Frostbitten Past

V I I I

 Andorra sat in her kitchen, eyeing her aunt. She was standing over the oven, her hand wrapped around the handle of a saucepan. She was humming a tune, something that sounded too much like a death march, and Andorra's mother was talking to a blonde haired man standing too close to the door.

Despite talking to her mother, his eyes never left Andorra. She found it unnerving, but then again, he was dating her aunt. Which meant there was probably something evil simmering under the surface.

Andorra slipped off of the stool and sent her aunt one last look before she escaped out of the kitchen and up to her room. Her bare feet were frozen on the wooden floors as she crept to her bedroom. When she opened her door, a warm breeze brushed past her, her small heater doing its job. When she stepped into her room, the warmth enveloped her like a blanket.

She looked out of her window, watching the snow begin to fall, blanketing the ground in a thin layer of glittering white. While pretty, Andorra knew it was freezing outside, anything but the warmth she wished for.

That was the thing about Maine; it was gorgeous, but was painfully freezing. Like Noah.

The window was cold to the touch, and when she looked beyond, she could see the pond nestled deep in the bare trees beyond the property lines. It had been one of her favorite places when they'd first moved to Maine, but the winter weather had kept her away.

"Andorra, I see that this is where you've run to."

She spun on her heels to look at her aunt, a mug of hot chocolate in her hands. Her aunt looked like she had years ago, with a smell and a glow about her that screamed trust me. But Andorra didn't trust the woman.

Behind her aunt was the man in her kitchen, and his hands were on her aunt's hips. He wasn't smiling, but instead looking at Andorra with honey-brown eyes, wide enough that they sucked her in with warmth. Because he was warm; something about his shone brightly, like Kyle did at school.

Seeing him with her aunt confused Andorra for many reasons, one being that her aunt's pisspoor attitude didn't seem like it should attract anyone, nevermind someone who had such a warm essence.

Essence? Since when can you read someone's essence? Andorra snorted to herself, believing that perhaps she was crazy. That perhaps she was hallucinating, imagining things that didn't exist.

Andorra slipped her hands behind her back. "Is it surprising I would want to go to my room?" What she didn't add was that she was tired - so tired - and would love to sleep off what had happened earlier that day. She wanted to shower and wash away the inky black liquid that had coated her body earlier. She wanted to check her head wound. She wanted to crawl under her blankets and forget about everything, including the nightmare that had trapped her in the bathroom and the nightmare standing in her doorway.

Her aunt clicked her tongue disapprovingly. "We haven't seen each other in a very long time, and I want to get to know my niece a little better. Come sit, tell me about high school. Any boys?" There was a twinkle in her eyes as she offered the hot chocolate to Andorra.

Andorra faked a yawn. "I think it'll be better if I get some rest first. I've been feeling pretty sick the past few days." And you terrify me.

Her aunt's boyfriend hadn't taken his eyes off of her.

Her aunt pushed the hot chocolate, nearly pressing it into Andorra's chest. "Now, c'mon. I know a girl like you has boys snapping at your heels."

Fear edged around Andorra's mind as she took the mug. She had no plans to drink the hot chocolate, but she wanted her aunt to stop shoving it in her face. She kept her hands wrapped around the mug and smiled up at her aunt. Entertain her, just for a bit. "Well, there is a boy."