When Snow Falls

-Chapter 18-

I stayed in my room for about an hour after Raul vanished. It was too early for me to be awake, but I couldn't go back to sleep.

Not after finding out what I had.

The piece of paper that had lodged itself in my palm sat on my bed, unopened. As much as it would be, I wasn't going to look at it until Nutcracker or Raoul was with me. I wasn't in the mood for another plot twist.

So instead, I paced up and down the room, stopping at the window for the twelfth time in five minutes. A layer of snow blanketed the ground, completely covering the grass and tips of the trees.

I placed my hand against the window. The cool air that seeped through the glass didn't phase me like it should. I knew it was there, but I wasn't cold.

"That's it." I grabbed a long, deep brown overcoat and threw it over my shoulders. The only pair of shoes I had (excuse me, that I liked) were made of thin material that made them more suited for warm weather.

I put them on anyway.

"I'm going outside," I called to no one in particular. Who knew--maybe something would be listening.

I quietly opened and closed the door as I left my room. The halls that always seemed to have people in them were empty.

I gulped and tiptoed past occupied rooms. A giant roar came tumbling out of the room next to mine.

Raoul.

The one thing bad about him being completely healed was his snores.

The overwhelming urge to giggle punched me in the gut. Raoul with his monster snores--Mom and Dad always joked that if we could find a way to record the sound, our family could become rich in a matter of seconds by selling the sound as an alarm.

I paused at the door. It really was aggravating. If he would just wake up, then no one would have to listen to his obnoxious snoring.

Don't you dare do it, Clair.

Some of the books I read would talk about an angel on the shoulder,  persuading one to do the right thing. On the other shoulder, there would be a little demon that tried to convince the person into doing the wrong thing.

I think I listened to the wrong one.

The door creaked lightly as I threw my body weight into pulling it. It opened just enough I could wiggle through.

The sheets that covered Raoul rose and fell, copying his breathing. One arm covered his eyes, while the other dangled off the side of the bed. A long line of drool hung out of his half-open mouth, slowly wetting the bed sheets under his face.

I anchored my foot at the edge of the doorway, ready to bolt.

Isn't it the job of the little sister to bother the brother?

I pointed to a spot above his head. In my reading, I had found a bit of magic that counteracted the fire spell. I'd never tried it before, but waking someone up is as good a time as any.

"Nerua."

What looked to be ten gallons of water fell from the ceiling and hit Raoul in the face. He cried out, spouting some words that I didn't know he knew. His hands bat at his head like there was an animal pecking at it, which only made him hit himself more than once.

His eyes met mine and screamed death.

I laughed and ran, slamming the door behind me. By the time he would get it open, I'd be gone.

Unless, of course, he ran after me. Then it'd be a different story.

Yawns of a few Fiannu wandered into the hallway. Soon, they would be getting out of their beds and doing whatever they normally did. It was a little embarrassing--we'd been in the castle for almost a week and still hadn't taken the time to learn about them.