𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐈𝐗
—𝚗𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛 𝟷𝟸—

     𝐌𝐄𝐋𝐎𝐃𝐘 𝐒𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐎 herself as she made her way out of the library, looking for Frost as she closed the door behind her. The boy was nowhere in sight, seeing as there were a few townspeople roaming the streets. Instead of doing anything obvious, like calling out for him, Melody disappeared into the nearby forest, keeping her eyes out for him.

"Frost?" She asks once she's far enough into the dense trees. "I found a book that could help you."

Moments later, the white-haired boy stepped out from behind some bushes. "I'm surprised, I didn't think we would have any luck with that."

"That doesn't mean it'll be easy," Melody sighs, running her fingers through her hair. "But I'm staying here to help."

"I don't expect you to," he chimes, not fazed as Jude perched himself on his shoulder, "because I know there are going to be risks. Are you sure you're down for it?"

"I won't back out now, I've already made it this far. And besides, who else would be your partner through it?" The girl gives him a soft smile, a giggle escaping her lips as Jude squawks.

"We better get going if we want to get this over with," Frost instructs, nodding up the mountain.

"Actually, we won't be going that way," Melody says. "There's a blacksmith in town that can help us with what we need. So put your hood up, and come with me."

"Do you honestly believe they'll let me in?" Frost raises an eyebrow. "Even with the hood up, my eyes are unusually blue, and everyone notices. I'll be reported the instant I step out."

"Then don't make eye contact," Melody tells him. "It's that simple. Do you really want me to go alone?"

The thought of it made Frost shiver, and he couldn't deny it in the least. He wouldn't allow her to go alone, that was asking too much. Frost didn't want her to go in the library alone, let alone a place crowded with men making weapons of war. So he decided to yank up the hood of his jacket, grabbing her elbow as he made his way into the open without another comment.

Upon arriving at the blacksmith's shop, Melody turned to give Frost an encouraging glance, then proceeds to shove past the large double doors of the entrance. The shop wasn't too big, but wasn't small either. And when the two stepped inside, a wave of warmth flooded over them, brought on by a hearth at the corner of the main room. A few looks were tossed their way as they continued inside, eyes searching for anyone that could help.

"How may I be of your assistance today?" An older man steps up to them, giving a slight smile.

"We're looking for a specific material," Melody says kindly. "Would you happen to know what a geminite crystal is?"

The older man looked surprised at her reply, shoving his glasses farther up on his nose. He looked between them, and it was obvious he wasn't sure what to make of the duo and their intentions.

"I do," he says carefully, the wrinkles on his face becoming more prominent as he furrows his eyebrows. "And why might you be looking for this crystal? It's not often used, and it's rare that a customer asks about it."

"A necklace," Melody replies, immediately forming an excuse. "My . . . friend's eyes are an irregular shade of blue, and I just happened to notice how similar the crystal's color resembled them. I'd love to have a necklace with a geminite pendant."

Frost raises his eyebrows at her, impressed at how smoothly she was able to create a story. He wouldn't have been able to do it, and silently thanked the girl for washing away the older man's suspicions. But that didn't mean she completely redirected the problem, as the man was now looking into Frost's eyes.

"I see," he mutters, nodding as he pulls a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe away the sweat beading on his forehead. "You're in luck, a small shipment of geminite came in just last night. It may take a few hours, but I'll have your necklace ready by sundown."

Both of them breathed a sigh of relief, Melody placing a gentle hand on Frost's arm. The boy tensed up as she did so, but relaxed into her touch as the old man continued on.

"But since geminite is such a rare mineral, I'm afraid the cost is much more than what you'd expect," the man stresses.

"Cost won't be a problem," the brunette assures him, pulling a royal blue pouch from her coat pocket.

Thankfully, Melody always kept the pouch with her in case of an emergency. She earned a few gold coins every now and then from her parents as an allowance, and saved up every coin she received on her birthday from relatives. And with how much she had saved up, Frost was guaranteed to have the geminite crystal in no time.

"Well," the old man clears his throat as she places the pouch in his hand. "I'll have it finished for you before the sun goes down, and no later. Make sure you're back before then, the shop closes after sunset."

"We will," Melody assures him, sending Frost a sideways glance. "There's no doubt about that."

With those final words, the man turns his back to them and disappears behind a large wooden door. Frost releases a sigh of utter relief, his eyes finding Melody's. "So what do we do until sunset?"

"I'd love to read in the library," Melody says, giving him a slight smile. "And I kept some extra coins so we can get something to eat afterwards . . . possibly somewhere to stay."

"Hopefully we can get back to Westbrooke before then," he mutters, giving her a look. "But sure, let's go to the library. I hope you don't expect me to go in."

"Of course I do," she says, opening the door for him. "You managed to stay unnoticed here, so why not try again? Maybe no one will recognize you there, either. While I was at the library I didn't see too many people, and everyone else was busy."

"If we get caught, I'm blaming this on you." Frost states, stepping into the snow. "And you should probably take full responsibility if everything goes wrong."

---

Frost takes a seat at a round table in the library, being sure to keep his hoodie up to cover his face. Melody follows behind him suitly, rolling her eyes as he turns his back to the front desk where the librarian's eyes are focused solely on the book in her hands. She understood that he had to be cautious, but it didn't make it any easier to know that he disregarded any human contact.

Melody moves to the bookshelf just ahead of the table, examining the titles slowly. She hoped to find a book about short stories; one about Frost so the he could depict for her what was real and what wasn't. Now that they were here, she wanted answers to her questions no matter how much he hated giving them to her. Now that the brunette was here, risking her life to help him, she deserved some responses.

Her eyes find a dark blue book; a thick one at that, with long, crooked writing on the spine. The cursive font read 'Tale of Frost', each shiny letter glaring off of the light in the room. Melody's fingers find the top of the book, pulling it down to get a better look at the cover. When flipping it to see the front, there was only a blue snowflake— one that spanned out over most of the cover.

Melody holds the book to her chest, before finding her way to the table where Frost sits with his head down. Now that he wasn't paying any attention, she had no trouble in opening the book and proceeding to read it. She wondered if this was a longer version of the story she had previously read, or if it was a different one altogether. The beginning of it seemed familiar enough, but perhaps that was how every one of the stories written about him were. In her mind, as she thought deeply about it, it seemed so surreal that a book character was sitting right in front of her.

This person who was capable of horrible and great things had grown to be her friend, and they trusted each other. The fictional character wasn't so fictional after all, and the stories of his existence were true. He was real.

"Why are you reading that?" Frost asks, his eyes on the book in her hands. "You know none of it is true."

"I don't, actually," she chimes, closing the book and placing it on the smooth table. "I was hoping you could help me with that . . . to distinguish between what's real and what isn't."

"I'm not up for telling my life story right now," the boy grumbles, weaving his fingers together. "Especially when all of these people are here. Maybe some other time when we aren't in danger of someone seeing or hearing us."

"But I've waited for you to tell me this whole time," the brunette argues, shaking her head. "I've gotten by without truly knowing you, and I've grown to trust you. I promise no one here is listening to this conversation, and now it's your turn to trust me."

Frost trusted her— he really did. But now wasn't the time for deep conversations. He and Melody would have to talk about this some other time, when he wasn't in worry of being taken away. Frost had other things to worry about that spouting his life to a curious girl, no matter if it was Melody or not.

"Later," he promises, sliding the book back over to her. "We have more time, and I can guarantee you and I will talk about this later. Just drop it, okay? I don't want to be caught off guard here, because we both know someone could potentially find me."

As much as Melody hated to admit it, Frost was right. They had more time to converse about the things that had happened to him.

But for now, she needed to act normal and read a book like she wanted to in the first place.

_______