Forty-two: under the ice

Temperance

I am deep in the forest. Deep enough not to know my way back. Trees and snow surround me.

As I stupidly walk along the edge of the iced-over pond. I hum a song my mother once sang to me whenever I was younger. I don't know the song's name. Or words. I remember the rhythm.

Then I stop and turn towards the pond. I took a deep breath and stepped into the ice. I balance myself on the slippery ice below me.

I start walking out towards the middle of the pond. Then to my horror, I hear cracks from under my feet. I hold my breath and stand perfectly still.

Then the ice cracks more. I try to shuffle away. Then the ice gives out under me. I plunge below the ice into the freezing water. The water feels like knives stabbing me.

Under the ice, it is dark. I swim back up to the surface and struggle to catch my breath. I grab onto the ice that is still holding up.

I weakly pull half of my body out of the ice water, leaving my legs in for a second. I take a deep breath of the freezing air around me and pull my legs out of the water.

I don't think I've ever been this cold. I get on my hands and knees and start crawling away from the hole. Trying to get to land.

I can't stand up. I am too frightened. The ground is very unstable. It is getting hard to move. My joints are locking up. My whole body is numb, and all I can do is cough and sneeze.

As soon as I get to land, I lay on the cold snow in a ball on my side. I can't feel anything. Maybe I am going to die. Freeze to death.

Here lies Temperance Andrews. A pathetic nothing that died with no one to care about it.

I close my eyes, not caring what will happen. In movies, there is always a person telling the other not to close their eyes. But no person is telling me that, so why should I care?

******************************

Alec

We watch on the security tape as Temperance walks out into the woods. An hour ago or so. She never comes back out.

I look at the group watching with me. They already know what I am going to say.

The next thing I know, we are all out in the forest searching for the brunette that I've been missing for a month.

"It's cold as shit outside." Ethan is bundled up in three blankets. "Yeah, no shit," Damien grunts.

"No, I mean like. My balls are inside of me. I don't even know if I'm a man anymore." Ethan shivers, situating the blankets around him better. Kenli giggles at the remark, and Chris shoots her a look.

"I've thought you were a girl from the start," Zander adds, placing a beanie on his head. I look around, ignoring Ethan and Zander's arguments. I have to find her.

"Oh yeah, well, at least I HAVE a girlfriend!" Ethan growls. "No, you don't."

"Her name is L... Hailey... yeah that's her name."

"Uhuh, sure."

I look up ahead and spot a clearing. Well, not a clearing. A pond. I squint my eyes. There's is a patch in the middle of it missing. Like someone fell...

My stomach drops, and my eyes widen. I start sprinting towards the pond, ignoring the group of people yelling questions after me.

Then I see her.

My beautiful Flower laying on the ground. She looks so cold. There is barely any color on her face. Then I spot a bruise. The bruise looks faded like the color of her face.

Her eyes are closed, and there are snowflakes on her eyelashes and eyebrows. Her lips seem to have a tint of blue. I try to shake her. But she doesn't wake up.

Then I hear a few gasps behind me. "She fell through...." I hear Damien's voice.

I touch her hair. Her hair is stiff. What if she's dead?! I take off her jacket and then take mine off. I slide her into mine, and I pick her up bridal style.

I frantically run back to the resort with the guys and Kenli running beside me.

It takes us ten insufferable minutes to run back. I busted in through the front door. I look at Chris and Kenli, who eyeball each other with worry.

"Come on. To my room." Kenli jogs toward an elevator pressing a button. I follow after her with the unconscious girl in my arms.

When we get to the hotel room, I place her on her bed. "We need to undress her. Put her in warm, dry clothes and cover her in blankets." Zander directs, looking at his phone.

Thanks to google.

"I'll do it. You all need to turn around." Kenli states, quickly rummaging through her bag. "Why?" I ask. She brings her attention to me and glares at me. "Right." I sigh, and I turn around with the rest of the guys. 

After a few minutes of rustling behind me, we hear a small gasp from the young girl. "What is it?" I ask, not daring to look back from the fear that Kenli will beat me with a hammer.

"Nothing. She's just cold." I can hear the tremble in her voice. She is obviously lying, people in this family just love to lie. But I shake it off, lying isn't our biggest problem right now.

***********************************

Kenli

A gasp escapes my lips as I take off her shirt to reveal several hundred cuts covering her body. "What is it?" The one called Alec questions. I look up at him to make sure he isn't looking.

"Nothing. She's just cold." I try to lie. It isn't a full lie. She is cold. Her skin is freezing. But that's not why I gasped.

Then I finish dressing her, and I let them turn back around. We pile blankets on top of her.

"Ok, you should all leave." Chris attempt to get them to leave. "No." Alec stares Chris down. It scares me when Alec does that. I don't want Chris to get hurt. He is my only sibling.

"You all should get out. We are all gonna get in trouble if the teachers see." I brush my hair out of my face, eyeing the group of strangers that apparently know Temperance somehow.

That's what makes them leave. Now it is just Temperance and me. But she is unconscious with hypothermia.

Fun.