Chapter Text
God, she was cold. Completely, unbearably cold. Frigid air bit at her arms, and gnawed on her fingers. She could see her breath with every exhale.
Her sweater was…insufficient. Thin, and littered with holes that slowly got bigger every time she put it on. She’d tried to find a better coat before leaving the house, but the only other one she owned was in equally poor condition.
Anything is better than nothing, she tried to reason to herself as a shiver ran through her. Her feet felt like ice as she trudged through snow that was up to her ankles. She didn’t have proper boots either. A damp chill seeped into her body from the snow. The footpath was uneven. Some parts were engulfed in snow, while others had been cleared with salt hours prior and hadn’t been fully covered again.
As she walked, the sun began to set in the distance. Unfortunately, the approaching night only made the cold worse. She groaned, thinking I shouldn’t have been out so long. Her expedition was originally only supposed to be a five minute walk around the area near her cabin. However, when she’d noticed that some of the others had put up decorations, she’d gone to see, and stayed to look at them. She had, apparently, stayed longer than she’d anticipated. Now, she was stuck walking home in the cold and the dark.
A gust of wind blew past, tousling her hair. Each breath resulted in a cloud of condensation, and faintly obscured her vision. She hugged her arms around herself tighter. One hand clamped over the tear in one side of the sweater. The other hand held a thinned piece of the fabric together to make it somewhat thicker on the side opposite.
“Brook!” a voice cut through the sounds of rustling, and the crunch of snow beneath her feet. The girl paused, and turned to look at who had called her name. Scar, standing on his well-lit porch, dramatically held out his hands at her. “Hang on, I’ve got something for you!” the man called, and hurried back into his cabin. She sighed. It was freezing. Can’t this wait until tomorrow? She thought to herself as she began shaking. Her internal complaints were cut short when Scar came back outside with a pair of winter boots. “What are those for?” she asked as he approached her. The man smiled happily. “For you!” he replied.
She scoffed. She hadn’t meant to, but she did. I don’t need boots. I’ll be fine with what I have. She thought. Scar didn’t seem to agree. “Don’t scoff at me, missy!” he scolded lightheartedly. Then his tone shifted to something more genuine, “I noticed you didn’t have any. You really should have some better footwear in weather like this”. The girl glanced down briefly at her short flats. She really did need boots. Despite this, she didn’t need them from him. Well, she didn’t want to need them from him. “Oh…thanks, but-” she began to decline the boots. Before she could finish, Scar thrust the shoes into her arms. “Nonsense! Take them!” he insisted.
Just before Scar sent her on her way, he noticed the state of her sweater. “That doesn’t look good. Do you want a better one?” he offered. She immediately declined. “No, I’m okay. It’s not that cold anyway”. Scar looked doubtful, “you’re shaking”. She offered a strained smile, and a weak response “I’m fine! It’s nothing, really”. Scar sighed. “Brook, I’m getting you a jacket.” he declared, and then turned to get one from inside. The moment his front door shut, she took off running. Boots still clutched to her chest. The voice behind her was ignored. She hated the idea of accepting anything else from him. I can do this myself. She thought as she ran. Nobody else has to worry about me.
She slammed the door shut the moment she was inside her cabin. She dropped the boots by the door, and leaned back against it. Her gaze swept the living room as she caught her breath. The couch, blankets, the soft red rug, the fireplace, the incredibly old photo of her biological family on the mantle, the much less old photo of the small community she lived with now on the mantle, the candles littered around the room. She took another breath. I’m fine. It’s all fine. I’m not something to bother being worried about.
After another minute or so, she pushed off the front door. Her feet carried her towards the staircase before she even realized she was moving. Pulling off her thin sweater, she tossed it in the laundry as she passed. Nails scraped the wall as she ran her hand along it while she climbed the stairs.
A warm shower. Bed. Forget this happened. Nothing to worry about.
I’m nothing to worry about.
~~~
The only sound from outside had been the howling of wind as he’d gone in to grab the girl a coat. Suddenly, the sound of snow crunching drifted in through the window. He stepped out onto the porch to check on Brook, only to see her hair spilling out behind her as the sixteen year old ran off. “Hey!” He stepped off the porch. “Brook! Wait!” he called after her. The girl didn’t stop. She hadn’t even hesitated. He sighed. The teen really needed a better jacket. The one she had now couldn’t possibly be warm enough. He watched her leave until it was pointless to stay outside anymore. Reluctantly, he went back inside his own cabin. Something had been off with Brook recently. He’d thought it was teenage angst at first. Completely normal. But teenage angst didn’t mean the normally happy and excitable girl would be so against him not wanting her to freeze.
…
Did it?