First Frost

by Liz Delesus

  Bianca jumped and placed her hand over her heart. It skipped several heartbeats. “What’s wrong?”

  Terrance grabbed both horses by the bridle and spoke softly to them. What he said to get them to calm down Bianca would never know, but within moments both horses relaxed. The horses had already gotten used to being around David so Bianca knew that it wasn’t because of him.

  “Is there something out there?” Ming asked.

  “I don’t know. I’ll go investigate. Stay here with the prince,” Terrance said.

  “Wait, I want to go, too,” Ferdinand protested.

  “Your Highness, please stay here and protect them,” Terrance said.

  “Very well.” Ferdinand groaned.

  “Be careful,” Bianca said.

  Terrance nodded and faded into the darkness.

  No one made a sound. All of her senses were on high alert. She paid close attention to the crackling fire and the quiet creaks and snaps made by the burning wood. The rustling of the leaves. Her father’s deep, breaths. And after what felt like an eternity, they heard the rustle of branches. Ming grabbed Bianca’s arm and shrieked. Bianca’s heart leaped to her throat when she heard her father’s snarl. All of his fur stood on end, making him look twice as large and much more menacing.

  “It’s me.” Terrance stepped into the soft orange light.

  “Did you see anything?” Bianca asked.

  “Nothing, I’m sorry. Whatever frightened the horses is long gone,” he replied.

  “Somehow that doesn’t make me feel any better.” Ming nibbled on her lower lip. Her eyes darted nervously from side to side as though waiting for something to jump out from the bushes.

  Bianca could tell that Ming was ready to have a nervous breakdown.

  “It’s okay. Calm down.” Bianca hugged Ming and tried to get her to relax.

  “Well…why don’t we sleep in shifts? I can stay up with Dad and then Terrance and Prince Ferdinand can take the next shift and so on and so forth. At least until we’re all ready to travel again. What do you think?” Bianca suggested.

  “Sounds good to me,” Ming replied with a sniff. She wiped away the tears that pooled on the corners of her eyes.

  Terrance parted his lips, ready to protest Bianca’s decision, but she quickly raised her hand and silenced him with a look.

  “Don’t say anything. You get some sleep. You know how to ride a horse, I don’t. You know how to wield a sword…I don’t. Can you do either of those things without sleep?”

  Terrance narrowed his eyes. She could tell he wanted to argue with her, but instead he nodded. “Very well. I shall bid you a good night,” he said softly.

  “Good night.”

  “And please do not hesitate to wake me should something frighten you,” he said.

  “I won’t,” she promised.

  Terrance rubbed his chin and shook his head.

  He’s probably trying to decide how stubborn I am.

  She noticed he had a five o’clock shadow. She wondered how old he was and whether or not he spent the day thinking of her as much as she thought of him.

  Terrance walked away and went to sleep. Whatever he wanted to say to her died on his lips.

  Bianca grabbed a blanket and sat close to the crackling fire. David lay down behind her, and she rested her back against his great big, furry belly. She stared into the open flames, wondering what would happen next. Hours passed by and the only sound that could be heard was the chirping of crickets, the hooting of the owls, and the wood creaking and burning before her.

  Bianca wondered if she stared into the flames long enough if she would see something. A premonition, her mother’s face, or perhaps something completely unexpected. She mused with the idea of being able to catch fire. She giggled at the thought, yet something deep inside of her told her to try. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She stuck her hand into the fire and closed her fist over the open fire. When Bianca retrieved her hand, she half expected to see it at least a little pink, but her hand was as pale as ever. She uncurled her fingers and to her amazement there was a tiny little flame on the palm of her hand. The flame was the size of her pinky finger. It danced and flickered its orange light from side to side as though trying to shimmy its way back into the fire.

  “Whoa,” she gasped.

  Bianca threw the tiny spark back into the open flames and tried to make sense of what just happened. She wished her mother had been there to see and give her advice on what else she should expect. Would her magical powers continue to grow? If so, into what? Would she become a witch? What if she didn’t want to go down that path? What would happen to her then? So many questions, never any answers.

  She finally broke her silence when she said, “Dad?”

  David grunted.

  She still couldn’t believe he was alive and close by. Even though he was a bear, it was still comforting to her that he was there with her.

  “Daddy, I’m scared,” she whispered. Her eyes blurred with the sting and promise of tears that would soon follow.

  David let out a soft moan and licked Bianca’s cheek. She curled up beside her father and burst into tears. Without realizing, she cried herself into a dark and dreamless slumber.

  Bianca sat up and gasped. She had fallen asleep when she was supposed to keep watch over everyone.

  “Don’t worry. All is well.” Terrance gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

  “How long was I out?” she asked as she rubbed the kink out of her shoulder.

  “Several hours. Your father woke me and Prince Ferdinand. We resumed watch over our little camp,” he explained.

  “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

  “No worries,” he said with a playful wink.

  Bianca smiled, but no matter what Terrance said she still felt like she let everyone down.

  They were on the third day of their journey, and Bianca could’ve sworn she heard something in the distance. Terrance stopped to listen, too. It sounded as though an earthquake had grown legs and was running toward them. David gnawed on a smoked piece of venison; he dropped it and stood absolutely still. He too was bothered by the sound he heard.

  Prince Ferdinand glanced at Terrance. “Did you hear that?”

  “I’m starting to think that all bad things start with that question,” Ming said.

  Bianca’s stomach dropped. She was certain that the ground would split open and swallow them whole. David growled. At least Bianca knew she wasn’t losing her mind. The horses reared back and threw their passengers off their backs. They all fell clumsily to the ground and watched as the horses kicked up the dust and dirt off the earth as they vanished into the thick forest.

  “Crap,” Bianca muttered.

  “I’m getting kinda tired of being terrified,” Ming said.

  Terrance tensed. “We need to run and hide…now.” The urgency and fear in his voice didn’t escape Bianca.

  “Who’s after us?” Bianca asked.

  “He’s not so much of a who…he’s more of a what.”

  “What is he?” Ming asked.

  “Wolf,” he said.

  “A wolf?” Bianca asked.

  Terrance nodded.

  “As in the Big Bad Wolf?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Crap,” Bianca and Ming said in unison.

  Bianca’s mind went a million miles per second as she tried to think of a plan. That was when she remembered the brick in her backpack.

  “Hang on.” Bianca opened her backpack and found the red brick sitting at the bottom.

  “What are you doing? Why aren’t we running?” Ming shrieked.

  “Saving our butts, that’s what I’m doing,” Bianca said.

  “I swear to God, Bianca, the horses have more sense than we do,” Ming muttered.

  “Shut up and do as I say,” Bianca ordered.

  “Not by the hair on my chiny, chin, chin.” Bianca placed the red brick on the ground and took a step back after chanting th
e spell.

  The brick trembled and quickly multiplied itself over and over again. It looked as though a small army of invisible hands was building a house at rapid speed. This continued until everyone was standing in front of a large brick house. Bianca opened the door and corralled everyone inside the impenetrable walls of the famous home that belonged to the third little pig. She locked the door behind her and let out a sigh of relief.

  Hopefully we’ll be safe from whatever is after us.

  “Wow,” Ming said as she looked around and took everything in. “B?”

  “Yeah?”

  “How is a brick house going to stop that giant wolf from squishing us to death?”

  “This house is indestructible.”

  “Ooooh…cool,” Ming said.

  Then the house trembled as though bombs were falling from the sky. Ming screamed and ran to the furthest corner of the house. She covered her head with her hands and muttered several incoherent words. Ferdinand ran to her and held her tight. Ming accepted this bit of comfort and clung to him as though her life depended on it.

  Bianca walked to the window. She wasn’t sure what to look for, but it was better than rocking herself back and forth in a fetal position while sucking on her thumb. She saw nothing but pine trees and dried up leaves scattered on the ground. She assumed that the wolf Terrance spoke of was currently on the roof wreaking havoc (or at least trying to) on the little brick house. She screamed when a huge yellow-green eye covered her view.

  “Let me in,” the wolf growled, his voice sounding like rocks falling down a mountain.

  “No!” Bianca screamed.

  “I’ll let you have a swift end. Better for me to end your life than the witch,” he snarled.

  “I said no!” she shouted.

  “You can’t stay in there forever…even the pigs had to come out at some point,” the wolf said and then chuckled.

  “Let me speak to him,” Terrance whispered to Bianca.

  “Why? What can you do?” Bianca frowned.

  Terrance rested his hands on his hips and looked up at the ceiling. He ran his calloused fingers through his dark brown hair and finally said, “I’m his grandson.”

  “Grandson?” Bianca echoed. “How is that even possible?”

  “I can’t explain now, but trust me, anything is possible here in Everafter.”

  “Are you sure he won’t eat you or worse? I don’t want you to get hurt.”

  “You’re very sweet to worry about me.” He gave her the saddest of smiles. “But trust me. I’ll be quite all right.”

  Bianca shook her head. This was wrong. She didn’t want anyone to get hurt because of her. Angry tears of frustration escaped her eyes. She quickly wiped them away. She never liked it when people saw her crying.

  “How do you know? How do you know everything is going to be okay?” she asked.

  “I don’t. I’ve never even met him before. But he’ll know my scent. I can only hope that it will be enough to keep him from tearing me apart.”

  “Terrance…I…” A lump formed in her throat. She couldn’t even finish what she wanted to say.

  “Trust me,” Terrance whispered, and then he gently kissed her on the forehead. “I’ll be right back.”

  Bianca could still feel the warmth of his kiss upon her skin. It burned with the promise of more to come.

  Bianca snatched his hand before he touched the silver doorknob.

  “There has to be another way,” she said.

  He smiled and asked her to trust him once more. Terrance took a deep breath and stepped outside. He closed the door behind him. Once Bianca heard the soft click of the door lock, tears came forth once more.

  “What is he doing?” Ming snapped out of her nervous breakdown and joined Bianca by the only window in the entire house.

  “He’s going to talk to him,” Bianca replied.

  “Is he crazy? Did you try to talk him out of it?”

  “Of course I tried. Do you think I want him to be out there talking to a giant wolf? Now be quiet. I want to hear what’s going on outside.” She gently pushed Ming aside and opened the window a crack.

  The Big Bad Wolf was every bit as scary as Bianca had always imagined. He was completely black, darker than a midnight on a starless, moonless night. His gums were dark pink and his teeth were amazingly white. His eyes were bright yellow-green that held an indescribable flame. Where it came from, Bianca would never know.

  Chapter Sixteen

  The wolf’s moist black nose flared up as he took in Terrance’s scent. The young man braced himself and stood completely still.

  I’d do the same if this was my first time meeting the infamous Big Bad Wolf, Bianca thought.

  The wolf took in the sight of his grandson. From where Bianca stood it looked as though he didn’t know what to make of this hairless pup who stood before him as though he had a right to do so.

  “You smell of my kin. Who are you?” the wolf asked as he narrowed his eyes with suspicion.

  “I am your grandson, Terrance Connor,” he replied.

  “Ah…yes. William’s son.” He smiled, flashing his sharp white teeth.

  “Yes, sir.” He nodded.

  “I will spare your life because you are my kin, but the others…they must perish,” he said.

  “But why?”

  “It is what she wants,” he growled.

  “The witch?”

  “Yes, it is what Lenore wants.”

  “Why are you doing her bidding? I never knew you to take orders from anyone.”

  Wolf snarled and slapped Terrance across the cheek, sending him flying against the door of the brick house.

  The old wolf snarled. “Mind your manners, boy. I will demand the respect that is due to me. Remember, you may be my kin, but you’re no full-blooded wolf. William dishonored his family when he ran off and looked underneath your mortal mother’s skirt.”

  “Forgive me.” Terrance wiped the little bit of blood that spilled out of the corner of his mouth.

  “Disrespect me like that again, and I will find it very difficult to spare your life…family or not,” the wolf growled.

  Terrance lowered his head and repeated his apology.

  The wolf snarled and licked his nose with his long mauve tongue. He looked straight at Bianca. Her heart leaped to her throat as she stared right back into the wolf’s menacing eyes. Never once did she look away from his yellow-green gaze.

  “She threatened to destroy my family,” he explained, finally pulling his gaze away from Bianca.

  “And you believe her?” Terrance asked.

  “She’s no mere mortal. There is something frighteningly dark about her,” he admitted.

  “That is why we need your help. We can stop her,” Terrance said.

  “I can’t,” he replied.

  “Why?”

  “I won’t risk the lives of my children. I won’t risk my wife.”

  “What can you do?” Terrance asked.

  The wolf narrowed his gaze at his mortal grandson.

  “Four days,” he stated.

  “Four days?”

  “If you haven’t reached her castle in four days, I’ll have no choice but to kill your friends,” he said.

  “Thank you, Grandfather.” Terrance bowed. “Can you tell us exactly where her castle is?”

  “The girl knows the way. She has the red cape. It will take her where she needs to go,” the wolf said.

  “How do you know she has it?” Terrance asked.

  “No amount of time inside a wooden trunk will take away the smell of that girl. Little brat refused to die…but her grandmother certainly was tasty.” The Big Bad Wolf then let out a low chuckle.

  Terrance gave him a tight lipped smile, and started to turn around to walk away but something the wolf said stopped him in his tracks.

  “The girl…she smells just like her,” the wolf said.

  “I know,” Terrance replied.

  “Guard her well. She may be the one that
can put an end to this madness.” And with that having been said, the wolf vanished. He melded into the woods as though he had never even existed.

  Terrance straightened his clothes as best as he could and knocked on the door. Bianca opened it immediately and pulled him inside the house.

  “Are you okay?” she asked as soon as he stepped inside.

  “Yes, I’m fine, thank you,” he said.

  “What did he say?” Ming asked.

  “We have four days,” he replied.

  “Or?” Ming asked, as though terrified to hear the answer.

  “Or he’ll kill us all himself,” Terrance replied in a nonchalant tone of voice, as though this sort of thing happened to him every day.

  For all Bianca knew—it did.

  One by one they walked out of the brick house. Bianca pulled a single strand of hair from her scalp and tied it around the doorknob. The house disappeared and returned to its original form of a single red brick. Bianca noticed everyone staring at her as she put the brick in her backpack.

  “What?”

  “What else do you have in there?” Ming asked.

  “I can’t tell you. It’s a surprise,” she replied.

  “Come, we best be on our way,” Terrance said.

  Bianca put on the red cape and the path was shown to her once more. This time around she wasn’t so overwhelmed when the magical veil fell over her body. She was getting used to wearing the cape.

  “What did the wolf mean when he said kin? What does that word mean?” Ming whispered to Bianca.

  “Kin is family,” Bianca replied.

  “So…Terrance is a wolf?”

  “I don’t know,” Bianca said.

  Ming shrugged her shoulders and kept walking.

  They walked silently for many, many miles. Bianca quickly realized how lucky they had been to have horses in the beginning of their journey. After several hours of walking, Bianca was physically exhausted. Wearing the red cape was also starting to take its toll on her tiny frame. Luckily for her, everyone noticed and decided to set up camp for the night.

  They built a fire and had some of Bianca’s soup. Terrance had sneaked away to eat his food by himself. Bianca gulped down the rest of her meal, not caring that it burned the roof of her mouth, and followed him.