On her way to Cecilia and Eric's house, she felt the cold embrace of winter's touch. Mist blanketed the terrain, brooding over every suface and tainting it with it's evil seed. She could no longer fight the thoughts, she began to remember why she had always enjoyed winter.

********

It was a cold night. Colder than any other she could remember. Suddenly the downstairs door flew open. She jumped from her bed and took Becky in her arms. Becky was thirteen and Amber was eight.

Their father had arrived. The two girls lay in each other's arms, trembling. Their father had abused them sexually ever since their memories could allow. Every night the same case and Becky suffered the most.

That night he never came in, but they didn't let each other go. He was taunting them. The night gave way into day and as soon as they had gathered enough strength, they opened the door. There lay their patron and only parentage. He lay face first on the floor. Frozen over. Winter had been her saviour. Becky immediately ran away, never to return.

********

The unwelcome recollection came with the wicked head ache. She lost control of the wheel for a bit and her SUV went off the road and onto the grass. She slammed on the breaks and came to a fast stop. Opening the little can, she chewed on seven tablets. The headache went. TWENTY-SIX.

Cecilia and Eric lived in a sleepy little neighbourhood.  It was quiet and every bit a trade mark suberb.  Children ran around in their winter coats playing with dogs.  Eric's own child Damien ran up to her.

"Auntie Amber! " the little boy's arms wrapped around her legs. She picked him up and began a little ritual they shared together. 

She lifted him up and moved him as if he was a little rocket.  Once they were both done giggling,  she put him down and he ran to his friends. Amber went straight into their room. Eric lay feverish on the bed.

"I've  never seen anything like this." she sat by him on the bed and placed her hand over Eric's forehead.

"He had a nightmare yesterday," Cecilia began. "he was so frightened but I could'nt wake him up. I had to watch him suffer for hours. He kept calling for you. You're the only one who was always there for him."

"That's  sad. " Amber said, taking her hand from his skin. He was burning up.

"I think it's sweet."

"I had a nightmare too. " Amber's eyes remained fixed on Eric.

"What was it?"

A tear began to leave Amber's green eyes. She had let her best and oldest friend down.  Cecilia was quick to place her hand on her shoulder.

"You did everything you could. " with that Cecilia left the room.

Amber couldn't help but feel guilty. Had she became so busy that she didn't realise Eric's condition? Would she really fail to cure him?  Sometimes the cure happens to be in the curse and other times, the curse, in the cure. She would soon find out.

Her life had come to a breaking point and she knew it.  Her best friend lay in stasis. She, the only one capable of helping him.

Her husband was beginning to get suspicious. He had asked not so long ago about her family. Even William could see through her fissade. She found it hard to accept the bitter truth that she was becoming a bad liar.

In that room she thought back to all the years she spent with Eric. She had just escaped her father's house and he had just lost his entire family to a crash.  They needed each other. After all someone did say that misery loves company. Eric had a little fit then slinked back into sleep.

"Don't leave me," she said, tightening her grip on his arm. "I don't wanna be alone."

Tears that she had held back for so long began to flood. She had never felt so weak. Suddenly she realised how afraid she was of being alone. First was her sister Becky and now Eric.

"I promise! I promise I'll find a way to bring you back," she stood up and turned to leave. "Even if it's the last thing I do."

AUTHOR'S NOTE
Don't you just love it when a back story comes together. Let me know what you think of her relationship with Eric? Will all of this affect her judgement and the case?

Don't forget to voe if you enjoyed.

See you at the next one. 😘