t minus 17 days / / it's a strange feeling not being able to feel

"is this allowed?"

"not at all."

"will we get in trouble?"

"probably."

"okay. let's go."

though hazel cannot see, she knows she is high up, somewhere closer to the clouds that loom over her timeless days. the roof of the towering building feels different form inside; the whispers and secrets of machines telling of life have been silenced, replaced by honks of cars an whistles of winds, sounds more akin to her deprived ears.

she begins to walk, tapping her cane along the concrete, and henry stays nearby, one hand outstretched,

just in case.

her steps: a bit wobbly; it takes time to become accustomed to walking without sight. the world is constantly spinning, and she's lost somewhere in infinite space, without gravity to keep her grounded. she breathes in deeply through her nose, and holds the breath, relishing the scent. it smells like nothing, but she likes it.

sometimes, absence is good.

"What are you doing?"

henry watches her slowly slip off her slippers and press her bare feet into the concrete, toes curling from its icy surface; it snowed yesterday, and some of it had refused to melt.

"trying to feel." a soft smile conquers her lips at the touch of the snow; her feet try to capture each flake individually, and engrave it into her soft skin.

"is it working?" henry's brows are furrowed with concern; he doesn't want her to catch a cold, but when he sees the way her pale cheeks redden, his shoulders fall in relaxation; he begins to slip off his shoes as well.

she hears the shuffling; it's as if her sight has been traded in for amplified hearing without her permission, but then again, maybe it's all in her jumbled mess of a head, and maybe it's because she wants so desperately to 

see with her ears.

"you don't have to—"

"i don't do anything I don't want to do."

henry hesitantly steps into the patch of snow beside hazel, 

suppressing a wince at the way the ice stings his feet; 

how can she not feel the pain that comes from frost, 

has she become numb to it all? 

hazel bends down and scoops up some of the substance, allowing the chill to spread throughout her numbing fingers, and slowly feels it reaching her arms, chest, legs,

goosebumps igniting.

the pain from the cold f e e l s good,

and hazel will take all the feeling she can get.

his body shudders, shoulders shake. 

on grounds that forever remained steady, 

the faint step of a girl has brought about an 

earthquake.