A Few Hours Ago

Rowan didn't understand why her little brother refused to go to bed at this hour, but it didn't hurt to use Ivy's idea and take him on a walk. Nothing really happened within the gate, so being out at night wasn't that big of a deal.

Rowan supposed that Jane-Anne wouldn't agree that Atalka was one of the safest places to live. She had an experience that proved otherwise. Despite the fact that Jane-Anne has had several lapses in judgement recently, she never deserved being attacked by some crazy neighbor.

Last year was a blur. The attack. Carter. Jane-Anne's betrayal. Three best friends irreversibly broken.

Rowan's little brother, Charlie, ran ahead of her so he could get to his favorite swing. There wasn't any competition for it, but that didn't stop his determination. Rowan laughed to herself before sitting down on a bench just below a streetlight, keeping a watchful eye on the swings.

As she finally settled down, Rowan's phone rang, startling her.

"Jane-Anne?" Rowan asked, seeing the name flash on her screen. That was the very last person she expected. "Hello?"

"Hi Rowan." Jane-Anne's voice sounded tired.

"Why are you calling me?" Rowan asked. The words came out a bit harsher than expected, but she couldn't help it.

"I think I screwed up." Jane-Anne confessed. "I'm trying to please people and somehow it makes everything worse. I just need..." She trailed off. "I want to fix everything, but I don't know what to do."

"You're asking the wrong person," said Rowan. "Get some sleep." She had no idea where this was coming from, but Jane-Anne always acted on her first thought. She was all desperate instinct and absolutely no logic.

"I can't." Jane-Anne complained. "I have a headache." Rowan could care less about Jane-Anne's headache right now, but didn't have the heart to hang up. "What happened to us?" Jane-Anne continued. "We were best friends."

"Let's review, shall we?" Rowan asked, starting to get annoyed. "You told me that I hover, but you're perfectly fine with Kiara and Taylor nearly suffocating you all the time; you can't keep a single thought to yourself, and just a few days ago you started a rumor against Ivy because she exchanged three words with your crush. Do you want me to go on?"

"Okay, I think I get it." said Jane-Anne.

"Everything that you do contradicts something else." Rowan continued. "I mean, who are you without someone telling you what to think? First it was me and Carter, but then you decided to distribute those flyers all over the school-"

"That wasn't me!" Jane-Anne nearly shouted.

"So you say." said Rowan, unimpressed. "It doesn't matter. I don't know who you are sometimes, and we practically grew up together."

"I didn't know that you thought that." Jane-Anne mused quietly. She sounded like she was going to start crying.

"Are you okay?" Rowan asked, regretting her outburst.

"I'm sorry, it's the headache," said Jane-Anne. "But you're right. What should I do?"

"I don't know." said Rowan, massaging her forehead. "Maybe you should talk to Ivy. Then you can work your way up to Carter."

"Carter's never going to forgive me," said Jane-Anne. "It would take something seriously dramatic. Do I have to get attacked again?"

"That's not what I'm saying at all." said Rowan. "I'm just saying that you need to be patient." Patience wasn't Jane-Anne's strong suit, but Rowan didn't see any other way for Carter to come around besides time.

"I've been patient!" said Jane-Anne. "We're going to graduate by the time everything works out. And you're probably not applying to Evergreen anymore."

"I totally forgot about that," said Rowan. Carter, Rowan, and Jane-Anne had all promised to go to Evergreen University together, but that felt like forever ago.

"It's okay," said Jane-Anne. "I get it."

"Jane-Anne?" Rowan asked. She couldn't believe that she was actually going to bring this up, but maybe Jane-Anne had a right to know. "People are talking about Kiara and Taylor. Haven't you noticed that they act a little odd?"

"No." Jane-Anne admitted.

"They barely ever let you out of their sight, and it feels weird. Taylor became friends with you right after the attack and Kiara moved to Atalka a couple weeks later and... just take a look at the people who are surrounding you. They might not be who you think they are." Rowan advised. She wanted to say more about her distrust, but something stopped her. "And take some Ibuprofen or something." She added instead.

"Since we're warning each other," said Jane-Anne, "Ivy's real name is Lena. I don't know why, but she isn't telling us something. It could be nothing... but it's a little weird."

"Did you ask her about it?" Rowan asked.

"Well..." Jane-Anne trailed off. "I kinda insinuated that I knew. From far away."

"That sounds a little creepy," said Rowan.

"Oh." said Jane-Anne. "Yeah, I think I see that now."

"I'd clear that up right away." Rowan advised. "And, if it makes you feel better, I can ask Ivy or Lena what's going on." She sighed. Rowan had held a grudge against Jane-Anne for a while, but right now it all felt stupid. "Just go to bed. Maybe your head will feel better in the morning."

"Maybe." Jane-Anne echoed. "I should go. Tell Charlie I said hi." The phone hung up, and Rowan stared at the screen wistfully. Maybe she missed her friend more than she wanted to admit.

Rowan looked back up at the swings, but they were completely empty. Charlie was nowhere to be seen, but one of the swings was still moving. "Charlie?" Rowan asked nervously. "It's time to go." She couldn't hear Charlie at all, just the creaking swing.

"Charlie?" Rowan asked, putting her phone away. She walked to the swing set and grabbed the moving swing, forcing the noise to stop. "Not funny!" She called.

Nothing.

"Charlie?" Rowan called again, unable to hide the fear in her voice. She could feel a chill creep down her spine. Rowan turned to see a woman, hauntingly beautiful. The woman smiled, her thin pink lips inviting Rowan closer. "What are you?" Rowan asked as the wind around her began to stir.

The pale woman tilted her head to the side, and between the folds of her long white gown, Rowan could see her brother, locked in the woman's embrace.

"Charlie!" Rowan yelled, running forward.

Charlie only smiled, his arms cheerfully wrapped around the stranger. The wind picked up the long white fabric of the woman's gown, dancing with the snowflakes that crowded the air. When the wind and snow finally died, Charlie had vanished.

"What did you do with him?" Rowan demanded, dangerously close to the woman. Without thinking, Rowan yanked the white fabric, desperately hoping she could find her brother again. The woman didn't expect Rowan's aggression, and disappeared in a torrent of wind and snow.

The force knocked Rowan backwards, and she felt her body slam onto the grass. Shivering uncontrollably, Rowan slowly pulled herself back up. The wind began to grow stronger again, and Rowan scanned the park frantically.

"Charlie!" Rowan called desperately to the sky. She didn't hear a response, but when her eyes were level again, the woman was right in front of her. All Rowan could see was pale skin, black eyes, and a vacant smile. Rowan yelped in fright and tried to run away, but the world was getting colder and colder.

Rowan tried to climb a tree, but the cold had numbed her limbs. She reached for a branch, but it was suddenly covered in frost. Without warning, the frost expanded around her hand, forming a small cage of ice. Rowan tried to yank her hand away, but the ice kept her trapped. Meanwhile, the woman approached her, unfazed. Rowan glanced between the woman and her hand, panicked. Finally, the ice shattered painfully and her hand came free.

"Help!" Rowan screeched desperately, searching for another person. She hugged her hand tightly to her chest, trying to ignore the burning pain.

The woman appeared before her again, still indifferent. Rowan pried off a shoe and threw it straight at her face. The woman barely responded, but ice began to crawl up Rowan's legs, pinning her feet in place. Thin, needle-like fingers combed through her hair, covering Rowan's head in frost.

"Why?" Rowan whispered weakly. The woman hugged her tightly in an inescapable embrace. Rowan tried to scream, but the cold had frozen her mouth shut.

Just like that, there was silence.

From a few yards away, the giggling of a boy was audible. "Rowan?" The innocent voice of Charlie called. "I'm here!" Charlie looked around the park, but he couldn't find his sister anywhere. The only thing he saw was a silhouette of someone laying down.

"Excuse me? You aren't supposed to be here." Charlie explained. He walked closer to the slumped figure. "Hello?" Charlie called. "You have to wake up."

Deviously, Charlie grabbed a stick and poked the figure, but they were frozen solid. Charlie frowned, confused. He reached down and gently flipped the person over. They were so cold that it made his hands hurt. Charlie looked at the face of the fallen person and recognized Rowan.

"Rowan?" Charlie asked. "Why are you cold?" Charlie knelt down and inspected her. She was still frozen solid, fear instilled in her eyes. "Why are you lying down, Rowan?" Charlie asked. "You need to wake up."

Charlie stared at his sister, who didn't respond. "Wake up, wake up, wake up!" Charlie exclaimed, but still nothing. "Please wake up." Charlie whispered.

A tear fell onto Rowan's body and clinked onto the grass, a small orb of ice.

A/N: Our mysterious killer strikes again.

QOTD: What do you think is going to happen now that someone within the gate has been attacked?