SNOW AS ICE

This has been the fifth time Snow had dispatched the Animal Control Service from their house and the unsettling neighbours stormed their door to know what had happened last night.

Snow walked away from the door tiredly. She didn't have a very good night's rest and the house ever since that night,there was an unusual tension that roamed around with a feeling of doubt.

Derrick ran down the stairs in a hurry when he saw his daughter slumping hard on the couch,sighing exasperatingly. Her face looking at the ceiling and her hands on her stomach , her mind wandering off but not too far. She was still conscious of her environment.

She noticed when he walked into the living room. He was quite nervous and his eyes were heavy with lack of sleep and peace of mind. Snow stood up and tried to talk to him. She sensed that he was kind of avoiding her. The normal cheerful ambience he usually carried wasn't with him except for the gloomy feelings around him.

"Papa. " She called nervously, trying to meet eyes with him but he just nodded slightly and tapped her shoulder lightly before heading into the kitchen.

Snow felt her heart sink with sadness. She followed him and entered to see him, trying to fix something for breakfast. He brought out the ingredients for the meal except her favourite, Meat.

Snow stood there watching him preparing a meal opposite of what she eats and veggies was the main meal. Her eyes pouted to frown but shook it away and walked up to him.

"What are we having, Papa?" Snow asked to be sure. Her eyes hoped for a prank but when she saw how sternly he looked. She knew that this was breakfast.

"I am going to get ready for school. " Snow was crestfallen,her shoulders slumped to the ground when he didn't make any comment. He was just focused on whisking the eggs vigorously, almost spilling out from the bowl.

Immediately she was out of sight, Derrick let out a deep breath as if he had been holding them for awhile. He stopped whisking to see that he had made a mess all over the table. He sighed heavily when he thought of how to wipe them off .

Derrick took a wet rag and bent down when he realized that he has been shitty since morning. He thought of her, wondering how she was feeling the most despite the fact she still didn't know her origin.

"what am I even doing? She is supposed to be my baby girl. Why am I treating her like that? There is no difference between me and them." He mumbled within his breath. He felt sorry for himself. He should have been by herself. It wasn't her fault.

With this, Derrick stood up and decided to be strong. He was a forest ranger and loves animals. Even though she wasn't an animal to him, Derrick still wanted her to have the best life she could get.

He opened the fridge and brought out some raw meat and other ingredients to prepare a tasty meal for her. Derrick felt relieved and started preparing with joy.

Snow stepped down later to sniff the air and perceived a particular aroma. Her eyes lit for joy and entered the kitchen to confirm her speculation. Bright smiles appeared on her face and this made him smile too.

"Good morning, Baby. " Derrick said with joy while adding some seasoning into their sauce.

"Good morning, Papa. " Snow replied dryly. Her surprised looks made him understand that she was still confused.

"Come and have a taste. It seems I have been getting the hang of it. " He gestured for her to come over. Snow nervously walked to his side, taking the big spoon from his hand still hesitating to take a bite. He encouraged her with a smile and she did.

Snow felt her whole body accepting every flavour from the food and the meat was tender, juicy and sweet. Her eyes rolled to the back,savouring and licking her lips with her tongue. Her expression was so funny that it made him laugh so hard.

"Why are you laughing?" She asked when she opened her eyes. He couldn't stop laughing.

"You are so funny. " He commented and stirred the sauce. He tasted it and confirmed her expression. Snow laughed and replied to him.

"So who is now making a funny face? "

"I am not. I have a good face unlike you. " He teased and touched his jaw. He was really a fine man even in the past years.

"I know. I got that feature from you. I am beautiful. " She gleamed at him and smiled cheerfully before darting her eyes back to the boiling sauce. Derrick froze and pondered if she really got those facial features from him. They might not be really biological but they both have some resemblances if you look very well.

"Papa, the food." Snow called out, perceiving the burnt smell. He quickly shoved that feeling away and turned off the stove.

"Ready to be served!" He exclaimed when they heard a knock at the door. Snow rolled her eyes in anger and lamented. She knew it might be one of the neighbours coming to their doorstep.

"I will check it. " Snow said with full disdain. She walked begrudgingly towards the door and opened to see a stranger standing by the door. Her brows furrowed in confusion. He kept smiling at her in a weird way which made her cringed.

"who are you?" Snow asked in the most polite way . Her body sensed danger from him but she couldn't still understand the feelings. She felt intimidated by him and wanted to retreat.

"Hi, Snow. My name is Charles. I wanted to know what happened last night. " He said in a manic tone.

"Nothing… happened. Meet the Animal Control Service to tell you what might have happened. Good day!" Snow replied immediately and locked the door against him. Her body shuddered from the intense fear that overwhelmed her. She walked slowly to the kitchen to see her father dishing out the food into their plates.

"Who was at the door?" Derrick asked without raising his head. He got no reply from her and tilted his head up to see how shaken she was. He dropped the spoon and walked up to her.

"what's wrong? Who was at the door?" Derrick asked nervously, sensing her breath wasn't unsteady. He looked at her trying to get her to talk.

"A man. "

"Who?" He asked, almost raising his voice.

"He said his name is Charles. Papa, I felt very scared around him. He looks dangerous. " Snow stares with wide eyes, obviously still spooked.

"Charles? Did you say Charles?" He asked to be sure. His heart pounded faster when she nodded. He ran to the door and opened to see a black car driving away from his front lawn. This made him run outside to see a proper view but Charles was faster. His anger rose instantly and entered his house thumping hard on the floor.

Derrick entered the kitchen angrily and asked her a question.

"What did he say to you?"

"Papa. What is going on? Why are you yelling ?" Snow reacted to his tone .

"Tell me baby,tell me what he told you?" Derrick asked a bit more considerately when he saw that his voice was a bit harsh.

"He wanted to know what happened yesterday. I didn't tell him anything because I was scared. " Snow screamed at him, fuming hard.

"Okay. Good. Urm.. " Derrick panicked heavily, pacing around which seemed to make her uncomfortable.

"Papa. What is going on?" Snow stood up from her chair. She walked to him and touched his hand which made him stop. His eyes showed great fear. He bent down and pulled her for a hug.

"I won't let anything happen to you. I will protect you. I love you Snow. " He said with all sincerity and broke the hug. He gave her a kiss on her forehead before leaving the kitchen, leaving her stunned to the floor.

The stairs made heavy thuds as he ran over it. He picked up his phone and made a call. The respondent picked immediately.

"I think it's time to repay the favor. " Derrick said over the phone and hung up.

Derrick bent down and pushed his bed away from its post to see a hidden spot there. He opened and retrieved a big black bag and a gun.

He ran downstairs to see Snow staring at him confusingly. She couldn't decipher anything.

"you know you are freaking me out right? Why are you running around? What is going on?" Snow asked at the top of her voice, if that is the only thing he will understand.

"Go to your room and pack light. We are leaving in one hour. " Derrick said with impatience, increasing his voice pitch to show that he wasn't joking.

"What? Why… what is going on?" Snow asked annoyingly and he gave her a stern look before he replied.

"Take it as a sudden vacation. Now move upstairs !" He yelled instantly which made her startled. He wasn't thinking straight and the only thing he thought was to get her to safety.

An hour later, they were out of the house, heading towards the car. Snow entered the car without any fuss because she was in a bad mood. Nothing was being explained to her and she knew he was keeping secrets.

Derrick hit the road at a fast pace. He was constantly watching his side mirror in case he was being followed. The tension inside the car lessened when they hit the highway, far from their city.

He opened the window and allowed fresh air inside. For once, Derrick could relax and turned to face his daughter to see her sulking from the back. He apologised for the sudden movement and the unnecessary attitude.

"It won't make any difference anymore. That was the same thing you said when we moved here. We won't be leaving anymore . We will become stable and be happy but we are moving again to God knows where. I am tired and hungry. " Snow winced and faced the window as the cool breeze was basking on her face.

Derrick knew that she was right but how can he tell her the truth? So many secrets, he had been piling up because he couldn't tell her and it was best she didn't know. He looked at her through the rear mirror and drove away pondering deep in his heart.

They made a stop to get food. Snow waited in the car while he made the order. He was at times conscious and hurried back into the car. Derrick gave her food and continued driving.

"Wouldn't you eat before you drive?" Snow asked surprisingly when he started driving.

"No. We have to be there on time. "

"Where. she asked, munching her burger.

"You will see soon. " He commented and continued driving.

Unknowingly to them, they were being followed by a big trunk. A red trunk drove stealthily behind them. Derrick couldn't notice because the trunk was either passing them or staying behind them until Snow who was sleeping sensed danger coming.

She opened her eyes and alerted her father. He checked the side mirror to see the red trunk gaining on them. Derrick drove faster and before he knew the ricochet of bullets started flying in the air towards their car.

Snow screamed and cowered to the floor as Derrick swivelled around to dodge the bullet. The trunk gained on them and hit them at the back. Snow screamed in pain and cried heavily. Derrick was determined to overtake the trunk .

"Papa!!" Snow screamed in tears, holding onto the seat. The back glass broke, sending the broken pieces on her body.

"Stay down!" Derrick yelled and maneuvered the car into a bushy path to avoid him. But to their utmost surprise, The red trunk followed pursuit, driving faster on the bumpy road.

Derrick brought out his gun and shot at any chance he got. The car swivelled on his own due to the bumpy ground and if not properly handled. They might lose balance and collide with a rock or tree. This was a matter of survival.

"I am scared." Snow cried out.

"It's okay Baby. Daddy won't let anything happen to you. " He assured her and took another direction. His car could pass through but unluckily, the red trunk stopped because it was too big to pass.

With frustration, Charles grunted in anger and drove away looking for another route and this gave them a chance to escape.

They drove and entered the main road and continued driving. The car was in bad shape but was able to still take them away. He turned to see Snow curled up at the floor of the car shaking visibly. Some scratches from the broken glass tore her skin and blood seeped out slowly.

Derrick's heart broke to see her suffering. He couldn't stop the car but stretched out his hand and helped her up. Snow whimpered from the pain as she sat. She wasn't having the leverage to speak but just sat down in silence. Avoiding his gaze and staring into space.

Just when they thought, they were saved. The red trunk pulled out from the bush and drove towards them. Derrick couldn't dodge him and they collided with full force, sending their car flying in the air and landing on the ground, scraping through the hard tar.