Page 73 of Frosted Torment

I fist-bumped the air as Baz opened the metal door with a ceremonial flourish. As we stepped inside, the one-room structure radiated a surprising coziness. The smell of aged wood mingled with a faint hint of lilac sprinkled the air.

To the left was a small living space. Two oversized chairs faced a small electric fireplace that cast flickering shadows across the room. The kitchen to the right had a short, worn wooden counter.

It had a mini fridge, an ice machine, and a microwave. Nothing more, not even a stove. A foldable card table with four fold-out chairs around it was the dining area.

One bathroom across from where I stood in the entryway had a stand-up shower, sink, and toilet with a small shelf aboveit holding a few towels. I didn’t say another word to my friends as I grabbed my backpack from Lex and left them to their own devices. Grateful for the opportunity to escape into a few minutes of privacy, I locked the door and then turned on the shower.

I grabbed my toothbrush and toothpaste out of my bag, then stepped into the cascade of liquid heat, brushing my teeth first. The tension melted away with each passing minute, and the steam created a cozy sanctuary within the small area.

What I wanted most was to find Vallen, but the visions of the cherry tree meant something. Whether it was about me or the angels, I wasn’t sure, but I pushed that aside as I pulled the curtain back and tossed my toothbrush into the sink. I poured soap over every inch of me and began to scrub.

My grandmother’s bracelet bounced along my wrist, and I noticed a different inscription, in another language, on the inside of the band. I tried tugging it over my hand again to get a closer look, but it refused to budge. Once more, I loaded my hands with soap and rubbed my wrist, making it as slick as possible.

I pulled at it again and again, but still had no success. The water splashing around my face made it difficult to read the cluster of letters. I lifted my wrist to the light, letting it catch the engraving when there was a knock at the door.

“Lex and I are headed back down to camp, Noa,” Baz announced to me through the door.

“Okay... yeah... sure,” I mumbled, my eyes glued to the inscription as I struggled to focus.

Then the letters began to rearrange themselves. I rubbed my eyes as the water continued to run across my body. When I opened them, I could read the quote.

My entire body jolted in shock as I whispered them out loud. “The blood forgave. The line remains. The one he loved forever stayed.”

In the span of a single heartbeat, the ancient bracelet bit into my wrist like a too-tight rubber band. Struggling against its iron grip proved pointless. My tendons and muscles writhed beneath my skin, appearing eerily bloodless. A hot tremor tumbled down my spine, spilling me onto the shower floor. I opened my mouth to scream, but only silence came out.

Winded, with nothing but sharp inhales for company, I stared at the horror unfolding as the bracelet merged with my bones. With each frantic blink that screamed ‘no’, it accepted an adamant ‘yes’—becoming a permanent part of me. The mysterious designs etched into its surface were now tattooed over my once bare skin by some unseen cosmic hand.

Rubbing my skin, the runes and words mocked me with their permanence. The bracelet had claimed me.

“Baz!” I cried, backing myself into the corner of the shower.

Breaths of air lodged in my lungs between uncontrollable sobs. Overwhelmed with fear, I curled up into a ball, tucking my face into my arms as my wet hair clung to my skin like strands of seaweed. In an instant, splintered wood flew across the bathroom, some landing in the shower.

Baz strode across the tiled floor, his enormous frame casting an imposing shadow over my trembling body. He reached past me to shut off the shower. I flinched at the sudden silence, only broken by my ragged breathing.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Baz said in a low voice, bending down to eye level with me. “Tell me what happened.”

His piercing blue eyes met mine and softened with genuineconcern. Ena slipped into the bathroom, her eyes darting between me and Baz. With a deep breath, she began to channel her magic, drying the soaked floor with each gentle gust.

She swept the wood up against the wall into a pile, then leaned against the bathroom counter, her head hung low. Ena was desperate to help, but in that moment, it was one thing she was powerless to do. She reached for a towel and handed it to Baz.

“Please, Baz,” I whispered through chattering teeth, my eyes welling up with fresh tears. “I don’t know what’s happening to me.”

“What do you mean, Noa?” His voice was steady as he helped me stand and wrapped the towel around me.

As I looked into Baz’s eyes, I hesitated, then extended my arm with caution, revealing the inscription tattooed on my wrist. The words seemed to dance before my eyes, taunting me with their cryptic message.

“I don’t know what it means,” I sniffed. “It just appeared, then the bracelet... after it—" I choked back a sob, unable to finish the sentence.

Ena’s eyes widened as she walked over to examine my wrist. She studied the tattoo, her fingers tracing the air above my skin. “The bracelet is under her skin,” Ena whispered as concern plastered her face, and she offered my hand to Baz.

As our fingers touched, a sudden surge of electricity erupted from my palm. A direct strike to the chest propelled him across the room, causing his back to slam against the wall with a sickening thud. Then, he crumpled to the floor.

“Baz!” I screamed, my hand flying to my mouth in horror, and the towel forgotten on the floor. I caught myself on thecounter as my feet slipped out from under me. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what happened,” I stammered, tears streaming down my face as I reached out to him, afraid to make contact.

Ena rushed over to Baz as Lex burst into the room. “What’s going on?” He flashed a look at me, then turned his back in a swift motion. “You’re naked, Noa.”

“Shit!” I yanked my towel off the floor, then quickly wrapped it around myself. “You can look now, Lex.”

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