ora

the gate and moved into the tree line, keeping my body low

sight during yard time had hardwired my bra

decorative iron fence met a thick stone wall. I turned sideways, scraping

led with dozens of expensive white rose bushes, all blooming pe

eltered from the brutal winter storm. My lips

cross the snow-covered grass, approaching the massi

caused a thin layer of condensation

from the cold. I pressed my palm flat against the gl

ing on the scene inside. M

s living room, a massive stone firepla

s laughing, holding a little boy with bright blonde hair on his

lear giggle, grabbing handf

he tilted his head back, his face glowing wit

eached into my chest and crushed my heart into dust. Julian had always told

a dead branch buried under the snow,

from the kitchen area, holding two mugs of hot cocoa

ard the firelight. It w

lip, biting so hard that the metallic

nded him a mug, then naturally an

sed his lips against Clara's in

ping his hands. They looked exactly like a modern oi

and I slammed my hands onto the stone ledge of the w

gainst the rough stone,

blains, the skin peeling and ugly. Then I looked back thr

ger sat a massive, f

d showed me three years ago. The ring

ixed together into a toxic sludge, pumping t

inst the freezing brick wall of the hous

n my cheeks, but the freezing wind turned the

ng hard against my own flesh to trap the p

ck of a heavy metal loc

ing spot, was opening. Heavy footsteps crunched into

er my mouth, my eyes wide wi

ely cannot let them see me a