Frosted (Frosted #1 | Jackunzel)

{ Chapter Twenty-Seven }

Katie hated the snow. Every year when autumn came about and the taste of winter brushed against the air, she fell into a slump not even Ombric could soothe.

Not even the friends she'd already grown out of touch with since she'd left Burgess behind and entered the town of Sanlow. Katie had never been very good with people anyway, always too shy to break out of her shell, too broken inside to ever let herself be so close to someone again. Within the years she'd spent here, she'd been forced to do otherwise, pushed into being a better version of herself. One she'd eventually grown proud about. But, despite Ombric's pushing, it had never been enough to wipe away the merciless pain of her loss.

Katie sat under a beautiful tree shedding the remainder of its autumn leaves above her. This was her favourite place in Sanlow; a girl needed time alone now and again, and no one dared bother her up high on this hill. It was perfect for other reasons, too—the only sound up here was that of the wind rushing around her, plus it possessed a perfect view of the log houses in town whilst simultaneously keeping her hidden to the curious eye.

Not to mention, the spot offered the most brilliant dawn lighting in both Sanlow and Burgess alike, perfect for drawing. Mother and Father had gifted her her first sketchbook and inks eleven years ago, after the accident that had taken the life of someone she'd loved and looked up to more than anyone she'd ever been blessed to know..

Someone whom they'd all loved dear.

Katie felt her heart throb at the memory, a wound constantly reopening itself despite her hollow attempts at stitching it back into one. She wondered if it would ever truly close. Deep down, she hoped it would not. It hadn't once in eleven years, and she wouldn't ever want to forget her brother's sacrifice anyway. He deserved that much, especially when it should have been her that died that day.

Jack hadn't even received a proper burial. It had been impossible—his body had seemed to have vanished in that hellish lake after he'd fallen inside. And then when her parents had forced them all north in their grieving, they'd both perished when a ferocious blizzard hit them unawares, leaving Katie wrapped tightly in their stiffened arms, buried inside a shallow cave that had obviously not done much to protect them. Only five years old, she'd been lucky that Ombric had found her in time.

Katie's vision had filled with the blur of oncoming tears. She barely remembered those years of her childhood, yet they still managed to affect her so. She brushed at her eyes until the tears went away, then gave her mind fully to the otherworld of her sketchbook.

Until she heard the scream.

It was so faint she was almost certain she'd only imagined it. And then it sounded once more. Katie jumped to her feet. It was coming from her right, deep inside the heart of Sanlow. She could see a crowd distantly forming in the square. With each passing second, more noise arose as more people approached the commotion.

They were protests, Katie soon realized, watching as arms rose angrily to the sky. She knew she should have stayed where she was, safe and outside of trouble. This most likely wasn't any of her business in the first place. The world was such a dangerous place, after all, surrounded by countless fates, countless stories each intertwined with one another. So rich, yet so intricately complicated. Each life so easy to snuff out, or create. Which is why you must always be careful, Ombric had once told her, while also making sure to not waste away your creativity, the adventure in your heart.

Katie tucked her sketchbook under her arm and ran fast and hard toward the sound. The cold bit at her cheeks, despite the big fur coat, brown as her hair and eyes, that she was wearing. She pushed the fearful nerves she was feeling to the back of her mind, pretending that she was a princess—a warrior between the pages of a fairytale, capable of doing incredible things.