FicWad

Tears came to him that night.
Davey couldn't stop crying no matter what. Half of his closest friends were missing, and now one was dead. He didn't know what to do. His sobs began to subside after a while, but the tears continued to flow. Why did this all have to happen to him? It had begun simply enough. They had had the purpose of finding somewhere safe and warm, but now they were torn apart and half frozen.
The door opened almost noiselessly, and Davey quickly shut his eyes, feeling the cold water stick to his eyelashes. He heard quiet footsteps approach him and stop. There was a rustle of fabric, and suddenly a warm hand was on the side of his face, brushing away his tears. He chanced to open his eyes, though the water rendered his vision useless.
"I'm sorry about your friend, even if I don't act like it," said Nex's voice with more than a hint of regret. Davey slowly sat up and roughly wiped the tears from his eyes.
"It's not your fault," he managed to choke out. "You didn't...freeze him..." He soon found himself in a comforting embrace crying his heart out. It wasn't fair. None of this was fair.
"I'm going to save him," Nex said determinedly. She knew she had to be true to her word; Davey's shuddering sobs articulated that clearly. They began to subside after a while, and eventually stopped altogether. She released him, gently helping wipe his tears away.
"You must trust me. He will be better by morning. Sleep; it will do you well." He lay down and closed his eyes, trying to tell himself that he believed Nex's words. She had promised that Jade would be okay. She had come to comfort him in his hour of need.
So why didn't he trust her?
-
"Davey...Davey, wake up..."
His eyes opened slowly, but when he recognized the voice, he was instantly awake. He stared up into the face of the person leaning over him.
"Jade?" He nodded. "You're alive...I can't believe it..." Jade smiled.
"I'm glad you're okay." The smile faded quickly. "What about Adam and Hunter?" Davey hesitated to answer. How could he tell Jade what he had seen?
"Tell me, Davey," his friend said placidly. Davey shook his head. "Please...I have to know..."
"We will find them," said Nex warmly as she entered. She handed Jade a steaming mug, which he happily took. She felt Davey's forehead to see if he had a fever, and was relieved that he didn't. She helped him sit up and gave him a mug as well. He stared into it listlessly. He was happy about Jade, but now his thoughts turned to his other friends. Jade had had a small enough chance of survival. If they were even alive at this point, they wouldn't be much longer.
"What do you mean?" asked Jade.
"They...they were frozen, Jade...buried in the snow. I don't know where they are now," he said monotonously.
"Stella left last night to try and find them," said Nex. "She's the only one of us who can leave safely, even when the storm subsides. She is of the snow, after all."
"What do you mean?" asked Jade. Nex sat on the edge of the bed and sighed deeply.
"Perhaps it would be best to start at the beginning." Jade sat down on the floor and listened intently. He wanted to know just as much as his friend.
-
"This land has not always been so cold and desolate. It was once green and filled with life. Difficult to imagine, I'm sure. It's been so long I think the land itself has forgotten what it once was.
"The land once had a leader. This world was strong under his control. No violence, no death, no eternal cold. Everything was normal. Perfect, even." A sullen expression dulled the glow in Nex's eyes. They flickered to a sad gray.
"The creatures came and destroyed everything. They killed the leader and took this world for their own. They are known as the Ghosts, for they appear without warning and vanish as quickly. They are beings of darkness, of death and of winter, who want nothing more than complete domination over whatever world they find. Stella..." She paused, trying to still her trembling hands.
"Stella and I were once Ghosts. She was one of the original ones that brought this destruction, but she chose a better life and turned away from them. Some do have hearts, after all. The elder Ghosts are blind, and only recognize her as one of them. This is why she can go above ground; they still think she's one of them. She still has control."
Davey stopped to think. Was it possible that Stella hadn't completely given up her old ways? Was it possible that she had, in fact, killed Adam and Hunter? He sincerely hoped it wasn't.
"I came to this land as one of the weaker Ghosts. She helped me realize that what we were doing was wrong, and I fled. The newer, younger Ghosts can recognize ones like me, ones who have deserted them. It is dangerous for me to be here, let alone up there," she said sadly, glancing skyward momentarily. "If I am ever caught, I will be killed without hesitation."
Davey and Jade began to feel sorry for her. This was clearly a difficult subject for her, but she was continuing on as if it were an everyday occurrence. No wonder she seemed so sad.
"The Beginning was the time before these people lost everything. Some plants have leaves that were frosted immediately, continually covered in layer after layer of snow and ice. We call them winterleaves, and you were allergic to them, Jade," she said, glancing at him. "Unfortunately, this only made your ordeal worse. So I had to kill you to save you." His eyes widened.
"Why?"
"...It was risky. As I said, you were allergic to the medicine in the leaves. I had to get you to overdose on it for it to work. When the medicine is heated and combined with several other ingredients, it becomes extremely potent. In all fairness, if I hadn't been careful...it could have killed you," she said seriously. Her voice then took on a lighter tone, and she smiled. "But clearly it worked." Jade smiled as well.
"Thank you. For everything." Nex nodded, then returned to her story.
"As the world began to fall into winter, the borders of this land began to shrink. Everything outside of it is incredibly dangerous, and no one is allowed to journey beyond it."
"That explains what Shade was saying to Stella," Davey muttered under his breath.
"What did you say?" Jade asked him.
"When I woke up yesterday morning, I heard Shade and Stella talking. He was saying they weren't allowed to go beyond the forest. He also said that everyone here would be dead without her, including himself. What was he talking about?" Nex sighed again.
"Shade was brought here by the Messengers when he was very young. He had wandered into the forest and nearly froze to death. One of the Ghosts was attacking him. It...it was me." A tear began to run down her face as she spoke, but she briskly brushed it off. Now was not the time. "Stella found me just after he was brought here. She reformed me into what I am today. She managed to save Shade, but he was never very trusting after that. When I came here, I was about the same age as him. You could say we grew up here." A small smile crossed her face as she thought about it. "Shade owes his life to Stella. He cares about her, and I know he would be devastated if anything were to jeopardize her life."
"Nex? Are you in here?" asked Stella as she entered the room. She smiled in relief when she saw that both of their guests were well.
"What is it?" Nex asked lazily, sounding bored.
"Shade's trying to find you. He wants to see if you're okay." Nex looked between Davey and Jade, then back at Stella.
"Tell him I'll find him later; I'm busy right now," she said with a half smile. Stella shrugged and left.