STRANGER ━ Jon Snow

THREE

Throwing on a sweater, jeans, and t-shirt, Maia greeted Mrs. Travis a good morning before heading outside. Her memory of last night with her soon-to-be-husband repeated soothingly in her mind as she walked, reminding her that it was her best evening of pure bliss.

It was moments like those that told Maia how special she was to have someone like Derek. From the minute they had met in their freshmen year of college, they were entranced with each other. Derek said it was her brains that fascinated him, but for Maia, she took the superficial approach and fell for his attractive physique. She adored his bright eyes and naturally tanned skin, as if he'd been kissed by the sun. Just like that, it was love at first sight. Although, she would've never imagined that she would be marrying him that long ago. She was too lucky.

But, in some ways, she questioned her engagement with Derek. It wasn't like have those thoughts wasn't normal; everyone had them. She wondered why Derek was the way he was sometimes, though she loved him for him. Sometimes he'd be so happy; sometimes he'd be aggressive, and sometimes he'd be sad - and these instances would always be over the smallest things, at least in her eyes. He had never abused her, but he'd just be .... different than the guy she fell for in college. These were things she never noticed until a few years ago, but maybe he was just hyper sensitive? Maia could be the same way, but not to Derek's extent. Maybe she was just overthinking.

When Maia finally came out of her thoughts, she realized she had been walking down the trail for over an hour. She wiped the little amount of sweat on her brow before looking around her surroundings. The grass locked into the ground twirled around her ankles and she smiled at the several patches of dandelions that littered amongst the weeds. But to her right, there seemed to be one piece that stood out to her.

Sitting on a small hill was a large white-barked tree, or so she presumed, that was so tall that Maia was sure it's red leaves reached into the sky. While noticing this, she felt a couple raindrops fall on her head and she sought under the cover of the tree.

Her hand slid down the strange white bark until her eyes found the plaque mounted next to it. The tree had a somewhat spiritual connection to many throughout the 1900s, where people would give their vows of marriage or pleads for peace in front of it, especially during World War II.

The thunder above caused Maia to jump as she watched the droplets of rain pour down, watering the already-damp grass. The sight of the storm in the sky mirrored the one she saw yesterday with the hole in the center of it, startling her. Another roll of thunder shook her to the bone and that was when Maia decided that she should probably head back to the bed-and-breakfast. She didn't want Derek to worry.

As she took one last breath of relief, Maia couldn't have predicted one branch of lighting to strike the heart of the tree as she leaned on the bark. And she most certainly was not expecting to immediately black out.

•••

Maia woke up to the feeling of soft, icy petals float onto her facial features.

When she had first opened her eyes, all she saw was the trees above. They were scattered all around her, almost as if they were squeezing her into a tight hug. She let out a breath of fresh air, seeing it appear in the chill. As she urged herself to sit up, all she could feel was frostbite on her fingertips as they sank into snow.

Maia gasped and stood up with a jolt, the wind sending a gust of snow in her direction, enough to knock her back down. She looked around at the area she was in, knowing instantly she was not in Washington anymore. But the real question remained: where was she?

Maybe she had gotten lost and the storm had turned into snow. Maia tried to ignore her underlying thoughts that it was spring-time and it was not common for snow to fall. She began running north, screaming out Derek's name in case he was in close vicinity.

Her head moved every way, hoping to see Derek's worried face waiting for her, but she saw nothing but the thick snow in her vision. Her feet dug into the fluffy piles of snow on the ground as she ran. She could barely open her eyes, feeling as if scabs were forming around them for staying out in the cold while wearing not proper attire.

There was no one around. The area was barren. She was alone.

Maia continued to scream at the top of her lungs and prayed someone would hear. She needed someone to hear. She felt her joints lock and blood crust underneath her bare fingernails. She was tired already.

As if there was someone looking down on her, she saw a large pair of doors in the far distance. She hoped it wasn't a mirage as she neared it, seeing the hard wooden doors become covered with the never-ending snowfall.

Once she approached it, she rammed her trembling body into the wood. She could already feel the bruise forming on her side from it, but she continued to thrust herself against the entrance as she screamed for help. There had to be someone inside – whatever the inside was. From the looks of it, the doors enclosed the entrance to a large wall of ice. Someone had to live beyond it, or at least, she hoped.

Shrieks racked her lungs, causing her throat to dry. She needed water. She needed human life if she was going to find out where she was.

"COME ON!" She screeched as she shoved herself against the wood once more. "HELP!"

If it wasn't the chilly air, it was the tiredness within her mentality that finally got her. When she pushed her body for the last time against the gate, she felt herself grow limp before falling to the snow again. She was crying in the winter that surrounded her, and she could slowly feel the water running down her cheeks turning into ice too.