From the Cosmos. [gxg]

xix. when it storms.

Mr. Schultz looked into the sky. White flakes had started to fall around the area serving as Colette's training field. The older witch looked back at his mentee.

"I know we've only been training for a few hours, but we should call it done for now. It's going to get bad."

Colette looked up at the sky, where gentle snowflakes drifted down. "You think so?"

"I know so," replied Mr. Schultz. He gestured towards the house. "Let's get inside before it picks up." He walked towards the house.

Colette jogged to catch up, but when she got one foot indoors, realization struck. "What about Marisol?" Colette said, "She hasn't come back yet?"

Mr. Schultz turned to look at her. "She's not here?"

"No, when I woke up this morning, she was gone. Nevada said-"

"Nevada!" Mr. Schultz yelled up the stairs. "I need you down here!"

Footsteps shuffled above before Nevada appeared near the top of the steps. "What did I do to get in trouble this time?"

Mr. Schultz ignored the comment. "Where is Marisol?"

"She's probably out on a photography excursion. That's what she likes to do when she's stressed about certain..." Nevada glanced at Colette, "situations."

"It's started snowing," Mr. Schultz said, "If she's not back soon-"

"Shit," Nevada swore. They grabbed their phone and rapidly tapped. "My texts aren't going through, she doesn't have service or something."

Mr. Schultz grit his teeth. "Julia! What's the number for search and rescue?"

Mrs. Schultz scurried into the room, phone in hand. "What do you mean, why-"

"Marisol is somewhere outside and has been for hours, and the snow is picking up." Nevada said.

"There's 30 minutes at most before the flurry outside turns into a full storm," Nevada's father said.

"We can't call search and rescue." Mrs. Schultz said, holding up her phone. "She's been identified."

Colette looked at the screen. A bold headline crossed the screen. Her heart fell to her stomach.

WITCH FROM PROTEST IDENTIFIED AS FRENCH ACTRESS COLETTE.

"This just mentions me, it doesn't..." Colette looked up at Mrs. Schultz, who gave a sad look in response.

"Marisol is identified later in the article, so if she's asked for an I.D. or someone recognizes her, she'll be arrested," Mrs. Schultz said.

"So we have 30 minutes to find her," Colette said.

Mr. Schultz nodded. "We'll look for her, but set a timer on your phone. You need to be back here by 30 minutes, regardless of whether or not you find her. Two people being lost in a snowstorm is an even worse problem."

Mr. Schultz grabbed a heavy jacket from the nearby coat closet and thrusted it towards Colette. It was way too big for her, likely belonging to Mr. Schultz himself. "Get going. I'll go as well, just pick a direction and I'll go the other way."

"I'll go as well," said Nevada, "Mom can stay here in case Marisol comes back."

Mr. Schultz looked at Nevada. "Remember, if you can't find her in time, come back. Don't be reckless."

Nevada nodded and grabbed a jacket. The three of them ran out the door together into the snow.

Colette set a timer on her phone for 30 minutes and ran into the forest. She fumbled with her jacket's zipper as she ran until she was able to pull it all the way up. She grabbed the hood and threw it over her head.

Colette wasn't on a path. Instead, she ran between trees, looking around and yelling Marisol's name. The swath of evergreens around her were slowly being obscured by white, and snow mixed with overgrown plants made it hard for her to run.

"Marisol!" she yelled. She could feel her throat ache as the cold air entered, but she continued to scream. Her lungs felt weak and her legs started to falter as she stumbled over foliage, chilly winter winds hitting her face.

A loud ring drew her out of her nonstop run. She pulled her phone out of her pocket to see her alarm going off. Her bare hands were going numb. She silenced the alarm and looked behind her. She had been running straight the entire time, yet the white forest behind her looked never ending.

I need to go back, she thought, I'll be stuck too. Frigid wind hit her like a punch to the face. She took a deep breath and yelled one last time.

"Marisol!"

A recognizable voice, barely audible, sounded from her left. "Colette?"

"Marisol!" Colette turned on her heel and ran towards the voice. The wind dampened any sound around her, and she had no idea how far away Marisol was.

"Colette!"

The witch paused in her tracks and turned to see Marisol with her legs up to her chest, huddled in a small hut of broken wooden planks and branches.

Colette ducked into the hut and grabbed the smaller woman, pulling her into an embrace. Marisol shook, her teeth chattering.

"Marisol, you're freezing," Colette said, "We need to get you back."

Marisol shook her head. "There's no way."

Colette swore. Marisol was right. The weather seemed to be 10 times worse than when she left to hunt for Marisol, navigating the storm would be near impossible.

"We need to warm you up," Colette said, unzipping her coat. "You can take my jacket."

"No, that jacket is huge on you we can both fit, just let me..." Marisol trailed off, bringing her shaking hands to the hem of her sweatshirt. She tried to grab it, but she couldn't get a grasp on it. "I need help," she looked up at Colette, "Take it off for me, please."

"Why would I take it off, you're freezing? Marisol -"

"Body heat," Marisol interrupted, "Take it off."

Colette obeyed. She pulled the sweatshirt up and over Marisol's head, and then the t-shirt underneath. In another situation, the action would be intimate, but now it was just a panicked gesture.

"Yours too," Marisol said, "Take off your shirt."

Colette once again obeyed. Once it was off, Marisol huddled in Colette's lap and pulled the jacket over the two of them. Colette pushed her arms through the sleeves and zipped up the puffy coat.

Marisol felt like an ice cube. Colette took a deep breath. "I'm going to try to heat myself up." Marisol's head shifted against Colette's neck in a weak nod. Colette slowed down her breathing and reached inside for magic. She felt the warm, liquid-like energy flowing through her limbs. She concentrated, channeling the energy into heat, pushing it out onto her skin.

Marisol sighed. "You just got warmer."

"Then it worked," Colette said.

"You're a wonder."

Maybe it was the wrong time for her heart to get involved, as the two of them sat in a whirlwind of snow, but Colette could feel an aching in her chest.

A wonder.