Chapter 5 - The Glass Barrier
The snow melted against her warm skin.
Within seconds, the water turned back to ice, freezing her dress to her legs.
She scrambled to her feet.
The wind cut right through the thin red fabric.
She threw herself against the heavy wooden doors.
Her bare fists pounded on the wood.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The sound was instantly swallowed by the roaring wind.
She pressed her face against the decorative glass.
Inside, she could see the old man carrying the boy up the grand, glowing staircase.
They didn't look back.
Her breath plumed into the air, fogging the glass.
Her lips were already turning a pale, bruised purple.
"Let me back inside!"
Her voice cracked, raw and pathetic.
She clawed at the brass handle.
It didn't yield a millimeter.
The cold was no longer just on her skin.
It was sinking into her joints, making her fingers stiff and clumsy.
She sank to her knees.
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The snow soaked through the skirt of her dress, heavy and suffocating.
She wrapped her arms around herself, shivering violently.
