The Snowy-haired Genius

Chapter twenty-six

"When I was a kid, I had it all. A giant mansion, heaps of animals, loving parents. My Dad, his name was Harry. He was really ordinary, except for the fact his hair was so blonde it was almost white. Oh, and he went through a really deep depression. Now, my Mum, her name was Izabella, and, well..." Winter looked off into the distance. "She was crazy. She was convinced that she could fly, as long as she got a big enough leap. She was constantly trying to figure out a way to prove that she was an angel. My Dad and Mum met at a store. Dad was working, just an ordinary day, when this woman walked in. He described her as the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. What's more, is that she was the only other person he had seen with hair blindingly white, like him.

"Mum marched right up to him and pulled him into a kiss. Then she smiled and literally danced out of the store, her long skirt flowing everywhere. After that, Dad and Mum never left each other's sides. They were constantly together, constantly running away from their parents, so they could meet up. A Romeo and Juliet story, I kid you not.

"Anyway, they had me, and lived happily together in this house, which my Mum inherited after her parents died, until Mum started to get sick. Really sick. She couldn't get out of bed some days, and others she was running as fast as she could around the house, and one day when she fainted, and a plane had to take her to the Melbourne hospital, my Dad finally revealed she had a brain tumour. I was seven at the time." Winter offered me a weak smile, and I realized he was on the brink of breaking down. I moved closer to him and took his hand in mine. He sniffled and continued. "Um. Yeah, I was just seven. My Dad went everywhere with her so when she went to hospital, he of course had to go with her. They left me in the care of Victor.

"One day, my Dad called me from the hospital sounding really happy. He told me that a scientist had a big breakthrough and he would be able to cure Mum's tumour, but they would have to go away for a few months. I was so happy that Mum would be okay that I agreed, and... and I didn't get any more calls from them for ages. Four months to be exact. So, since I had just turned eight and they hadn't turned up for my birthday or even called, I thought they had forgotten me, so I was angry. Really angry. But then, just after I had blown out the candles on my cake, Victor came into the room with this... this look on his face and put down a newspaper on my bed. I couldn't read it, since Aiden never lets me read because he's stupid, so Victor read out the headlines to me. He told me that my parent's bodies had been found in a river. My Mum had apparently fallen in, and Dad had gone to save her, but they both..." Winter's bottom lip trembled, and he stood up, wiping his tears away. I stood up too. He stared out the window, flinching when my hand connected with his arm. I didn't try to touch him again. Instead, I watched as he went over to his desk and pulled out a newspaper, handing it to me.

There was a picture of Winter's parents, smiling happily. The headlines read in bold writing: THE WENDALL PARENTS FOUND DEAD

"I'm so sorry." I whispered, staring at the photo.

"It's not true, you know." Winter said, looking back at me. "They're not dead. My Mum is smart enough to never fall in a river, and I know damn well that my Dad is smart enough never to go after her."

"But..." I swallowed. "Look, Winter, you have to accept it. You said your Mum always wanted to fly. What if they were going for a walk and she jumped off the bridge. And your Dad... he loved your Mum more than anything. He would have jumped in after her."

"IT'S NOT TRUE!" Winter snatched the paper back and threw it onto the ground. "That scientist... the one who said he would help my Mum... Guess what his name was?" His eyes flashed with anger. "Daniel Williams."

My Dad... My Dad had tried to help Winter's Mum... "N-no..."

"He has them, I know he does. I know he does. You're not leaving until I get my family back, got it?" He pressed me against the wall. "You aren't going anywhere, Jace. I'm getting my parents back, and then... then I'll let you go, but until then you're mine. You're staying here."

I swallowed again and tried to speak, but he slammed me against the wall, digging his fingers into my wrists until they bruised. I squeaked in pain, trying to push him away. "Please, please just-"

His eyes flashed dangerously. "Got it?!"

"W-winter, please. You're scaring me..." I said in a small voice, my eyes wide. He stepped back, his mouth hanging open slightly and a tear sliding down his cheek. He looked down at his hands, then back up at me. I tugged my sleeve down and tried to ignore the bruises.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry. I just..." Winter shook his head and clenched his fists. "I can't... I don't know what else to do."

"It's okay..." I whispered, stepping towards him and pressing my head against his chest. He wrapped his arms around me and cried into my shoulder. "I love you... I'm sorry..." He managed to say between sobs.

"I love you too."

"I just want them back so much... I can't survive without them. I'm so sick of people telling me that they're dead. They can't be."

"I believe you, Winter." I lied.