Winter's Love

Glass Castle

Faith was seated in the backseat of the car. Her feet swaying as she sang along with the Christmas song playing on the radio. It was two weeks before Christmas Eve, a very hectic time to move to a new place away from the city. Emma had to admit she chose this town on a whim. She needed a change, much like her sister. She chose a town with a cute name, hoping it would turn out to be the best decision she made so far.

A town in the mountains with a population of a little over two thousand.

It was a beautiful place, very attractive to tourists during the festive period. Very hot in the summer and very cold in the winter. Faith and she were living proof. They were wearing their thickest winter coats but were still complaining about it being cold for the last twenty minutes or so.

Faith was moving around in the backseat, no doubt curious about this new place she would call her home for a few months.

"Aunt Em! It's so pretty!"

Emma smiled, "Isn't it?"

"There's so much snow."

She was aware of it, it made driving around this place a little scary. She never drove in extreme conditions like this. To be honest she rarely drove at all. She either had a car drive her around the city or took a cab.

The average person would call her spoiled.

It took her a while to get used to it, but now she accepted who she was. Someone who was lucky enough to be able to do what she loved most and make a decent living out of it.

Now she was lying too. She made a whole lot of money with her freaking job which is why she was able to make a rash decision of moving to an unknown place simply because it was beautiful to look at and wasn't overly populated like the city.

A different surrounding hopefully to inspire her to do her job again after three months of suffering from a writer's block.

Her editor would be happy too if the creative juices started flowing again simply due to a change of scenery.

"Are we there yet?" Faith asked.

She sounded annoyed despite her excitement only a few seconds ago. Travelling did take a lot from a six-year-old. They were almost there though. When her assistant showed her pictures of the place, an A-frame where the front exterior was mostly made out of glass Emma was sold. They made it happen for her within two months. Arrangements were made and she barely had to lift a finger. She was looking forward to it when s**t hit the fan.

Thomas left, leaving his family behind to figure things out.

Fucking jerk didn't deserve Sara nor Faith. She hoped that while Sara was trying to figure things out right now she concluded that her husband was an irresponsible ass who couldn't be trusted. If he left once he'd leave again.

Sure, Thomas didn't cheat or abuse them, those were horrible things. But leaving without any indication that he was unhappy was a shitty thing to do too. She tried hard to keep her words to herself though. Making sure Sara and Faith were surrounded by positivity.

This change was going to do Faith good too. She wouldn't be living in a stressful environment, she'd be with someone who could completely focus on her needs because back at home despite Sara trying her hardest, she couldn't be her best self.

It would affect her daughter, one of the reasons Sara decided that the suggestion Emma made wasn't freaking insane. Yet as they neared the A-frame which they would call their new home anxiety gripped her like an iron fist around her heart. It hurt like hell, panic spreading across her body without warning.

She couldn't freak out about responsibilities now. She should have thought about it four weeks ago when she suggested this to Sara. Inhaling deeply through her nose, Emma's eyes took in the sight of the A-frame which was getting closer and closer.

 Their new home.

She let out a deep breath. Slowly approaching the big house which made her niece in the backseat coo in awe. Her annoyance was forgotten completely.

"It's so big!"

Emma couldn't hold back her laughter, "It's quite big, isn't it?"

Parking the car in front of the house, Emma took off her seatbelt and looked over her shoulder. Her chestnut brown hair fell in front of her face, she flicked it back with a smile spread across her face. Faith pulled away from the window and met her gaze with wide, excited eyes. Her blue eyes sparkling with joy. It had been a while since she saw that look on Faith's face.

It was the most precious thing she had seen so far. The fear she felt a few moments ago, completely gone simply because her niece smiled at her like this was the best thing in the world. Like this moment meant everything to her.

They could make this work, she was sure of it.

"This will be our home from now on." She informed Faith in a quiet voice, "Want to go inside and check it out?"

Faith nodded, "Yes! Let's go inside. I want to see my room." She exclaimed.

"I heard your room has an amazing view of the backyard."

"It's pretty?" Faith asked.

Emma's eyes softened, "So pretty." She whispered.

Faith couldn't contain her excitement a second longer. She pulled on her seatbelt, trying to take it off. Her impatience making her struggle with it. Emma reached out, helping her take off the seatbelt. Faith muttered thanks and reached for the door, trying to open it.

It had the child safety lock on so she couldn't open it. Trying to hide a smile, Emma climbed out of the car and opened the door for Faith. The minute the door was open and the cool air hit Faith in the face the little girl ran off, heading straight for the house.

"Be careful!" She called after her niece, "It's slippery!"

"Yes, aunt Em!"

The little girl might have yelled something in agreement, her actions showed she wasn't actually listening to her. Sighing, Emma closed both their doors and walked around the car, opening the trunk to grab their weekend bags. Her assistant made sure the A-frame had everything they needed. She hired a housekeeper to clean four times in the week. A moving company to ensure her possessions reached the A-frame before her and an interior decorator to present a house to her which would suit her style.

Clean, polished yet still warm looking.

They didn't bring a lot of clothes with them, mainly because their clothes back in the city weren't suited for the town they moved in. It wasn't a lie when people said it was freezing in the winter. She had to get used to this temperature.

Hands full with four bags, Emma managed to close the trunk and head to the A-frame. She carefully walked up the steps, the front porch looking inviting. The massive pots by the front door having two big plants in which could survive through this cold.

They were tougher than her. The plants a healthy bright green color.  The smell was amazing too. She wasn't aware plants had a fresh scent like that.  It was odd, but maybe she didn't know any better. There wasn't much nature around the city. There were parks, but she rarely visited them. She had plants at her apartment too. Mostly succulents, they were cute and small and easy to take care of. Most plants people gifted her died within weeks. She was known as a plant killer. These plants had a lot to worry about now that she was the new owner of this amazing looking house.

Stepping inside the foyer Emma was invited by the crisp temperature inside. She crossed the foyer, the dark wood glistering as if it had been polished recently. It smelled like lavender and peppermint. Fresh scents which calmed her instantly. The sunken in living space had thick carpet. She didn't want to walk around there with her boots which were wet due to the snow. She dropped the bags right beside the stairs leading to the living space and took off her boots.

Taking them off she left them with the bags and walked down the four steps. Her feet hit the soft carpet, it felt like walking on a cloud as she took in the soft grey sofas. They looked soft to the touch, the kind of sofas you'd get cozy on with a blanket and watch a nice Sunday afternoon movie. A dark wooden coffee table decorated with coffee table books and a scented candle. She reached for it, sniffing the scented candle which looked like it cost more than it should.

It smelled like sandalwood.

Placing it back where it belonged she looked up, her eyes taking in the massive flat screen. This was definitely a lot to take in. She did a slow spin, taking in all that she could. A smile spread across her face the entire time.

She definitely could get used to this.

***

Faith dropped her fluffy soft pink coat on the princess looking bed. The sheets white decorated with soft pink flowers. Her new room was pretty, she had so many books and toys but it wasn't what caught her attention. With slow steps she walked to the big windows, her eyes fixated on the fluffy creature in their backyard. It was big and white and barked as it played around in the bushes. She pressed her palms against the window, taking in the doggy which seemed to enjoy itself very much. It jumped around a big ball of white fur. She hadn't seen a doggy quite like that before. As if sensing her presence the doggy froze, it's head tilted to the side as it stared up. They held each other's gaze for a second. Then it jumped and excitedly barked at her. Spinning around Faith grabbed her coat and ran out of her room. She didn't want to miss the doggy.

Running down the stairs, she passed her aunt Emma who seemed to struggle with the bags and called to her she was checking out the backyard.

"Be careful!" Emma yelled after her.

"Sure!"

Faith nearly smacked in the glass door. She sighed in relief when her hands hit the door first. She reached for the doorknob, unlocked it after a few seconds of struggling with it. She then pushed it open with all her strength. Her face scrunched up because of how heavy the door was. She managed to open it a little. She squeezed through the gap and carefully walked up to the dog who awaited her.

She reached out a hand, carefully trying to reach for its fluffy head. When the dog didn't bark at her she placed her hand carefully on its head and smiled at the feeling. The doggy felt so fluffy, she wanted to pet him all day.

She gasped when the dog suddenly locked her hand. It then barked at her once more and spun around, padding away in the snow. The doggy stopped in its tracks and looked at her again, barking once more.

"Do you want me to follow you?" She asked.

The dog barked once again.

Not waiting for a second longer Faith followed after the big white doggy. Her feet falling into the snow, every step took a lot of energy but she didn't care. She pushed forward, not wanting to lose sight of the fluffy doggy who looked like it was made out of snow.

"Faith!" Emma yelled after her.

She didn't turn around though, mesmerized by the doggy she moved forward. The doggy moved into the backyard of the neighbors. Excitedly running around as if it knew the place. Faith ran after him, excitedly calling after the doggy.

"Wait for me!" She giggled.

She ran until she caught sight of a man, a very tall man. The man was taking care of the prettiest flowers she had ever seen on his deck. He looked up when the white doggy ran up to him. The man smiled, petting the doggy who was excitedly wagging its tail.

"I see you met the neighbors already, Snow."

The man's voice was deep. He straightened up, standing on the porch with a warm smile spread across his face. His eyes were the brightest green color she had ever seen. The doggy known as Snow, keeping close to him. It sat down beside him, his tail still moving back and forth.

"Did he scare you?" The man asked.

She shook her head, slowly approaching the tall man standing by so many pots with flowers. His backyard smelled sweet. It looked like a picture of one of her fairytale books. His house looked like one too.

"You have so many flowers." She said in awe.

He laughed, "You like 'em?" He asked, his eyes flickering to the white flowers he took care of a minute ago, "These are called snowdrops, this guy loves to stare at them all day. It's why I called him Snow." He gave the big doggy a few pats which made Snow lick his fingers.

"Faith!"

She glanced over her shoulder, watching aunt Emma approach them looking worried and not quite like herself. Aunt Emma was always pretty. Her blonde hair always shining and smelling like flowers. Her eyes were always done up with a soft glittery color. Her cheeks a pink color and her lips always a bright red color. Aunt Emma was always pretty.

She looked messy right now though and sounded out of breath as she approached her.

Aunt Emma placed her hand on top of her head, trying to catch her breath, "You can't…runoff…like that." She said between breaths.

Aunt Emma flickered her eyes to the tall man standing by his pretty flowers, his hand on top of Snow's head. He let go of the doggy and walked down the steps of his deck. He stopped in front of them, smiling at them the same way he smiled at his dog before.

He looked really nice.

"I'm sorry, I think my dog is at fault here."

Aunt Emma took a while to answer him. She stared up at the man as if she didn't know what he was saying. Faith grabbed onto her gray fluffy coat and gave it a tuck. Emma snapped out of it and glanced down at her.

"That's nice of you but we both know this young lady here is at fault." Aunt Emma gave her another pat on the head, "You can't run off like that Faith. You worried me."

"I just wanted to play with the doggy, Aunt Em." She whispered.

Aunt Emma closed her eyes, sighing the same way her mother always did when she got upset with something she did wrong. Aunt Emma opened her eyes and kneeled down, taking her hands in her soft ones, her nails painted in a deep red color. They were shiny, the rings on her fingers were shining too.

"Sweetie, you can't do that. You might get hurt. We're at a new place and you don't know the surroundings yet or the people who live here. It's dangerous. So if you want to explore you always have to tell me. I'll go with you."

Faith flickered her eyes to the tall man who stood beside them. Her breath hitching in her throat when he flashed her another big, warm smile.

"You should listen to your aunt, it's dangerous to run off like that."

Aunt Emma smiled and stood up again, she focused on the tall man.

"I'm sorry for barging in like this." She told the man.

His very green eyes brightened even more, "That's quite alright. I'm William Winter." He held his hand out to her, "And you must be my new neighbor."

Aunt Emma shook his hand, "Nice to meet you, William. I'm Emma Dixon and this is my niece Faith Lewis." She laughed when the white big doggy ran up to them, sat down beside the tall man known as William and barked once.

"Nice to meet you too Snow." Aunt Emma said, "I'm Emma and this is Faith, but you've met her already it seems."

Snow moved forward, letting her pet him the same way the tall man William had.

Aunt Emma pulled away from her and turned to look at the pretty flowers she admired too. Unlike her aunt, Emma seemed completely shocked by it all.

"H-How." She whispered.

The tall man William laughed, "I see you rather like my collection."

Aunt Emma stared at him, "It's amazing." She whispered.

The tall man held up his finger, he moved to his deck and grabbed a white flower pot from the round table. It held a bunch of small yellow flowers. He seemed to scan it, then walked down the stairs of his deck and approached them with a smile on his face.

It then dawned on her, this tall man looked like that prince in one of her fairytales. His black hair was shining too, the same way aunt Emma's hair always shined.

He held the white flower pot to aunt Emma. His hands were big, so much bigger than hers but also bigger than aunt Emma's. Aunt Emma looked surprised by this.

"Consider it a housewarming gift. Surely it will brighten up your glass castle."

It was a nice thing to say yet aunt Emma didn't seem impressed by it.

"I quite like my glass castle." She told the man.

I liked it too. It was big, so much bigger than her house. Her room was so much bigger too. Her neighbor had a dog that seemed to disappear the snow. The dog was friendly and looked like he wanted to play a lot.

The glass castle was great.

"Sure you do." He laughed, he pushed the pot with yellow flowers in aunt Emma's hands. Their fingers touched. Aunt Emma looked confused, tilting her head to the side as Snow had done before.

"I can't just accept this." She muttered.

The tall man William gestured to the many big pots of flowers which were all over his deck, "As you can see I won't miss it. I'm sure little Faith can appreciate the gift.

"It looks great!" She agreed.

Aunt Faith grabbed her hand, holding the white flower pot under her other arm, "Thank you." She told the man, "Excuse us, we have some unpacking to do."

The man gestured to the gate of his backyard, "Don't let me keep you then."

Aunt Emma tightly held onto her hand and walked away with her. She glanced over her shoulder, smiling when she noticed how the tall man known as William waved at her. Snow wagging his tail again.

"Bye William!"

"Bye Faith," William called.

"William has so many flowers." She told aunt Emma.

"He does." Aunt Emma agreed.

"I thought flowers don't grow when it's cold." She said confused.

They entered their backyard. Aunt Emma made sure their gate was shut firmly. She then grabbed her hand again and walked up the glass castle.

"Most flowers don't." Aunt Emma agreed.

"I know!" Faith exclaimed, pulling her hand away from Aunt Emma's tight grip. She walked inside the glass castle first, "William must be magic. He has a big dog who looks like snow and has many pretty flowers in his backyard. It smells really sweet and is really bright! Just like in the fairytales."

Aunt Emma closed the door leading to the backyard and placed the white flowerpot on their round dining table. She placed it in the center, staring at it.

"He must be." She whispered.

"Amazing!" Faith whispered back.

Sure, her mom wasn't here right now. She was staying with aunt Emma for a while as her mother explained. She was sad at first, but it didn't seem that bad anymore. They moved into a glass castle and their neighbor knew magic. It was going to be so fun living here.