Chapter Two

Charlie

When I first decided to move to Frozen Falls, I was standing at the edge of a proverbial cliff in my life. Disappearing of Colin was only a beginning, and had I know that, I'd have packed my things and ran to the end of the world, leaving everything behind me. Then, after my mother died in a crash, I learned how it felt to be left completely alone. I was lost, confused and aching. I refused to leave my flat for weeks, sitting numbly on the sofa, wrapped in fluffy blankets which belonged to my fiance and watching whatever happened to be on TV. I hated that time. I kept calling to work week after week, asking for a little more time, giving empty promises about getting back to work soon and then ignoring the incoming calls from my boss and colleagues. Then, not a big surprise, an email arrived in which I was politely informed of being fired. I acknowledged that, sent a message saying 'ok' and went back to watching TV.

The fire that started that night had me barely escaped alive. I've fallen asleep on the couch in the living room and that probably saved my life— the firemen told me later that had I been in my bedroom I would have suffocated much faster, because the fire started in a flat next to mine, and I happened to share a bedroom wall with them. I made it out safely, only with a couple of second degree burns on my side and leg, awful cough and sore eyes. Everything I owned was gone, though, and I was basically homeless. I took a motel room and, fighting cockroaches with one hand and typing with the other, I stumbled upon Michelle's advertisement about house for sale in Frozen Falls, a town far in the North. I took the money from the insurance and made the easiest decision in my life— I bought the house.

I was trying to run from my problems. I didn't want to face the adult life without mom and Colin. I wanted to be far, far away and pretend that all this shit happened to some different Charlie, some sad, lonely girl who definitely wasn't me. I later found out it wasn't that easy. The past followed me even to the frozen hellhole at the end of the world in form of my further relatives' phone calls, insurance agent's emails and lawyer's voice messages. I didn't want to have anything to do with that, but, eventually, I womaned up and took care of the business. After filling all the legal forms, answering calls and emails I concluded it was all right to mourn on my own conditions, without constant blabbery of the outside world.

Frozen Falls was perfect for that. People were quiet, minded their own business and generally avoided too much contact with their neighbours. Not much happened in here— I made sure to do my research. They held an annual Festival of Summer, during which they were a little more outgoing and social towards each other, invited some not very popular bands to decorate the event, and after a couple days of relative openness and friendship they returned to their normal lives, leaving the dreaded socializing behind them. I liked the idea of it, and a lot, because I wasn't ready to face people again. Being an anonymous outsider that came to live in a small, closed society? Awesome. Count me in.

Then I met Michelle and things didn't work out as I wanted them to. Not all of them. Michelle was a complete opposite of the grumpy local townsfolk. I sometimes suspected she was dropped off at some couple's doorstep and therefore, as non-origin Frozen Falls inhabitant, she stuck out like a sore thumb. I had yet to decide if it was a good thing or not.

She didn't leave me alone after I decided to move into the house. She asked me if I had any job offers here, in Frozen Falls, and when I shook my head, she said in her usual cheerful way she actually was in need of a barista at her coffee shop. The last one, unfortunately, hated Frozen Falls because it was so far away from any civilization, and she left without saying anything. Even my lack of experience at making coffee was not an obstacle for her and she dismissed my worries about not fitting in, saying nobody cared in here if the coffee was made a little bit longer than it should or served in a clumsy way. Time was among many things Frozen Falls citizens had in excess.

So I thought, what the hell. Most from the money I got from the insurance agency I spent on the house and a plane ticket to Alaska, and judging from the buildings' state, I had to drown the rest of the money in renovations. A job would have certainly helped me pay the bills, and if Michelle didn't actually care who made coffee for her clients, then what was there to wonder about?

I took the job. During the trial period Michelle patiently came to work with me every day at eight and taught me how to make different kinds of coffee, starting from a regular espresso and finishing with some complicated desserts containing mountains of whipped cream and caramel syrup. I got to know her better and learned she's as cheerful as she seems to be. I never saw her angry or tired or at least annoyed. When I asked her that she told me her secret was yoga and green smoothies drunk first thing in the morning. And then she laughed in her pearly laugh, loud and melodic, and I had to laugh, too. Thing is, she is bloody perfect and at the same time, you just can't hate her. She's too good of a person to be hated.

So we became friends, and then, later, best friends, at least from my side. She was damn popular in this town and I was sure none of her other friends understood why she stuck with me. I wondered, too, but not too much. I was glad to be her friend.

Except for the times when she decided play matchmaker and invited me to her parties to force me to meet some new guys. Frozen Falls wasn't a big town, and I knew most of the men she introduced to me— they usually have stopped by the coffee shop at least once, because Michelle's was the only coffee shop in town— so I was familiar with them. I cared for none of them. I wanted Colin back. It didn't matter to Michelle, though. Having her own theory about loss and mourning after previous boyfriends, she flooded me with stories of her own experience when it came to exes. She accepted the fact that Colin was gone and presumably dead, but she treated him like he dumped me or something. At first it unnerved me, but after a while I realized that kind of helped me to get on with my life at least a little. That didn't involve my love life, but at least I stopped sitting in my house all day long, staring into the fire or watching whatever stupid things were available on TV.

It unfortunately involved my rare attendances to parties thrown by Michelle. She had a group of close friends and loved having them over. Three of them lived in Frozen Falls, too, so I was a little familiar with them. Jake, the oldest, owned a hardware store in the town centre. He was a real sweetheart, always there if someone needed help and didn't ever want anything in return. I got along with him the most after Michelle. He fixed my shower right after I moved in, so I could wash myself in lukewarm water instead of ice cubes. Taylor, his wife, run a veterinary clinic and from what Michelle said, absolutely loved that. I didn't know if she liked me— though Michelle said Taylor liked literally everyone— because she was very distant and didn't talk much. She loved animals more than people, that's for sure. There was also Great Guy Greg, Jake's employee, who was a nice person, and that's it. I really couldn't say anything about him, he was completely neutral and I sometimes forgot he existed. For some reason Michelle thought he'd make a great boyfriend.

The ringing phone interrupted the silence of my room. I glanced at the screen and groaned inwardly. Michelle was making sure I was getting ready to go. I picked it up, because if I wouldn't, she'd probably drive straight to my home to check on me.

"Yeah?"

"Freckles! What are you going to wear?"

I cringed, looking at myself in the mirror. I still didn't change from when I came back from work, so probably I was going in jeans and sweater.

"Nothing special. Why?"

Michelle snorted.

"Typical you. Wear the red dress."

"I don't like it."

"You don't like anything except your jeans and sweatshirts. Come on, Freckles. Just once. Please? At least pretend you're trying."

I sighed.

"All right. I'll wear a dress. But not the red one."

"Works for me. You don't have to bring any food with yourself, I got that covered. Elsa baked a whole ton of muffins, you'll love them."

"Okay."

"See you in an hour!"

She disconnected before letting me answer. I sighed again.

"Yeah. See you."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I arrived a little late. The snow kept falling during the afternoon, so I had to be extra careful while driving. I wore one of my older, ethnic style dresses, soft and colorful and made of some bio-eco-friendly-cotton harvested at an equally bio-eco-friendly-farm in the South. The dress reminded me of happier days, when I had Colin by my side and we took long walks at seaside promenade we lived right next to.

I shook my head. Tonight I was not in a sunny, lively city by the sea with a handsome soldier holding my hand. I was in a Northern town of Frozen Falls and it was too cold for walks and I didn't even want anyone to hold my hand right now.

"Great start, Charlie", I said to myself and got out of the car. The cold wind hit me immediately and my skirt swirled wildly around my ankles. Pulling the hood of my jacket down, I locked the car and sprinted towards Michelle's door.

I rang the bell and the door almost immediately opened. Jake smiled at me and invited me in.

"Fashionably late, I see?"

"Gotta make good impression", I answered and stomped the snow off my boots.

Michelle's house was huge. I've been there a couple of times and the size of it always got me. Somehow she managed to make it look cozy and inviting as well— there's bean bags everywhere to sit, soft carpets and multiple decorations, most of them handmade and brought by her from her trips to other countries and planets. It was a total cocktail, nothing seemed to fit well with anything, but at the same time it perfectly mirrored Michelle's personality. I sometimes forget how much I liked visiting her house and sitting with her by the fireplace, holding mugs of hot chocolate in our hands, talking about nothing and everything for hours.

Tonight was not one of that nights, though. The sanctuary was filled with at least fifteen people. The music was loud, but it was some top hits from twentieth century or something like that and it was nice to listen to. Mountains of food towered over meticulously arranged bottles of various drinks. I looked around and I noticed Michelle laughing along with some girls I've never seen before. She glanced at me when I entered the room and excused herself to come right to me. She embraced me in a big warm hug.

"You came!"

I reciprocated the hug.

"Well, you basically terrorized me into coming, Michelle."

"I did not do that. Come, meet my friends from college. Can you imagine they came all the way from New York? God, last time I saw them I was a baby."

"You're not that old," I muttered, letting her pull me all the way to her old friends.

"Guys, that's Charlie", she announced, "she lives a couple houses down the road. She's a great barista, so I just had to employ her in my coffee shop."

"Hey", one of the girls said, smiling widely. "I'm Sharon." She extended her hand and I shook it, her grip warm and sure. "You new in Frozen Falls?"

I nodded.

"Kinda. I moved in about a year ago."

She gasped.

"How can anyone want to move into that place?"

Michelle snorted.

"Come on, Sharon. It's lovely, don't you dare say anything bad about our little frozen town."

"Lovely's about the last word I'd use, girl."

They continued their friendly banter and, probably sensing I'm not too talkative, they simply made sure there was no awkward silence, politely asking me some non-committal questions. I could work with that, I concluded, as someone got me a drink and offered a salty muffin. It was nice, sitting in a warm room full of people, not having to talk, but at the same time enjoying the time spent with other human beings. I expressed my regard to Taylor for her cupcakes and we actually talked for a while. She was not as bad as I thought her to be, and we had more in common than I'd ever say. We both majored in literature, for one, and decided to pursue completely different careers, so later both of us chose some other major. Hers was veterinary science, so she went and married her high school sweetheart and moved in with him to Frozen Falls. I talked a little with Jake, asked him about his business and how was it going in the winter. He laughed and told me he made even more money, because people made repairs all the time and needed his skills more than during the summer. I didn't even notice when the couple of hours passed and I actually enjoyed myself.

But of course that couldn't go on for the entire evening. Great Guy Greg decided it was high time he made his move and swerved toward me, elegantly passing through the crowd. He made his way and stood in front of me, grinning nervously.

"Hi, Charlie", he said. I forced a tight smile.

"Hi, Greg", I replied curtly. Putting my glass to my mouth, I gave him a quick look over. He doesn't look half bad, I finally decided. He was taller than me, not much, but enough. He was well built, but sported a little beer tummy, which was visible from under his sweater. His eyes were of a soft, brown colour, his cheeks smoothly shaved and his smile was easy, even though right now it was a little nervous. In other circumstances I might have thought that was cute.

"So", he started and hesitated. "Michelle finally forced you to come to a party, huh?"

Smooth, I thought to myself.

"Yeah. She did." I swirled my drink in my glass. "She doesn't usually take no for an answer."

He snorted.

"That's true. She's pretty persuasive."

I gave him a small smile.

"So, Greg", I convinced myself to at least try at normal talking with Greg, "you work for Jake?"

"Yeah, uh, I do." He scratched his head. "I'm actually thinking about moving to some bigger city, though."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Frozen Falls is cool, but I don't think I can make my life in here."

"Why not?"

He shrugged.

"I've been here forever. I know almost everyone in town and everyone knows me, we're like a really huge family. It's kinda tiring."

I nodded.

"I get you. Always the same faces in a town like this."

He chuckled.

"What I meant is that chances at finding a partner in Frozen Falls are real low", he said in a conspiratorial tone. Oh. That. I felt my cheeks flushing, and I gripped my glass harder, my knuckles whitened.

"Unless someone new comes to town, also a rare possibility, I simply have to move out", he kept talking, unaware of my growing discomfort.

"Right", I muttered.

"You came here, though", he stated and looked down at me, a crooked grin on his lips. "You're not a small town girl, Charlie, am I right?"

"Uh", I responded, searching for Michelle with my eyes, "you're wrong, Greg. I'm a small town girl to the core. "

He frowned, and I noticed Michelle talking with someone on the far side of the room. Shit.

"Listen, Greg", I said in a falsely cheerful way before he opened his mouth. "I'm not feeling too good. I'm gonna head home. Can you tell Michelle bye from me?"

"Oh", he answered, frown not disappearing from his face. "I can drive you home if you're not okay."

"I'm fine, I have my car", I raised my hand and patted him on the arm. "Just tell Michelle I had to go, okay?"

Before he could answer, I turned around and nearly run to the door. I grabbed my jacket and scarf on the way and put them on before leaving. It was still snowing when I got out, and the wind seemed to have picked up since I came to Michelle's, but it was not bothering me now.

I got in the car, started it and waited for the engine to heat up with my eyes closed and my head leaned on the headrest. I startled when someone knocked forcefully on my window. I lowered my window and saw Michelle, her face contorted with worry.

"You okay?" she called to outcry the wind. I nodded my head.

"Just tired", I shouted back. "Go home, or you'll catch a cold!"

"Text me when you're home!"

"Sure thing!"

I closed the window and she trotted back home. With a last glance back I drove out to the street.

The road home seemed even longer now than it did when I went the other way. I drove painfully slow, as the snowstorm grew in strength and I couldn't see what was happening on the street a couple metres in front of me. I squinted my eyes, trying to tell the road apart from the wayside, but I couldn't. Everything was covered in a soft, white blanket, everything looked the same. Snowflakes clustered into bigger flakes and the howling wind swirled them around in their unrelenting dance.

My home must be freezing cold right now, I realized. I forgot to stoke the fire before I left.

"Damn it", I muttered, slightly accelerating. I suspected nobody was on the road at that hour, plus the weather was really bad, so everyone was at their homes, warming themselves up with hot chocolate or tea, bundled in covers and fluffy blankets. God, I wanted to do that, too, and I kept speeding up. I knew it was a bad idea in that weather, but I just wanted to get home, start the fire and-

"Oh, hell!"

A deer— why is it always a deer— jumped out of nowhere and went directly under my car. I reflexively turned the steering wheel and pushed the brakes, and the car skid on the icy road. I heard the thud before I could feel the impact of the hit- and then everything went dark.