Winters Edge
Written By K. Cheek
Chapter 1
"Come on, Jewel." I heard my mom call to me from the inside of our home. I frowned, feeling my breath pull sharply out from my mouth. I looked at the pure, white ground that covered the small outdoor playground in the park. The grass must have been sleeping under the soft, cold blanket that hugged the ground.
"Jewel, come on!" My mom called again. Turning around to see our home, which matched the other similar houses in our neighborhood, I raced home.
"Jewel... my gem..." A voice gently called. I smiled as I walked on the front porch. The outside was still being sown together with the falling pieces to the unfinished blanket.
"Jewel, do you want some cocoa?" My mother asked, her shimmering bright green eyes warming my tender and cold body. I could only nod, my body refusing to allow me to even peep.
She chuckled and walked to the double-checkered floored kitchen to prepare the hot drink. My sweet, little puppy, Momo, was laying by the fireplace in the living room, his tail flopping against the floor when he saw me.
I wanted to go to him, wanted to pet him, wanted to feel his scratchy, muddy colored, mangled fur in-between my fingers. The only thing that stopped me from doing so was the boiling hot fireplace and the deadly thing inside it. The fire.
The fire cracked and snapped, almost as if it were hissing and growling. The shine from it was dark and light, contradicting itself. I shivered, almost as if I were feeling the chilling cold from outside blowing against my head.
"Honey, take your clothes and put them in the washing room. I'll dry them off for you." Mom called from the kitchen. I nodded, knowing she couldn't see my nod, and walked to the stairs leading to the darkened basement.
Darkness greeted me kindly, hugging me tightly until I pushed it away by flickering on the small, swinging light. The darkness wasn't mad with me doing so, since it seemed to hide in the little cracks and crevices of the small room. I took off the big, puffy coat and threw it into the dryer, going the same with the two long-sleeved shirts I wore under it. I left my fuzzy boots beside the dryer. Smiling, I grabbed a large shirt down from the rack of mom's clothes, pulling it on with ease.
My mom chuckled when she saw me wearing her too-large-for-me-PJs. She handed me the hot cup of cocoa, the warmth biting at my fingers. I whined softly and set it down on the side table with the pretty candles and little snowman sitting on it.
"You alright, darling?" She asked, grabbing my two small hands in hers. She kissed them both gently, forcing a smile onto my face. "Go upstairs, alright? I'll bring it up there for you. Be careful when you drink it." I nodded and raced up the stairs, using my arms and legs as I pretended to me Momo.
I opened the door to my darkened room. The light snapped on once Mom flicked the switch. I looked to the small desk with a cute kitten poster above it. On the desk was an unfinished drawing of my little Momo and myself playing out in the snow.
My bed was unmade, the light blue covers scrambled and almost fallen to the wooden floor. I grabbed the small unicorn plushy from the ground and pounced onto my bed.
"Do you want to take a nap?" Mom asked, setting the cup of cocoa on my desk. I shook my head no, trying to hide the yawn from escaping my cold lips.
She just shrugged and kissed my forehead, rubbing her soft, pale hand on my cheeks before leaving. I giggled as Momo scampered into my room and under my bed.
The cold from outside knocked against my window as it tried to invade my room. A fluttering crowd of flakes sat on my windowsill, growing into a crowd that watched into my room, watching me with chilly eyes.
Momo whimpered and seemed to glare out from under my bed, out towards the sky. I raced to the window and looked up at the ominous dark clouds that loitered the bright sheet of a sky.
BOOM!
I fell back as a sudden blinding light invaded my vision, my mouth open trying to scream, but failing as it always did. I reached for the familiar feeling of my dog's fur, but felt nothing. The ground wasn't underneath me. I felt as if I were floating on air.
Wind suddenly brushed against my face, warning me of the impending doom that the ground below would bring. I fell through a dark shadow, making me realize I was falling with my back to the ground. The light in which I was falling from earlier was far up, a deep shadow holding tight to me.
"Jewel... my gem..." The familiar voice warmed my heart, forcing a smile onto my face. I allowed my eyes to slowly close, the cold of the darkness lulling me into a gentle slumber.