As soon as an opportunity to search the forest became available, I took advantage of it. Papa was already out of the house; he left much earlier than normal.

I snatch a violet cloak from it's hanger and tie it around my neck all in one swift motion.

It upsets me how minimally they are worn nowadays. Like honestly, these things are amazing.

I step outside, locking the door behind me. I ignore the pedestrians walking besides me, but I can feel their patronizing stares watching me as I pass. I travel for a while until I reach the forest which Antoine had followed me into the other day. I stop, scoping around to confirm that no other people are here to see me sneaking into the woods on a cold, foggy morning like this one. If they are connected to anyone in the town, this surely would be used to prove my family's insanity.

Dead leaves crunch under my feet as I go down the dirt path. A wolf howls in the distance, taking me off guard. I quicken my pace. Why my father would be willing to make this dangerous passage to work every single day, I do not know.

I have been walking for what seems like hours. The cold is freezing the tips of my fingers. I had wrapped the cloak around myself to try to prevent it from blowing off in the wind. A light snow is beginning to fall, the flakes becoming entangled in my hair. I feel like turning back, giving up on this hike to warm my hands by the stone fireplace, but a sense of worry keeps me rooted on my journey. My father may claim that he is able to handle this cold, but I know that his tolerance is limited. Eventually I come to a rusted fence of barbed wire.  The sign that Timothee had mentioned once before is present here. The words “No Trespassing” are written in faded red letters.

I check to see if there are any other potential trails that may lead to the same direction, but alas they all seem to split off into different sections of the woods.

I might as well come back tomorrow, that way I can follow Papa and see exactly where he goes for work. That also means I’d have to skip a day of the academy…

But this could be much more significant. I must do it for the sake of our family! I tell myself. I turn around and head back home.

Papa arrives back at my house after a few hours. He hangs up his coat and smiles at me. “How are you doing, Elliana?”

I dismiss his question, asking one of my own. “I heard there was a snowstorm today. Does your workplace have a heater or something else to keep you warm? I wouldn't want you to catch cold…”

“Oh, don't worry about me. I'm doing just fine at work.”

I nod and give him a small hug, then head up to my room. But he is again freezing cold to the touch, which only adds to my need to find out where he is going.

                 ***

I watch Papa take off in his rusted old car and wait until he turns around the corner to leave the house. I try to move as swiftly as possible, but also prevent him from seeing what I am doing. Skipping school is bad enough, but he has made it very clear that he does not want me to know where he works.

I arrive at the forest just in time to see the car disappear into the trees. I run after it, trying to conceal my presence behind the trees. Papa seems to have quickened his driving pace, probably not wanting his car to malfunction and give his location away to anyone. I force myself to keep moving faster as my father drives away. But the blistering cold causes each step to be excruciating. Eventually the car exits my line of vision, leaving me stranded in the forest.

But I keep going. The car tracks left on the ground which provide somewhat of a lead to follow. I try to hurry as quickly as possible; the precipitation fills them up almost as soon as they are made. I travel for a while, until something causes me to stop dead in my tracks.

My father's car lays on it’s side, broken. I dash over to it, shouting Papa’s name frantically. Smoke pours out of the shattered windows as I search inside of them, looking for any sign of my father. Then I notice another grave detail. Stepping back from the car, I see that the surface is scratched, lines cut through paint and metal which expose the inside of the car. The seats are torn, too, their faded surface ripped and the stuffing inside of them lying scattered throughout the car. Then I spot large, animal-like prints in the snow. I come to the unnerving conclusion that whatever thing was able to do this, if it even can be called that, likely took my father.

I run. I don't even care about the weather now. I just have to do whatever I can to save my father from the thing that attacked him. My purple cloak streams out behind me as I move swiftly through the wood, following the prints. I know what kind of risk I am putting myself at, but at this point I do not care. I just need to find him. The trees are becoming increasingly more rugged. Many are dead, and some are covered in the same scratch marks as my father's car. Wolves, maybe, I think. But what kind of wolf would drag Papa so far with them?  I keep on moving, until I come to an abrupt halt. I turn and move towards an old, gnarled tree. My eyes then land upon a beautiful rose located in a small hole in the tree. It’s petals are so elegant, a deep red against the white snow. I walk closer to it, extending my hand.

I hear a faint voice in the distance yelling at me. “Get away, girl. Don't pick that rose!”

“But it's so... pretty” I mumble, entranced. I crouch down, gently plucking the flower from it’s stem.

Then I feel something collide with me, sending me into darkness.