Frostbound Hearts

a's

fell into an

hat?" someo

e ans

louder. The figure behind the mirror moved closer, pre

their nervous laughter fad

mirror

lroom. Students screamed and threw up their arms to shield themselves from the fly

led out of the

n't make sense of wh

twisted in ways that shouldn't have been possible, long limbs dragging ac

it sc

ike dozens of voices crying out at once, their p

ill racing through

s er

cape. Someone slammed into Isla's shoulder before disappearing into the cr

, barely missing a student who s

un

ne sh

ne needed

rightened faces disappearing into the chaos. Students pushed past

t across

of wind slammed

t streaked th

made any

gh it as though they wer

ned around

reature turne

lue eyes lock

er body screamed th

o

ure charged. Time seemed to slow, people screamed around

a could

fear stole the air from her lungs as the creat

tinct to

nct she'd spen

ger than anything she had felt in years. It spread benea

choose to u

hose

rst from her out

tone in shimmering white. The creature stopped instantly as frost climbed over its

oment...everything s

frost di

f ice. In seconds, it spread over the ceiling, wrapped itself around ta

fting gently t

rom every corn

students wrapped their arms around thems

at her tre

led deep in

t supposed

f she could control it no matter how frightened she became. Yet now, wit

o.

before she even re

continued

ls slowly emerged around her wrists, glowing through her

l, elegant and abs

sp swept throug

ame si

inary s

r, when no one quite knows what they're looking at

he room was tur

pair o

seemed to s

same symbols she'd spent years hiding. The same symbols people fear

secret had

htmare had be

ned trapped inside

one spoke and n

inst her until it becam

ad to

o

anyone started asking questions she co

king, Isla t

y members rushing into the ballroom. By the time she burst through the doors, peo

idn't

pus. Her boots crunched against the frozen ground, her lungs bu

uldn't

have to face what

e had sworn never to reveal. The

hard to bury had been exp

f hidin

, lanterns, and falling snow melted together a

ew she had

way as p

den from the crowds gathering around the ballroom. She bent forward, struggling to catc

panic

her face, trying to steady the

that crea

everyone else and c

the truth now that half the aca

, she heard a crunch echo

a f

as every muscle

e was

se some

ballroom, she should have known

, she

omach

a

hands resting at his sides as sn

of the

y sound was the wind sweep

et out a s

he'd been running jus

run f

tared

hing he could

his ope

do you

humour disappear

to talk

N

sl

on

caught her

ely familiar, as though she'd heard

easy chill do

eas

thing differen

onfid

ch

erat

her he

n't tru

y wasn't read

y rooted her

g that felt dangero

ep forward, making sure

t those sym

le the air fr

o.

aped before she

uldn'

supposed

one

ld her

he'd met him, every trace

as no a

asy

iet ser

con

y f

an Eve

ed like a blow

world tilt ben

ight suddenly felt unnaturally still, as tho

t wasn't hear

zing he wasn

k

ment, neither

es off her, Cas slowly reac

pulse q

d, she didn't know what

unfolded s

g worn w

andled with su

otog

photograph

d almost immediately, col

icture of