"NO!" Amy cried, running towards the spot Colin had fallen through. Bright caught her by the waist and pulled her back, trying to dodge her flailing limbs.
"Amy, no! Amy, stop struggling. You can't go on that ice. Calm down so you can help Colin. Amy! Amy!" Bright shouted in her ear, trying to make her think rationally. It was a futile attempt, as Amy's mind was full of the images of Colin falling through the ice.
Ephram struggled to his knees, ignoring the dampness on his shoulder blades. He glanced at Amy, who was staring at the broken ice. Taking a deep breath, Ephram turned around and laid on his stomach. Cautiously, he slowly made his way towards the exposed water, carefully distributing his weight. He would have felt more at ease if Bright was holding his ankles, to make a more complete chain, but Bright was busy keeping Amy at bay. An important job, because Amy's actions could get Colin killed.
"Hurry it up! Dammit, Ephram, you hurry it up!" Amy screamed. Her eyes were red, partially because of the cold, partially because of her tears, and partially because of her frustration. Her struggles against Bright weren't as forceful as she breathlessly watched Ephram creep across the ice.
It seemed to Ephram an eternity as he crawled across the ice. He could see a hand sticking out of the water, weakly seeking a surface. At last Ephram was in reach. Extending an arm, he grabbed the hand and pulled. Colin's hand gripped into Ephram's arm tightly, digging into Ephram's skin even through his thick winter coat. Ephram gasped at the intensity and the pain, but continued pulling. Seconds later Colin's head popped out of the water.
Colin began sucking in breath quickly and deeply. He was cold; very cold. Ephram extended his other hand to grab Colin's coat and pull. Soon, Colin's torso was on the ice, but Ephram's muscles screamed in their fatigue. Ephram stopped a second, rolling over onto his side to catch his breath.
"What are you doing? Ephram, get Colin out!" Amy cried, her heart beating wildly. Colin was half out; why did Ephram choose now to stop?
"I… can't… have to… rest…" Ephram panted. "So heavy."
Bright saw Ephram's exhaustion and let go of Amy's arms, intending to go forward and aid Ephram. Before he left Amy's side, another cracking sound whistled through the air. The ice cracked again, but this time it was Ephram who fell through.
"Oh, no," Bright uttered mindlessly, watching Ephram go down. Colin, also, began to slip back into the water. Amy wrenched herself away from Bright, got on her stomach and anxiously crawled forward. When she got to the edge of the ice, she saw both Ephram and Colin, struggling against their heaving clothing to reach the surface.
Frantically, Amy glanced between the two, the pressing need for speed present in her mind. Colin was nearer, but Ephram was sinking faster. In a split second Amy made her choice, and extended her hand towards Colin, who accepted it with an icy grip of his own. Amy began to strain to pull Colin to relative safety.
Ephram was trying to tread water, watching Amy struggle. Amy sensed she was being watched and looked over towards him. He had the saddest look on his face, knowing she'd chosen Colin over him, but Amy ignored it, focusing her entire being on pulling Colin out.
Bright looked at Amy, who was busy trying to save Colin. He saw her look away from Ephram, dismissing him from her at that moment. Bright knew if Ephram were to be saved, it was up to him. Getting on his stomach, Bright crawled forward. At the edge, he extended one his strong, conditioned arms. Feebly, Ephram tried to raise his own arms, but it took him four attempts to make contact. Bright began pulling, and soon had Ephram out of the water.
Bright stood over Ephram, who was shivering violently. Bright snaked his arms underneath Ephram's and pulled Ephram to the side of the rink, propping him up on a snowdrift. After he was sure Ephram was okay, Bright turned and made his way back to Amy as quickly as he could. With Bright's assistance, Colin was soon resting on a snowdrift all his own.
Amy sunk to her knees at Colin's side. Her eyes never left his face as her hands sought out his. Colin's eyes opened and he saw her, a faint smile forming on his lips. She smiled back as best she could before laying her head on his. "Hold on, Colin. You're going to be okay; you've beaten worse things that this."
"Amy, give me your cell phone," Bright's voice reeked of urgency. Without taking her eyes from Colin, she reached into her coat, retrieved the phone and tossed it to Bright. Bright caught it and made the 9-1-1 call. When he was done, he pocketed the phone and collapsed breathlessly on the ice, a mere yard from Ephram.
Ephram was off to the side, laying alone for all intents and purposes. Ephram's breathing was heavy and labored; his chest rose and fell haltingly. His nose and chin quivered simultaneously as his nose began to run. His eyes were watery and distant, flickering about frantically, trying to focus and see his surroundings. Finally, his roving eyes found Amy and he sighed in recognition.
Amy was still hovering over Colin, her hands alternately massaging his hands and lower arms. Bright was sitting in the snow next to Ephram, trying to catch his breath after pulling Ephram back to the shore. Amy glanced at Bright, then down at Ephram. Ephram was beginning to shake gently, making tiny indentations in the snow. Amy stayed near Colin, shifting her body so that Colin's head could rest on her lap.
Bright looked nervously over at Amy. The tears were already running down her face, freezing on her cheek halfway down. Her hands tightened around Colin's and she bit her lip. With great hesitation, she looked away from Ephram's shivering form and concentrated on Colin.
Just close your eyes, Amy, she told herself, closing her eyes tightly. She bit her bottom lip as hard as she could. It will be fine… it will all be fine. Just take a close your eyes and breathe… It'll be over soon.
Bright stared at Amy, who was rocking gently back and forth, still holding Colin's head. She was moving her mouth like she was praying, but no sound came from her lips. Bright looked at Ephram. His eyes were still open but no longer staring at Amy. Tears were streaming quietly down Ephram's face, a fact Bright found disturbingly disconcerting. Bright opened his mouth to say something—anything—that might help, but he found himself speechless.
"Amy?" Ephram coughed. Amy's head jerked towards him, but she did not move. When it was apparent Amy wasn't going to come to him, Ephram closed his eyes tightly. His breathing caught several times before he exhaled.
When he opened his eyes, Ephram stared at the grey sky before him. He smiled bitter sweetly as he said, "My ice queen to the end."
"Ice queen?" Bright asked, plainly confused. He got to his knees and leaned over Ephram. He was worried about both young men, but although Colin had been in the water longer, Ephram seemed to be the worse off. Ephram's eyes were glittering, his nose red and runny. His cheeks were bright pink with spots of white dispersed through his face. Mucus was running out of his nose, but Ephram could not feel it as he gently shuddered in his frozen position.
Ephram forced his thoughts away from Amy and her final choice, turning them instead towards his family. He thought of his mother and wondered about her final thoughts. He wondered if she thought of him, or his father, or Delia… or did her thoughts light upon her parents, or her friends? Or even her adulterous lover? Ephram would have sworn thoughts like these would provoke him to blinding rage, but he felt strangely empty. He wasn't sure if it was his body or his soul that was numb.
His thoughts then lighted on his father, and a pang of guilt washed over Ephram. He was sorry he'd been so hard on his dad, sorry things hadn't worked out differently. Ephram was also sorry for Delia. They had shared a special sibling relationship. Even though it hadn't been as close and tight woven as others, it was a special understanding relationship that he was sure to miss.
The red flickering of light was visible before they heard the ambulance siren. Amy smiled in tearful relief. Leaning over she whispered into Colin's ear, "Here they come, Colin. Hang on… hang on." She whispered quickly and harshly, trying to ignore Ephram's small form.
Bright was at a loss as he stared down at Ephram, any words he wanted to say stuck deep in his throat. Ephram's lips parted as his eyes closed, sucking air into his lungs without great success. The shaking stopped and his lips twitched into a final half-smile, half-sneer as he whispered with difficulty, "Cold heart…"
Then Ephram was still, his body no longer feeling the biting cold of the ice beneath it.