Frostbitten Past

I I

THE FIRST thing Andorra noticed was amiss was a book in her locker the next morning. Andorra had hung up her backpack, noticing the worn cover sitting at the bottom of her locker. When she grabbed it, the weight felt heavy in her hands. The cover was covered in a lovely painting of flowers and vines, but there was no title. No author.

Andorra flipped it open, skimming the first few pages, taken by surprise when the glossy pictures on the pages caught her interest. It was a book of fairy tales, she surmised. It had to be, with pictures of little sprites and fairies. She let her finger run across the page, looking closely at a pair of fairies dancing in the moonlight.

"Hey, what is that?"

The voice caught her by surprise. Andorra slammed the book shut, not sure why she was hiding it, her heart in her throat. She turned to look at the voice, a little shocked to see Kyle leaning against the lockers. His blonde hair was messy, falling into his eyes.

"Nothing!" Andorra chirped. Then, she took a deep breath. "I mean, it's just a book."

Kyle's smile told her he was amused by her reaction. Andorra unzipped her backpack, slipping the book into it before she closed her locker. She would look at the book more closely when she had the time, away from prying eyes. "You're at my locker."

"I am." Another smile. "I figured we could be acquainted in the sunlight rather than the dark. I'm sorry about Shaniah last night."

Andorra shrugged it off. "It's whatever."

"It's not whatever." Kyle let a glimpse of annoyance pass his face. "You know, we have something in common. I'm also new."

Andorra had not gotten that impression. Kyle had seemed incredibly well adjusted last night. Had felt like a part of this community. "Really?"

"Really. I'm also not quite used to the cold." He waved his hand to gesture towards Andorra's uniform of winter gear. "Although mittens in school might be a little much." His smile softened the slight insult.

"It's freezing in here!" The words alone made a shiver race down her spine. "Not really sure how you can handle it."

"I'll walk with you to class. What do you have?"

Andorra felt something warm in her chest. She didn't want to think too closely about how giddy she felt at the thought of a boy walking her to class. "Math. Where are you from?"

The two of them walked to class, shoulders nearly touching as they approached the room. "Florida. So trust me when I say I'm also used to the warmth." There was laughter in his tone.

By the time they reached her math class, Andorra was feeling a little bit more optimistic about the school day. She turned to say goodbye to Kyle, and at the same time he said, "I'll see you at lunch then?"

Andorra knew there were stars in her eyes when she said, "Yes."

Math stretched on for longer than usual in her mind. Now that Andorra had something to look forward to, it almost felt like the day was going insufferably slow. She squirmed in her seat as she copied down equations from the board. She barely listened as her teacher droned on, over and over. It was unlike her, truly, but she couldn't help it.

By the time lunch rolled around, her stomach felt like it was tied into knots.

The second strange thing happened during her lunch. Of course, looking back, Andorra could link together the strange occurrences that were linked to her wish on that night. But right then, she wasn't aware of the shift she had caused.

So right then, when she settled down with her tray and the power flickered, Andorra had no reason to assume it was connected.

She looked up at the lights, waiting for another flicker. As she waited, Kyle slid into the bench across from her, a smile lighting up his face. "How were your morning classes?"