The Wait
Short breaths unfurled from her mouth in wisps of translucent white. She shivered, her bony shoulders shaking, nearly rattling against the molding wall behind. Her eyes wandered...From the thick blanket of snow- a patchwork of white and shades of blue. To the canopy of trees right above, the branches stretching out towards each other. To the sky, peeking from in between the branches, the stars beaming down at her. A high-pitched yelp…. And her gaze dropped to the wolves. They were chasing each other's tails, biting and scratching. She heard a low, pathetic whimper from one of the wolves. A husky chuckle escaped her chapped lips, and for a moment, she let go. Of anxiety for her father, that tugged her conscience nearly every moment. Of the bitterness, at having lost all that she ever had. Of the emptiness... The good, which was rapidly disappearing. Of the irrevocable hatred that she had clenched on to….At that moment, however, it all ceased to exist. She lifted her lips, and curved them into a smile. A gentle rustle of leaves….And the smile dripped off her face. She clung on, yet again, to the torrent of emotions. She flinched at the unmistakable sound of another life. Trying to remain calm, she casually leaned over. Her hand stretched over, inconspicuously, into her boot. "No need for that dear…." Her head shot up, and he stared, unblinkingly into her familiar face. Her lips twisted into a crooked grin. Finally….he was here.
