The Shadow of Winter

Chapter 3

        "Bye (Name), see you at school tomorrow!"

        The door slammed shut after (Friend)'s wave, and (Name) was now left alone on the porch. She suppressed a shiver, blowing on her hands to warm them up before the walk home.

        Just like yesterday, it was cold. Every day the weather seemed to grow more frigid, and at the moment it was worse than ever since it had lightly snowed during the night. Usually snow meant warmer air, as thick and fluffy clouds trapped in the heat, but with the clouds having been blown away by the windstorm the sky was clear and blue.

        Sticking her hands in the pockets of her jacket, the girl set off home. She had called earlier to tell her parents she would arrive after eating dinner with her friend. Mikay had been long gone by then—picked up just before lunchtime by a disgruntled cousin who complained about having to drive without proper winter tires. Before she left she had given both (Friend) and (Name) a hug. (Name) had beamed with the addition of a new friend.

        As she was a quiet girl, she usually had a tough time getting others to warm up to her. That was the reason why she became so familiar with (Friend); relying on her friendship to chase away the loneliness that occasionally settled in her heart. Nightly walks helped as well.

        Detective Vector had said to obey the curfew, unfortunately.

        (Name) opened the front door to her home without bothering to knock. Her nose flared when struck with the delicious smell of rotisserie chicken, causing regret to surface for the large meal at her friend's house. "I'm back," she called through a watering mouth.

        "We're at the table," her mother's voice came from the next room. "If you're still hungry you can have some chicken and vegetables. Don't take the green beans though, Dad messed them up."

        "They're fine," said a male in a gruff tone.

        The chicken was tempting, but (Name) pushed aside the false sense of hunger and sat at the dinner table with only a glass of water. She sighed inaudibly, happy to be with her family now that the murder case was in the hands of the authorities. A small part of her wanted to tell of the recent adventure to her parents and younger sibling, however, that would mean her curfew violation would be discovered. She would be grounded for sure.

        "Can I get some more if she's not having any?" (Name)'s brother, (Brother), asked with his eyes already targeting the next piece of his meal. After receiving approval the boy stabbed a hefty chunk of white meat and brought it to his mouth, quickly consuming it while making rude noises.

        Covering her ears, (Name) looked at the oblivious parents with a face of disgust. "Dad, make him stop!" The man only shifted in his seat to let out the low sound of flatulence. "I'm going to my room," she suddenly stood up. "Bye." She left behind the uncontained laughter of her father and brother as they were scolded for improper manners.

        "Finish your homework tonight," Dad yelled as (Name) ascended the staircase. "Don't think I didn't see that report card!"

        An exasperated groan left her before she closed the bedroom door.

        When the sun lazily rose the next morning, sparkling in the reflections of the tiny frost particles, the inhabitants of (Hometown) knew this would be an ordinary day. For them, perhaps—but for the girl who had been trapped in her room all night, not so much.

        The school hours passed without much notice. Morning classes were tolerated because the majority of the student body were drowsy and shuffling along on heavy feet. Nobody paid mind to the snow and mud being tracked through the halls, soiling the thin layer of carpet covering old wooden boards. This was the first winter (Name) spent in the high school, as she was a freshman, and she expected the following years to be similar.