White, frozen crystals clouded my vision as I forced my eyes open, my lashes almost frozen together. I tried to focus on the ground beneath me. I swayed slightly, feeling as though I was going to face-plant forward into the thick, frozen snow that my hands were half-buried in, my fingers having gone numb. I frowned, tracking a blue flash of color in the white, icy texture underneath me, only to realize that it was my nails… My nails were blue. That wasn’t good.
A whimper broke from my lips as I tried to pull my hands from the snow, the stark, hard land cradling my frame as my arms shook and wobbled. I could tell I’d been out here for some time because my skin was nearly translucent, my arms so numb that they almost didn’t feel like they were attached to me anymore.
Why was I out here to begin with?
My eyes fluttered shut again as I attempted to shift myself from where I was sitting on my legs. I let out a small pained noise, raw unfiltered shocks of energy going through my limbs, almost turning me immobile.
Holy hell, that hurt.
I felt my body sink to the side slightly, my form nearly breaking under the pain as I tried to brace myself from falling completely, my dark, frozen hair covering my face in icy strings.
Had I been dunked in water before being left out here? Hell, maybe that was what had happened, because I felt like I was suffering from hypothermia. The memory loss… the inability to move my body… I was thinking that was my best bet and probably the reason I couldn’t remember how the hell I’d gotten here.
Where had I been before this?
Why didn’t I recognize where I was?
Shakily reaching up to my face, hot tears broke through the numbness as they streaked down my cheeks in panic.
Why was I panicking? It was like my body was reacting without permission from my mind. I hadn’t even realized I was upset enough to cry. Maybe… maybe it was the hard wind blowing across my face… but somehow I knew that wasn’t the case. Something had happened. Something that had worked me into this state. The back of my eyes were hot as my pulse increased with fear.
I had felt a lot recently, but this level of fear was something new.
Unfortunately, the more I tried to remember, the more it hurt, a whimper leaving my lips as the back of my head pulsed in pain. Yeah, pretty sure I didn’t need those memories for now. Reaching a shaky hand back to touch my head, bile rose in my throat almost instantly at the wound I practically dug my fingers into. I mean, it was not the worst I’d ever experienced by far, but fuck, it was bad. I confirmed the injury as I brought my fingers back in front of me, the thick, almost oil-like texture of blood dripping off my fingers and down onto the nightgown I wore.
Now that didn’t seem like something I would normally wear.
The basic white slip was tinted with the crimson color of my blood as mercury silver tears continued to fall and mix with the red substance, creating a rather stunning iridescent shade that had me starring with interest. Morbid interest, but interest nonetheless.
I think I was in shock.
My back twitched as if trying to release a pressure that was building there, but instead I hit a solid wall. My familiars and power were seemingly absent from my consciousness as my vision swam, causing me to feel off balance. I swallowed, trying to keep some level of calm, refusing to give into the full panic attack I could feel building. Not until I was safe.
Where was safe, though?
Safety was with my… the word was escaping me. Warmth and large bodies filled my memory, but I didn’t know who they belonged to. A memory flashed before my eyes, just a moment, that I didn’t fully understand but had me feeling a surge of strength and energy.
“Maize,” a soft, persuasive voice spoke against my ear, causing chills to break across my flushed skin. “You need to sleep.”
“I’m scared to fall asleep and hurt one of you, more specifically, you,” I admitted, smelling the scent of sweetness and sunshine mixed with rose. A firm set of arms was wrapped around my waist, and out of the corner of my eye I could see a flash of rose-colored hair from the originator of the