Frigid (Chapter 1)

It was cold.

She knew it wasn't the AC or any opened window. It was something else. She'd been passing it off for a while now, but it finally caught her attention.

Evelyn -your-average-teen- Brice had just moved from the small suburban area of Tallahassee, Florida, to the country-mountain area of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. She let out a small, tired sigh as she stared out of the car window. The rising sun just barely peaked over the mountains, casting a shadow on one part of the forest, and a blanket of light on the other. It was a big change. New home, new state, new school. Everything piled up, one after the other, about what she'd be doing here.

The moving truck ahead of them came to a slow stop as it reached the driveway, followed by her parent's car. Evelyn's father hopped out of the truck and walked over to the car, greeting her mother as they held hands and looked at the vacant home. Two stories, lots of windows, surrounded by thick forests in the middle of nowhere. Just perfect.

Her father came over to her side of the vehicle and opened the door for her, greeting her with a "Your majesty." He held out his hand to help her out of the car. Taking it, she complained, "I'm not a little girl anymore, dad."
"Well, you're still my little girl." He smiled.

She scoffed as she threw her backpack over her shoulder and walked to the front door where her mother waited.

Winter in Gatlinburg was very cold, especially in the mornings and evenings. In the middle of the day, though, it was nice. The feeling of the cool, crisp air with the warmth of the sun on your skin felt wonderful. Her mother held out the key in front of Evie. "You do the honors." A soft smile curved on her lips.

She took the key, inserted it into the lock, and opened the door.

This was it.

The entire house was spacious and beautiful. Stairs to the left, living area ahead of them, dining and kitchen to the right. She took a step in, and there she was greeted by a sense of home. After taking a look at the first floor of the house, the small family met up in the driveway. "Alright, time to take boxes." Her mother had a small grin on her face. Evie sighed again, taking two small boxes with her name written on the tops. She carried them up the stairs and into her new room.

It was vacant, and almost quiet enough to hear a dust speck fall to the floor. She set them down with a loud thud, walking around the room and looking out of the window. She had a nice view of the forest, and she could even see the small road that connected her neighborhood to 'tourist trap city.'

Suddenly, she spotted a figure in her backyard. It looked like a boy, but before she could approve of her assumptions, he- or it- ran off into the woods.

"I'm gonna go take a look around the woods for a bit, alright?" Evelyn rushed downstairs, throwing her coat over her shoulders. "Alright, be careful!" Her mother called from the kitchen.

The door closed behind her with a loud thud as she darted across the yard, and into the woods. She slowed down as she jumped over a couple fallen trees. Evie came to a slow stop in a large clearing in the midst of the forest. In the middle of the clearing was a tree stump, or as she viewed it, the perfect place to sit down and take a break.

As Evelyn closed her eyes, a light, cold breeze brushed by her for only a moment. She rubbed her hands together and breathed into them to warm them up. Deciding to explore more, she stood back up and strolled back into the thick wood.

The sound of rushing water soon reached her as she came closer to a small, rushing river. A bad feeling suddenly punched her right in the gut. She felt like something bad happened there, despite its beauty. Something really, really bad. She decided to turn around when she heard a faint whisper in her ear. Evie turned back, checking her surroundings for any threats.

Nothing.

She sighed, convincing herself that it was in her head as she stomped back through the woods.

On the way back, she spotted something sitting on the stump in the clearing. She crouched down and walked slowly, trying not to be noticed. She was afraid if she had just run into danger. She walked closer until she jumped out, ready to confront the figure, but was disappointed and confused to find nothing there. She shrugged it off yet again, returning to her new home.