Broken // Loki

Chapter One

chapter one

The snow brushed against my face, biting it bitterly with the cold. But I don't mind, I like the bitterness. There is nothing hidden underneath it - it has no meaning behind the bitterness. It's just plain bitter.

See, snow is glisteningly beautiful and unique, and you may be drawn to it, but it's cold. Cold to the core. And if you don't know that, then it can hurt you.

Snow doesn't try to disguise itself as spring or summer, not anything slightly warmer. It's just cold, and it's fairly blunt with it.

At least snow can be honest with its own bitterness, and that may be why so many people tend to enjoy it. I guess it is also a reason that I, myself, enjoy snow.

It was catching along on my backwards fishtail braids, weaving in nicely. I always liked backwards fishtail braids better, anyway.

See, fishtail braids from the front are always messy and weird. They aren't easily controlled, and often awry. The underside, however, is much nicer. Clean and neat.

Hiding the ugly side is what I do best.

I stepped into the diner, taking my usual seat in the back that is away from people and lay my coat on the back of the booth. Most people don't like it back here since they can't look out the window because it is covered by a curtain.

But that is where they're wrong, actually. Not only here, but sometimes in life: It's not that hard to open up a curtain and look out the window.

So that's what I always do. I always open the curtain enough for me to peak out as I read and drink hot chocolate.

"What can I get for you today, Ma'am?" asked the waitress Bethany.

"Hot cocoa with cinnamon on top, please."

She winked at me. "Already had it wrote down."

I smiled politely and peek out the window while clutching my necklace. Nothing unusual was happening.

Madam Noria was taking her daily stroll through the neighbourhood, her library books in her satchel that straddled her shoulder. Obviously it was cold, but she had on that damn smile like always. Sometimes I wish I could see the world through her eyes.

Tommy, the town's paperboy, was trying to bundle up as much as he could, for he didn't have all that many clothes. The poor boy was out in the cold anyway, delivering the paper to people who subscribe.

The twins, Julia and Jessica, were out shopping for their mom for her birthday - it's this weekend on Saturday.

I almost forgot my own birthday, that is, until I was graciously reminded by my father.

Bethany brought me my hot cocoa with cinnamon and I went back to staring out the window at the normalities - that is, until, I see something awfully peculiar.

A man in strange green and gold clothing stumbled on the sidewalk. He was holding his stomach dearly, like he was going to be sick or something.

"Man, that guy must be hammered," said Kenny from the booth by the door. I looked up to see his girlfriend Raleigh gave him a glare.

"Oh, hush! That poor man! That is no way to be dressed around here," she retorted, looking out at the strange guy.

I looked back through the crack in the curtain, only to have the strange man's eyes meet mine. Damn. Never have I ever been able to see someone's eye colour so vividly from afar.

His emerald eyes captured mine as he searched them. They screamed out for me. I took a deep breath and shut the curtain.

Oh, gosh, that was embarrassing. I totally stared at him for a minute straight. Why was he looking at me like that?