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Chapter One
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Mountain / Ludovico Einaudi

Snowflakes fell in swirling dances, from the great gray sky to the lonely, gnarling trees below. Silence hung in the air, only marred by the occasional razor hiss of wind or the distant trill of a bird.

It was barren here. The cold had taken whatever life had been harbored and crushed it beneath two feet of snow. These mountains were hardened by the unforgiving season. There were no humans here.

Well...except for one.

As the snow fell in its quiet storm, they alighted upon the pale skin and pale cloth of the girl lying spread-eagle in the drift. Her eyes were closed, her hands and feet completely bare. Her chest rose and fell in soft rhythm, at peace with its surroundings.

How long she had been there? No one could say. The snow was smooth and gleaming. There was no longer any evidence to say how she arrived here. It was almost as if God Himself had just plopped her right in that spot, out of thin air.

Then, a little snowflake, almost too small to mention, landed right on the tip of her nose, a tiny bite of ice.

A tremor passed through her body, starting from her head and shooting down to her toes. Her chest shuddered, fingers twitched.

Her eyes flew open.

The girl surged upwards, her breathing coming out in sharp gasps, suddenly shivering as though her body remembered it should be cold. Her head whipped back and forth, her gaze uncomprehending. These trees were alien, the land unfamiliar. As the world seemed to say, she had no clue how she ended up there. Panic started to set in, her eyes wild and breathing continuing to increase until it seemed sure that she would pass out into the snow again.

Instead, a sudden calm washed over her. A single quiver, a blink, a transformation, and her breathing became regular. She opened her eyes, and the world was clear.

The girl wrapped her arms around herself, rubbing her fingers. They had not yet turned blue. Taking a minute or two to recollect her thoughts, the girl looked around again, her breath coming out in little clouds.

Then, with the sigh of resolution, of a plan made, the girl got to her feet. Took one step and stumbled. Shaky at first, she grabbed a tree to steady herself, before finding her balance and standing straight once more.

She took another step forward, slowly pulling herself away from the snow-angel in the drift. She did not look around, instead keeping her gaze ahead, at some faraway destination.

All she left behind was a scarlet stain that matched the two holes in her back.