Fairy Tale: Winter's Bite

Chapter 27: Purpose (Part 2)

A few hours later, Chris woke up, sore and disoriented, and had a piece of glass pressed into his cheek. He quickly realized the nightmare didn't end when his eyes opened. For some reason, though, he woke up with a clearer head and a cleaner conscience. He had made mistakes and behaved regrettably in so many ways, but evil pulled his strings at every crossroad.

Chris sat up, dusted off the shards, and attempted to rub some life into his face. Then he finished cleaning Cassie's old room. While doing so, he had a renewed sense of purpose. He knew what he had to do and would do it before anyone had the chance to talk him out of it.

After flinging the pillowcase full of broken glass into the West River, he left the room, shutting the unlocked door behind him.

With the candle in hand, he climbed down stairwell after stairwell until he returned to the spot where he had last seen his father—the balcony overlooking the Hall of Crystal. He was one turn and a hallway away. 

He closed in on Cassie's chamber, bracing himself for bad news, expecting to see blood everywhere, dirty medical instruments littered about, or worse, an empty bed.

But that was not the case. When he opened the door, white was the color that captured his eye. Her sheets were new, her bandages looked fresh, and she was no longer wearing the nightmarish gray dress that embodied all of her pain and suffering. In her white nightgown, she glowed with purity, like a sleeping angel. Most importantly, she was alive.

Chris's eyes shifted to his kid brother, asleep in a chair beside her with one hand wrapped around hers, his hair hopelessly disoriented. Chris was reminded of better times—those carefree childhood days when he and Joe had fought over things like a new toy or their mother's attention.

They'd definitely had their differences, both before and after Andromeda had reunited them. And they'd exchanged some hurtful words. They also shared a lot of laughs and were there for each other when it counted most. Deep down, they loved each other. And Chris hoped it would always be that way.

Chris wanted him to remain at peace, so he walked with a light step to the other side of Cassie's bed and took a seat in the other chair. A few minutes later, Joe's elbow slipped off the bed. He woke up with a jolt, stretched, rubbed his eyes, and smiled. "Hey, you're back!" he said while yawning.

"You always were the observant one, weren't you?" Chris replied dryly.

Joe chuckled with one eye squinted. "And you seem light years better."

"I am. You?"

"Hanging in. Things got more interesting once you left, but she's hanging in there, too."

"Glad to hear. And good job last night. Sorry I was in no place to appreciate it."

"Uh, thanks?" Joe said, both eyes now squinted in suspicious amusement. He had to be wondering what the catch was, but he never asked. His growling stomach cut in. "Hey, it feels like eons have passed since I've had a decent meal. If I find something edible in this place, do you want me to bring you back something?"

"No, I'm cool."

Joe shrugged and rose from his chair. "Okay then." 

"Good-bye, Joe." 

"Good-bye? I'll be back in ten minutes."

Joe went into the hall without looking back. He didn't pick up on Chris's sincerity, and Chris believed that might be for the best.

When Chris touched Cassie's cold, limp hand, his better mood vanished. With a shaky sigh, he interlaced her fingers between his. "See? You did make it through the night. That means, surprisingly enough, I wasn't being completely irrational last night. You are a fighter. Don't let anybody ever tell you otherwise."