The bitter tang of blood and the salty taste of her tears mingled with sweat flooded Sharon’s senses. Overwhelmed by the shame of failing the Justifiers for the first time, she dropped to her knees, battered, exhausted, and soaking wet.
Her boyfriend Samuel, also bedraggled and miserable, shouted out to her, “Eva’s gone, Sharon! I saw the Snow Giant snatch her away!”
A wave of cold fury touched Sharon’s heart as her hands balled into fists. She vowed to herself that she would discover the Snow Giant’s weakness, perish him, and rescue Eva one day.
***
Three fleeting months had passed since then.
Sharon gazed out the window of her cabin, recalling that disastrous battle. Strong gusts of wind howled dolefully in the distance. Torrential rain poured from the clouds, which were now a monotonous shade of gray, reflecting her mood. The rhythmic beat of the raindrops splattered on the roof, blurring into a quiet roar.
Samuel, who had approached Sharon, put an arm around her shoulders. “It’s not your problem,” he said in a soothing voice as though he could read her mind.
But Sharon knew better. It was entirely her fault. “We wouldn’t have been expelled by the Justifiers, and Eva would still be okay if we hadn’t lost that battle with the Snow Giant. As the leader of that mission, I was supposed to guide the participants to success instead of failure.”
“We all make mistakes, don’t we? Everyone deserves a second chance.” Samuel broke the awkward silence that followed Sharon’s words.
Outside the cabin, the rain had stopped, and the dark clouds were now underlined by a golden glow of sunshine.
Sharon’s heart ached as she thought of Eva, who had always been fond of observing the clouds. As she was reminiscing about her lost friend, a sudden thought struck her like lightning— what if she was somewhere out there waiting for them? After all, even though the Snow Giant had taken Eva, she hadn’t exactly been…. No matter how slim it was, the sliver of hope was there. It had to be. The only way to find out whether Eva was all right or not was to take action immediately.
“Samuel,” she started, curling her shoulder-length hair around her fingers as she studied the chocolate-brown tufts. “Don’t you think we—?” Sharon yearned to tell her boyfriend about her assumption Eva might be alive, but she didn’t dare. Instead, she chose to take a detour with her wording. “Look, we’ve been moping around every day since we got expelled and took refuge in this cabin. It’ll be a matter of time before the Snow Giant discovers our hideout. We’ve got to find and kill him as soon as possible before it’s the other way round.”
“What? You’ve got to be joking. That thing can crush the two of us without lifting a finger!” Samuel cringed at that horrendous thought.
Sharon smiled as a plan formed in that brilliant mind of hers. Her insides bubbled with excitement as she savored the details in utmost satisfaction. “We will win as long as everything is planned out. You remember the Snow Giant’s secret weapon?” Seeing the blank expression on Samuel’s face, she explained, “The enormous staff with ornate carvings on the hilt; it’s used for mesmerizing foes so he can manipulate their minds, remember? As long as we’ve got ahold of that staff, we can teach him a lesson.”
Samuel stared at her as if he’d seen a ghost instead of his girlfriend. “What’s gotten into you?” he asked, half-amused, half-confused. “For weeks and months, you’ve been depressed and dispirited, and now suddenly you’re all gung-ho about fighting that monster? What happened to Sharon Gale?”
Sharon pursed her lips. “If I tell you what I’m thinking, will you make fun of me?”
“No. Of course not.”
“I’m kind of…. I’m planning to rescue Eva from that oaf.”
Samuel shifted his weight from one foot to the other, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath as though praying for courage to speak. “But…. Don’t you think she might be...?”
“But what if she isn’t?” Sharon pressed on, giving him an almost imploring look.
“You think it’s…wise to go out and face the Snow Giant ourselves?”
“Eva would do the same if it were you or me.”
Samuel contemplated her words and nodded at length. “You’re right, baby. It’s not like her to abandon her friends. So neither should we.”
“Good. Now, we’ll have to get prepared for our mission. I’ve got a feeling tomorrow will be a long and tiring day.” Though a little uncertain, Sharon still added, “If everything goes well on our adventure, Eva will be reunited with us before the sun goes down.”
Samuel nodded. “I’m with you, Sharon. Let’s make this happen”
His words implanted a seed of hope into Sharon’s heart. Knowing tomorrow would be the zenith of the year as well as the culmination of their trouble with the Snow Giant, they had no choice but to fight, not only for themselves but also for the bleak possibility of bringing Eva back.