Chapter 3

I stood frozen, still holding the phone. Tears finally slipped down my face, landing on the cold phone screen and almost instantly turning into ice.

Felicia patted me on the shoulder and sighed. "It's okay. Why don't you come with me for now? My car is right outside, and my place is just off the highway. You can wait there and call your parents to come pick you up."

After recalling how annoying Mom and Dad sounded, I shook my head and rejected her kind offer. "It's alright. Thank you. Dad said my uncle will be coming to pick me up soon. I'll just wait here."

Since it was the holidays, I knew Mom and Dad weren't going to turn around just to pick me up, not when they only ever considered me a bother. Uncle Cole wasn't close to me either. He wouldn't be pleased if he had to make a detour just to pick me up.

It looked like Felicia wanted to say something, but her phone started ringing. Her family was urging her to hurry up.

Looking at me in concern, she pulled out an energy bar from her bag and pressed it into my hands. She also took off the beige wool blanket around her shoulders and draped it over mine.

"Wrap this around you to stay warm. Eat the energy bars to tide yourself over, too. Don't let yourself get too hungry. If no one comes even after you've waited for a while, borrow a phone from someone else to call your parents. And don't run off by yourself."

I nodded hard, choking back a sob as I whispered, "Thank you, Felicia."

Her hurried figure disappeared through the door, leaving me alone in the empty rest stop again.

The cold wind still seeped through the cracks, but wrapped in the blanket, I slowly felt some warmth returning to my body.

My stomach growled. I unwrapped the energy bar and took a few small nibbles. I couldn't bear to eat more, so I carefully folded the remainder and slipped it into my pocket.

At least, if I had to wait for some time, I had the rest to keep me going.

I tightened the blanket around me, instinctively tugging at my clothes. I was wearing the old sweater Ava had discarded last year. The collar had stretched and become misshapen from repeated washing, and the sleeves were fraying at the cuffs.

Meanwhile, Ava was wearing a brand-new pink coat with a fur-lined hood. It made her look like a princess. Jamie's down jacket was also brand-new and in an icy blue color. He looked like a fluffy polar bear when he was all wrapped up in the jacket.

I was the only one dressed in Ava's old clothes, looking gray and drab.

Afraid that Uncle Cole might drive past without seeing me, I gritted my teeth and stepped out of the restroom, standing again in the bitter wind.

The glow from streetlights had grown dimmer, and the sky had darkened. Far away, the horizon had turned a deep gray. The snow fell harder, landing on my hair and shoulders and instantly melting into icy wet patches.

I stared at the point in the road where Uncle Cole's car would come, stomping my numb feet to keep them from freezing. I also kept rubbing my frozen hands from beneath the blanket.

Over and over in my heart, I prayed for Uncle Cole to arrive quickly.

The headlights from the passing cars blinded me, but not a single one stopped at the rest stop.

The snow grew heavier, forming a layer on the blanket. I pulled it tighter around me. The sweet taste of the energy bar had long faded. The only thing I could feel now was the anxiety that filled my gradually freezing heart.

I didn't know how long I would have to wait, or if Uncle Cole would even remember to come for me. All I could feel was the sub-zero wind that threatened to turn me into an icicle, right here at this deserted rest stop.

My wolf whined weakly inside me. It was too weak to even allow me to shift into a semi-wolf form to keep warm. The snowy blizzard had weakened it. Even its most basic healing powers slowly drained away.