a small gasp before I looked up at him, "I'm closing your door, calm down," I said and paused, "and don't sneak up on me!" I shouted.

"Sorry," Hayden responded and walked back to the kitchen.

I watched him walk back before wondering how he'd snuck up on me without a sound. It didn't bother me too much because Hayden was like that ever since he moved in. I shut his door and walked back to my room which was a door down from his. I walked in and changed my clothes to get ready for bed.