These Cold Nights:
Chapter 1

She was typing away on her deep plum colored laptop.

I watched from my seat, no farther than a few tables away, as her eyes never left the glowing screen. Her dark hair was pulled in a high pony tail and there were slight bags under her eyes. It was midnight- or probably even later- and the two cups of coffee she had already wasn't helping her. I noticed as her eyes squinted while she raised her arms above her head, letting out a satisfying yawn that would make even me tired. She pulled her loose navy blue sweatshirt closer to her body as she resumed her typing.

The large cafe was empty. After all, it was a Sunday night and most students were probably in a deep sleep, getting ready for their early Monday classes.

A rough mixture of rain and snow hit the large window angrily and I could only imagine the harsh cold winds that must follow. Considering it was the middle of December, I would expect nothing less from the state of Montana. Although the coffeehouse was nice and warm with central heating, and even a large fireplace off on the right side. I felt warm in my seat, pretending to read the old book that I had already memorized every word of. It was a western novel, about cowboys and saloons.

A young waitress, with long blonde hair and beaming green eyes stopped by the girl's table, refilling her mug with even more steaming caffeine. She was tall, pale and her name tag read Vasilisa in a pretty cursive handwriting. She seemed to know the girl that sat alone at the table, I could tell from the worry in her beautiful jade eyes.

"Rose," she spoke, "It's almost 12:30, you should go back to the apartment and rest."

But the dark haired girl never broke her eye contact with the screen, "Lissa, you know I have to finish this essay. McPherson will have my ass on a platter if I show up empty handed tomorrow. It's gotta be twenty five pages long- and not a page less," her voice was stern and hoarse, and it was probably because she was so tried. Her eyes were becoming red and puffier with every minute that ticked by. She stopped to take a sip of the hot coffee, grimacing a little as she burned her tongue.

Sighing, Lissa sat down on a chair across from her.

She grabbed her friends hand, which finally forced her eyes away from the computer. Her voice was soft, "Rose, I know McPherson may be a sad, lonely and pathetic English lit professor with no life whatsoever, but she isn't cruel. She knows that your mother just passed away. She'll understand," her eyes were laced with worry and her tone was filled with concern. But the mention of her mother made Rose's eyes flicker back to her laptop.

The girl shook her head, "I just need to finish two more pages, that's it. I promise."

Lissa squeezed her hand in her own, "Finish it in the morning. Your class doesn't start until noon anyway," her eyebrows ruffled as she tried to get through to her best friend. A few minutes passed as they shared silent words by just looking at each other. She knew that her best friend had a point, and from watching Rose, I could see the hesitation in her eyes.

"You're right," she acknowledged, stifling in another yawn, "I'm sure I'll work better on the essay with a clear mind and at least six hours of sleep."

"Try to get eight, you need all the beauty rest you can get," Lissa chuckled.

The dark haired girl let out a weak laugh before getting up and throwing on her coat. She pushed her laptop in her bag hastily and bid her friend goodbye, "Be careful walking home in the morning, the blizzard is only getting worse," Although they were best friends and roommates, the two girls lived on two very different time schedules. While Rose had classes from noon to five, Lissa had classes from six to midnight and worked at the campus cafe until five a.m.

They barely spent a couple hours a day together, but I could tell that they've been friends for years.

"I'll be fine," She smiled, "Anyway, Christian's walking me home," She tilted her head over towards a dark haired guy behind the cappuccino machine. Rose grinned tiredly and nodded before finally leaving the cafe. As the door swung open, a rush of cool air entered the cafe. Her legs moved fast in the cold weather, and before I knew it, her figure was already down the road.

Only seconds passed before I tossed a few dollars on the table and followed her out the door.

I was proven correct as a gush of cold, harsh wind took me off guard. I stumbled back a little, but my long legs made it through the fresh snow that covered the ground. It was dark out, but the street lamps and the few opened businesses offered enough light. On this college campus, lots of businesses stayed open for twenty four hours, knowing that some students had night classes. I passed by a busy library and continued down the familiar path I've been walking on for the past week. Snow was still falling from the sky and white flakes decorated my dark hair. Although I was a Siberian native, this blizzard was even too tough for me to handle.

Looking ahead, I spotted her small figure about half a block ahead. She wore her hood over her head, and I watched as she turned the corner, where her tall apartment building stood. I couldn't follow her anymore after that; the doorman would ask me questions and wouldn't recognize me at all. I stared at her descending body for a while longer before retreating down the empty street leading the opposite way. The nice warm bed in the campus hotel was calling my name, and I couldn't wait to drift into a deep sleep.

The next morning, it was still cold out but the snow had stopped falling somewhere around three in the morning.

My dark brown leather coat helped in the efforts to keep me warm as I sat on a frozen wooden park bench. I wasn't sure how long I'd been here- probably since the crack of dawn, mostly since I couldn't sleep during the night. I was warm in bed, with the covers pulled up tightly, but sleep did not come to me when I closed my eyes. My mind was racing and racing around subjects that I couldn't identify and things that I didn't want to think about.

I often found myself back in my small townhouse in Siberia with my mom and three sisters.

But I would shake my head roughly and erase the images because I didn't want to think about them. I didn't want to miss them, I didn't want to worry about them. I didn't want to worry about my pregnant sister, or my aging grandmother that lived with them. I had a job to do, and I swore to my boss that I would get it done. I needed that paycheck, the big one he promised me so that I could support my family instead of worrying about them.

What have I gotten myself into? Did I really make a deal with the Devil so I could take care of my family? I groaned and covered my face with my large, rough hands. The calluses scratched my light facial hair and I moved up to rub the tiredness from my eyes. I brought my leather coat closer to my body, and let out a breath of cold air.

The wind was picking up, so I pulled my hair into a low ponytail as it tickled the back of my neck.

The sun was peeking between heavy clouds as it was rising up in the sky giving the mountains an orange glow. It was still dark though, considering it hadn't even reach 7am yet. The morning was still young, and the chirps of the birds and the scuffle of the nearby squirrels were the only sounds the park offered at the moment. It was peaceful, I had to admit, and sometimes I caught myself staring at a certain tree or mountain, daydreaming away.

But suddenly something caught my eye.

Squinting, I peered across the track field of the park, noticing a shadow lurking between the trees.

"Right on time," I whispered to no one but myself. I watched as the shadow revealed itself, walking onto the field. It was the same girl from last night. She was wearing long gray sweatpants, and a fitted white thermal shirt. Her cheeks were flushed and pink from the cool morning breeze, and her hair was tied up in the same long dark ponytail.

I watched as she placed her bag down and began to jog around the track field.

She moved gracefully and fast- although she knew how to steady herself. She knew the limitations of her own body and never pushed herself too far. She reminded me of a doe, as her body moved down the track and back around again. The curve of her legs, the movement of her small body, the way her arms moved back with every step. To top it off, I was completely oblivious to her. Sure I had the dark morning skies and cover of pine trees to disguise my appearance, but she never even glanced around to see if anyone was there.

If anyone was watching her.

It was almost like clockwork. Every morning from Monday through Friday she would come to the track at 6:45 am and leave at around 7:30 for school. She didn't care if there was snow covering the ground, or if the temperature traveled below zero (and, believe me, they did). She didn't care if the sky was pouring with rain, sleet or a mixture of rough hail.

I was used to it of course.

I was used to the harsh, cold weather because I grew up in a small town in Russia. The winters were even more brutal than in America, and I was raised to deal with the cruel temperatures on a daily basis. If anything, I embraced the wintertime for it's beautiful scenery, for the holidays, for the warm home cooked meals and the crackling fireplaces.

She paused, leaning over to catch her breath. My eyes never left her.

Her pink lips parted, and a cool puff of air was released. She was cold, and how could she not be? It had to be the coldest day of the winter. Regardless of the lack of snow this morning, it was a relatively frigid, brisk and breezy day. The kind of cold that sneaks up into your bones and makes you feel all stiff inside, making you not want to move.

Just as she caught her breath, she lifted her head and her eyes peered straight at me.

I flinched, and surge of electricity ran through my body. I felt a heat rise from my toes to my ears, and I was sure that my face was reddened in shock. Did she see me? Of course she did... she was looking straight in my direction. Did I make a noise? Did I burp out loud without realizing? Her brown eyes lingered on mine for a few seconds longer before she pulled away. I gulped, feeling nauseous.

I was getting sloppy.

Two weeks ago, I was given one job. Just one job. I was supposed to act like a shadow- always there but never noticed. I was supposed to follow her, keep tabs on her, find out what she does on a daily basis and whatnot. But I've failed.

She wasn't supposed to see me.

[A/N]: I'm currently looking for a beta reader, if anyone is interested please message me!