WHITE

Ow.

Frustrated tears spill from my eyes as I look at my crimson fingertips, then my bare feet where I'd lost one of the shoes while running.

Stupid, stupid V.

An enraged yell bursts from my lips as I wrap my fingers around a stone on the ground, throwing it as hard as I can towards a tree trunk. When it bounces off and back to the ground, it makes me even more furious.

"Damn you!"

How could he even dare to think that I killed Jimin? He was someone I loved, would've given my life to protect.

And now he was dead.

Tears spring to my eyes, and I sink to the forest ground sobbing. It was cold, my feet hurt, and I was absolutely terrified being out alone in the darkening woods.

Screw my damn life.

I cry and run through every curse word I know, and then I cry some more. When I finally have no more tears to let  out, I curse again, except this time I say it softer into my palms.

What was the use of my damn Blessing if it couldn't save anyone who mattered?

It saved V.

Shut the hell up, I tell myself, curling my body into a tight ball. Anger spikes up my spine when I think back to his hate-filled eyes. He doesn't count.

Now it's dark enough I can barely see six steps in front of me, and the terrified feeling of being alone and so vulnerable comes back. Too scared to actually get up and move, I just hug myself tighter with my back against a tree.

It's so cold.

Well, you're stupid as damn, I whisper to myself, fingers kneading together. You get scared when you're alone in your room at night. How actually dumb can you get?

Now that the adrenaline had faded from earlier, the terror is a living thing in my imagination. It feels like anything could lunge out from the shadows any moment, and I already feel like I'm being watched.

Stop being paranoid.

When the cold finally gets too much to bear, I slit one of my eyes open. Now sun has completely set, and I can't see my own hands.Should I go back? Just start walking randomly?

Stupid.

Burrowing my head between my knees, I listen to the sound of my own teeth chattering and the wind cutting between the trees.

I feel more alone than I've ever felt before.

And it's so cold.

"Demoiselle."

My head snaps up, eyes alight with hope and desperation as I search for his familiar figure. But the only thing that meets me is the dark forest, and I realize I'd thought that up in my mind.

Dumb idiot.

Like he'd ever come for you again.

Sniffling, I reach back and pull the dark hood attached to the thin sweatshirt deep over my head. Remembering I'd shoved the dark gloves from earlier into the pocket, I eagerly search for the pair.

I only find one, the other probably having slipped out during my wild run.

Swallowing drily, I look at the glove and then my pale, bare feet. The small scratches are beginning to hurt from the cold, and I pull it over my feet instead of my hands.

It's like a sock.

A giggle escapes my lips, and I realize that I'm probably hysterical. Shoving my hands deep into the pockets, I keep hoping I pass out.

Until I do.

_________________________

When I wake up, I see morning ripple on the forest ground.

Relief washes over me when I realize I'd slept through the entire night, but that relief soon turns into sadness. I guess there had been a part of me hoping someone— anyone— would come for me.

But that's okay.

Swallowing a sudden lump in my throat, I try to get to my feet when I realize I'm shivering uncontrollably. I can't stop it even if I want to, so I just pass it over.

My regeneration would take care of it.

But when I get to my feet, I sway and catch myself heavily on the trunk of the tree I'd slept back on. The world spins, and my Blessing feels completely drained.

It feels like it's almost not there.

Get a grip, I scold my body, forcing myself to take a deep breath. It's morning, and there's light. Figure it out.

Steadying myself, I look around until I find the branch I'd hit last night while running. When I find it, I give a pat on my back for good work.

If I hadn't hit that and nearly snapped it clean, I would be hopelessly lost.

Now I just needed to keep walking in that direction.

Gathering up my mentality, I try to ignore the exhaustion pulling on my legs as I swing my leg over a fallen log.

So tired.

All I really want to do is to just curl up on the middle of the forest floor and go to sleep, but I know I'd never get back that way. And what if I woke up and it was dark again?

Then I wince, stopping.

This glove thing might've worked while I was sleeping, but it wasn't going to work when I was walking.

My lips feel frozen together as I bend down slowly, my back aching from sleeping in sitting position. Pulling off the tattered glove, I gently test my feet forward.

Gosh.

The ground's cold.

I don't know if the cold has gotten to me, but the memories from last night feel like a dream. My emotions are dull, but I'm definitely not complaining as I continue forward.

Crying wasn't going to help me right now.

"Demoiselle."

When the deep voice comes again, I roll my eyes and slap at my numb cheeks. Just when I thought I got my emotions over with, of course I had to go think of V again—

"I found you."

Weak arms wrap around my body, and I instantly freeze up as someone sags into my back.

No way.

When I squirm to get a look at him in his grip, he pulls me tighter to his chest. His Blessing isn't there, just like mine.

"White." For the first time, I hear tears in his voice. He's crying into my shoulder, and I don't know what to do except just stand there. "I searched for you all night. Where the hell were you? I thought—"

And I'd thought I was done crying.

But there's tears in my eyes, and at that moment, I love him. There's just no other way to describe the burning in my heart.

I steel myself.

"Let go of me." My voice is firm, and I feel him stiffen as he loosens enough so I can turn around, to see his face. And when I do, I almost break down for the millionth time.

"Say that you're sorry."

"I am."

"Say it, then." I can't bear to look into his face. In the split second where I'd seen, he was a mess. He was nothing like the person I knew, but the same person with everything stripped down.

"I'm sorry."

"Good."

And then I bury myself in his chest, feeling small as I silently cry into his frost-scented shirt. His beautiful, deep green eyes were gray. That had been the first thing I'd seen.

My heart hurt.

When I'd thought I'd been abandoned, he'd been searching for me. In the dark.

When I'd been too scared to take a single step.

"Your feet." He whispers, and I protest when he lifts me from the ground. "Don't struggle. It makes it harder."

"Let me down."

"No." He has the authoritative tone back, and I just fall silent as he pulls me tighter into his chest. "I can't believe you slept out in the cold."

"I can't believe you searched for me all night."

"What else was I supposed to do?" He asks, the shadows under his eyes deeper than ever. "It was my fault."

"And I'd be damned if I let you die ever, because of a mistake I made."