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It was winter.
The world had been covered with a fresh blanket of crisp, white snow for two days. In some places, it was merely ankle deep. In other places, one was liable to disappear in a drift. Most of the terrain lay untouched, the tiny crystals sparkling in the mediocre light that happened to grace the land. Tracks and footprints could be seen here and there, but for the most part the wildlife and peoples of this land had elected to remain indoors.
However that was not to be said about all living things.
Snowflakes drifted lazily through the air as a small figure trekked through the shin-deep snow, a steady trail of footprints leading the girl forward. She shivered and wrapped her arms tighter about her frame, eyes glued to the path ahead of her. She was dressed in an oversized sweater, thick pants, and heavy boots, but lacked a coat. Clearly, she had left in a hurry.
The trail of footprints began to swerve slightly, frozen dark specks of some substance marring the white landscape. Her eyes narrowed and she quickened her pace, dread forming in the back of her young mind. As the snow began to get heavier, the path became even more sporadic, the frozen specks not as frozen and congealed. The youngster cursed under her breath, a slight sob escaping her as she took off at a run, finally realizing where it was she needed to be. The deep snow and the big boots caused her to stumble several times, but she pressed on regardless. She just hoped beyond hope that she wasn’t too late.
She rounded a corner and came skidding to a halt, her breath coming out in heavy white puffs as she struggled to control her breathing. Another figure stood a ways in front of her, at the edge of the very cliff they were standing on. Blood dripped steadily from the tips of her slack fingers, one hand closed around the handle of a dripping dagger, even more staining the boulders beside her. The young girl licked her chapped lips, eyes glued to the other girls back as she took a hesitant step forward.
“Go back Connie, you don’t need to see this.”
Connie shook her head and took another step forward. “I’m not going back without you.”
The girl laughed slightly, her back still to the younger girl as she stared out across the valley with red rimmed eyes. “There’s no going back for me.” she said after a moment. “I can’t.”
“Dahlia please, don’t do this. We can figure something out; it doesn’t have to be this way.”
“Connie, I couldn’t even protect you from him.” Dahlia said with a broken sob, her body trembling.
Constance grit her teeth and swallowed the lump in her throat, halting in her advance towards her friend. Her back twinged slightly at the thought, her body too numb to feel anything else. “Do not blame yourself for that, it wasn’t your fault. What he did to you, what he has been doing to you, is far worse than what he did to me.”
“It’s only a matter of time before he gets to you, too.” Dahlia swallowed and shook her head, the act causing her to sway on the spot. “I can’t have his baby.”
“Then we’ll leave, together.” Connie plead with her, so close to her friend that in two steps she could place her hand on her back. “We’ll go far away, where nobody knows us. I’ll take care of you, and when the time comes we will find a nice, loving family for the baby. I will help you get through this. Dahlia, please…”
“He’ll find me, and he’ll kill me. He’ll kill both of us. If I stayed, he’d probably kill me after the baby was born anyway. No, it’s better this way. With me out of the picture, he won’t come by the orphanage until you are of age. Hopefully by then you will be far away from this place. Meredith will keep you safe. She’ll protect you better than I could.”
“Dahlia…”
“I love you, Connie.”
She was gone. Constance had reached out to grasp her friend’s shoulder, but before she could even touch her she disappeared without a sound and barely a movement. Her arm slowly dropped back to her side, her eyes glued to the empty space in front of her, the world dropping from beneath her feet as the snow continued to fall.
Mac woke with a start, her heart racing as she fought back the covers. A pair of arms wrapped around her before she could rise, her body automatically melding to the one in front of her, her forehead dropping to a willing shoulder.
Brenna shushed her quietly as she rubbed the trembling woman’s back soothingly, feeling the deep scars underneath her fingers. As Mac struggled to control her breathing Brenna tightened her hold on the woman, her eyes wandering towards the window. The moonlight illuminated the landscape magnificently, the land sparkling with freshly fallen snow.
This was a fairly common occurrence this time of year, and Brenna was always there to comfort her love. She never questioned, she was just simply there. She kissed the side of Mac’s head softly as the woman’s arms snaked around her as well, her body shaking with silent sobs. Brenna hummed quietly and continued to hold Mac throughout the night, rocking them back and forth until the other woman finally settled back into a peaceful slumber. One void of the horrors that plagued her mind on snowy nights such as this. Mac would explain one day, when she was ready. Until then, she would strive to keep it as nothing more than deep scars and a fretful memory.