The Ocean’s City

Dalton held securely to my hand, and I had to follow him blindly. Everything was white, and I couldn’t even see my hand in front of me. I waved it around like I was missing part of my arm. 

The raindrops grew whiter, thicker, and colder, turning into snow. Goosebumps rose from my skin, and my teeth chattered. Our environment got so bright it was blinding, forcing me to grasp Dalton’s hand tighter and close my eyes. I had no choice but to trust he would lead me in the right direction.

The blinding light faded when my bare feet felt pinching and numb from the icy floor. The snowfall eased, and I could finally tell where I was. It was a breathtaking site, one I had never seen before. The snow had fallen for miles ahead of us, falling in small hills going up and down like calm waves in the middle of the sea. We were in the open, but about a ten-minute walk from where we stood was a thick, luscious forest. The tall evergreens were weighted down by snow. A lake was straight in front of me, past the open snow-fallen waves. The sun landed on its water, glistening like a diamond, calling to me.

Dalton gently squeezed my hand, grabbing my attention and pointing to the sky. My eyes followed the direction he was pointing to, and I gasped. I was so overcome by the scenery I had failed to notice the lights. Blue and green streaks danced like content souls in the sky. I was unaware I was squeezing Dalton’s hand tighter, basking in the view, until I met his pensive gaze.

His lips curled into a frown. “Your lips are blue. We need to get you inside.” He turned to Hutson and spoke. “The house?”

Hutson seemed very frustrated, running his hands through his hair and shaking his head no. Dalton then turned to Ian. Ian had a blank expression as he shook his head. Dalton sighed, closing his eyes for a moment, then opening them.

Hutson let out a curse, kicking the snow at his feet. “We are so fuuuu—n close!” He started off as a scream, then drastically dropped to a whisper, like he couldn’t be allowed to speak. He profusely bit at his finger and turned from the group.

“What?” I eagerly turned to Dalton, yanking at his arm to look at me and answer. “Where’s Dann—”

Dalton’s free hand grabbed my other arm, giving me a slight shake. “Silvestia!” He snapped, muffling my words into silence. I moved my lips like I was about to speak. This was my friend we were talking about. Wasn’t she supposed to be here? What significance did the house have? This time, it wasn’t Dalton scolding me.

“Silvestia! Damn it!” Hutson yelled in the same whispering tones.

I was taken aback. Hutson never snapped at me. He always left that for Dalton. I looked from his frustrated, almost defeated facial expression to Ian’s. Who simply shook his head no.

Frustrated, I put my tongue between my teeth and bite down hard. I wanted answers. I wanted to speak, but these men were telling me to shut my mouth, and, for the love of Dannie, I would be quiet for the time being.

My eyes narrowed on Dalton, silently attempting to tell him how I expected answers and expected them soon. He kept eye contact with me. I took a moment to appreciate the sparkle in his eyes, even when he was serious. All intimidation I may have had staring Dalton down flew away with the cold gust of wind that caused me to shiver beyond the amount I could hold back.

Dalton looked from my blue lips down my shivering skin to see I wasn’t wearing shoes. His lips turned into a thin line. He took off his coat and wrapped it around my shoulders before kneeling. “Get on my back.”

I didn’t waste any time to climb on his back and get my feet off the icy floor. He bounced me into place as he stood up. “We head to the forest,” he told his brothers. Then, he started marching in that direction as his hands came to protect my feet.

…

Everyone marched through the snow in silence. Only the sounds of shivers and teeth clacking entertained our ears. There wasn’t even a single bird to break our song of shivers.

“Silvestia,” Dalton said after a while.

“Hmm?” I asked over the clacking of teeth.

He sighed like he was struggling with something he wished to say. “How are you holding up?”

“How much longer?”

“Soon, babe… soon.”

I didn’t respond. I could tell by the tension on his shoulders he still had something we wanted to say. “It wasn’t, you know?”

I lifted my head from the crook of his neck and shoulder, feeling icy air consume where my warmth had collected. “Wasn’t what?”

He pondered his words as his feet continued to crunch through the snow. “Wasn’t a punishment.”

I knew I had to be careful about what I said, but his words gave me mixed feelings. “I hope…for your sake… that… that is true.”

He continued walking in the snow, maneuvering around trees and small bushes, not saying anything for a while. “I swear it is true, on the very being that I am. I swear it to you. And I swear one day you will know it to be true with a doubt in your mind.”