Warning: this will be long. Very long. Skim through the last part unless you want some somewhat interesting information on the Izots family. 

Evergreen~

Something's wrong. I felt it back there at the border. Like the air was...sick or something. I could feel it descend on my, pressuring my on all sides. It felt awful, almost as bad as...well, too much heat, for one thing.

Early in the morning, I slip out of the lower bunk bed and tiptoe across the hardwood floor of Aspen and my room. Aspen is a very iight sleeper, which can be handy as he leaps straight out of bed at any midnight emergancy, but is also annoying when I'm trying to sneak out unnoticed. I don't even bother to change out of my pjs. Very carefully, I slowly pull open the door. It squeaks almost imperceptibly, and I cringe, heart pounding. If my family knew that I planned on going out alone, they would never let me out of the house. Thankfully, Aspen continues sleeping. I'm surprised, and grateful. 

After that little scare, I know the rest will be easy. Father is on a trip with some of his employees finding  some hard-to-get materials for his store, and Mother is in bed with a fever. I grab my coat from the hanger and step into my fur-lined boots. I don't bother with snow shoes because I know that we haven't had a recent snow fall for a couple of weeks, so the area around our house is pretty packed down. Sneaking out the back door, I step into the freedom of a crisp winter morning. Actually, pretty much every morning is a "crisp winter morning." However, sometimes we have those "freeze-your-nose-off Antartica-rivaling winter mornings." As I pass the shed, I look longly at the silver and blue glinting through the slats in the wooden door. Ah, the much-coveted snow mobile! Only Father is aloud to drive it, and occasionally Aspen. He was banned from taking it out of site of the house after he starting showing off at high speed, crashed and dislocated his shoulder (again). I learned a few very interesting words and phrases from my older brother that day. Pine wasn't around or she would have lent me her earmuffs. 

Snow crunches under my feet and comes back up mixed with clay. A steady dripping sound echoes around the roof. Can we possibly be having a thaw? We hadn't had one in so long. Perhaps we're in for a warmer summer, I decide. I pass Grannie Bird's hill and keep walking on and on. My legs feel tired and my toes steadily get colder, despite the warm boots doing their best to keep out the wetness of the snow and ice. Turning back to look at our house, already fading into the distance behind some of Pine's namesakes, I realize that the sensible thing to do would just be to go back and forget about the border. But curiousity makes me keep walking. 

We've explored almost up to the border before, all because Aspen was curious. However, we hadn't ever gone far enough to feel that weird pressure. My thoughts flip and flop inside of my head as I walk on and on. Boredly, I try to name all the bones in the human body, but get mixed up with the hands and arms. Snow and bits of clay keep crunching beneath my boots. The slight shimmer of the border doesn't seem to be getting any closer, and the wind is rising at a steady pace.

Aspen~

I'm jerked awake the second Evergreen's sock-clad feet hit the floor. Opening one eye, I watch up silently slide out of the room. Thank goodness he's being considerate. I think as I try to fall back asleep. Then a new realization hits me: since when is that kid considerate? For a few seconds I consider getting up to interrogate him, but I decide against it. Hey, maybe he's learning some manners... I contemplate as I fall back asleep. 

~

"ASPEN!" Instantly wide awake, I jump off the top bunk as soon as I hear Pine's foosteps and yells. Pine forgot my preference for a nickname. This couldn't be good. Wrenching the door open, I run into the hallway and shake a few arren stands of blonde hair out of my eyes. With Father gone, I'm expected to be in charge of the house, which does include keeping annoying younger siblings in line. 

"Oh great. What'd the little sneak do? I knew something wasn't right when he tried not to wake me up," I ask a frantic-looking Pine.

"His coat's gone and the weather's really weird," she replies.

"A blizzard?" 

"More like a...a...reverse blizzard." I don't have time to ask what she means. Even as she says the last few words, I'm already rushing down the stairs to grab my coat and boots. Evergreen can be really annoying, but I love him very much and can't let anything happen to him. Even though my heart is racing, I force myself to keep my voice low and calm. 

"Pine, don't tell Mother anything unless I don't come back soon—"

"What are you going to do?" She questions, her eyes round and wide.

"I'm going to take the snow mobile—"

"Aspen!"

"Don't worry, I'll be careful. I promise that I won't crash, or at least, I'll try—"

"ASPEN!"

"WHAT?" I yell, exasperated at her interuptions.

"I'm going too."  I stop zipping up my coat. 

"No. You have to stay here. Take care of Mother and the animals. I'm leaving you in charge. You...know how to use a gun, right?" I inquire, thinking of wolves and theives and other horrors. Pine purses her lips. 

"Aspen-Kallio Izots, I am not helpless." Normally, I would be mad at her for using my full name, but now...gosh, I love my sister. And Evergreen. I couldn't imagine life without either of them. Pulling open the heavy wooden door, I turn back with a smile.

"Hey, I'll come back, okay? Promise."

And I step out into the roaring wind.

A reverse blizzard that seems all wrong.

~

AHHH! I promise I'll catch up to you, Kestrel! Aspen will rescue you when he finds Evergreen at the border. Pine 

I'm laughing and smiling and half-crying, because I just watched The Boy and the Beast with my younger brother so I learned that yelling at a sibling is really sort of a love langauge. Ahhh! I love that movie. Okay, end rant.