Update as of July 2020 - the first 110 chapters have been revamped and will say so at the start AN. Nothing major has changed. The chapters have been refined and small details were added. A lot of old ANs were removed in this process.
[Just letting you know that this is my first Lunar Chronicles story so I'm incredibly sorry in advance if anyone is OOC. Also, this a modern AU and different origin story with the premise of high school. Every character has a modified backstory which will be explained more as the story goes on. Not everyone is in the first few chapters but they join eventually.
All rights belong to their respective owners.
I hope you enjoy :)]
Winter's Melting: Part One
Even in high school, the school year starts with once upon a time…
Once upon a time, at a beautiful mansion at the top of a hill in one of Commonwealth's richest neighbourhoods, a moving truck is parked in the middle of the driveway, slowly unpacking its contents. As the workers place the boxes in the house one-by-one, a sleek and shiny car pulls into the cobblestone driveway. When the car stops, the driver pops out and runs around the front to open the passenger door. A woman steps out of the car, one stiletto at a time, lowering her sunglasses as the sun basks on her. She smiles at her newly bought mansion, knowing it's ready for her and the girls. 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, sashaying her hips, she points her manicured fingers in all directions fluently as she tells the movers which boxes go where. 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 orders.
The car's back door opens and out steps Cinder Blackburn, who's the 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. It resembles a mix of a bedhead and a tumbleweed. Cinder only takes a few steps on the driveway before meeting the woman's scowl, a look she's 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. She didn't care if Levana saw it.
Cinder turns around and goes 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 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 eye, and her mouth is slightly moving as if she's having a silent conversation with whoever or whatever she was looking at. She was in that state the whole ride here. Cinder hopes that Winter isn't talking to another one of the imaginary people who only exist in her head or wailing about blood.
With that happening beside her and Levana sitting less than two feet away from chattering on the phone, the plane and car rides from Artemisia to Commonwealth were the longest twelve hours of Cinder's life.
Cinder sighs sympathetically as she looks at Winter. She wasn't fantasizing with bandages on her face. So much happened back in Artemisia that piled up and ended up on her shoulders until she couldn't stand. Now they're in Commonwealth for a new start that just happened to coincide with Levana's new job as Artemisia's economic representative for Commonwealth.
Cinder nudges Winter who doesn't budge. She taps her shoulder repeatedly which still doesn't work. Finally, Cinder pulls one of Winter's black curls and releases it so it bounces back on her face. That tactic worked on them as kids. Winter blinks spastically before looking at Cinder with wide and frightened eyes, unsure of what's going on. At least it still worked.
"We're here," Cinder whispers, leaning into the car to unbuckle Winter's seatbelt. "This is our new home."
Winter exhales a little, looking out the window. By the perplexed expression on her face, Cinder guesses that Winter somehow forgot they were moving to a different country and had no clue as to what was happening. Cinder holds Winter's hands as she helps her out of the car and onto the driveway, closing the car door with her foot. Winter looks at the beautiful mansion and garden bordering the house which makes a small smile approach the corner of her mouth, especially since the flowers in the garden match the ones on her skirt. But the sun hits her eyes and many horrific memories from her last days in Artemisia flood her mind at once. The blood, the screams, the horrors! Winter falls to her knees, hitting the cobblestone pavement and breaks into a cry.
Cinder drops to her knees beside her step-cousin, wrapping her arms around her and pulling her close. She whispers comforting words in her ears, unsure if they're being heard over her cries. Levana turns around and groans in annoyance.
"Aces, Winter, we just got here!" Levana yells, embarrassed.
-o-
As the movers, 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. 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. The last thing she wants is to miss a step and take herself and Winter down the stairs.
Cinder leads Winter into her bedroom and sits her down on the mattress. Cinder gets Winter's boxes and organizes them by their contents. She looks back at Winter who stares at the boxes with blank eyes.
"Do you need anything?" Cinder asks. "A bottle of water? Some of those sour apple candies you like?"
No answer.
Cinder takes the silence as a no and walks out of the room backwards, keeping her eyes on Winter. She heads back to her 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 as heavy as the furniture she had to push around earlier for Levana's liking. She sees her fairest aunt standing in the middle of the living room, holding her phone from a finished call.
"I'll be having a get-together later," Levana says, dialling another phone number into her phone before holding her device to her ear. "All the town's officials will be present, including the mayor. He might bring his son."
"Why?" Cinder questions. "We 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 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. Tell Mr. Mayor I said hello."
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. It'd 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 Winter's room and peeks inside since she left the door open (which Winter wouldn't close even if she was awake). Winter's lying down, taking a nap on the 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. Cinder sighs relieved.
"Stars, she's a sleeper," Cinder mutters, backing out of Winter's room.
That light-hearted comment made her stop. Cinder leans on the doorway and walks back into Winter's room. She looks through a few boxes until she finds the linens. Cinder rummages through and pulls out the blanket Winter's birth mother knitted, the one with the crocheted winter scene. Cinder ruffles it out before placing it on top of Winter and tucking her in it.
Cinder pities her cousin. Her last days in Artemisia, if anyone asked, were awful. Actually, not even last days, more like last few years. Awful might not even be the right word to use. Winter's issue started growing when she was thirteen. They were both seventeen now, living together since infancy 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. There's the chance they might still be in Artemisia.
Cinder leaves Winter's room, closing 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 awake 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, 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). As if she wanted to attend that or even walk through to get something to eat.
Cinder huffs, blowing some strands of hair out of her face although they fall back into her eyes.
"Commonwealth sucks," she states.
[I know that this is only the first chapter and none of you will 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]. [2020: Revamping is so nostalgic for me because I vividly remember starting this story and writing this chapter].