She couldn't hear it, she couldn't hear anything. The chaos around her, the sirens. Her screams. Everything was silent, everything before her eyes was a silent movie and she was a part of it. The protagonist that everyone was circled around and had their eyes on.
She knew though, which sound belonged where. Despite this eery silence, she could almost hear it all in her own head. The destruction and cries, placing the voices and sounds into the places where they were meant to be coming from. She could do it so easily, it was so fresh and clear in her mind.
The girl's legs kicked out wildly, she thrashed around and struggled in the bulky officer's grip. Her mouth continuously opening and closing as she screeched at him in a silent language. Tears of fury streaming down her pale face, trying to break away from his crushing hold. He was dragging her backwards, further and further away. The snow beneath their feet didn't help the girl, its icy surface not allowing her the chance to prevent herself from being dragged on.
Her lungs felt as if they were about to explode. She felt as if she couldn't breathe, as if she was being suffocated. Yet, she continued to scream. She continued to fight.
Evie woke with a fright, a quiet cry escaping her lips as her eyes popped open with fear. She had shot up into feeble sitting position, her fists balled up and clutching onto the covers that were draped over her. She held on tightly to the soft fabric, shaking as the dream replayed itself in her mind. Her eyes wide and full of terror, she gazed around her surroundings. Of course she was still in her room, of course there was no chaos and destruction.
The tight, iron-hold feeling remained around her chest, making it seem harder for her to breathe properly.
The sixteen year old kicked angrily at the covers, shoving them away with disgust to the bottom of her bed. When finally as far away as she could get them, she brought her legs up to her chest and grasped onto them. Her breaths were shaky, her eyes wide as they adjusted to the darkness. Evie brought her hands to her head, tangling them in her messy hair and tugging.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" She hissed, squeezing her eyes shut before the tears could spill down onto her cheeks. She removed her hands from her hair, quickly wiping at her eyes furiously as her throat tightened. Her lips quivered, but she quickly pursed them before a whimper could even dare escape. No tears, no tears. She wouldn't do it, she wouldn't let the nightmares get the better of her.
Slowly opening her eyes, she tilted her head towards the window on her left hand side, gazing up at the partially drawn curtains. The moon was a soft crescent in the dark sky, peeking out from behind the wispy almost glowing clouds surrounding it. She shook her head once and swung her legs over the side of her bed, shifting herself so she was now facing the door. Evie gently scratched the back of her neck. Her eyes trailed over towards the alarm clock, reading the time. 11:10PM, she hadn't even been asleep for half an hour. With a sigh, she stood from her bed and made her way through the darkness, the partial moonlight giving her a slight guide.
Opening the door, she peeked out into the dark hall and then began set off in the direction of the staircase. On her route towards the kitchen, she froze to a stop when the sound of soft murmuring hit her ears. Her face fell into a small frown as she inclined her head in the direction of where the sound was coming from, narrowing her eyes on Jamie's bedroom door.
What was Jamie doing up so late? And who the hell was he talking to?
He was talking, there was no way of mistaking that. He was obviously trying to speak in hushed whispers, but Evie could still hear soft words from his conversation. The gentle laughter that he tried to cover up. And a second voice.
She didn't even hesitate as she crept forwards towards his door on her right hand side. Her lips set into a straight line, her curiosity and annoyance getting the better of her. In one smooth movement, she placed her hand on his door handle and shoved open the door without a second haste.
Jamie, sat on the end of his bed in an excited sort of crouch, his grin dropping rapidly into a look of horror after Evie made her entrance. A white-haired boy sat opposite him on the eleven year old's desk chair, the wooden back pressed against his chest as he leaned forwards, halfway between a story. And finally, to teenager's disbelief, it was snowing.
"Evie!" Jamie's eyes widened. "I-"
She wasn't paying attention though, her gaze was locked onto the falling flakes around her. It was snowing in her cousin's room...actually snowing. Not enough to create a thin layer over the surface of his bedroom floor, it was so thin and fragile. But that didn't stop her from reaching out for the falling substance. A small smile broke out on her face, so small that the two boys were likely to have not noticed it.
But the moment was short-lived when she reminded herself the time and her recent bad dream. Quickly shaking her head, she dropped her arm and leaned against the doorway and folding her arms.
"Do you two even realize the time?" She asked, her tone soft and quiet. She then stared over towards the white-haired teen, biting the inside of her cheek. What was this anyway, creeping into her cousin's room at night? She turned her attention to Jamie, who seemed to be having a small debate with himself.
Jamie folded his arms also. "Yeah, but-"
"It's like, what, 11:15? Jeez, you've got school in the morning...and you," She glared towards Jack. "Why are you in my cousin's room, huh? How did you even get-" She paused, quickly glancing towards the open window for a moment. She scowled slightly, shaking her head. "Right, okay."
"Shouldn't you be asleep?" Jamie demanded, bravely speaking up.
A smug grin appeared onto Jack's pale face, an amused look glinting in his icy eyes. "Yeah, haven't you got school too?"
"Ah, good job Captain Obvious and your trusty little sidekick with the weird hair," She rolled her eyes. "I was asleep, but..." She trailed off, her gaze falling towards the eleven year old's open window. She needed a cup of tea, now. The feeling of uneasiness still set at the pit of her stomach, making her ball her fists as she cringed away from the brief, vague memories of her dream. She needed something to take the edge off of the horrible feeling.
"But what?" Jamie demanded, waiting for her to continue. His voice shook her from her thoughts, and she quickly swallowed, shaking her head once.
"Nothing, it doesn't matter. It's late, Jamie, go to bed. And tell your friend to leave-"
Jack stood from his seat, reaching for his staff. "I've got a name, princess."
As soon as he finished his sentence, she stiffened, her eyes widening for a moment before narrowing slightly into a lethal, cold glare. The uneasiness turned into solid anger, she had to bite her tongue to stop herself from screaming every single insult at him from the book.
"And so do I, jackass." She growled out, unable to keep her anger at bay. "Don't call me princess, alright? I've been more than patient, I've not taken that stick of yours and rammed it where the sun doesn't shine, right? It's late, I'm tired, we've all got places to be in the morning...so leave."
"Evie-"
"Go to sleep, squirt." Evie mumbled, cutting him off. "You don't wanna be falling asleep in class, those teachers of yours will be..." She trailed off, covering her mouth as she yawned. "...munching on your brains."
Jack smirked, swinging his staff back and forth as he paced around slowly. "No they won't, not if school's canceled."
"You're still here, Frosty?" Evie cocked an eyebrow as Jamie shrunk back into bed, pulling the covers with him. "And what do you mean by that?"
"I mean," He stared at her with amusement and mischief. "That I fancy giving everyone a snow day tomorrow. What do you think, princess?"
Evie wanted to throw herself at him and wipe that smug little smirk from his face. His cockiness and general personality made Evie want to throttle the spirit, she had enough of him and she hadn't even been around him for five minutes.
Jamie was practically over the moon. "Yeah! Snow day!" He laughed quietly, punching at the air.
"Great." She gave him a tight smile, nodding once. "Sounds great. We'll wait and see, though. It seems like you've got a lot of work to do, Frostbite." She gestured towards the open window, inclining her head. Over the past few days the snow had began to melt into a slippery sort of sludge.
Jack smirked at her, his sapphire eyes glinting as he set his staff upright, leaning on it. "What, you don't think that I'll get it done in time?"
"I didn't say that."
"No, but you don't seem so convinced." He chuckled. Before either of them could say another word, a soft snore was heard nearby. Both teens turned their attention onto the sleeping boy, remaining silent for a few moments. Their gazes softened briefly before averting away from the eleven year old.
"Well," Jack murmured, barely a whisper but just enough for Evie to hear. "That's my cue to leave."
Evie watched as he retreated towards the open window, swinging his staff back and forth. She didn't breathe a word as he climbed up onto the window sill, admiring his sleek agility. The white-haired teen cast a look over his shoulder at Jamie one final time, and then onto Evie who remained standing at the doorway of her cousin's bedroom. A grin broke out across his face and to Evie's disbelief, he flashed her a wink.
She scowled, pushing away from the doorway that she had been leaning on. "Cute. Now, shut the window on your way out, you're leaving a draft." She muttered softly, turning on her heel.
