Fifteen Below ; Chapter Two
It was daylight when I woke. The sunbeams hit my eyes, forcing my mind to set up unforeseen boundaries to anything realistic being in my life anymore. My closed eyes imagined what the scene might've looked like if I had peered down at the surroundings beneath my body: there would be snow, tons of it. But as my hands regained consciousness, they felt a warm sensation. My ears started to hear again, and they heard blue jays chirping. It was springtime. How could this be? For one, it was winter when I had fallen into the snow bank. Secondly, I was sure I had died. Instead, I lay in a small, untrimmed patch of grass in the unknown forest. My clothes were damp, my body temperature at an unexpectedly normal heat. It seemed as if nothing had changed, yet at the same time, everything was changed.
It didn't bother me much that I had no form of connection with neither my family nor friends at the moment. Ignoring any other random thoughts that may have occurred to me, I adjusted my upper torso from the soothingly dew-covered grass and felt the drenched jacket which was wrapped around me. The thoughts came back, and so did doubts. What if no one ever found me?
For some reason, I just couldn't find the strength or courage to lift myself from the restful position or even open my eyes. My body felt as if it needed to be invited or welcomed back into the world; as if I wasn't allowed to be alive without permission.
That was when I heard the voice.
"Hey, you alright?" the friendly tone boomed across the empty forest. It was a male voice. Not husky, but not shy; not emotionless, but kind.
I felt my invitation back to earth. My eyes, which had been clasped shut for so long, opened. The "invitation" was fully equipped with curly chocolate-colored hair, brown eyes, a gentle smile, and a keen face.
"I—I guess so," I heard the words unconvincingly pop out of my mouth.
"Doesn't look like it," he shot back in reply, "you look soaking wet."
By then, I didn't care what he was saying. My "invitation to the world" had a body that captivated me for a moment: he was handsome, about my age.
"You alright?" he repeated, making me feel completely and utterly foolish.
"Do you have the date and time?" I questioned. Reality had struck me head-on. How was this possible? You fall into sure death in the winter, then wake up and it's spring. You're dreaming, my conscience said, you're having a dream while you're dead. Okay, that couldn't sound any stupider. Somehow, I was alive, and I had to deal with that.
"It's… 11:32 in the morning," I watched as the boy examined his watch, "and I'm pretty sure it's April twenty-first, though I could very likely be wrong."
Oh my God. I had tripped into the snow bank in January. It was late April now. I shook my head in self-disbelief, despite the fact that I probably already looked like a deranged freak to this stranger, and this would just make it worse.
So I debated with myself, finally concluding that I'd convince this boy I was less of a psychopath than he thought I was. I'd simply state that I had been lulled to sleep by the flawless songs of the birds in the trees just earlier that day. A nature freak is better than a supernatural phenomenon, right?
"Sorry, I guess I just took an unplanned nap," I chuckled anxiously.
The boy smiled in an understanding fashion, extending his hand toward mine. I took his hand, our bodies frozen for a slight moment as we both took it all in. He pulled me up like I was weightless, and I began to brush off the leaves which seemed to cover my whole body. Deciding that the task was hopeless, I removed the moist jacket that had been protecting me from the dangerous weather.
"Not many people come around these woods," he broke eye contact with me to look around at our surroundings, "mostly because of all the legends and myths."
"What myths?" I curiously asked.
"Never mind," he sighed, "it's no big deal, honestly. Now, do you need anything?"
I smiled. "I'm a bit parched, I could use something to drink."
He grinned in return, "What do you say we go to get a coffee at the café down the street?"
My feet seemed to like them, because they followed the boy with instruction.
"I'd like that, but first, I'd like to know the name of this boy who helped me out of the forest and is now taking me out for a morning coffee," I replied.
He chuckled. "My name's Nick, and yours?"
I could feel my heart warming up with a newly-discovered feeling. "My name's Miley. Nice to meet you, Nick."