The loud roaring of the crowd flows through the late evening breeze, gently rushing against my hair.

  Skate. Pass. Shoot. Repeat.

  Skate. Pass. Shoot. Repeat!

  His delicate ice skates scrape against the solid ice as he stops abruptly and strikes the puck across the frozen lake into the makeshift net of logs and sticks.

  "He scores!" I hear a boy shout.

  Yes!

  Each time I hear how well Gabriel is doing, it encourages me to do even better than before.

  Skate. Pass. Shoot. Repeat.

  Skate. Pass. Shoot. Repeat—

  Suddenly, I lose my balance and once again collapse onto the cold, hard ice, worsening my already battered knees. Another boy from the opposing team sweeps the puck closer to his teammates, who finish the job and score a goal by hitting the puck into the net.

  "He scores!"

  The audience cheers them on.

  After rubbing my knees in pain, I force myself up and, with the wooden stick in hand, I return to my starting position. I press my winter boots into the ice, slowly skating while trying to maintain my balance.

  Skate. Pass. Shoot. Repeat.

  Skate. Pass. Shoot. Repeat—

  Ugh, this is pointless. I'm only competing against myself.

  With a sigh, I turn to look around my empty surroundings, the trees as my only audience. In frustration, I throw the little twig I'm using as a hockey stick on the snow, and turn to the crowded rink a few feet from mine.

  I lean against a snow-covered tree as I watch Gabriel skate across the ice, his bright green eyes reflecting off the moonlight. He makes an abrupt stop as his eyes focus intensely on the puck sliding near him.

  Please, please, please don't miss, I think to myself, looking at his almost perfect score on the board.

  As the puck slides toward him, Gabriel leaves me in awe as he waits till the precise moment before smacking the puck across the rink, past all of his teammates, and straight into the net.

  "He wins!"

  The boy checking the scoreboard announces as the small crowd of families and parents applauds Gabriel.

  Out of the excitement from his victory, I forget everyone else exists and tear across the frozen lake, slipping across the ice along the way. Suddenly, the field seems to fall quiet as I jump and rise into Gabriel's strong arms, light and shaking with excitement, laughter spilling out into the night.

  His hands catch me instinctively, steadying us both as the world blurs around the edges. The moonlight shines faintly into our eyes—the faint lights of town flicker from behind us, distant and unreal.

  I grin down at him, breathless and bright, arms loose around his shoulders—not tight, not careful, just happy.

  Gabriel looks up, heart still racing, and realizes he's smiling too.

  Mrs. Majewska quickly intervenes, however, and stomps her way across the ice in her delicate, lace-covered shoes, slipping and sliding very much as I did, determined to pull me away from Gabriel.

  "Daniel!" she shouts. "You get your hands off of him this very instant!"

  As soon as she reawakens my conscience, I immediately pull myself away from Gabriel. I turn to notice the stares of the students around me, particularly Wanda.

  "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean—" I begin, stumbling over my words.

  "Gabriel, darling, look at me. Are you alright?! Did he hurt you?!" Mrs. Majewska asks with wide eyes, her hands clenched aggressively onto Gabriel's shoulders.

  "What? No!" Gabriel replies in my defense.

  Mrs. Majewska turns to me and scowls.

  "Daniel!" she yells harshly. "I thought I had made it very clear that you are prohibited from playing and interacting with other students upon these grounds!"

  I look down at my feet in shame.

  This isn't about setting rules.

  It's about me being different.

  "I thought I would do the nice thing and bring you along with us," she continues. "But lashing out at Gabriel was the last straw!"

  "I didn't mind," Gabriel quickly reassures her.

  "Shush, dear, this is for his own good." Mrs. Majewska whispers.

  She then turns to me and snaps, "Your mother will hear about this!"

  "Whatever," I mumble under my breath while rolling my eyes.

  My mother is hardly home these days anyway, and even on the rare occasions when I catch her before she leaves, she doesn't dare breathe a word to me.

  Mrs. Majewska leans toward my face. "I beg your pardon?!" she yells with a squeak.

  The families gathered around the rink for New Year's Eve begin whispering to one another as they witness a teacher getting up in the face of one of her students.

  I look up at her with furrowed brows and force myself to nod.

  "Yes, Ma'am..."

  Mrs. Majewska pulls herself back and brushes off her skirt, trying her best to appear professional while parents are present.

  A moment of silence.

  "Well!" she exclaims with a sigh, her clear breath visible through the cold air. "You might as well head on home. There is to be no place for you among the teams."

  Gabriel's face turns to guilt.

  "Look, Daniel, you don't have to leave—"

  "It's okay. Really." I interrupt. "It's better this way."

  As I turn to the trail that leads back to town, I can't help but notice Wanda glaring intently at my every move before I all but vanish out of her sight.

  Walking down the trail, I hear from behind the excited screams and battle cries of the players starting a new game the moment I leave.

  I sigh.

  With the moon acting as my only light through the intense darkness, I find my way back to town, unsure of what to do with myself. My mom won't be home, I know, and I don't feel like going to sleep.

  Plopping myself down on a stone bench by the park, I place my knees close to my chest, tucking them around my arms, as I try to comprehend the storm of feelings swirling inside my mind.

  The scene of me running foolishly toward Gabriel lies before my eyes, and I can't seem to look away from it.

  What has gotten into me?! Oh, if only I knew...

  But then, I was only trying to be there for Gabriel, to show him my excitement for his victory, for if I did not, how would that have made him feel?

  The cool rush of wind through my curly hair distracts me from my dark thoughts. My eyes close to the soothing sound of the flowing wind. My arms relax to the warmth of my coat against the bitter cold, and my pulse slows with each steady breath.

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  Suddenly, my eyes burst wide open, and for the first time, I slowly begin to appreciate the enchanting beauty of the park surrounding me; the tiny critters chirping and scuttling upon the branches of tall, snow-covered trees; the pleasant scent of pines hanging perfectly still beneath the branches; the soothing sound of water twinkling upon a large fountain, displaying statues of small, marble, boys with wings carved along the edges.

  Each carried its own youthful energy—one leaning forward, dipping his hands into the cool water, another kicking a leg up, arms spread as if mid-step or skipping.

  How is it that through all of my hopelessness, I'm finally able to see and appreciate the beauty around me truly?

  Something inside me shifts—my chest tightens, and my thoughts wander, unbidden, to him.

  I try to push it away, but I can't help remembering his sarcastic laugh that always makes me brighten up inside, or his strong, warm hands rubbing against mine in the bitterly cold.

  I groan.

  What is wrong with me? Why does he always come back to me in my every thought?

  The statues stand before my eyes, calm and still, but inside me, everything feels sudden and alive in a way I'm not quite sure how to name.

  I watch the tiny forms of the winged boys, their small, slender bodies so bud-like and delicate that I almost forgot mine used to look like that...

  God, have I really changed that much?

  How could time pass before my eyes without me even noticing?

  I look down at the palm of my hand, my fingernails so blue and frigid, and remember the words of my mother whenever she could spare a moment to play with me, so long ago...

  Suddenly, my mind fades to a scene of a young child sitting in his mother's lap, the room scattered with toy soldiers and nursery rhymes.

  My mother makes up puppet shows using her hands to tell me stories of kings and queens, knights and dragons, princes and princesses, impersonating each character in a playful voice that always makes me giggle.

  I copy her and attempt to make my hand in the shape of an owl.

  "Why, Daniel!" my mom exclaims suddenly, making me jump.

  I look up at her with wide eyes as she places my hands into her own.

  "Would you just LOOK at all these little fingers, so soft and pure—Oh, all the sweetness in the world!"

  Looking at them all these years later, I honestly don't find my hands that small, but then, so much of me has changed.

  Pulling myself up from the stone bench, I kneel by the fountain and gently wave my fingers across the freezing water in the shape of a little circle around my face.

  As the circle slowly disappears, however, I'm left face to face with my own reflection, gazing straight into my cold, blue eyes.

  My skin is so pale, my hair pitch-black...

  God, I look almost as if I were—

  I was a ghost.

  My eyes widen in horror as I stare intently into my dark reflection, and I sit paralyzed from any sense of movement.

  A ghost.

  My hands begin to shake uncontrollably.

  A ghost!!

  Fear rushes over me as I finally manage to break myself free from my paralyzed state and immediately dart back from my reflection.

  With one last glance around the fountain, I dash off into the empty streets, blinded by any sense of consciousness as I desperately try to get away from my own reflection.

  After wandering past rows and rows of houses, I suddenly find myself surrounded by a maze of thick, giant trees somewhere around the outskirts of town.

  In a loss of direction, I collapse into the snow, sobbing, as I barely regain control over my own senses.

  I then curl myself into a round, cozy ball, closely tucking my legs together and having my face up against my large, warm coat.

  Lying on the thick blanket of snow, however, I hear a distant howl coming from deep within the woods, followed by the deep, gruff yells of two grown men.

  I shut my eyes tight, tears streaming down my face, as I lay my hands upon my racing heart as if to try to silence the beating of drums coming from my chest.

  The howling now turns to a vicious, terrifying bark that could wake the dead.

  I feel a shiver run down my spine.

  The cries of men draw closer, and I find I can no longer sit still, knowing what's doubtlessly coming toward me.

  I immediately sit up from the snow, and with a brief listen to my surroundings, I make out the German word "Erschie?en!" repeated by the men after the dog.

  I now know, without a doubt, that I need to get away.

  I force my legs up, and as soon as I am up off the ground, my legs collapse back down.

  I feel a tangling sensation rush through my legs to my toes as the loud panting of the wild animal sounds as if it were right behind the bushes from where I lie.

  Oh, no, no, no, not now!

  I once again make a desperate attempt to stand, and sure enough, I fall back down.

  Of all the times, in all of the places for my leg to fall asleep, it just had to be here and now.

  I try kicking each leg several times through the air, and with one last attempt, I pull myself up with the help of a branch beside me.

  Although wobbling a little, my legs are finally able to support the rest of my body.

  With a flash, I run through the dark woods as fast as I can, my arms swinging hard and my breath coming out wrong.

  The trees blur past me, the ground uneven under my feet, but I don't dare slow down.

  I'm too scared to stop.

  A loud, angry howl tears through the night behind me.

  My heart jumps, and I twist my head over my shoulder while in mid-run as my foot catches on a large pebble.

  I stumble, barely stopping myself at the edge of a deep ravine.

  I look straight down in horror as I reach for a branch beside me before losing my balance, causing the small stones from underneath my shoes to break loose, tumbling into the darkness.

  I don't hear them hit the bottom...

  I scramble back upright, my legs trembling and my mouth parting in shock as I gaze down into the ravine below, so deep, so dark...

  I can't believe how close I was to... going over.

  So close.

  I was so close.

  Suddenly, everything falls silent, and the memory of Gabriel holding Wanda close as he twirls her—so careful, so loving—fills my vision...

  The look on my mother's face the moment I walked through the door... the look of hatred... the look of disgrace.

  I am a disgrace... to my family... to my heritage... to the world...

  Tears cloud my vision to the point where all I can see is a blurry image of water, and for a second, I feel myself slipping off the narrow edge where I sit while slowly letting go of the branch supporting me.

  "No..."

  My heart races as the long drop of the ravine appears to be getting closer.

  "NO!!!!"

  I quickly jerk myself back until I lie safely upon the snow, where I burst into loud, sobbing tears against my knees.

  Suddenly, I shut my mouth when I hear movement in the bushes.

  I hesitantly turn my head to see what it could be.

  I see nothing.

  Looking closely, however, my eyes fall to a white paw with jagged toenails blending in with the snow-covered bushes above it.

  I sit perfectly still as the animal slowly emerges from the shadows, revealing its black and white fur and bright blue eyes.

  It's a Siberian husky.

  He looks cautiously around his surroundings, his triangle-shaped ears pointed up as if waiting for the quietest sound, the faintest breath, before lunging at it.

  By each passing minute, however, he begins to relax, his tired eyes blink rapidly as he walks close to the spot where I sit, completely unaware of my presence.

  The collar curving around his neck tells me he has an owner somewhere, I don't know where.

  Examining him more closely, I notice the limp of his left paw whenever he tries to move around, and the trail of blood he leaves behind him in the snow.

  He looks as if he were shot... by those two Nazi soldiers, I bet.

  I feel almost... bad... guilty for running off as I did.

  Oh, how I wish there were something I could do.

  After wandering around me for a little while, he treats himself to a long yawn that makes me yawn too, and before I know it, he nestles himself directly beside me, his eyes slowly drifting into a deep slumber.

  I realize now is my chance to try and get away, but, oh, he looks so helpless...

  I watch in disgust as flying insects swarm over his open wound, and decide to reach into my right pocket for my handkerchief, intending to wipe away at least the blood.

  That is, if I can gather the courage to touch him without the fear of waking him up.

  What will happen if I do, though? What if he attacks me?

  I sigh.

  ...But then, I guess it wouldn't really matter much, would it?

  Hesitantly, I carefully lean closer to his hurt paw. With one final breath of confidence, I slowly but gently place the unused handkerchief over his bleeding wound, cleansing his skin of any dry blood that could infect him.

  Suddenly, my heart stops dead in its tracks as he casually rolls over in a dream-like state.

  A moment or two of breathless silence, I reach for a fresh handkerchief from my pocket as I once again attempt to finish cleansing the leftover blood.

  Only this time, his foot jerks back the second I place the cloth on his fur.

  I immediately stumble back, watching as his pale blue eyes widen in shock as he gazes straight into mine.

  "H-hi," I say gently, my voice trembling over each letter.

  I smile nervously as I hold up my hand to gesture a little wave.

  The dog quickly lifts his head, his ears pointed straight up in alarm, and begins to snarl a vicious growl under his breath.

  I back up even farther.

  "W-wait, I want to help you."

  I point my finger at the now clean wound on his left foot.

  "See?"

  He darts back at the sight of my finger, when suddenly, a deep, feral bark bursts out, shaking the ground and stabbing straight into my ears.

  My heart races.

  "P-please!" I plead, springing up on my feet as I flinch back, stumbling upon a large stump that causes me to fall to the ground.

  The dog prowls near, his sharp eyes fixed directly at me as if ready to attack.

  "Don't, please!"

  His jaw snaps tight, the loud, hollow clack of his teeth hitting together echoes through the forest.

  Tears start to fill my eyes as I duck my head below my shoulders.

  "Please!!!" I scream desperately.

  "I'm not—I'm not ready!!!"

  Clenching my eyes shut, I brace myself as I hear the dog lunge toward me.

  A moment of silence.

  Slowly, I open up my eyes to find the dog standing between my legs, his head poking into the bushes behind me.

  Finally, he pokes his head back out to look at me with big blue eyes, revealing a dead European adder chomped up in his blood-stained teeth.

  "AHH!" I scream, my eyes filled with horror.

  Suddenly, the dog loosens his grip and lets the snake fall from his mouth onto the ground.

  My hands cover my mouth as I sit petrified in the snow.

  I look up at the dog with tearful eyes.

  "You were..." I choke on my tears, then manage to say, "You were trying to protect me."

  His eyes are calm, and his panting slows as his head leans close to mine.

  Hesitating for a moment, I slowly reach my hand out to gently stroke his soft fur.

  His eyes blink rapidly, relaxing to the soothing touch of my fingers, and he steps closer as we embrace each other's warmth.

  Time and again, I notice the dog persistently pawing at his collar as if in pain.

  "What's wrong?" I ask in concern.

  The dog shakes his head, trying desperately to remove his collar.

  "You want this off?"

  He whimpers.

  I sigh. "Alright."

  I hesitate, but then gently reach in to remove the collar from his neck.

  He inches his now-marked neck, then leans over to give me a little lick on the hand.

  I giggle.

  Suddenly, his head jerks toward the trees ahead of us, and he immediately bolts.

  "Wait!" I cry out, but it's no use.

  He is nowhere in sight.

  Unsure what to do with the collar, I place it around my own neck as I now stand completely alone in the intense darkness.