A cold rush of wind came sweeping into the shop as a young couple came in from the street. A soft ballad was playing through the stereo system above my head. The place was buzzing with excitement as customers chatted, sipped, chewed, and laughed. I wiped down the glass display case hurriedly and chucked the damp cloth in a bin behind me as the young couple approached the register.

"Cold out tonight, isn't it?" I asked in a conversational tone. The girl gave me an absentminded nod. "It's supposed to snow. I can't wait." I flashed them a smile. Their happiness was radiating off of them, and it made me happy to see two people so… infatuated with each other.

The boy stood quite a bit taller than the girl. Their hands were interlocked in a tight embrace; even as she bent down to examine the sweets in front of her, he clung to her. His strange, yellow eyes appraised her lovingly. I bit back a wave of jealously—not for him, but for someone to look at me that way. I shook the thought out of my head.

"What's the best?" the girl asked with a voice like wind chimes and better times.

I didn't have to think. I pointed to the plain-old chocolates, specifically the peppermint bark.

The boy shook his head slightly and said, "Could we get two hot chocolates?"

The corner of my mouth turned up. He knew what was good. "Whipped cream?"

Now it was his turn to smile. "Do you even have to ask?"

I nodded and got to work. I took two paper cups out of the sleeve and shook the tin of powdered cocoa. After swirling the metal dispenser of peppermint extract, I dropped a generous amount into each cup. I popped the lid of the cocoa tin, scooped it out, and began to pour the steamed milk. I stirred it all up, topped it off with a surplus of whipped cream, and slipped the cups into cardboard sleeves.

Proud of my quick-timed work, I turned back to the couple and set their order on the counter. The girl was in his arms, flicking her gaze from his hard-set mouth to his intense eyes. Any other time I would have felt that the embrace was too intimate for a family place, but they were wrapped up in each other in such a way that wouldn't make people uncomfortable. It was perfect, subtle, and loving. I couldn't tear my curious eyes away.

"You two are too cute," I blurted out without thinking about it. I slid the cups to them. Feeling brazen, I added, "Seriously. How long have you been going out?"

The boy reached into his back pocket and pulled out a worn-leather wallet. Without looking at me, he answered, "Six years."

How old were these guys? They had to only be around my age. Wow.

"Whoa. That's pretty amazing for a couple your age," I admitted.

The boy picked up the hot chocolates and handed one to his girl. His eyes studied her face and she held his intimate gaze. The girl's bright eyes were appraising the almond bark in front of me. In a quiet but firm voice, she said, "Well, it was love at first sight."

My eyes flicked to the boy's face. He looked surprised, as if he didn't really know how much she loved him.

Even I could see that. I sighed. "That is just so romantic. Do me a favor," I said, eyeing them both seriously, "and don't you two ever change. The world needs more love at first sight."

The corners of the girl's full lips turned up. Her eyes were now hooked on the buttercreams. "Do you want to get some of those, Grace?" asked the boy, indicating the almond bark. His voice was huskier than before.

Grace… what a pretty name.

The girl stood up, took his hand again, and rubbed his forearm with the other. I felt so weird for staring, but they were too interesting to be missed. "Those buttercreams look fantastic, actually," she said sweetly. Bingo, I thought. "Can we get some of those?

He simply nodded, but this expression looked like he would give her anything she wanted, no matter what it was. I used silver tongs to grab the sugary treats and scooped six of them into a small paper bag. Grace and her boyfriend took them sat down at a table near the kitchen. They sipped their hot chocolate and whispered secrets back and forth.

I swept the main floor and prepped to close the shop. I had only gotten the job four months ago, but I already had the last shift. For some fun, I imagined getting a raise this Friday as I started to turn off the big machinery in the back.

Ten minutes later, I was ready to kick out the stragglers. Grace and her boyfriend were among two other groups that were getting ready to leave. I flipped the 'Welcome In' sign over from where it hung on the large glass doors. I held it open for a family and an older couple as they exited. Grace stood next to the counter, saying that she was going to go warm up the car. She smiled as we passed each other; her into the frigged night, and me back to the counter.

"That hot chocolate was excellent. Thank you," said the boy, his yellow eyes softly appraising me.

"Well, I don't get the big-bucks for nothing," I joked. His husky laugh filled the empty room. "I'm Paige."

"I'm Sam," he said, offering his hand. I shook it, feeling callouses on his fingers.

A thought popped into my head, and once it was there, I couldn't stop it. "You look really familiar."

His eyes flashed for a second. Then it was gone. "I think I just have one of those faces." He grinned, but the feeling wasn't there.

I broke the tension by saying, "Whatever you say, Sam. Will I see you two again?"

Now his grin was real. "Hopefully. I love this place, but we live down in Mercy Falls." I recognized the name. I had read about it in the paper once. The town was very tiny, right next to Boundary Woods.

"Well, I'll be here."

Grace popped here head in and told Sam that the car was ready. As he turned to say goodbye, he dropped a five dollar bill into the tip jar. Grace and him left the shop, hurrying to their car that was parked a few spots down.

It was then that my brain finally started working, and it all clicked.

Sam. Mercy Falls. Sam. Samuel. Samuel Roth.

In an instant, the story flooded my mind and overwhelmed me. I was the one who had tried to pull him out of the snow and back on the bus and away from the wolves, after all.

All the images that I had tried to block out all those years suddenly came to the surface. All the pictures that had haunted my dreams and scared me for years were filled with him face, screwed up in agony.

Samuel Roth. The boy who was attacked from the wolves. The boy who was adopted after his parents tried to kill him. The boy who moved to Mercy Falls.

I ran out of the shop as fast as I could. I could see Sam and Grace huddled in the cab of a Bronco, about to turn the corner and onto the interstate. They were already gone. I was too late.

Tears stained and blurred my vision, just like Sam's blood had stained the white snow. I crumpled to the ground, the cold seeping into me and freezing me from the inside out.

Like most thoughts, this one passed my filter and I said what came to my mind. I screamed out into the dark, cold, open night.

"Sam!"