Prologue: The Dirt Road
She peered through the bars of the wrought-iron gate, and wrapped her small pale hands around the metal, despite the cold's bite. She shook from the bitter wind circling around her legs and fluttering through her hair, but she was too busy pulling and shaking the gate to notice. When it didn't even rattle or budge, she kicked it and stalked back and forth in front of it.
Beyond it lay a dirt road covered in pine needles and pine cones, with looming pine trees standing guard on either side of the road. The ground dipped in the distance. Either that, or it was the edge of the world, she thought to herself.
"When's it supposed to open?" she asked aloud, ignoring the whine in her voice. She had every right to complain. It was cold and getting dark. Orange and purple rays skewered the clouds, and she tugged her beanie lower over her forehead as she backed away from the gate, then turned around.
A sleek black SUV was parked a few feet from the gate, but the only thing wrong with it was the smoke pouring from under the hood—the enginewas shot to hell.
"I'm freezing," she added around chattering teeth.
"Any second now," a bored voice replied. A boy leaned against the vehicle, kicking up gravel and sending it flying into the underbrush. His curly blond hair was wind-blown, and his cheeks were bright red from the wind. His hands were shoved into his pockets.
A rock sailed through the air and nailed him right in the forehead.
"Ow!" he cried out, more in surprise then from being hit. "It's not my fault, you know. I'm not the one who bought a lemon car."
The girl frowned severely at him, and crossed her arms tightly over her chest. Her nose was running and it burned from rubbing it too much, and she couldn't feel her feet. Another gust of wind surged between them, and she hunched her shoulders as she wandered back over to him.
She was a terrible sight: cracked and peeling blue lips, pale skin red under the bite of the cold, and her whole body shuddered, her breath feathering in front of her.
The boy frowned, shucking off his jacket and wrapping it around her frail shoulders. What's taking them so long?
As if his unspoken question had been heard, a loud groan whipped through the air. The gate opened ominously, its hinges protesting from being unused for so long, and because of the cold weather.
The girl turned around, her heart beating out of her chest, as the gates clanged to a wide open stop. The wind blew stronger, whipping the pine needles into a vortex as it breezed through the gates. Goose-flesh erupted along her arms, the tiny hairs on the nape of her neck prickled as the trees creaked from side to side, and it went dead silent.
She started to take the jacket off, knowing full well that it was time to go in, but the boy held his hand up.
"Keep it," he said, and drew her into a hug. "It's a long walk."
"Thanks," she said hoarsely, flinging her arms around his waist. Warmth leaked from his clothes and his skin, and he smelled of cinnamon. She breathed in deeply before reluctantly letting go. Her hand slid down his arm to wrap around his gloved one. and she took a step back, then another.
She let his hand go and faced forward, moving stiffly away from the safe familiarity to the bitter unknown. Could she do this? Her brow furrowed and she frowned as she cleared the gates. They swung closed and clanged shut. She jumped, her pulse spiking, and blood roared in her ears.
"Good luck, Riley," the boy said, flashing her an encouraging smile. "Stay safe."
Riley nodded, afraid that if she started talking, she would cry. Turning quietly on her heel, she swallowed the lump in her dry throat, and began down the dirt road.
A/N
I'm finally back, but this time, I'm determined not to let the story slip away. I'm going to update weekly, and not give up when a small error appears. The next update WILL be next week. I swear by the Styx that it will happen.
Enjoy, and please review!