What Lies Beneath

In the furious winter evening, In the coldest side of Canada, the city of Winnipeg, the capital of Manitoba— the freezing air that surrounds the whole city didn't give justice to the fireplace of the houses in every neighborhood, the smoke curls from the rooftop, filling the sky. The residents of Winnipeg were not spared by the frigid wind. Their Loud chattering of teeth as well as voices can be heard outside the street as plenty of people are waiting for their bus. Everything is foggy, resulting in slick roads and frozen trees. Even if you breathe out, white mist can be seen along with it. It was a cold winter indeed. Everything is covered in snow, even the vehicles passing by— like frosted cake, they're covered in a thick layer of snow. Flakes of snow fall heavy, as daytime turns into evening. It bathes the houses and buildings with its fine-white veil. Even though it's cold and pale, it maintains its exquisite beauty. Thankfully, the residents had their freshly brewed hot cocoa and a thick blanket to keep them warm, as they sat beside the fireplace. Battling the bitter cold of the winter evening, that seems to be lasting longer. The cold breeze seems to be getting higher every time a second has passed, even the sweater that's wrapped around her body didn't stop her from shivering out of cold neither does her thick layer of clothes. Freezing to death might be the most "understatement" to what she was feeling right now. Holding both of her hands close to her mouth, with frosted lips, she breathed out, trying to warm herself even just a little bit. "Emily!" Out of nowhere, a sudden voice beaming in enthusiasm called her out. She scanned the streets, slowly turning around, looking for the source of that familiar voice— it was Alexandra, her friend, best friend. She was waving at her across the street, a big smile plastered across her beautiful and flawless face. She smirks, coming closer to Emily. "H-hi." Emily responded after much silence, still shriving from the cold air. There was a long pause on both ends followed by the chattering of her teeth due to the cold winter. Her shivering body is very much visible to Alexandra's eyes as well, even her nose didn't want to leave out as it was evidently in a shades of pinkish red. "Oh goodness! Here! Have my scarf." Alexandra instantly, feeling her body's adrenaline rushing out, grabs her scarf that's around her neck as she pulls Emily by the arm. She immediately wrapped the thick piece of cloth around Emily's neck. Emily grew stunned by Alexandra sudden action, as she fixed her gaze on the person in front of her. Emily shakes her head, shifting her focus into the road. She soon felt rather warm, blowing her hands again, attempting to keep them from becoming numb. As the frigid air rushes through her, she opens her bag, pulling out her blue mittens, which she puts on to keep herself warm. Upon seeing Emily's appearance— oversize sweater, scarf around her neck, very bright red socks and sneakers, mittens which she grabbed from her bag, and are now warming her hand, even her nose as well as her cheeks which both are in the shade of red— made Alexandra burst into a fit of laughter. "You're so adorable." She cooed. "Alexandra-" She mumbled, trying to purse her lips to talk yet it looks like she's pouting, which Alexandra found very adorable. She let out another giggle before quickly hugging Emily. Emily stands up, trying to remove the scarf but Alexandra stops her with a frown, insisting that she should wear it, grabbing her wrist and shaking her head in refusal. "Just sit down. Is the bus still not here?" Alexandra sat beside her, flipping her head from left to right, trying to find any presence of any bus which should be or should have been in its way. Despite this, no bus can be seen on either side of the road. However, since it is in the middle of winter, it is inevitable that even transportation vehicles are having a hard time, notably the slippery road, which can create severe traffic and accidents. Only slow, careful vehicles would pass them, but not Emily's blue bus, needed to take her home. Alexandra continued to scan the road while Emily continued to fidget her fingers. Alexandra found it hard to see through the very thick mist, it was very foggy considering the temperature getting much colder as they continued to wait. She could hardly see anything, not even the surroundings around her. The mist grew thicker and in the very shade of white. She did find it odd but in the middle of winter? Yeah it was indeed freezing cold. "No. I've been waiting for quite a few minutes now. It's getting cold actually." Emily stated as a matter of fact. Fixing the crooked scarf around her neck, she rubbed her mitten close together, trying to warm herself again, as another harsh wind blew against her. She then looked at Alexandra who's busy wrapping another pair of scarves around her neck. Must be an extra, considering the very cold winter for the whole month. Emily thought to herself. "Hm. Anyways, It's your birthday." Alexandra sat beside her. "Happy birthday, by the way. So, what are you going to wish for? What are your plans?" Alexandra mumbled, feeling their jaw locking from the coldness, she breathed out while swinging her feet forth to back, waiting for Emily's response. "Huh? Oh, I didn't even notice it was my birthday. Well, I wish to be a good 18 years old girl." She chuckles, feeling the coldness of air rushed through her mouth as she laughed. Nodding her head, feeling satisfied while showing a mischievous smile. "Oh goodness. Seriously?" Alexandra barked, turning her head to face Emily, disbelief written all over her face, she shook her head but couldn't stop the chuckle leaving her mouth. "I mean… What do you even mean by that? aren't you already a good girl?" Alexandra pinch her cheeks, Emily playfully whines, pulling her face away from Alexandra's grip. "Well." Emily bite her numb lips, trying to collect the right word to say. "Well..?" Alexandra raises her brows, anticipating her answers. "I mean, some people when they turn 18, they want to smoke, drink, have s*x… you know, those stuff." Emily explained, fidgeting her fingers. "When they turn 18? some don't even need to turn 18 for them to be confident to do those kind of stuff." Alexandra shrugged her shoulders. "I understand you." Alexandra says softly as she strokes Emily's hair. "Thank you." Emily said, loud enough for Alexandra to hear, making her lips curl into a smile. "No need to be thankful, I'm your friend, It's my right to understand you." Alexandra smiled, caressing Emily's hand. The frigid atmosphere between them was filled with a long period of silence. Emily continues to fidget with her fingers while waiting for the bus. "Aren't you going home." Emily asked, shifting her focus back to Alexandra. "After your bus gets here, I'll be on the way back home." Alexandra assured. "So, what do you actually want for your birthday?" Alexandra asked once again. "Like I said, a good 18-year-old girl." Emily joked, causing Alexandra to sighed in dismay. "Seriously?" Alexandra asks, frowning. "Yeah, I guess. Well, you did ask me what I wish for my birthday. So yeah, that's my wish, pretty simple, right?" Once more, Emily throws into a fit of laughter, clapping her hands together. After good minutes of laughing, she tilted her head to the side, wanting to see at Alexandra's reaction if only it weren't for the blue bus coming their way which caught her attention instead. "Oh, the bus is here! I'm going home now!" Emily stood up, fixing her sweater after grabbing her bag, she swung her bag over both of her shoulders. "Good bye, Alexandra." She bid a farewell as she made it inside which Alexandra replied by waving back with a smile on her face. After a half an hour drive to her house which should be just a 30 minutes yet due to snow scattered on the road leaving it icy. It took a long time, too long, as she felt her eyelids close and her entire body become numb. Shakes her head not wanting to fall asleep on the bus. She thanked the driver before exiting the vehicle and retrieving her belongings. She knocked on the door but no one answered. She sighed, searching for the spare key. Her eyes lit up, noticing the key under the pot. Upon opening the door she was greeted by darkness and silence. She thought it was odd, even though she knew her parents were on a business trip, her siblings should be at home considering the temperature and darkness outside, if not, they're likely stuck in traffic. She decided to ignore it, reaching for the switch to turn on the lights, and to her surprise. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMILY!" A bunch of people jumped behind the couch, there was also on the counter top, and many more places they could hide. Her heart almost dropped on the ground by the sudden exclamation, she let out an awkward giggle. She wasn't expecting it, who would? not her. They started clapping while singing the classic song, happy birthday. Their excitement is very clear to their voices, giggling and jumping around. She stood there, frozen from her spot, still buffering, processing and not sure what to react. "Wow!" She finally exclaimed. She was totally in shock, she wasn't expecting it, since both of my parents were supposed to be on a business trip yet here they are, together with her other relatives and siblings, celebrating her birthday. "Now come along, my darling! Come here and blow your candles." Her mom's beaming voice was ringing to her ears, they were indeed home. She's already happy and satisfied, by looking at them. She giggled, closing the door behind her before dropping her bag. She made her way towards her family, still in shock. Her older sister hurried in front of her, welcoming her with a warm hug "I can't believe you're already 18." Her sister, Eve, laughed. "Yeah, I can't." Emily joked, satisfied with her joke. "Oh, goodness, you like to joke don't you." Eve chuckled, gently poking Emily's nose. "She got it from me." Her dad jokes, moving closer to them. "Why did I marry a clown?" Her mom asks, shaking her head causing the crowd to erupt in laughter. "Wait, hold on." Emily's older brother, Edward joins in. "Woah, if you're 18? then how old am I?" Edward wonders, scratching the back of his neck. "Probably old." Emily and Eve joked at the same time causing the room to explode with euphoria. "At least my height fits my age." Edward remarked, mocking Eve's height "Shut up." Eve mutters, throwing Edward a death glare. "Shut up." Edward said, mockingly hitting Eve in the shoulder. "Okay! enough." One of their cousins said, leading Emily to her mom, who was struggling holding the cake. "Sorry, mom." Emily mutters, scratching the back of her neck before flashing an awkward smile. "As long as you're enjoying yourself, I'm fine." Her mom assured, moving the cake closer to her. "Make a wish, honey!" Her mom smiled, holding the velvet cake Emily has been carving. She stood still, waiting for her daughter to blow the candles. Emily took a deep breath as she closed her eyes, mumbling her wishes. She smiled, satisfied with her birthday wishes, she inhaled deeply before finally blowing the candles with her warm breath. She gently opens her eyes, trying to adjust her vision from the sudden bright light, finding it odd why the lights are so bright. To her surprise, instead of finding herself at home, with her mom infront of her with the velvet cake she wanted, she found herself somewhere else. Somewhere not home, somewhere unknown.