Awakening - part 2

It snowed that night, falling from the clouds that had quickly hurried across the sky to cover up the twinkling stars. The young woman soon disappeared under the thick layer of white snow, her thin form lost in a blizzard of snowflakes, the cold seeping into her bones and her eyelashes frozen together. She slept on through the night, and as the sun started to rise she opened her eyes and was blinded by the fierce pale gaze, so she closed them again and rolled over, burying her face in the snow so she wouldn’t have to see the terrible sunlight. By noon the snow covering her had started to melt, so the filthy rags she wore were cold and damp, and she knew she couldn’t stay there forever.

Keeping her eyes firmly closed, she gingerly heaved herself up onto all fours and started to crawl towards the trees, shuffling through the deep snow. She kept stumbling over her long black hair, it getting caught where she put her hands, so she blindly tucked it behind her ears and carried on, the freezing snow burning her hands and her elbows shaking. Once in the shade she opened her eyes, glad to be near the trees so she could have some shelter. She used one of the trunks to pull herself upright and she swayed on her legs, clinging to the bark for support.

Her mind had been groggy since awakening, and she couldn’t remember what had happened, why she had been buried beneath that stone, and how she had survived. She reached up and felt the cut on her cheek, her skin torn open by her long sharp fingernails. There was no blood there, and when she looked at her hands she saw that there was no veins on her wrists, just endless scars that criss crossed up and down her arms. She struggled to remember why and realised that she had forgotten her language, she opened her mouth to speak but all that came out was a strange whimpering, no words she could remember at all.

Exhausted from the night, she slithered down the tree trunk and collapsed at its feet, breathing heavily and holding onto her face. Tears welled up in her eyes and when they fell onto her fingers she saw that her tears were a strange colour, like oil in the sunlight, a whole rainbow of colours swirling together. She watched her teardrop for a while, amused by its beautiful colours, then let it drop onto the snow. She watched in wonder as a beautiful flower suddenly bloomed out of the ice before her eyes, growing from where her tear had fallen. The flower reached knee height then stopped, its pink petals opening and revealing an apple on the inside. Curios, she reached out and pulled the apple from the petals, taking a bite and grinning as its sweet flavour filled her mouth. Her sharp teeth bit into it and left odd teeth marks behind, and she ate the apple happily as she looked around her.

Beams of sunlight poured through the snow covered branches, dappling the ground with all shades of white and grey. In some parts the snow had begun to melt and grass was poking through, adding some colour to the scene. As the young woman licked her fingers she watched as a bird sang from one of the high branches, and she felt like singing along too but she didn’t know how. She stroked the flower as she listened and watched as the bird puffed out its red chest proudly, and she laughed, then clapped a hand to her mouth when she realised what she had done. She laughed again, even loader, and then she couldn’t stop. She rolled around in the snow and giggled hysterically and then more tears dribbled out of here eyes when she realised she didn’t know what she was laughing for. Upset again, she crawled back to the tree trunk and rested there, still as confused as ever.

When the bird had gone she started to shiver again, the sun moving across the sky so it shone through the trees from a different angle. She quietly watched this, stroking her blood soaked feet that had not troubled her with pain, the snow numbing her naked toes. She watched the dappled light inching slowly across the ground as the sun began to set. Feeling more awake now, she struggled to her feet and began to walk through the trees, drinking up the world around her.

She soon came to a small house nestled in the snow covered grounds, and she stared at it for a moment before heading towards it. It frightened her for some reason, but she forced her legs to keep moving, as she knew that it would be warmer in the small cottage than outside in the wilderness for another night. She pushed open the old garden gate and started up the path, reaching the front door. She peered inside through one of the windows and saw a well furnished room, though everything was dark and covered in dust so she guessed no one had lived there for many years. Deciding, she forced the door open and suddenly saw black bruises sprout up her arms and on her shoulder, and she stepped inside the gloom and examined her wounds curiously. They felt tender when she touched them, and her legs where aching from the walk.

Closing the door behind her, she already felt warmer for being out of the snow. She walked slowly into what she thought was the living room and sat down on a chair, staring at the dust that was sprinkled on every surface and noticing many cobwebs hanging from the ceiling. Exhaustion swept over her again, and she sleepily forced herself to stand before heading for some stairs, but jumped in shock when she saw that someone else was in the room.

She stared at the pale young woman, who was on the other side of a pane of glass and standing in a room much like the one she was standing in. When she moved, the other pale girl also moved. She smiled, and saw the other strange girl show her a set of sharp teeth under her white lips. Then she realised it was a mirror, and started laughing again, watching as her reflection laughed as well.

Approaching it again, she looked at herself in wonder and saw a stranger staring back, a girl with blood red eyes, long black hair was damp with ice and dirt, and pale skin that was whiter than snow. She was thin and her eyes were bright, and when the she looked closer she saw that her eyes were not entirely red, a ring of ice blue circled the startling red.

Bored of her reflection, she carried on exploring the house, touching everything like the curtains and silk cushions, and opening the draws and cupboards, staring curiously at all the shiny things that shone like stars when the coat of dust was wiped away. Soon the sun outside had set, and the darkness frightened her. She scurried up the stairs, sliding her hand over the wooden banister and she let out a scream when the stairs beneath her swayed. She only just made it to the landing above before the entire staircase gave way and crumbled, collapsing completely, a great puff of dust flying in her face. There was no way down, and a strange feeling bubbled inside of her. She hurried across the landing and went into one of the rooms, seeing a bed and quickly climbing inside it. The sheets smelled strange and felt damp but she was glad to be lying down. She clutched the blankets for a while, the feeling inside her still making her shake. She guessed it was fear.

Soon her mind calmed down and she listened to the cottage around her creak and groan, and she soon drifted, wonderful sleep overwhelming her tired body. It snowed again as the night wore on, and it piled up outside her window, and it covered the gardens outside with another layer of deep snow. The young woman slept on, dreams of being buried alive haunting her. She woke in the night shivering, and spent the next hours watching the snow fall outside.

needs loads of work please review! i havnt edited this at all so all advise welcome