I originally planned to start publishing Cinder's arc today but there was a change of plans we're all aware of. It's May and I'm typing this chapter after having finished the previous chapter, but happy third birthday to this story! Three years have gone by so fast and I'm happy and excited for the rest of this story.

(Also, I have lots of news at the end of this chapter!)

Now, onto Winter's arc.

Winter Wonderland: Part One

The moment Winter heard from the weather reports that snow was predicted, she expected only good things. When it started snowing the day her cousin was coming back, Winter knew that it was more than good to be a coincidence. It can't even be deemed as remarkable or miraculous.

It was … there's no time to think of a word. Snow could melt and nobody knew how long it'd be here for. She already backed up her phone to her laptop so her camera roll is empty (at least, it was for about ten minutes. She took photos of the earliest snowfall and has a whole album of snow photos and shots with her Scarlet, Thorne, and Kai).

Luna has winter but compared to The Earthen Union, Luna's winters were brisker and a few degrees colder. They could still go outside in clothes they'd wear on the hottest days but feel chilly.

Now she has to wear a jacket, boots, a hat, mittens, and a scarf. Winter's excited. This is her namesake and she'll make the most of it.

She must.

Winter skips into Cinder's room, stopping at her open door to see Cinder unpacking. It didn't take that long since Cinder removed all her items, tossing them on the floor or her bed. She picks up her suitcase and dumps all the clothes into the hamper. Cinder ignores the clothes that hang over the edge or land on the floor but Winter puts them inside, closing the hamper. When Cinder finishes that chore, she huffs and puts her hands on her hips.

"Winter, I have some bad news about your boyfriend," Cinder says.

Winter's face grows in concern. "What about Jacin?"

Cinder walks over to her bed and digs through the scattered items. She pulls out a clear jar with a white block of wax inside. "He's too cheap to pay for shipping."

Winter frowns amid Cinder's laughs but she smiles when she holds the cold glass jar. She opens the lid and catches a whiff of the scent. Cotton. Fresh, light, simple - just like Jacin. The jar was even shaped like a cotton ball! She can't wait to light this later while wearing a face mask and calling him.

"That's a lame gift," Cinder says, cutting Winter out of her daydreams.

"You just think Jacin is lame," Winter responds, still admiring the candle.

"I think he's odd. Candles are lame. Their sole purpose is to burn and melt."

"You're just being bitter about the snow."

Winter grins as Cinder balls her hands into fists. She's got her cousin there.

"Not long ago, I was in Luna's blazing heat!" Cinder yells. "I was wearing short shorts and now I'll have to put on a snowsuit."

"But winter apparel is so cute."

"It's not."

"It is."

Cinder rolls her eyes. She's not engaging in an argument Winter won't surrender in. She's got her again.

-o-

Winter walks through the door to Levana's office without knocking since it was already open. She steps inside to see her stepmother looking out the window with her back to her. Levana glances back for a moment and sees Winter stand beside her. Side by side, they both watch the thick snowfall cover the town, already making their current view look like a white slate with some bumps along the surface. Tree branches were barely visible and it was hard to tell where the ground became the sky. Even the snowflakes were blending in with the background, it was hard to see them move.

Nevertheless, Winter's in love.

"It's like the world is full of magic," Winter says, stepping closer to the window. When she exhales, a faint fog forms on the window, disappearing in the next second.

"Or snow," Levana says, smacking her teeth with her tongue. "You know that you're named Winter because you were born on the winter solstice - and your mother's name was Solstice."

Winter nods. "What are you doing in here?"

Levana's eyes don't leave the window. "I'm waiting for the Grim Reaper to claim his prize … what do you want?"

"Can I go outside and drag Cinder with me?"

"You could honestly go past curfew if you like."

Winter cheers as she runs out.

-o-

Cinder didn't bother to unpack more. After dumping out her bags, she threw them in the closet and called it a day. She was already caught up with the time zones and didn't need to spend another day sleeping to help her body adjust. The snow throwing her off cancelled the fatigue she might've had. Now she can relax, throw her feet up on her bed, blast music through her headphones, and wait for the snow to melt.

That stops a second later when she feels something being put on her head.

Cinder sits up, trying to breathe but her entire face is covered. It's dark and she feels that it's wool. Cinder grips the fabric but her arms are pulled apart and she feels sleeves being slid on. She brings her hands forwards and pushes the wool up, seeing Winter in front of her, zipping up what ended up being a jacket and that the thing on her head is a hat. She notices that Winter is dressed up for the outdoors as she forces boots on Cinder's feet.

"Oh…" Cinder mutters. "Stars, no! I'm not going outside!"

"Yes, we are!" Winter sings.

Before Cinder could make a run for it, Winter wraps a scarf around Cinder's neck and drags her out like a dog on a leash. Cinder gives up the fight when she sees Winter skipping in front of her. Eventually, Winter lets go and Cinder readjusts the scarf. Realizing she hates it, she takes it and the hat off, leaving them on the stair railing. She'll follow Winter regardless and doesn't want a scarf choking her all day.

When Winter opens the door, Cinder closes it behind them. Cinder exhales, seeing her breath and hating it.

She hates the cold.

But at least all their friends are here.

"It's cold," Cinder states.

"Because you took off your hat and scarf," Winter says disappointedly. Cinder shrugs. "C'mon, Cinder, what's the point of being alive if you don't do anything remarkable?"

"That's a little extreme. I hate the cold!"

"Isn't that a little extreme?" Wolf asks.

"Not at all."

"Are your robot parts freezing up?" Scarlet asks.

Cinder glares at Wolf's and Scarlet's matching smiles as Kai walks to her side and kisses her cheek. Cinder glances over and smiles as he kisses her again. From behind, Thorne pops out while snapping photos of them while Cress swoons beside him. Cinder narrows her eyes at Thorne as Kai smiles for the camera.

"My story is quaking!" Thorne exclaims.

-o-

If there's someone who can convince Wolf to do something more than Scarlet or his own mother, it's Winter. There's something glamorous and hypnotic about her kindness that just makes people want to listen and keep her happy. It's not like Winter would ever make anyone do anything they wouldn't want to do or anything illegal because she would always want to make them happy as well. For instance, would Wolf be caught dead pulling a sled across the snowy roads? Not even the stars could make him. But would Wolf pull that sled for Winter and Cinder if Winter asked? You bet the stars he would.

Not only would it be fun but seeing Cinder miserable on the sled while Winter was having the time of her life would be worth all this.

Aces, it's the best sight he's seen all winter.

"Wee!" Winter exclaims, throwing her arms in the air like she was on a rollercoaster.

"Someone save me," Cinder grumbles from the back of the sled. She looks back at her other friends who follow. "Get me off this thing."

This is ironic but I had a bit of a sunburn while writing this chapter.

First, thank you all so much for 100k reads! It honestly means so much to me that you guys are reading this story (especially when I go on hiatus for months).
Second, because of hitting 100k reads (which happened right after publishing the last chapter), my Wolflet one-shot is out! It's titled Run With The Wolves and takes place during the events of Scarlet.
Third, my long time poll has finally been closed. I have the results and I don't think anyone would've seen them coming but you'll love it.
Fourth, I'm revamping every chapter up to this Wolf's second arc (chapter 110) because the chapters from that point are fine. Shouldn't take me that long and nothing major is changing with the past arcs.
Fifth, I'll be finishing the rest of this arc before publishing the chapters. I will see you all then! (I'd estimate around September/October but don't get your hopes up since I'm only on part two).