Monet

It’s cold.

Not just outside — inside me. The kind of cold that seeps into your bones, the kind that makes your heartbeat slow without you even noticing.

I tried to punch her. Monet dodged it like wind, like mist. Next thing I know, her wings are around me. Big, soft… but heavy. Too heavy. The feathers press in from all sides, and the snow is so thick I can’t see anything anymore.

“It’s okay…” she whispers. Her voice is calm. Like she’s not trying to kill me — like she’s putting me to sleep.

“Don’t struggle. You don’t have to feel anything. Just close your eyes.”

My breath fogs the air in front of me, but it’s fading fast. I try to stretch — my arms don’t move. My legs won’t listen. I can’t feel them. My body’s freezing from the inside out.

She’s still talking, like she’s tucking me in. “You’ll fall asleep soon… and it’ll be over.”

My heart… it’s slowing. My eyes feel heavy. I… I should stay awake…

But it’s warm if I just stop fighting…

Darkness creeps in at the edges of my vision.

My head dips forward.

And my eyes… start to close.