I never liked the snow.

Even as a child I hated it. It was wet and cold. It only brought famine and death.

My mother was obsessed with it.

So much that she moved her family to a land just to see it.

She always said that we came to Sina so I could learn from other Spirits.

She was a bad liar. The Spirits in Sina weren't any better than the Spirits in Calla.

Oh, how I missed Calla.

It was warm in Calla. People always had food in Calla.

Nobody froze to death in Calla.

I looked up at the sky as the snow fell. She had killed herself.

It had torn my heart out when it happened. Now I didn't even care.

She was a selfish bitch who only cared about herself.

She took me and my sisters to a frozen Hell then died and left me to raise them.

I turned back and walked towards the house.

Senna was here today. I'd been trying my best to avoid him.

He'd been courting me since I was old enough to be courted.

I had no interest in marrying anyone from this place.

I was lucky, I was chosen by the founders. People worshiped the ground I walked on.

They gave me portions of their food and I was paid more for smaller tasks.

If I was a normal Spirit I would've been forced into marriage the moment my mother died.

Kovi was barely old enough to start working and Sev was only nine.

I needed to provide for myself and them.

I stepped through the door and pulled my coat off. Sev ran up to me. "You're back!"

"I was only gone for a little bit." I smiled and ruffed up her hair.

Kovi glanced up at me from the kitchen. She was preparing dinner. "An hour is not a little bit."

I sighed. "You know how I get when it snows."

"So like all the time?" Senna looked up from his book. He was sitting on the couch.

"I'm not marrying you. Can you just leave?" I glared at him.

He smirked. "You'll get desperate eventually."

Kovi rolled her eyes. "So will you."

"You know you could throw me out." He turned back to his book.

My fingertips went numb as I entertained the idea.

"Veya, you're summoning something." Kovi brought me back to reality.

I glanced down at the black smoke coming from my hands. "Oops."

"I don't understand how you were chosen for this. Wouldn't they want someone with control?" Senna scoffed.

I glared at him. "You think you have more control than me?"

"Yeah, I do." He smiled.

I walked into the kitchen and grabbed two glasses. I set them on the coffee table in front of him.

"Engrave the clan symbol in it without breaking it." I motioned to the glass.

"That's not control." He picked up his glass.

"I disagree. You have to be patient and control your temper. If you get frustrated you'll break your glass." I picked up my glass.

"You're going to win either way." He set the glass down.

"I know, I'm better than you." I smiled.

"Maybe at summoning and shadow making. You're incapable of staying calm." He stood up.

I ran my hand over the glass and watched as the thin shadows slowly etched the arrows into the glass.

He rolled his eyes. "Now you're just showing off."

Sev smiled up at me. "Can you do that to all the glasses?"

"Maybe someday." I handed it to her.

She stuck her tongue out at Senna and ran into the kitchen.

"Why do you keep letting me back in anyways?" Senna pulled off his armbands, revealing his clan marks.

"You bring food." I pulled the ribbons from my hair and ran my fingers through it. "You staying for dinner again today?"

"If you'll let me." He smiled.

"Stop flirting. I'm not joking." I gave him a look.

"I know." He leaned against the wall. "But someday you will need to marry someone V. I want you to have options."

I rolled my eyes. "You want powerful council babies."

"Hey!" He hit my shoulder. "That's only part of it."

"Uh-huh." I pulled off my boots. "For the record, if we ever get married we're moving out of this wretched place."

"When we get married we can move to somewhere nice. How does Calla sound?" He smirked.

"Senna, I would only marry you if marriage was the only option. Don't sound so happy about it." I mumbled.

Kovi was entertaining Sev in the kitchen, I didn't want either of them to overhear me.

The amusement vanished from his eyes. "V, the crown is gaining more power every day. It's not that unrealistic."

"They won't come for Sina. There's nothing here." I said in a hushed voice.

"I heard they're taking artifacts. I wouldn't be surprised if they came for Vorneya's Scythe."

"I'm sure I would've heard from Mari or Cassius by now if that was even in the cards."

"If they got the Stone or the Looking Glass you're not hearing anything." He stepped towards me. "Look, I know they're just rumors. But watch your back."

"Cassius and Mari would die before they let the crown take their artifacts. I would know if one of them died. Everything's fine." I turned around and walked into the kitchen.

I didn't need him filling my head with fantasies now. Winter was just coming to an end.

I had to prepare for spring, for funerals, for the farming season.

I had no time for his nonsense.

...
I hate this. I'm going to rewrite it later.

<3