Just letting you know that this is my first Lunar Chronicles story so I am incredibly sorry in advance if anyone is OOC. Also, this a modern AU and different origin story with the basic premise being that they're all high-schoolers. Every character has their own backstory which will be explained more as the story goes on and not everyone is in the first few chapters but they all come in eventually.

All rights belong to their respective owners.

I hope you all enjoy :)

Winter's Melting: Part One

Once upon a time, at a beautiful mansion located in the center of Commonwealth's richest neighborhood, lies a moving truck in the middle of the driveway that is in the midst of unpacking its contents. As the boxes get placed in the house one-by-one, a sleek and shiny car pulls up nearby. Quickly, the driver pops out and runs around the front in order to open the passenger door. A woman steps out of the car, one stiletto at a time. She basks in the sunlight that beams on her newly bought mansion as she lowers her designer sunglasses over her eyes. She runs her hands over her tight dress, flattening the wrinkles and picking out the incredibly small pieces of lint. As she takes a few steps forwards, showing off her grace and beauty with sashaying hips, she immediately begins ordering men as to where each of the boxes from the moving truck belong in the house, her manicured fingers pointing in all directions fluently. As that work gets completed, she turns back to the car, her dark hair flying swiftly over her shoulders without losing its place.

"Cinder, get out of the car!" She yells, more like ordering.

The car's back door opens and out steps a girl, Cinder Blackburn, who's the total opposite of the woman. She's wearing a slightly stained white tank top with the baggiest cargo pants and old running shoes. Her brown hair, which compliments her naturally tanned skin, is in a ponytail that has many strands of hair sticking out. Cinder only takes a few steps on the driveway before meeting the woman's scowl, a look she is oh-so-familiar with.

"What?" Cinder questions innocently, opening her hands in front of her.

"Get your cousin," the woman grits through her teeth, pointing at the car.

"Yes, Auntie Levana," Cinder replies in the fakest sweet tone her voice could make and a complimentary eye roll.

Cinder turns around and hobbles back to the car where her cousin (technically step-cousin since she's Levana's stepdaughter), Winter Hayle-Blackburn, still sits in the backseat. She's completely zoned out: her amber eyes focused on something out the window with streaks on her dark cheeks from where tears fell, dampening the bandaids on her right cheek that cover the scars underneath her eyes, and her mouth is slightly moving as if she's having a silent conversation with whoever or whatever she was looking at. Cinder hopes that Winter isn't talking to another one of the imaginary people who only exist in her head.

With that happening beside her and Levana always sitting less than two feet away from chattering on the phone, the plane and car ride from Artemisia to Commonwealth was the longest six hours of Cinder's life.

Cinder sighs with sympathy as she looks at Winter. She wasn't always like this with the fantasies in her head and bandages on her face. So much happened back in Artemisia that just piled up and ended up on her. Now they find themselves living in Commonwealth for the means of a new and refreshing life for them (or because of Levana's job which only she prioritized way above her step-daughter and niece).

Cinder lightly nudges Winter who still doesn't budge. She then taps her shoulder repeatedly which still doesn't work. Finally, Cinder decides to pull on one of Winter's black curls and releases it so it bounces back on her face. That was an old tactic she used to do when she and Winter were kids in order to get her attention. Winter blinks spastically before looking at Cinder with wide and frightened eyes, unsure of what's going on.

"We're here," Cinder whispers, leaning into the car to unbuckle Winter's seatbelt. "This is our new home."

Winter exhales a little, looking back out the window. By the perplexed expression on her face, Cinder guesses that Winter legitimately forgot they were moving houses and had absolutely no clue as to what was going on. Cinder holds Winter's hands as she helps her out of the car and onto the driveway. Winter looks at the beautiful mansion and garden out front which makes a small smile approach the corner of her mouth, especially since the flowers in the garden match the ones on her skirt. Then the sun hits her eyes and a bunch of horrific memories from her last days in Artemisia flood her mind at once. Winter falls to her knees, hitting the cobblestone pavement and breaks into a cry.

Cinder immediately kneels beside her step-cousin, wrapping her arms around her and pulling her close. She whispers words of comfort in her ears, unsure if they're being heard over her cries. Levana turns around and groans in annoyance at that sight.

"Spades, Winter, we just got here!" Levana yells, completely embarrassed by Winter's actions.

-o-

As the movers finish up with the furniture in the house and helping Levana for a bit (Levana called it a bit, Cinder saw it as a lot), Cinder walks in the house with her arm linked with Winter's. She drags Winter who is putting no effort in her walk. She remembers the days when her cousin would walk with a skip in her steps and now it as though her feet don't leave the ground. Walking on the flat floor is easier for them since there is no effort needed in doing so, but the stairs are hard given Winter's lack and disinterest in moving. In order to get upstairs, Cinder has to walk in front of Winter and face her to take both hands. Cinder walks up the stairs backwards, constantly looking over her shoulders to make sure her feet will fully land on a step, as she pulls Winter up with her.

Cinder leads Winter into her bedroom and sits her down on the mattress. Cinder gets all of Winter's boxes and organizes them by their contents. She looks back at Winter who is just staring at the boxes with blank eyes.

"Do you need anything?" Cinder asks. "A bottle of water? Some of those sour apple candies you like?"

There's no answer.

Cinder takes the silence as a no for an answer and walks out of the room backwards, keeping her eyes on Winter. She heads back to her own empty room and takes a plop on her mattress. Her body is so sore from sitting in the car and after all the help she did with some unpacking downstairs and rearranging the furniture and decorations all how Levana wanted that she just wanted to close her eyes and sleep.

"Cinder!"

Cinder groans at the sound of Levana's voice. She could never catch a break with this woman. Cinder drags herself off of her bed and walks down the stairs, her steps feeling as heavy as the furniture she had to push around earlier. She sees Levana standing in the middle of the living room, holding her phone from a finished call she was just having.

"I will be having a get-together later," Levana says, dialing another phone number into her phone before holding her device to her ear. "All the town's officials will be present, including the mayor."

"Why?" Cinder questions. "We just got here an hour ago. This is the only floor in the whole house unpacked and I think Winter's gone mute."

Levana sighs passively. "This is for work, dear. You and Winter will be staying in your rooms for the duration of the night."

"I'm not a child."

"Then be a responsible adult and put your room together tonight. Do I have to lock you in it?"

"Oh, please do." Cinder sarcastically begs. "It would be my dream to be locked away and miss your royal ball."

Cinder rolls her eyes. If Levana didn't start her next phone call, she would've seen Cinder's attitude. Then again, even if Levana did see her eye roll, it's not like she would've cared. In fact, it would be hypocritical for her to scold such an action since Levana rolls her eyes at her and Winter all the time.

Cinder heads back upstairs, happy that she's now a complete floor away from Levana. She passes by Winter's room and since she left the door open (which Winter obviously didn't close), she takes a peek inside and sees Winter now taking a nap on her bare mattress. The longer Cinder looks, she notices that Winter isn't moving. Suddenly alarmed at the idea that Winter could be dead, Cinder rushes in but stops at the edge of Winter's bed. Thankfully, her chest is moving up and down a little. Cinder sighs out of pure relief.

"Stars, she's a sleeper," Cinder says, backing out of Winter's room.

That light-hearted comment made her stop in her own steps. Cinder leans on the doorway and walks back into Winter's room. She looks in the box with Winter's linens and pulls out the blanket her birth mother knitted, the one with the winter scenery on it. Cinder ruffles it out before placing it on top of Winter and tucking her in it.

Cinder really did pity her cousin. Her last days in Artemisia, if anyone asked her, were awful. Actually, not even last days, more like last few years. Winter's issue started growing when she was thirteen. They were both seventeen now, living together since they were infants under Levana's guardianship. Levana wasn't the root of the problem nor was she the remedy. It's not like Cinder knew any of the true answers that could help because if she did, Winter would be awake and singing happily as she decorated her room, not exhausted from crying and imagining too much.

Cinder leaves Winter's room, being sure to close the door behind her. She returns to her room and finally takes a power nap on her bed. In wishful thinking, she hopes to sleep right until tomorrow but ends up waking up three hours later and well into the evening. Cinder gets up and decides to head out, only to find that her bedroom door has been locked. She places her head against the door, actually giving Levana some silent praise for locking her in during the work party taking place downstairs (which she can finally start hearing all the chattering and clinking glasses).

Cinder huffs, blowing some strands of hair out of her face even though they fall back into her eyes.

"Commonwealth sucks," she states.

I know that this is only the first chapter and none of you will really know what's happening but since I have a good portion of the story already planned, I can tell you that it's possibly one of my best stories so far.

Stay Tuned - What will Cinder do to pass the time? What will happen when Winter wakes up and leaves her room?