Chapter One — Cold after party❄️
It was the middle of winter, the twentieth of December, 2025.
Night had descended upon the small European town hours ago, swallowing the streets beneath a veil of darkness and snow. The temperature had fallen sharply, turning every exposed surface bitterly cold. Thin layers of frost clung to windows, rooftops, fences, and the bare branches of trees, while the snow-covered ground reflected what little light remained from the distant streetlamps.
For the animals and insects unfortunate enough to be caught without shelter, the night offered no mercy.
The wind swept relentlessly between the narrow rows of houses, carrying fine snowflakes through every gap and alleyway. It rattled shutters, shook bare branches, and whistled mournfully around the corners of old buildings. The streetlights that lined the sidewalk flickered weakly against the storm. Some had already gone dark, their bulbs apparently unable to withstand the freezing weather.
The street was almost completely deserted.
Almost.
A small girl could be seen making her way slowly along the sidewalk.
She wore a thick black winter coat that reached nearly to her knees, its fabric already dusted with snow. A pair of dark navy-blue winter boots covered her feet, while black gloves protected her hands from the biting cold. Around her neck was a warm navy-blue scarf, which had been wrapped several times against the freezing air.
Her black hair, however, offered her little protection.
Loose strands whipped violently around her face whenever the wind surged, forcing her to turn her head away. She lowered herself slightly and pushed forward with all the strength she could muster, as though she were physically fighting against the storm.
Each step was becoming more difficult.
The snow had accumulated unevenly along the sidewalk, hiding patches of ice beneath its powdery surface. Her boots crunched through the fresh snow until—
Skrrt.
Her foot suddenly slid.
She stumbled sideways and barely managed to regain her balance.
Her eyes widened.
Just beside her boot lay a small plastic sled, half-buried beneath the snow. It appeared to have been left carelessly in the middle of the sidewalk, perhaps belonging to one of the children living in the nearby houses.
She stared at it with disbelief.
"Goddammit! It's dangerous to leave things like these on the street! Ugh—"
Another powerful gust of wind interrupted her complaint.
Her scarf suddenly tore loose from its position around her neck and flew directly across her face.
"—!"
The thick fabric pressed against her mouth and nose.
For a moment, she could hardly breathe.
She immediately raised one gloved hand and desperately pulled the scarf away from her face. Her lungs burned as she inhaled greedily, hoping to finally get a proper breath of air.
Instead, a handful of tiny snowflakes rushed straight into her open mouth.
She froze.
Then—
COUGH! COUGH! COUGH!
She bent forward, coughing violently as the cold snow melted against the back of her throat.
"F#$KIN' HELL! WHY ME?!"
Her voice disappeared almost immediately into the roaring wind.
She straightened herself and wiped at her mouth with the back of her glove, glaring accusingly at the empty street as though the weather itself had personally offended her.
Her dark amber eyes began to water from the cold.
She blinked several times, but the tears only made matters worse. Tiny droplets gathered along her eyelashes before quickly turning cold against her skin. The freezing air stung her cheeks, and her fingers were beginning to feel numb despite the gloves.
For a moment, she simply stood there.
Snow continued to fall around her.
The roofs of the surrounding houses were covered in thick white layers, and warm yellow light shone faintly through a few windows. Behind some curtains, silhouettes moved about—families enjoying their evenings indoors, safely sheltered from the storm.
She could even see the faint glow of a Christmas tree through one window.
The sight only made her more miserable.
"I swear, I'm never going out this late again. Ever."
She sniffed and pulled her scarf more securely around her neck.
"Samantha, you owe me for dragging me to that party just because your ugly crush was going to be there. What am I supposed to be? A chaperone?"
She rolled her eyes.
"And of course, you get to stay inside while I have to walk home through a freaking blizzard."
The thought alone irritated her.
She continued down the sidewalk.
Her boots sank into the fresh snow with every step. The sound of her footsteps was strangely loud in the otherwise empty street, each crunch echoing faintly between the rows of houses.
She could barely see more than a few metres ahead.
The snowstorm had grown thicker.
Snowflakes swirled through the air like countless fragments of white paper, catching briefly in the dim glow of the streetlights before disappearing into the darkness. The wind pushed them sideways, creating strange, shifting patterns across the road.
She lowered her head and continued forward.
Just get home.
That was all she wanted.
A warm room.
A blanket.
Something hot to drink.
And preferably several hours without ever having to hear the name Samantha again.
She tightened her grip around her scarf and walked onward.
Then—
Thud.
She collided with someone.
Her body jerked backward from the impact.
"Oh—!"
She immediately stumbled, instinctively reaching out with one hand to steady herself.
The figure in front of her was nothing more than a vague silhouette through the curtain of snow.
She blinked.
Her vision was still blurred from the freezing tears that had gathered around her eyes.
"If only I could open my eyes properly right now..."
She rubbed at them with her gloved fingers, trying desperately to clear her vision.
Then she lowered her hand.
The stranger was still standing before her.
Realising she had walked directly into someone, she quickly straightened herself.
"Ah, I'm sorry," she said, her voice slightly breathless. "I couldn't see..."