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I had seen everything. I had seen the girl run through the woods from something I didn't know. I had seen her trip and fall. And I looked at her slumped against the rock that she had hit her head on. I knew that she would freeze to death if I left her here. I didn't want to be responsible for leaving her to die. Well, that much was obvious. I could keep walking, but something wouldn't let me. I made my decision.
I knew that my parents wouldn't be happy with me taking a human home, but what else could I do?
I walked forward slowly. Nearing the girl, I could see that her skin was already turning gray with cold. Me? I could feel no cold. I was immune to it. Perhaps it was because my skin was already cold as ice.
I knelt down by the girl, slipping my arm behind her and savoring the feeling of warmth radiating from her body. Warmth was something I did without.
She barely stirred as I lifted her easily into my arms and turned back into the forest.
As I walked, she shifted and her arm slipped around my neck. I stiffened slightly, but then got a hold on myself. What was wrong with me?
I could feel her heart beating against my chest. The girl relaxed once more, and I continued my brisk pace through the snow to my home.
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I opened my eyes to see dark canopy cloth above me. I sat up with a great effort; my head ached and throbbed and my body was stiff. It took me a moment to realize that my hair had been brushed and parted into two ponytails. I was wearing a black dress.
My breathing became fast and agitated. Where was I? What had happened? Who had brought me here? And also, why was I in a dress?
I decided that I was going to have to make a run for it. I could see the door, and nobody was coming in. I slid out of the bed and started for the door.
Before I could reach it, a boy of breathtaking beauty entered. He smiled at me, and it was if my heart had been connected to an electric charger. I smiled back tentatively, my heart pounding as if I had just run a marathon.
"Good, you're awake." he said. I inhaled sharply. If his unexplainable beauty had made me slightly dizzy, I was now spinning like a top. It was his voice. It slipped from his lips like honey, soft and velvety; I had never heard a more intoxicating voice.
"W-what?" I stammered, trying to screw my head back on straight.
"I said, 'I'm glad you're awake.'" He said, walking over to me. "You tripped and hit your head, so I brought you here."
Great. He had seen that? I could feel a warm blush creeping up my neck.
"Come on downstairs, you're probably hungry. By the way, I'm Ian."
"Erika." I said hoarsly.
"Nice to meet you awake, Erika." Ian touched my hand. I gasped in shock and flinched away. His hand was as cold as ice.
His heartwrenching grin vanished.
"Sorry," he murmured, looking down.
"No, I'm fine." I said quickly. He seemed to make an attempt at a smile, but it came out a grimace. He beckoned me to follow him.
We stepped out of the room and I found myself on a snow-covered balcony. I stopped, looking around. Nothing but forest stretched out in front of me. How had he managed to carry me all that way?
Ian looked around at me. I realized that he was already at the staircase. I blushed and hurried forward. In my haste, I stumbled over the hem of my dress and tripped.
Ian grabbed my shoulders, steadying me. I tried hard to repress a shiver. Why was he so cold?
At the bottom of the stairs, I stopped dead yet again. Three people were standing there, and they turned to look at me as I entered the room. I stared. Every one of them was as stunningly drop-dead gorgeous as Ian was.
"Erika, this is my family." I smiled weakly at them.
Ian's mother (at least I thought that's who she was) didn't smile. In fact, she didn't give any sign that she had noticed me at all. She just stared at a point somewhere over my shoulder.
Ian's father nodded politely at me. I breathed a small sigh of relief.
I turned to look at the girl standing between them, and almost fell over backwards. She was grinning from ear to ear at me, and as I looked at her, her smile got even bigger.
"Ian, I need to talk to you for a minute."
I glanced over at Ian's mother, and winced. She was glaring at me with utmost hatred.