Chapter 4 Like This One
738 Words
Xavier stood a short distance away, frowning. "Bella, if you don't want to hike with Sophia, then say so. You don't need to act like you're too weak to make the climb. You used to do this all the time."
Bella had been an athlete back in school and used to be in great shape, but she still hadn't recovered from her injuries!
The wind sliced straight through her clothes, and Bella stopped in her tracks. "You go ahead, Xavier. I'm done. I'm not going any farther."
With that, she turned and headed back toward the helicopter at the base of the mountain.
Sophia hurried after her and caught hold of her arm. "Bella, let me help you. We came all this way. Let's just finish it together."
Sophia's hand closed around Bella's arm, her fingers digging straight into the wound. Just then, a tiny snake slipped from Bella's sleeve and sank its fangs into her.
Pain tore through Bella so suddenly that she shoved Sophia away on instinct.
Sophia cried out and fell backward into the snow. Her eyes instantly filled with tears. "Bella, I was only trying to help you. What's wrong with you?"
Xavier heard the commotion and strode over, anger flashing in his eyes. "Bella! That was way out of line."
He shoved Bella aside, bent down, scooped Sophia into his arms, and strode down the mountain. As he walked away, he threw one last remark over his shoulder. "You stay right here, and you can come down when you've figured out what you did wrong."
Bella fell into the snow, and icy flakes slipped down inside her clothes. Her wound split open again, and the pain drained all the color from her face. Ahead of her, Sophia lay in Xavier's arms and gave Bella a smug little smile.
The temperature on the mountain had dropped to minus four degrees. Bella tried to get back on her feet, but her body was giving out. At some point, her pant leg had ripped open, and one leg had gone so numb from the cold she couldn't move it at all.
The wind only grew stronger. Bella struggled to pull out her phone and dialed Xavier.
"Xavier, I'm cold. I'm so cold. A snake bit me, and you..."
Xavier interrupted her with a cold chuckle. "Bella, if you want me to come save you, at least make up a lie that makes sense. What kind of snake do you think is crawling around in weather like this?" He hung up without another word, and just before the line went dead, Bella heard Sophia's voice in the background.
"Xavier, I heard there might be an aurora tonight. Let's go up to the summit and watch it."
"Sure. I'll take you."
Bella knew then that Xavier wasn't coming back. She curled in on herself and buried her face in her knees. It was the only way to preserve what little warmth she had left.
As the cold numbed her body and she drifted in and out of consciousness, Bella thought about the first winter after she met Xavier. That winter had been brutally cold too, and her hands were always cold.
Xavier used to press her cold hands against his stomach to warm them and tell her, "Bella, whenever your hands get cold in the winter, just give them to me. I don't get cold. You're my princess. You were never meant to be cold."
Now the man who once called her his princess had thrown her into the snow himself.
Bella was so cold that she curled up even tighter. At some point, she blacked out.
When Bella woke again, she found herself somewhere warm.
"Xavier, do you like this one better? Or should I use this picture instead?" Sophia's chirpy voice drifted over, and Bella came a little more awake.
She realized she was probably in the helicopter, and Sophia and Xavier were looking through photos together.
Sophia noticed her first. "Oh, Bella, you're awake."
Xavier let out a quiet snort, his eyes still cold with anger. "You should be thanking Sophia for being kind enough to go back for you. If she hadn't, you would've frozen to death up there. Bella, when are you going to grow out of this jealousy?"
Bella managed to mumble thanks, her voice hoarse. Then she closed her eyes and reminded herself that she only had ten more days left.
- Writer
