Frostbitten (3 page)

“You don’t have to end
up like your mother,” Mr. Lockhart finally spoke in a tone too matter-of-fact
for such a delicate topic. “That’s why you’re here.”

Not wanting to respond
to her grandfather’s insensitive words, Anastasia stood up hastily and said, “I
need to finish unpacking, and I should get organized for school tomorrow.” She
then hurried out of the dining room, unable to bear being in there for a second
longer.

Her grandfather’s words
haunted Anastasia as she lay in bed that night. From the stories her
grandmother used to tell her, to the numerous photographs showcasing a happy
family, Anastasia knew that her grandparents once had a close relationship with
her mother. Now, Mr. Lockhart spoke about Kendall as if she was dead, and Mrs.
Lockhart looked broken-hearted every time her name was mentioned. Worst of all,
Anastasia knew that it was her fault.

Kendall was only
sixteen when she became pregnant with Anastasia. It all started with some guy
who was passing through Cedar Falls. After meeting Kendall, he decided to stay
for a while, and their relationship soon turned serious. Her parents
disapproved of the relationship, but she refused to acknowledge their concerns;
she was too much in love. Unfortunately, when her prince charming found out
that she was pregnant, he fled Cedar Falls. No amount of searching could find
him.

Kendall’s scandalous
story spread throughout the town like a wildfire. She was an outcast and
couldn’t leave her house without people staring and talking about her. Even
worse was how her parents behaved. Mr. Lockhart was ashamed of her, and he made
his feelings perfectly clear. Privately, Mrs. Lockhart supported her, but she
couldn’t bring herself to do so in public.

Heartbroken and
betrayed, Kendall knew that she had to get out of Cedar Falls. She was seven
months pregnant when she packed her belongings and moved to Toronto. She lived
off her savings and then social assistance. Once in a while, Mr. and Mrs.
Lockhart would send her money, although she demanded that they stop. She
eventually found a job for herself and a daycare for Anastasia, and somehow,
they managed.

This was everything
Anastasia knew about her parents’ relationship and the pregnancy. She didn’t
even know her father’s name. She’d inquired once, but after being told it was
merely The Asshole, she never asked again. Anastasia highly doubted that she’d
ever discover what else happened during that time, but one thing was for
certain, she’d never have a relationship with her father.

Sighing deeply,
Anastasia tossed in bed for what felt like the hundredth time. Being in Cedar
Falls brought back so many memories and, against her will, made her reflect on
her present life. As if that wasn’t enough, she couldn’t get that blue-eyed boy
out of her mind. When he’d looked at her, she’d felt a spark, making her
believe that he was very passionate. Yet, from the way he behaved with her
grandfather and Mr. Stone, she also knew that he was gentle and caring. Despite
the obvious attraction, she decided to stay away from him. Developing romantic
feelings for some guy was the last thing she needed. Besides, he’d probably end
up bringing more trouble into her life, exactly like all the other guys she’d
dated.

The minutes passed
slowly as Anastasia continued to lie there, listening to the sounds of Cedar
Falls. An owl hooted loudly right outside her window, most likely in protest to
the strong winds which blew through the trees, rattling their branches in the
process. As these sounds persisted, they overpowered Anastasia’s thoughts and
soon became white noise. She began to relax, and as her eyelids became heavy,
she finally gave into the sweet temptation of sleep.

Howl...

Startled by the
unexpected noise, Anastasia’s eyes flew open and she sat straight up in bed.
That had sounded like a wolf’s howl, but maybe she was just dreaming. Anastasia
quickly wondered if she’d even fallen asleep, and if she had, why she was
dreaming about wolves.

Howl...

Now realizing that the
wolf wasn’t a figment of her imagination, Anastasia’s body stiffened with fear.
That howl had been near – too near. She’d never heard wolves in Cedar Falls
before, far less right outside her grandparents’ house.

Remaining still for
several moments, Anastasia listened, hearing only the sound of her quick,
shallow breath. It seemed as if the wolf had moved on, but she had to be sure.
She pulled her duvet aside and then stepped out of bed. As her bare feet
touched the cool wooden floor, a shiver went through her body. Quietly, she
crept toward the window and then drew the curtains.

The moon and solar
lights illuminated the night, making it easy to see that the woods were in
great disarray. Pinecones and twigs rolled wildly on the ground, and her
grandmother’s birdfeeders looked like they’d soon take flight. Even the tall,
sturdy trees swayed dangerously in the increasing winds, as if foretelling that
the worst was still to come. Yet, amongst the chaos there was no wolf.

Seriously, Anastasia,
get a grip,
she scolded herself.

Anastasia was about to
step away from the window when something suddenly caught her attention. A
shadowy figure was racing in between the trees at such a speed that she wasn’t
sure if her eyes were playing tricks on her. Then, as quickly as it had
appeared, it was gone. With a pounding heart, she scanned the area, waiting to
see if the figure would re-appear – it didn’t. She shivered while thinking
about what she’d just seen. Although it was difficult to be certain, the figure
had looked somewhat human-like.

Confused and a little
scared, Anastasia wanted to tell her grandparents what had happened, but she
knew that wasn’t a good idea. What if they thought she was making up stories?
In fact, maybe she was. Combined, the moon, solar lights and trees could create
odd shadows, so perhaps there really was no one outside. She began to relax,
even though she was only slightly convinced by her reasoning.

As Anastasia climbed
into bed for the second time that night, the events of the day replayed in her
mind. She’d expected Cedar Falls to be the same small town she remembered from
her childhood. In many ways, that’s what she found. However, not everything was
familiar. She could’ve never predicted the odd change in her grandfather’s
behavior, meeting a mesmerizing boy who lingered in her thoughts and finally,
discovering a potential mystery right outside her bedroom window. It didn’t
take Anastasia long to realize that Cedar Falls was anything but a sleepy town.

* * *

Part
Two: Leader of the Pack

The air inside
Anastasia’s bedroom was frigid, causing her to subconsciously retreat further
under the duvet in an attempt to keep warm. Wind whipped at her hair and
exposed skin, chilling her to the bone, and as her eyes slowly fluttered open,
she realized that something was wrong. Sitting up, she wrapped the duvet
tightly around herself. That’s when she heard an odd noise, like a succession
of small clinks every time she moved. Carefully, she swept her hand over the
duvet, cringing as several shards of glass scraped her skin.

A gust of wind blew
through the bedroom, directing Anastasia’s attention toward the window. Wildly,
the curtains blew back and forth, revealing the shattered pane. It looked like
something large had smashed through the window, and as the moon’s glow
intensified and streamed into her bedroom, she saw dark red blood dripping from
the broken glass, pitter-pattering as it fell upon the ledge.

Suddenly, the
floorboards creaked and then she heard a low, angry growl. Anastasia’s heart
raced as she spun around to see a wolf standing at the foot of her bed. She
wanted to yell for help but quickly realized that any loud noise may provoke an
attack. Instead, she tried to stop herself from shaking as she stared at the
wolf. He was large and black, with piercing yellow eyes that seemed to burn
into her soul. Her stare aggravated the wolf as he let out another growl and
hunched his back.

Knowing that she had to
get out of the bedroom, Anastasia slowly began to step out of bed. In response,
the wolf snarled, revealing razor-sharp fangs that were covered in saliva. With
her first plan unsuccessful, she decided to find a large or, better yet, sharp
object. If she acted fast enough, maybe she could protect herself. She looked
around, examining everything in her bedroom, but unfortunately, she found
nothing that would be even slightly helpful. A cold realization swept over her;
she was trapped, and the wolf was anything but friendly.

Aggressively, the wolf
pounced onto Anastasia’s bed and then crept forward, forcing her backwards
until she hit the headboard. As the wolf brought his face close to hers, his
breath momentarily lingering like a cloud, she caught a whiff of raw meat.
Immediately, she felt like being sick.

“Easy, boy,” Anastasia
said in a soft, shaky tone.

In a bloodthirsty rage,
the wolf leapt on top of Anastasia and ripped his fangs into her left shoulder.
She screamed as an intense pain shot throughout her body, immobilizing her in
the process. As the wolf’s fangs dug deeper into her flesh, the agony worsened
and soon became unbearable. Then everything went black.

Anastasia awoke with a
start, her heart pounding as she sat up and looked around with wide eyes, only
to find her bedroom in perfect order and sunlight shining through the unbroken
window. Although she could still feel the terror and even the pain in her
shoulder, it had all been a dream.

A shrill, sudden noise
made Anastasia jump with fright. It only took her a second to realize that the
sound was coming from the alarm clock she’d set-up yesterday. Nevertheless,
after the unsettling night she’d just experienced, she didn’t need anything
else frazzling her nerves. She quickly leaned over and turned off the alarm,
all the while hoping that her day would soon start improving.

By the time Anastasia
got dressed, breakfast was already on the kitchen table. She didn’t often eat
breakfast, but when she did, it consisted solely of sugary cereal. However, her
grandmother’s homemade waffles and a variety of colorful fruits were too
tempting to resist, and she was soon sitting at the table with her grandfather,
who was reading the newspaper.

“Good morning,” he
greeted, finally noticing her presence. “How did you sleep last night?”

“With both eyes shut,”
Anastasia replied, before popping a juicy strawberry into her mouth.

Mr. Lockhart stifled
his laughter, causing Anastasia to wonder why he felt the need to be so formal.
It was like he didn’t know how to behave around her. She thought it was
ridiculous, and she hoped that he would soon realize that, too.

“Where’s Grandma?”
Anastasia asked carefully, still embarrassed by the way she’d acted during last
night’s dinner.

“She had to work an
early shift at the library,” Mr. Lockhart replied. After a few moments had
passed, he added, “Rose forgot to mention that the library’s looking for
part-time help. Would you be interested?”

Anastasia merely
snorted in response. Spending time in a small, musty library was no longer her
idea of a fun time. Besides, she couldn’t imagine how cranky the old ladies
would be with such a limited supply of romance novels.

“You used to love that
library,” he commented.

“And now I don’t.”

Mr. Lockhart sighed as
he stood up. “You tidy up here, and I’ll get the car ready so I can drive you
to school. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we had quite the snowstorm.”

Jumping up from the
table, Anastasia hurried to the window. She was upset to find that at least
four inches of snow had fallen, most likely in the early morning hours.
Anastasia had momentarily forgotten that she’d wanted to search the backyard
for wolf or even human prints, but that would be impossible now.

I guess I’ll never know
what was out there last night,
Anastasia thought with
disappointment.
That is, if anything was ever there at all.

Located five minutes
south of the downtown core, on a large, beautifully maintained property was
Cedar Falls High – a tall, two-
story
building that appeared too big for the town’s limited student population. Made
from gray bricks of varying shades and covered in ivy that was dusted with
snow, the school looked classic and very elegant. Playing fields and, of
course, trees surrounded the area, with Cedar Falls Elementary and a church
also nearby.

“Thanks for the ride,”
Anastasia said as her grandfather brought the car to a stop outside the school.
“You don’t need to pick me up, though. I can walk home.”

“I’d prefer if you
didn’t,” he replied hesitantly. “Just because Cedar Falls is a small town
doesn’t make it safe, especially now. I don’t want to scare you, Anastasia, but
there may be a dangerous animal on the loose.”

“What kind of animal?”
Anastasia hurried to ask, instantly thinking about the wolf cry she’d heard
last night.

“The police haven’t
released many details, but there have been multiple reports of missing pets and
mauled deer.”

“Could it be a rogue
bear?” Anastasia asked with some uncertainty, still reluctant to mention the
events of last night. If she told him about what she’d heard and quite possibly
seen, he’d either worry or think she was crazy. She couldn’t help but feel that
it was in everyone’s best interest to just keep quiet.

“It’s a rogue
something,” Mr. Lockhart answered. “I highly doubt it’s a bear, though. They’re
hibernating at this time of year.”

“Well, whatever it is,
I’ll take my chances,” Anastasia said, while noticing a small group of students
who were walking past. As they looked directly at her, whispering and laughing,
she knew that she was being talked about in a negative manner. More than
anything, she wanted to fit in, but she wouldn’t achieve that by having her
grandfather drive her to and from school, especially when the other students
were either walking or driving themselves.

“Anastasia, it’s really
not a problem,” he began, “I can meet you...”

“I said I’ll walk,”
Anastasia interrupted as she exited the car. Quickly realizing that she was
being too harsh, she added in a gentler tone, “You didn’t sign up to be my
chauffeur. I know the way home.”

“I’m just asking you to
be careful.”

“I will,” Anastasia
promised as she closed the car door.

As her grandfather
drove away, Anastasia studied the people who surrounded her. She was frustrated
but not surprised to see that the school was segregated into cliques.
Apparently, even small towns weren’t immune to the clichés of high school.

There were the geeks,
who wore scarves, mittens, snow pants, and puffy, downy-filled coats despite
the sunny and somewhat mild winter morning. Excitedly, they huddled together,
while talking about the latest episode of some science fiction TV series. They
were the only other students being dropped off by their seemingly
over-protective and worrisome parents.

Then there were the
cool girls, led by a queen bee who’d just driven her expensive-looking car into
the best parking spot. With long, loosely curled blonde hair, perfect make-up,
fashionable clothes, and a saunter worthy of the catwalk, she looked exactly
like a model. Her obvious efforts to be flawless didn’t go unnoticed by her
friends, who immediately greeted her with great enthusiasm.

Sighing, Anastasia
began walking toward the school’s entrance. That’s when she noticed
him
– the boy she’d seen yesterday with Mr. Stone and had affectionately nicknamed
Gorgeous – standing near the door, unaffected by the noisy students who filed
into the school. He appeared to be waiting for someone and was looking straight
at her; however, his stare wasn’t judgmental, like the other students from
moments ago. Instead, he looked at her with interest and perhaps even desire.
Despite Anastasia’s attempt not to be seduced, she felt her heart flutter.

“Oh my gosh! Is that
Anastasia Lockhart?” someone suddenly called.

Anastasia looked at the
girl who was hurrying toward her and then broke out into a big smile. “Chloe!”
she exclaimed as they hugged. “It’s so great to see you!”

Parting from their
embrace, Anastasia stepped back to look at her childhood friend. It appeared
that Chloe had grown into a mature, confident young woman. Her brown hair, which
she used to wear in two long braids, was now cut shoulder-length and fashioned
in a stylish manner. She even wore a lot of make-up which brought out her
pretty brown eyes. However, Chloe’s wide, slightly lopsided smile had remained
unchanged, and just like before, it still made Anastasia smile whenever she saw
it.

“Likewise,” Chloe said
as she looked at Anastasia. “Oh my gosh,” she added for the second time that
day. “You’re like insanely beautiful now, but then again, you always were.”

Anastasia had to bite
her tongue. She didn’t want to bring down the mood by stating how deceiving
appearances could be. Instead, she forced herself to smile and said, “Right
back at you, Chloe. You look amazing.”

Chloe blushed,
obviously delighted with the compliment. “It’s going to be so much fun having
you around again – just like old times!”

“You knew I was
coming?” Anastasia asked in surprise.

“Of course I did. Your
grandfather told me to keep an eye out for you. He remembers how close we
were.”

Anastasia wondered what
exactly she meant. Was her grandfather asking Chloe to keep watch over her or
to merely anticipate her arrival? Even though she was curious, she decided that
it would be too embarrassing to inquire further.

“I can show you where
your classes are,” Chloe offered, “and we’ll have lunch together for sure.”

Anastasia hardly heard
Chloe as she looked toward the school’s entrance, searching for Gorgeous. Even
with all the excitement of seeing her friend again, she hadn’t forgotten about
him. Unfortunately, she was disappointed to discover that he’d left. Although
it wasn’t likely, she’d hoped that he was waiting for her.

“Um, is everything alright?”

“What?” Anastasia
asked, returning her attention to Chloe.

“You were looking for
someone,” she said with a mischievous smile. “Who is he?”

“No one,” Anastasia
replied too quickly.

Chloe laughed. “If you
say so.”

“Can you show me where
the office is?” Anastasia inquired, desperate to change the topic. “I don’t
have my timetable yet.”

“You don’t even need to
ask,” Chloe replied, linking arms with Anastasia and leading her through the
school’s front doors. She chatted excitedly as they went, but Anastasia had
trouble concentrating on what she was saying; all she could think about was
seeing Gorgeous again.

“Here we are,” Chloe
said, interrupting Anastasia’s thoughts as they came to a stop outside a door
marked
Office
in large white lettering.

“Thanks,” Anastasia
said gratefully. “Hopefully, this will be the only time I’m escorted to the
office.”

Chloe laughed before
reaching for Anastasia’s hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. “I’m really glad
you’re back,” she said with a smile. “We’ll catch up later, okay?”

Anastasia nodded and
then watched as her friend disappeared into the crowd of students, who were
hurrying to class as the morning bell rang. Chloe was as sweet and helpful as
ever, making it crystal clear that she still had a heart of gold.

Returning her attention
to the office, Anastasia opened the door and stepped inside. It was a bright,
spacious room furnished with two large oak desks for the administrative
assistants and a line of comfortable-looking chairs for the students. Potted
plants and cut flowers added color to the office as did the decorative plaques
featuring motivational quotes which hung on the walls.