Snowflake Syndrome Novels & Stories

’ I put my nose back into place, and accepted the blanket, turning purple, as my body temperature was giving up, and Sister Ophelia walked me back to my room. I feel no pain. Not on the outside, at least. They call it CIP, or Congenital Insensitivity to Pain. I can break as many bones as I want, cut myself a thousand times, as deep as I want, but physical pain would never reach me. It was both a gift and a curse. If I got hurt badly, I wouldn’t feel it, and it could kill me. Clarissa hasn’t managed to do that yet, unfortunately.

JAKE “Mr. Ryland,” one of them began, his voice slick with false courtesy. “The company cannot afford any more instability. Investors are jittery. The press is circling. And you—” he gestured at me, “are front-page news for all the wrong reasons.” I leaned back in my chair. “I wasn’t aware that skiing in Aspenridge was a crime now.” Nervous chuckles flickered around the table, but no one really laughed.

As long as she was here, she reasoned, she might as well enjoy what it had to offer. Her life was in a mess and she had no idea what her future held. She had no job to go back to, since Jonas had told her the FBI closed up Forrester Associates. Beyond her two friends who with her made up the Flirty Thirties she didn't really have a strong circle of friends. Too much time spent working too long and too hard. She didn't even own property, preferring to rent and leave the maintenance to others. The rest of her life-her future-was a blank page yet to be written on.

I developed Bloom Syndrome. I was sitting at my workstation with a face mask on, my throat constantly itching as I coughed up another cluster of flowers. The rich, provocative scent drifted from the petals. It was the kind of smell teenage boys knew all too well. Bradford pear blossoms again. I had researched everything I could find about this rare, ancient affliction. Without a kiss from someone who truly understood my heart in the next three months, I would keep coughing flowers until I died.