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Lizzie wrapped her cloak around her, looking out at the snow outside. The sun was simply rising, beckoning her across the snow splashed with red by the growing light. It had come on quickly. Winter had never come this quickly before.
Her bed had seemed warmer than usual today.
Reluctantly, she placed her hand on the doorknob, but hesitated to turn it. She didn’t want to leave. It was warm in here.
But she did. She gripped the doorknob, turning it slowly. As soon as the door cracked open, the wind carried it the rest of the way, almost slamming Lizzie’s hand into the wall with the door.
The wind was cold. It had the quality of all wind on cold, dry days, a torrent of ice on your face that turns it red, that eats at your fingers and chills them to the bone.
Lizzie didn’t have any gloves. Nor anything to shield her face, her ears. Just her long black cloak.
She stepped out the door, trying to close it behind her, but the wind kept it open. Eventually, she gave up, figuring that it would be closed eventually. The house would warm up again.
She was only a bit out the door when she heard the calling.
“Lizzie! What are you doing?”
She almost didn’t want to turn around, but that voice.
Joel.
She must’ve turned around, because there he was, eyes squinted against the rising sun. He looked…completely fine. But he was-
“Are the dreams getting to you again?”
That was his voice. That was him right in front of her. A dream? It couldn’t have been a dream, he died , how could that have been a dream-
He looked concerned. She must’ve been wearing her doubt on her face again. Lizzie had never been good at hiding her emotions.
“Bu-but we have to go to center, we have to-“
Joel grabbed her hand. She could feel the weight, but it was too cold to feel his warmth.
“Liz. We imprisoned him, remember? We’re just waiting now. I’m sure Fwhip will get us out soon.”
A dream…it had felt like a dream, hadn’t it. Maybe more closely a nightmare but. A dream nonetheless.
“Come on. Let’s go back home.”
The walk to Dead Bush Hill had never seemed so easy. Even despite the snow.
With Joel there, the slope seemed to disappear, almost feeling like she was going downhill despite the climb.
It had just been a dream…
The threshold was passed quickly.
“I’ll make us some breakfast, ok? You can sleep more.”
She nodded, not even bothering to close the door. Joel would get it, after all. Instead, she headed to her bed, a wave of exhaustion overtaking her. Lizzie didn’t take off her cloak, her shoes, not willing to expose herself. They could be taken off after.
The bed wasn’t warm anymore, the wind had taken care of that. But she fell into it despite, the blankets surrounding her as she felt herself almost sink into it, as if it were one of the snowdrifts blown against the side of the house.
Even as the cold of outside tried to slip in through the still open door, she felt like she could sleep here forever.