The Frozen Grave

The few scraps of wood I had gathered outside the cave were too damp, and the fire went out again.

Shivering violently, I opened my suitcase once more and pulled out a piece of clothing to burn.

I had left in a hurry, and Summer had insisted that the high-temperature apocalypse was about to begin, so I only brought a few pieces of summer clothing with me. Heck, the thickest article of clothing I had was my sun-protective jacket.

"So cold…"

The embers flickered weakly, and even as I held my hands, frozen purplish blue over them, I couldn't feel a thing.

Through the screen of my phone, Aster blew out the candles on his birthday cake, the warm glow of the flames illuminating his rosy, happy face.

Summer's gaze was gentle as she looked at him. "Well, what did our little one wish for?"

Aster raised his eyebrows, his eyes glinting mischievously. "I'm not telling! Everyone knows that birthday wishes don't come true if you say them out loud!"

My parents burst out laughing beside him, teasing him.

"Are you sure about that? Haven't you always gotten your wishes granted by Summer after you spoke about them out loud?"

Summer reached out and patted Aster on his head, but a hint of disgust suddenly crept into her eyes.

"That's right, Aster. Whatever you do, don't become like Charles, alright? That man keeps everything to himself and never tells anyone what he wants."

My parents nodded in disdain as well.

"That's right! Who knows what kind of sin we must have committed in a past life to end up with a mute son like him? Every time I see him, I get this creepy feeling!"

Creepy? Me? Did they forget?

When I first arrived at this home, I was as bright and cheerful as Aster, and I openly expressed myself without any reservation, but what comments did I receive in return?

My father, Roger Rivers, said, "Well, what do you expect? He was raised in the countryside. He doesn't know how to be reserved."

My mother, Amelia Smith, said, "You're only a year older than Aster, so why are you so calculating? Why do you have to vie for attention with your brother?"

Even Summer, my childhood sweetheart and fiancée, would frown and criticize me.

"Aster's a softie, so don't speak too much. You'll scare him."

So, I took their words to heart, becoming quiet and shut off.

And now, they were berating me for it?

A flicker of cunning passed through Aster's bright, starry eyes. "Fine, then I'll say it. I wish for Charles to be happy and healthy!"

Roger and Amelia's eyes reddened, clearly touched.

"You silly boy. After everything Charles has done to you, you still care about him."

Aster twisted his fingers together, his face full of innocence.

"Even if Charles doesn't treat me as his younger brother, I sincerely think of him as my older brother… Can't we bring him home?"

Summer frowned. "No way! He has to learn his lesson for bullying you!"

A trace of unease appeared in Aster's eyes.

"But Summer, I'm really worried something might happen to him! It's a snowy mountain, and the temperature's got to be freezing up there!"

The tension in Summer's exquisitely made-up features softened, and a flicker of emotion crossed her eyes.

"Fine. I installed a signal device in the cave. He can't make calls out, but we can call him."

The next second, the ringing of a video call echoed through the cave.

I reached out with my swollen, purplish-blue fingers and answered.