𝗥𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗺&𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲

Winter Experiment

Icicles quivered on their perches on tree branches at the eerie silence, followed by a white fog that brought on despondent emotions. In the deserted white woods, a puff of air escaped a mystified young girl. Frost bitten fingers hung still, frozen legs remained rigidly planted in the ankle-deep snow and indigo eyes were wide and confused. With no memory as to how she came to be, she just stood there with a gaping wound in her stomach. The dark red liquid oozing out absorbed into the grey tunic. Yet to be finished, the blood took its time to web out into the rough material.

How long had she been standing there? Her sable eyelashes were frosted, and her hair and shoulders were dusted with a layer of fine white snow. Her recollection of the past twelve hours consisted of coldness... Frigid air... Numbing limbs... Glacial humps of snow piling nearby thin, alabaster trees with elongated leaves drooping to meet the arctic forest floor.

Bluing lips almost matched her eyes, and frosty hair lie atop her head with chilling stillness. The obsidian hair once so silky and florescent was now tangled. Her breath hitched from the sudden spike of unknown pain stabbing at her insides. There was no slit in her clothing, so no equation in her head could come up with a reason as to how and why the bloody injury became evident. With scary yet unfortunate prediction, the petite girls legs buckled, and the wood held its breath in anticipation.

Knees first. A jolt rippled throughout her body at the impact. Balancing precariously, a glassy tear rolled down hardening cheeks from the intensifying cold. Just before the tear could make it to the snow, it froze, ice blooming from the small centre and ending at the surface. The now solid symbol of sadness hung on her chin like a stalactite did from the ceiling of a rocky cave.

A warm trickle of blood brought the slightest bit of feeling back, the previous cold paralysis waring off. With that miniscule, silent motivation, her indigo eyes caught the shadow of a boy darting curiously behind tall trees. He was fast. But made no move to aid her.

With that final disheartened emotion seeping into her system, the rest of her body fell forward and collapsed with a sorrowful thud into the cumulus, cushiony snow.

"Test 20156: FAIL!

Tori Odessa Fedele – Deceased. Lasted 20 hours, 15 minutes, 6 seconds!

Quest to find Winter Queen yet to be accomplished! Bring out the next volunteer!"

The young boy bolted out from his place behind the tree and knelt by Tori's corpse. Such beautiful eyes. Such a defined face. But she didn't survive. She wasn't his Queen. So, he sighed, and watched as her existence was cleaned away while he concealed himself in the bunches of leaves, patiently waiting for the next girl to arrive.

He balled up searing light in his hand and prepared to impale the next victim of this experiment, praying for the twenty-thousand, one-hundred and fifty-seventh time that the next tested princess lived.