Aria Snow POV :
I waited for the terrible cold.
I waited for the crushing, heavy weight of the freezing black water to fill my lungs again. I waited for the sharp, burning sting of the broken ribs in my chest. I squeezed my eyes shut tightly, curling my body into a small ball, fully preparing myself for the end.
But the cold never came.
Instead, I felt... warmth.
It was the gentle, completely soaking warmth of the bright morning sun. I took a slow breath and smelled something impossibly sweet—like fresh wild flowers and clean rain, mixed with the deep, rich scent of ancient pine trees.
I slowly opened one eye, and then the other.
I wasn't in the dark, scary, freezing depths of Frost Lake anymore.
I was lying down on a soft bed of bright, emerald-green moss. Above my head,
