I don’t think I can stop this by myself. I wish I could. More than anything, I wish I didn’t need him, but I do. It’s always been him for me.
The hairs on the back of my neck stand, and I cast a look over my shoulder. Is somebody watching?
I can’t see a single soul.
That doesn’t mean much. The town has been blanketed in thick, ever-present fog for weeks, and it’s only been made worse by the winter. White snow piles up everywhere, hiding the shape of the land and houses underneath. If the fog gets any thicker…
I turn back to the door, taking deep breaths to calm myself. It’s hard to breathe in the cold and the fog. The air’s too thick and heavy. My heart beats harder from my nerves.
It’s just Hansel’s house. I’ve knocked on his door a hundred times before. I already know he won’t smile at me. I already know where we stand.
The witch changed everything. We killed her and with it, we killed what innocence we had.
Just knock, I think. Before you freeze to death.
I take a half-step back and stare at the house instead. I bet the straw roof still leaks in the corner with all this snow. In fact, I imagine it’s much worse now, like the paint on the door. It’s lost almost all its color. It was red once, but now it’s a dull brown. The water wheel on the side of the old house doesn’t move. It’s frozen solid.
My breath turns white and disappears into the fog in front of my face.
I wish I could disappear like the warmth.
I clench my fists inside the folds of my cloak. There can’t be any blood in my fingers, but I can’t make myself let go. Every muscle in my body is stiff.
I close my eyes and imagine I’m gone. Vanished.
Just like the magic vanished. The good magic. The spells that fixed problems like leaky roofs and barren fields.
Not the magic from her. The baneful kind. The kind that changed everything forever and ruined what little goodness I had in my heart. It ruined all the goodness Hansel ever was.
When we killed her, a curse was placed on this village. One we can never escape. One I regret and I’m certain he does too.
My teeth chatter together, and I take a deep breath like I’m about to dive into the swimming hole at the first sign of spring. It’s going to be awful, just like jumping into cold water, but then I’ll have done it.
I unclench my fist and raise my hand to knock.
Before I can touch the door, it opens a crack, revealing Hansel.
He doesn’t smile at me.
His expression is grim through the crack he’s left. Hansel stopped opening it wide for me years ago.
Hansel’s mouth curls with distaste. “Gretel.”
He says my name with such hate.
At first, I think that must be what warms me. It sends heat through my body. At least he feels strongly, I think frantically. At least he thinks of me at all. If he can hate me, maybe he can?—
No. It’s not heat from the way he says my name. It’s warmth coming from inside the house. My heart sinks and the reality of what has come of us and the village is inescapable. Hansel and his father have managed to keep their small house warm for the time being.
Hansel looks warm, too—or he would, if it wasn’t for the ice in his eyes. The boy I used to know has grown into a man. He’s tamed his dark hair and filled out his shirts. A shiver wracks me at the sight of his strong arms, and my teeth chatter harder. I try to get them to stop. It’s no use.
I’d thought of what to say on the lonely walk to Hansel’s doorstep, but now I can’t think of any words that aren’t please don’t hate me and I’m sorry I ruined everything. My jaw hurts from how hard my teeth knock together.
I came here for a reason, not to fall apart on the doorstep.
“The witch is back,” I blurt, the words spilling from my mouth before I can stop them.
Hansel narrows his eyes and starts to shut the door. The mere mention of what was is met with disdain.
