Frost on the Green (The Green Girl sequel) ✓

Chapter 2

Caden’s POV

“Yes, tell Skyler I got his favorite snack,” I replied in the phone.

Why did it have to be me going to get the junk food?

That was easy: I drew the short straw. Literally.

The Miller twins, Ash and Keegan had decided that the apartment Alice and I rented would be “the gang’s headquarters” as Skyler put it, and tonight the four of them invited themselves over. After about half an hour of arguing what we will be doing, we’d settled on watching TV. But as it turns out, Alice and I had almost no junk food so one of us had to go shopping. We picked six drinking straws, cut the end of one of them, Bethany held them in her fist and we each took one. Mine was the shortest so I had to run this errand. Alice offered to come with me and keep me company but I didn’t want her out in such cold weather especially since she’s been complaining of a sore throat since the morning.

So in the end, I’d gone out on my own, searching for a store that would be working after eleven p.m. on a Saturday. It took me a while to do that and by the time I found it, I’d gotten rather far from our apartment building.

“I told him,” Alice’s slightly raspy voice announced from my mobile and I heard her cough.

“We should’ve gone to see a doctor,” I commented, wincing at that sound.

“For a simple cold? No way! Besides, I made some tea and I’m feeling much better now.”

I sighed.

Why was she so stubborn about taking medications?

Even after she got shot (the sole memory of that event made me clench the phone and the groceries tighter) she’d refuse to take the sedatives the doctor prescribed her. Instead, she trusted her aunts’ potions for relaxation to make her better.

She must’ve taken me being quiet as a sign of worry because she went on:

“I promise, Caden, that if I don’t get better, I’ll go to see a doctor first thing Monday morning!”

“Promise?”

“I already said that I do,” she huffed, slightly irritated that I made her repeat herself.

I smiled even though I knew she couldn’t see me.

“I’ll be back soon. I love you, my little Alice!”

“I love you too, Cade,” she answered in a mild tone and we ended the call.

I turned round a corner and slowed down as I walked by a small church. Even though it was obvious it needed renovations, I found the building very beautiful especially now that the full moon’s light was shining upon it.

Maybe I should come back tomorrow to sketch it. Or perhaps I should wait until my little Alice is better; then she could come with me and…

“Because I don’t want to!” I heard someone shout and looked around. It took me some time to realize that female voice came from somewhere behind the church.

I hesitated.

Should I go and see what the commotion is all about? Or maybe I should get to the apartment. Everyone is waiting…

“No!” The voice screamed again and I sped up in its direction.

I passed the church, dry branches and leaves creaking as I stepped on them. As I walked, I realized that I was entering a cemetery. Right next to a particularly intricately designed tombstone, I saw two men. The bulkier one was holding on to a young redheaded woman, yanking her by the arm to follow him. She was putting up quite a fight to the amusement of the second guy who stood by with a cigarette in one hand and a unisex messenger bag in the other.