Owen
The cold hit first—sharp and unrelenting—before my eyes even opened. I could feel it sinking through my jacket, biting into my skin. My breath fogged in the freezing air, but something was wrong. I couldn’t feel anything.
Blinking against the blinding whiteness, I saw only snow. We had fallen. The cliff. The storm. My whole body ached, throbbed, as if waking up slowly.
“Ouch…Mom?” My voice barely cut through the howling wind.
I tried to sit up, but the snow was too deep, too heavy. My eyes searched, but everything was just a blur. Nothing but white. Then, beneath me—warm. Soft, but not snow-soft. Jacket-soft.
“Mom!” Panic rushed through me as I pushed off the snow, desperate to see her. I found her face—pale, eyes closed, but breathing. I could feel the faintest hope.
“Mom, plea
