Frostbitten

"Well, maybe I am insane," Des stated as she cradled the phone between her ear and shoulder and fished around in her drawer for some shorts. The mornings were chilly so she dressed appropriately for the cold, but by the time the afternoon rolled around the weather was always back to insane heat for December. She couldn't wait to finish school and get out of Texas, not only because she hated the weather and how it couldn't make up its mind, but there was nothing to do here besides go to the movies or Starbucks.

She glanced down at the snowflake tattoo right above her hip bone. Some people called it stupid, but that snowflake symbolized all her hopes and dreams, the life she never knew and the life she wanted in the future. Also because she loved winter and had never really experienced any real ones, so it stood for her desires. But she usually left out that part and gave the deeper meaning behind it. It was small and simple, but she loved it more than anything. She got it as soon as possible when she turned 18, and her parents still had no idea, nor would they find out. Her mom had this archaic way of thinking and would have completely disowned her if she found out.

"But you can't blame me for daydreaming these things." She decided not to press her luck and say she wasn't actually daydreaming what she had seen in the classroom. Because for all she knew she had been, or it had just been a trick of the light or something...

"I can," her best friend Myra said, "because you shouldn't be daydreaming about cold and snow and whatever. The weather is nice just the way it is."

"It is December. This type of weather is ungodly for October and November, let alone December. And don't try to make like you've never dreamed of a white Christmas."

"Yes, snow is freaking awesome. If it could snow without being cold, then I'd be just as enthusiastic about it as you."

Des snorted. "I highly doubt that. I just want to see the world, you know? Experience that wonder of seeing something for the first time. And knee deep snow is part of that. Who wants a snow day where there's barely even frost on the ground?"

"You know what? It sounds like to me you've just got it bad for Old Man Winter. But Jack Frost never actually comes to visit us, hun, I hate to break it to you," Myra said jokingly. "But the great part about living here," she argued, "is that we get out of school for anything remotely resembling ice or snow."

"Yeah," Des replied distractedly. Even though her blinds were closed, she got the eerie feeling she was being watched. She hadn't encountered any peeping toms in this neighborhood so far, but you never knew...

She walked over to her window and made a slit in the blinds with her fingers, peeking out. The coast seemed clear. Since when are you a paranoid freak?

"DES!" Myra screamed and Des had to move the phone away from her ear. She decided to pull the blinds up completely so that if someone was in fact creeping on her she would catch them in the act.

"What?"

"God, I've said your name like 10 times. Why do I get the feeling you're not even listening to me anymore?"

"Sorry, I am, I promise. Hey, can I come over?"

"Uh... I guess..." Myra replied as if she were unsure. "What's really going on with you, Des?"

Des zoned out again, still searching for any sign of someone in the window. What was with today and windows? This was so, so weird.

She started to back up, still facing the window just in case, when suddenly she saw something. A small white patch, almost as if a breath had just fogged up the window. "My? Let me call you back," she said shakily as she walked forward. Even if she had really seen that, it wasn't cold enough outside for anyone's breath to do that; the heat made that basically impossible, not to mention the sunlight that seemed to directly go through the window. And there was absolutely no one out there, unless they were invisible, which she knew wasn't likely. She touched the window where she had just seen the white cloud.

Again! It happened again, right next to her hand. And the window felt surprisingly freezing even though the sunlight was making her room almost unbearably hot. She was really insane, she was going totally crazy...

Why not give into it. "Hello?" she whispered. "Look, I know I'm not just seeing things, but I have to be, right? I don't know who you are or... Or what's going on or... or if you're even actually a person or if I'm just coming up with these things because I don't have a life and I have all of one friend... Okay, I'm talking to a freaking window. I seriously have lost it. I'm just gonna close the blinds and go to Myra's house now."

She grabbed the string and pulled once, which did nothing. She angled it out and tried again, which only succeeded in lowering the blinds about half an inch. Why did they make this things so difficult? How hard could it be to just make them go all the way up and stay, then go all the way down with one pull?

Another small white cloud fogged up in a circle on the window, and Des completely paused with the blind's strings still in her hands. This had to stop. Right now. She dropped the strings and walked back up to the window. She was just about to open it when something changed; it seemed as if someone was writing in the circle, like everyone used to do when they were kids and bored on a car ride.

"He-" she started to read the only two letters written, then froze completely. She saw something, someone, floating in midair. The person trying to write her a message. Then just as quickly he was gone in a flash. A boy, about 18, with stark white hair, pale skin, and the brightest blue eyes. He didn't look real though; he looked almost holographic, or like she imagined a ghost or spirit would look--see-through and not completely there. And he was only there for a second before he was gone; he hadn't even finished the message.

She opened the window so fast it slammed at the top. "Who are you? Are you a ghost? Hello?!"

Nothing. Either the boy with the white hair was gone, or she was hallucinating the whole time.