I sat silently under the Oak tree, and next to it was a huge frozen lake. Which sparkled beautifully in the middle of the white snowy blanket that surrounded it. Some snow powder fell gently on the edges of the lake, as if it was some flour strayed on a backing table.

It was the only place where I felt safe. Away from all the bullshit of the villagers. I glanced at the scratch on my hand. The blood was dry now, but it seemed a bit red on the edges.

I let out a long sigh, the air condensation forming almost immediately even though it wasn't that cold in the morning. But the cold was coming from inside me. I unbuttoned my shirt, reveling my perfect yet battered skin. Scratches, welts, bruises. You name it.

But I had more important things to deal with. I felt the coldness emanating from the left side of my chest. I place a hand on it and feel the icy skin under my palm. It's not just an expression; my heart is truly freezing.

As I transform into my human form, it affects me badly. My heart starts freezing itself into ice, and soon, my fingertips and other parts of my body become icy blue, with frostbite occurring randomly.

Fortunately, that only happens if I stayed in my human form for too long.

And it did a couple of times. But the more I turned into the human form, the longer it took my heart to go back to normal.

The elders were alarmed when they discovered my condition. They revealed a prophecy, warning me that on my 21st birthday, I would transform into a monster. My hair would turn completely white, and my body would become a source of ice storms that can doom this world, leaving me without conscious control over my actions.

I would become like a destructive tornado, killing everything in my path.

Therefore, I was destined for execution on that special night.

However, there was hope. There was a way to break this curse. I had to take the heart of a human virgin female who had never experienced love.

Once that heart was full of true love, I had to kill it. If I did so, I could become a full human, no longer a threat to the elves. The elders would allow me to live in the human world.

I sighed at the heavy burden I had to carry over my shoulders. I buttoned my shirt back and leaned my head back on the tree, letting my long locks fly freely with every soft breeze. I threw the apple I bought earlier up, and then it fell right back into my hand.

I wiped with it with my clothes and then took a huge bite. I was starving.

Suddenly, I heard the sound of blades scratching the ice. Excitement rushed through my whole being.

She was here. Finally.

The ice skater. I gave her the name... Melody.

I relaxed even more into the tree. Almost immediately, I started hearing her majestic humming as the blades of her weird looking shoes started scratching on the icy floor of the lake. And her blonde hair looked just like sun rays, that felt as if they could hug you and make you filled with warmth and love.

Her smooth, thin legs danced perfectly over the snowy floor. She looked just like a free bird. Without any restrains, without any bonds.

Unlike me... My hand went to touch the blue gem that rested on my chest.

"♪You are my sunshine♪"

And soon. Melody started singing my favorite song, a song that reminded me of how it felt to have a family. To be normal. Without any pain. Without any torture. She sang it as perfectly as I heard it when I was five years old.

"♪My only sunshine ♪"

She helped me remember...

"♪You make me happy ♪"

My mother's face.

"♪When skies are gray ♪"

Mother used to sing me this human song when I felt scared or anxious. It's a song she learned from my father... I was afraid I'd forget how mother looked like. But Melody kept her memory fresh in my mind.

"♪You'll never know dear~ How much I love you ♪"

I kept staring at her without even blinking once. I've memorized all her moves by heart. She trains for 1 hour and 20 minutes everyday. She jumps five times during the dance. And she usually fails at the fifth-

"♪Please don't take my- WOAH! AH!"

Suddenly, and out of nowhere, I heard a cracking sound. The ice! It was going break!

I knew how stupid this was. But I quickly turned into my human form and rushed towards her with full speed.

"OH my GOD! I AM GOnnA fa-"

I caught her.

I pulled her out of there just when the ice broke, creating a small blue circle in the frozen lack.

But because I used so much force. Her hand slipped from mine, and she fell right into a rock. "Ow!" She yelled. And held her knee where she fell.

I panted heavily and quickly kneeled down next to her, the snow crunching a bit as I moved. "U-uh, are you okay?"

She glared at me. But then her expression immediately changed into a shocked one. Typical. It was the same look every human gave me when they first saw me. Melody didn't seem any different. Or that's what I thought.

She frowned and pouted. "Who the hell are you!? Are you a stalker!?"

Huh? Definitely never heard that one before.

I decided to act innocent. "I um. I was just passing by, and I happened to see that you were in danger... hehe," I smiled nervously.

She gave me a skeptical look. And eyed me up and down, her eyes literally moved on, Every. Inch. of my body. "What's your name then? I've never seen you here before."

I froze, I never got this far before. They're never interested in my name. I rubbed the back of my head. "Ahm," I started. "I am.. uh.. Ado-.. my name is Aiden. Yes Aiden." I couldn't use my real name... it was too risky.

She scoffed. "Alright. Aiden. Fix this mess, it's all your fault. You saved me too roughly. Uh you look like gentleman, but you're not acting like one at all." She pointed at the red scratch under her knee.

The heck is wrong with this... girl? I thought melody would be, I don't know... gentler?

I stared at her for a minute. Then, I decided to just play along. I wasn't going to kill melody, not her.. well... she gives me a good show to watch every day after tiring work days.

"Oh, I am very sorry, I was in a rush, so I accidentally dropped you... here, let me help." I took a clean piece of cloth out of my pocket. And damped it into the part of the lack that broke earlier. Frozen water should be clean. I think.

I squeezed some of the water out. Then, I returned my focus on her leg. Carefully, I placed my hand on it and pulled it a bit closer. To which she flinched.

"W-wait, what do you think you're doing!?"

I rolled my eyes. "Fixing this. Like you asked me."

She looked around nervously. "Yeah, but I didn't think you'd actually -"

I didn't wait for her to finish. And gently started cleaning the scratch.She shivered a bit because it was obviously cold. It wasn't that bad. But I think she was just being dramatic to get my attention. Foolish humans.

She just stared at me as if I had just grown another head. Or as if I was an alien or something.

I glanced back at her. A bit coldly this time. Yeah, she's like everyone else. I could clearly see that faint blush on her face.

Wait, her name is not actually Melody. I made that name up.

While I was staring at her and lost in my stupid thoughts. While still holding her leg. She pulled away from me. "I think I am good. You can, uh.. stop now."

I stood up and extended my hand to her. She looked at my hand, and then her eyes widened. Suddenly, she clutched it tightly, causing me to stumble a bit and lean forward. "Oh my-.. you're hurt too! Your hand is-"

I quickly pulled my hand away from her. "It's fine. I'll deal with that later." I muttered as I shoved that hand into my pocket.

She stood up, that look of worry still on her face. "But.. that should get treated. I mean..."

I tilted my head. Was Melody worried about me? No one was ever worried about me before. But why? She just met me. Was it my looks? Or something else...

I sighed softly, shaking my head. It was dangerous for me to stay too long in the human form. I had to leave.

"Sorry but I have to go now." I whispered and turned my back to her.

"Wait!... I.... I am sorry if my rude attitude earlier was... Well... rude." She smiled sheepishly.

I stopped in my tracks. Then, I gave her a half smile. "Don't worry about it. And... I hope we meet again. Clumsy bunny."

Melody's eyes widened as I referred to her as a 'clumsy bunny'. A hint of embarrassment crossed her face as she remembered her earlier fall.

"Clumsy bunny?" She repeated, a mix of disbelief and amusement in her voice. "Is that supposed to be a nickname or something?"

I chuckled softly, enjoying the sight of her flushed cheeks. "Well, considering how you stumbled and almost took a dip in the ice, it's a fitting name. Doesn't it suit you?"

Melody grumbled and rolled her eyes playfully. "No, it doesn't!" She muttered, crossing her arms in mocked annoyance.

But I could see the hint of a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "I don't usually stumble like that, you know." She added defensively.

What a liar. You've never managed to do the fifth jump. Like ever. It was starting to annoy me, to be honest. Your butt would crash on that ice every day. Maybe that's why it broke today.

I chuckled as I remembered how angry she would get every time she failed to do it.

She lightly punched my shoulder. "What are you laughing at!?"

I held my hands up in surrender. "Nothing, nothing." Her pout only made me laugh more. She looked, really cute up close. I've never thought I'd get that close to her.

But crap. I really needed to go. I could literally feel my veins tightening around my heart.

"Uh, see you.. later I really have to go now... Miss... um."

She tilted her head lightly. "Oh, my name is Milanson. But I don't use that name much. Call me Mila."

I smiled softly. Then nodded. "It was nice meeting you. Mila."

So her name is Mila... Mila... What a beautiful name.

But I prefer Melody.

<<<~~~~~>>>