• Mandari’s eyes fluttered open. It was morning and the girl squinted against the streams of sunlight coming through the window. “Ahhh damn.” she swore. Her head was pounding. Looking around the cabin, Mandari started to remember what had happened the night before. The cabin was actually a little larger than the firelight made it look. She sat up in bed and looked out the window. The snow was still high, and it glistened under the rays of the sun. A sudden clunk at the door shook Mandari out of her sleepy haze.

    “C’mon, Zero. Let’s surprise her…” a familiar voice whispered as the door handle jiggled. Mandari quickly dove beneath the covers and pretended to sleep. With a slight creak, the wooden door opened and Junpei tiptoed in. Zero’s paws emitted soft thuds on the floor as he followed his master to the kitchen. From beneath the covers, Mandari cracked open one of her eyes. He had run into the kitchen. She waited for at least ten minutes, hearing only soft clinking and the shushing of the young man to his dog.

    Soon the energetic blond waltzed out of the kitchen with a tray in hand. “Ano.. Mandari of Kamazou?” he said softly. Mandari pulled back the covers. Her pale hands gripping the light blue covers tightly. “Yes.” He smiled merely at her response and placed the tray down before her. “I made you breakfast.” Pulling a stray lock of ebony hair from her eyes, Mandari looked at the meal before her. Berries, some dried fruit, and questionable breakfast meat. It looked dried and salted. A meal fit for …who am I kidding who eats this stuff?! The girls’ blue eyes lingered to a small glass vase. In it was the smallest little flower. It was many tiny lilac buds with wispy white tips, on a tiny light green stem. Junpei smiled at her sweetly. “They’re frost lilacs. I’d thought it was too cold for them to come out this year. Haha, seems things weren’t as bitter as I thought. “
    One of Mandari’s nimble fingers touched the lilac. ”Why do they bloom in the winter? Don’t normal flowers bloom in the spring?” she asked, almost bitterly. Junpei ran a hand through his blond hair.

    “Does it matter when a flower blooms. A flower that blooms in winter may see flowers who bloom in spring as odd. But are either to blame?” he said quietly. Zero trotted over slowly and placed an object on the floor in front of Junpei. The blond jumped a little before smiling. “Ahh! Good boy, Zero” he chirped, petting the silvery fur. He picked up what seemed to be a letter off the floor and proceeded to head towards the kitchen. “Oh” he said, turning towards Mandari. “Please dig in. I would’ve provided fresher rations, but seeing as it’s winter all I have are dried goods.”

    Mandari stared at the little flower in front of her. It was so delicate. The wispy buds trembled under the weight of her breath. The trembling moved so quickly until…until it slowed. It slowed just as fast as it started, and it warped. The faint purple buds were stretching into different shapes and jumping out at her. Mandari! My child what have you done?! The room started to collapse into the flower. Stop screaming! Please make them stop! The force of the room seemed to pull her in, though she hadn’t moved at all. She’ll always be like this…Madam. It’s just happens sometimes. “No…” Mandari whispered, though she really meant to scream. Every part of her wanted to scream. Looking up at the window, Mandari could see the light being drained away. Her white light…her dawn, was being stained black. It dyed the snow, the trees, the sun itself.
    And as she fell through what seemed like the thin ice between reality and insanity, the overpowering smell of sugar invaded her nostrils. That strong smell of sugar. Purity, light, innocence. The runaway could not stand that smell. Her stomach pitched and she lost consciousness once again.