CHAPTER SIX

Vaelric stepped in front of me before I could reach the ladder leading to the roof.

Anwen, where do you think you are going? he asked, looking at me as though I had suddenly lost my mind.

I pointed toward the ceiling. We need to reinforce the roof before more ice starts falling. Did you see how hard those pieces were hitting it? If the roof collapses, all the supplies we have worked so hard to gather will be useless.

I understand that, but climbing onto the roof while ice is still falling is dangerous. What if another piece hits you? What if you slip? We need to wait until it stops before attempting anything.

I opened my mouth to argue, then closed it again. As much as I hated admitting it, he had a point. I could not protect my supplies if I injured myself before the real apocalypse even began.

The problem was that we had no idea whether the ice would stop falling. It could continue for hours, and I was not prepared to sit around doing nothing while our roof was being battered.

What if it does not stop? I asked.

Then we will have to make a decision based on what happens, Vaelric answered. For now, we stay inside and listen. The moment it stops, we go up there and reinforce the roof together.

I glanced toward the window, watching the pieces of ice scattered across the ground. My heart was still racing from the shock of seeing something that had never happened in my previous life. I had thought I knew what to expect, but the falling ice had already proved that this timeline was different.

Lucan, meanwhile, seemed more interested in looking around the house than worrying about our situation. He stood with his arms folded, occasionally glancing at Vaelric as though he was irritated by his presence. Mireya sat quietly on the couch, looking between us without contributing anything useful.

I decided not to waste my energy on either of them.

We waited.

It did not take as long as I expected before the ice finally stopped falling. The sudden silence outside was almost more frightening than the noise itself. I moved toward the window and carefully looked outside. The ground was covered in ice, and several pieces lay scattered across the roofs of the neighboring houses.

It looked as though someone had thrown frozen stones from the sky.

I turned to Vaelric. It has stopped.

He walked over to the window and examined the damage before nodding. All right. Let us get this done.

We gathered the materials he had brought and made our way toward the roof. Vaelric insisted on going first to check whether the ladder and the roof itself were safe enough for us to climb. I followed him carefully, holding onto the sides as I made my way up.

The cold hit me immediately.

Even though the ice had stopped falling, the air felt sharper than it had the previous day. I pulled my clothing closer around myself and tried not to think about how much worse the temperature would become once the apocalypse reached its full force.

When I finally reached the roof, I understood why Vaelric had been so concerned about our safety. Several pieces of ice had struck the surface hard enough to leave visible damage, and some sections needed immediate attention.

We could not afford to leave it that way.

Vaelric placed the supplies down and began examining the weakest sections. We discussed how to reinforce the structure using the materials we had available. I helped him move the boards into position while he secured them, making the roof thicker and adding support where it was needed most. We worked carefully, checking each section before moving on to the next.

It was exhausting work, especially in the cold, but neither of us complained. Every time I thought about climbing down and resting, I reminded myself that the roof was one of the most important parts of the house. If it failed during the worst of the freezing weather, we could lose our shelter completely.

After what felt like hours, we finally finished strengthening the most vulnerable sections.

Vaelric checked our work one last time before turning toward me. This should hold up much better now, although we will need to keep checking it as the weather changes.

I nodded, brushing dust from my hands. At least we have done something.

We carefully climbed down and returned inside. The moment I stepped into the living room, I realized that staying indoors and waiting for disaster was not going to be enough. There were people outside who had laughed at me when I tried to warn them. They had no idea that the ice falling from the sky was only the beginning of what was coming.

I could not simply sit back and let them face it without another warning.

I turned toward Vaelric. I still want to go out and warn people. Most of them do not believe me, but they need to understand that tomorrow could be much worse.

Lucan immediately straightened.

I will gladly follow you, he said.

Before I could answer, Vaelric shook his head. No. You cannot be trusted.

The room went quiet.

Lucan slowly turned toward him, his expression darkening. What?

You heard me, Vaelric replied without backing down. I do not know you, and I have no reason to trust you with Anwen’s safety.

Lucan let out a short, disbelieving laugh. And who exactly are you to decide that?

I could already feel an argument developing between them, and I had no intention of spending the afternoon listening to two men fight while the world was freezing around us.

Enough, I said sharply.

Both of them looked at me.

Lucan, you are coming with me. We are going to warn people, and I do not want any arguments along the way. Vaelric, stay here and make sure everything is secure.

Vaelric did not look pleased with my decision, but he eventually nodded.

Before I left, I glanced toward Mireya, who was still sitting on the couch.

Keep an eye on her, I told Vaelric quietly.

He frowned. Why?

I looked at Mireya again. Just make sure she does not wander around the house or interfere with anything while we are gone.

Mireya’s eyebrows drew together. She had clearly heard me.

Why would you need someone to keep an eye on me? she asked, looking genuinely confused.

I did not bother answering her. I had no interest in explaining why I did not trust her. In my previous life, I had learned that people could smile at you while secretly planning your destruction. Mireya had already shown me what she was capable of, and I was not about to forget it simply because she was standing in front of me again.

I grabbed my jacket and called for Storm, and with Vaelric's dog by my side and Lucan following behind me, I headed for the door.

The moment we stepped outside, the cold wrapped around us. The streets looked different from the day before. Ice covered parts of the road, and people were coming out of their homes to examine the damage. Some were pointing at the roofs of nearby buildings, while others were trying to clear the frozen pieces from their entrances.

I began approaching anyone who would listen.

Please, you need to prepare yourselves. This is only the beginning. What happened today is not the worst of it. Tomorrow will be much worse, and if you do not have enough food, water, and warm clothing, you could find yourselves in serious trouble.

A man standing near his gate laughed when he heard me.

You again? he asked. Yesterday you were talking about the world freezing, and now you are telling us tomorrow will be worse. What exactly makes you think you can predict the weather?

I took a slow breath. I am not asking you to believe me because you know me. I am asking you to prepare because you have seen what happened today. Whatever you think of my warning, at least make sure your family has enough supplies to stay indoors.

He waved his hand dismissively and turned away.

Another woman listened to me with a frightened expression. She asked whether I really believed the temperature would drop further, and I told her that I did. I encouraged her to gather whatever food, water, blankets, medicine, and warm clothing she could find before it became too difficult to leave her house.

She thanked me and hurried inside.

Not everyone laughed at me. A few people seemed genuinely frightened by what they had witnessed, and some promised to make preparations. Others dismissed me, accused me of spreading panic, or simply walked away before I could finish speaking.

I continued anyway.

I had already experienced what happened when people waited too long to prepare. I knew that once the temperature dropped far enough, ordinary errands could become deadly. People who were laughing at me now might soon be desperate for the things they had refused to buy.

I could not force them to listen, but I could at least say that I had tried.

Lucan followed me from one house to another, occasionally helping me explain the situation to people who seemed willing to listen. For a while, he remained unusually quiet, and I almost began to wonder whether he was taking the warning seriously.

Then, while we were walking back toward home, he decided to ask the question I had been hoping he would keep to himself.

Anwen, he began, why have you been treating me this way?

I kept walking. Treating you how?

You know exactly what I mean. You have been rude to me since yesterday. You barely look at me, and every time I try to speak to you, you act as though you cannot stand being around me. Did I do something wrong?

I almost stopped walking.

For a brief moment, I wanted to turn around and tell him everything. I wanted to remind him of the night he had thrown me outside, of how I had begged him to let me stay, and of how he had watched me suffer without caring whether I lived or died.

But I could not do that.

Not yet.

Instead, I gave him the coldest look I could manage.

Perhaps I am simply tired of pretending that everything is fine.

He frowned. What is that supposed to mean?

It means I have more important things to worry about than your feelings, Lucan. If you cannot understand that, then perhaps you should stop asking questions you are not ready to hear the answers to.

He stared at me, clearly unhappy with my response, but he did not say anything else for the rest of the walk.

By the time we reached home, night had fallen. I was exhausted, my feet hurt, and I wanted nothing more than to take a bath and sleep until morning. When we entered the house, I found Vaelric and Mireya already asleep. Vaelric was stretched out on the couch, while Mireya had settled into another resting place.

I did not disturb either of them.

After checking that the doors were locked, I went to my bedroom and took a warm bath. The water helped soothe my aching muscles, and for a few minutes, I allowed myself to relax. I changed into my nightclothes and was about to climb into bed when the bedroom door opened.

I turned around, expecting to see Vaelric.

Instead, Lucan walked in completely naked.

I stared at him in disbelief.

What are you doing? I demanded, immediately turning my face away.

He looked at me as though he could not understand why I was reacting that way. What does it look like? I am coming to bed.

I grabbed the nearest blanket and held it against myself, even though I was already dressed.

No. You are not.

His expression changed. Anwen, I am your boyfriend. Why are you acting like I am a stranger?

Because I said no, I replied firmly. Nothing is going to happen between us. Nothing has happened between us, and nothing is going to happen between us again. If you need somewhere to sleep, get a mat and sleep somewhere else.

He stared at me for several seconds, looking both disappointed and confused.

Are you serious?

Completely serious. Now get out.

Lucan looked as though he wanted to argue, but something in my expression must have convinced him that I would not change my mind. He finally turned around and left the room, closing the door behind him.

I stood there for a moment, shaking my head.

Bitch, I muttered under my breath, although I was not sure whether I was referring to him or the entire situation.

I locked the door, switched off the light, and climbed into bed. I had no energy left to think about Lucan, Mireya, or the strange changes happening in this timeline. All I wanted was a few hours of rest before the next day arrived.

Eventually, I fell asleep.

The next morning, I woke up to the sound of the entire house shaking.

The walls trembled, and something heavy crashed outside. I sat up in alarm as another violent rumble passed through the building. My heart began pounding as I threw off the blanket and rushed toward the window.

I pulled the curtain aside.

And my blood ran cold.

It has begun.