i'd love to join! :) i really like your writing style in the part you just posted :D

Name: Pangolin

Pronouns: she/they

Appearance: Slightly taller than average, with shoulder-length tangles of wavy copper hair. My skin is fair and freckled, and burns easily. My eyes change color drastically depending on the lighting. 

Personality: I'm quiet and somewhat reclusive, and painfully socially anxious. (though I'm good at talking to people if I have a reason for talking to them. I just suck at small talk) I love reading and writing and nature and puzzles and adventure. I'm very logical and level-headed, even (especially) during emergencies, and I'm hard-working. I'm a perfectionist, and a bit of a people-pleaser, and also quite competitive. I don't get angry easily, but when I do, I get very angry. I'm very passionate about causes I believe in. 

Roommate?: sure :)

Do you like snow?: heck yeah!

Hot chocolate or tea?: tea!

Other: I'm always a sucker for ski lodges that take place in actual ski lodges XD 

Thank you for joining, pangolin! I was thinking that no one else would :/ Thanks for your comments, Celine, Moon Wolf, Wildsong and Silver Crystal! The next part should be up in the next couple days.

Silver Crystal stretched, grabbed a cookie, having finished her drink, and settled back in her armchair. The Gingerbread was quite nice, and it had such a cozy feel to it. She rather thought her hosts were interesting, and she wondered why they had such apparent annoyance toward Hawk. She supposed that he had most likely caused a fair share of trouble for the girls. 

Around her, others were starting to talk, and Celine, on the ottoman in front of Silver’s chair, still had her feather out. Celine twirled it, then announced to no one in particular, “The name of the feather is ~Ophelia~, after a certain raven.” She said this with a smile and wink.

Amused, Silver Crystal stuffed the rest of the treat in her mouth, just as Raven came back into the room. “Well,” she said, sounding slightly kinder than she had when she’d left the room, “The rooms are all ready. I know most of you don’t mind or want a roommate, so just feel free to pick who you want! The doors on the upper landing that are bedrooms are open, so just pick a room and close the door behind you. Nothing in the house is off limits, though I strongly advise you not to go in the attic. It’s-” she paused and checked the watch on her wrist- “nearly 6, so perhaps we’ll all have an early night and have fun tomorrow. Sounds good?”

There was agreement throughout the room, and Raven smiled. “I’m so glad everyone present responded to the invitation, and I hope you will enjoy your time here.” Her eyes looked a little sad here, but she went on, “If you need me or Swan, you’re most likely to find at least one of us on the third floor, in the room with pictures of birds on the door frame.” Then Raven gestured over to the doorway she had come from. “On the opposite side of the staircase is the dining room/kitchen. We’ll meet there in the morning to decide our activities for the day. Well, good night now!” And she then left the room again.

There was a buzz up activity after she left, with people asking to be their roommates. Silver saw Seadragon narrow her eyes and then quickly leave the room. pangolin approached Silver Crystal and asked, “do you want to be my roommate?”

“Sure,” she agreed, and got to her feet and left the room with them.

Up the stairs they both went, creaking slightly on every other step. The stairs seemed to be a nice wood, probably oak, but they looked old and worn smooth. The wall on either side of the stairs had a few photos, and Silver recognized Swan and Raven in all of them, along with a girl that had spikey brown hair and a gentle smile. Silver Crystal wondered why Hawk wasn’t featured in any of the photos. 

At the top of the stairs, the railing stopped and the hall before them turned carpeted. At the end, Silver could see the stairs start up again, and, looking behind her, she could see that a narrower part of the hall went on the right side of the stairs. She turned back before her, and she saw several open doors, as well as one closed one, indicating Seadragon’s chosen room. 

“ooo, what do you think of this one?” pangolin was about halfway down the hall by now, peering into a room on the left. “i like it.” 

Silver hurried over to the room, and peered in. She smiled. It looked almost like a miniature version of the living room she had just left, with large windows and a small fireplace, two armchairs and a few paintings here and there. The only differences was the bunk bed tucked in the corner, a door that indicated a bathroom, and silvery snowflakes hanging from the ceiling on almost invisible threads. “I like it too!” she agreed, and they both went in and closed the door, just as more CBers came up the stairs.

***

An owl hooted in the dark. Not that it was very dark. Tonight, the moon was full, and the clouds that had greeted the group had drifted away. Their breath hang in the air like mist, and the snow sparkled brighter than the sun from the moon. With a huff, they wrapped their arms around themselves, shivering on the porch. But it had felt too stuffy in the Gingerbread, and the freezing night air gave some relief. Just as they were about to turn around and get their almost iced over toes (they regretted not quickly grabbing their shoes) the door to the house opened. They jumped, and looked to see who was coming out. But no one was there. They scrunch their nose, then something tapped the back of their head. They whipped back toward the blinding snow, but no one was there! Then, two icy cold fingers were placed on their temples, and everything went black. 

***

With a yawn, Seadragon stumbled out of her bed in the early morning, sun just starting to warm the horizon. She went to her bathroom, and back out a little later, looking slightly more refreshed. She considered her bed, wondering if she could go back to sleep, but having fallen asleep a lot earlier than she usually did, she dismissed the idea, instead opening the door to her bedroom and exiting. In the hall, everything was quiet, and slightly dim. The windows between the doors showed that the sun had gotten brighter, and it illuminated the feather on the floor. Curious, Seadragon went over to the feather on the ground. It was right outside one of the bedroom doors, and just as she got to it, that door swung open. “oh, hi, seadragon,” pangolin said. “i was just leaving myself- have you seen silver crystal?”

Seadragon shook her head, feeling slightly sick, then bent to pick up the feather on the ground. “I think this is hers,” she muttered. 

Instead of a glossy black feather, it was now the color of blood.

Dead: Silver Crystal

Alive: Moon Wolf, pangolin, Wildsong, Seadragon, GloomyBear, CelineBurningBright, amari, BookGirl, Endless Parodies

Just in case you were curious, the room situation is

Moon Wolf and Wildsong

Celine and Parody

pangolin

BookGirl and amari

Seadragon

GloomyBear

A shorter part, but- Thank you all for your kind comments! I'm glad I'm doing good so far :)

pangolin hurried down the stairs, close behind Seadragon, who held the red feather. Sliding down the banister, pangolin skidded across the hall, turned, almost slipped and fell, then charged into the kitchen, where breakfast smells were wafting. 

On the large, round table, several foods were laid out. Pancakes with syrup, butter, and jam, waffles, eggs and toast, bacon and sausage, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries. pangolin paused at the table, wondering briefly where Swan and Raven could’ve gotten the fresh fruit in the middle of winter, in a snowy ski lodge. She made a mental note to ask them later.

In the kitchen, Seadragon was just marching up to a surprised looking Raven, brandishing the feather. The black haired girl’s eyes widened, and she said, “Oh, dear. Is that…?” 

“silver crystal,” pangolin said sadly. “or so we’re assuming, since her bed was cold and i haven’t seen her since yesterday, before we went to sleep.”

“I see,” said Raven, pursing her lips. She turned to the teapot, which had started to whistle, and took it off the stove. Then from the pantry, Swan emerged, carrying a small bag of flour. She dropped it on the floor when she saw the blood red feather. pangolin could’ve sworn she whispered, “already?” before Swan nodded solemnly. “I see.” was all she said. She then left the room, and pangolin waited in puzzled silence. Quicker than it would seem possible, Swan returned, and behind her, the other CBer’s trailing behind her. She gestured for pangolin and Seadragon to come, nodded to Raven, who turned and went out the back door that was in the kitchen. Only pangolin seemed to notice her leaving. The two went into the dining area, and sat down in a chair, where the others were. One chair was noticeably empty. 

“Um?” asked Moon Wolf, pointing across the table at it. 

Everyone else glanced around, trying to determine who was missing. 

“Silver Crystal has… well, left us,” Swan said, reaching over Seadragon’s shoulder and taking the feather. She held it up for all to see.

“Isn’t that her feather?” asked amari, frowning. “I thought it had to stay with her- where's her body?”

“I was getting to that,” Swan sighed. She twirled the blood feather, and then said, “The feather keeps you here, in Illusion, in WinterWonderLand. And once you- IF you die, then your essence is absorbed into your feather. You vanish. Your feather turns the color the way you died, so I’m assuming,” she grimaced, “that Silver’s death was a bit… red, if you catch my drift.”

pangolin did, and suddenly the food didn’t smell so appetizing.

“So to answer your question, amari,” Swan finished, “this IS her, well, body. Now.”

There was uncomfortable shifting around the table, and pangolin felt a bit sick. They glanced at Swan, who looked certain, and a little bit… was that guilt? She couldn’t tell. 

“Ahhhhhh,” came a loud, drawn out shout, and Hawk came zooming into the room, sat on the empty chair and pulled a huge plate of pancakes over to himself. He grabbed a fork, stabbed a pancake, and shoved the whole thing in his mouth. Cheeks bulging, he glanced around the table, and froze when he saw all eyes on him. “Oh, good morning,” he said, but it sounded more like, “mh, goo moni.”

“Hawk,” Swan said, her voice turning cold. “Be respectful. Silver Crystal is no longer among us.”

He looked puzzled, swallowed, then asked, “What, she already on the ski slopes?”

In response, Swan held up the feather. Hawk’s eyes widened, and he said “ohhhh, cooooool! Can I have it- erm, I mean…” He trailed off. “Um, sorry for your loss?” he squeaked finally.

Swan rolled her eyes, and then shook her head. “No. As morbid as it may seem, I’m keeping the feather on this shelf over here.” and she walked into the living room. Leaning over the table to see into the other room, pangolin saw her set it on the fireplace mantle.

When Swan came back, she sighed and said, “Mind as well eat up. We need to go outside today and get our minds off of things.”

Dead: Silver Crystal

Alive: Moon Wolf, pangolin, Wildsong, Seadragon, GloomyBear, CelineBurningBright, amari, BookGirl, Endless Parodies

felt like doing a second part today! Thanks for the quick comments, Moon Wolf and pangolin! You guys make me want to write faster :)

Out in the snow, pangolin hopped from foot to foot, rubbing their hands together to warm them. The rest of the CBers stood outside the Gingerbread, waiting for one of their hosts to take them to the lake, where they were going to go ice skating. Hawk was already outside, running and then landing with a puff on snow drifts. 

Breakfast had been a strange ordeal, mostly with silence, as all at the table wondered who did it. Who was the murderer?

Swan swept from the door, wearing a ski jacket, a silver scarf and matching beanie. She saw all the CBer’s gathered, and smiled reassuringly.

“Come along!” she said, and walked along the cleared path, then into the woods. The group followed, with Hawk chirping questions at the amused Celine. pangolin ended up near the back, with GloomyBear. “do you-?” pangolin started to ask, but Gloomy gave them a dark look and sped ahead. Puzzled, she wondered why she’d left. Then, she grew uneasy. They had been the roommate of Silver Crystal… Did the others suspect themself? 

***

“Ooooh, it’s so pretty!” Celine exclaimed. pangolin, who had been sulking slightly, perked up and caught up with the others. Swan had led them on a different trail, winding through the woods, and now it opened up on a lake shore. 

The lake looked like a mirror that had been placed in the trees. It was almost completely round, with reeds frozen on some sides, pines guarding most banks.

“Over here,” Swan was by a small shop, unlocking the door. Hawk bounced over and went inside, and pangolin didn’t miss how Swan’s eyes tightened slightly, though she kept her smile. The rest went inside, and pangolin came in last, shutting the door behind her. 

Inside, there was a bench on either side of the room, on the left and right, and little cubbies underneath. Swan was behind a counter on the far side, rummaging around on shelves for ice skates. 

“Here, one size fits all,” Swan said, setting ten pairs of skates on the counter. Everyone went forward to get a pair, and pangolin managed to snag a nice white, lace up pair. They sat down on the bench to take off their shoes and put the white skates on. 

Once she slid her feet in, the skates seemed much too loose. But as she laced them up, they seemed to tighten and form to fit their feet properly. pangolin stood up, wobbling slightly, then walked over to the door, stepping carefully so as not to fall. She walked out over the snow, then to the lake. She stepped onto it, then glided wobbly out onto the ice.

She zoomed around the edges, marveling at how smooth the lake was. Looking down, she gasped at what she saw. The ice was completely see through, her tracks the only thing starting to marr the surface. There were rocks and sandy spots, a few snowflakes here and there somehow frozen into the surface. pangolin forgot about falling for a moment as they watched as they skated slowly around. Then they crashed into Parody, and they both fell.

“oh, i’m sorry!” pangolin scrambled up, slipping.

“That’s alright,” said Parody easily. “It’s a bit mesmerizing, isn’t it? It seems like you are walking on air. But that’s no excuse for not watching where we’re going!”

pangolin laughed, feeling better than she had all morning. “it’s true!”

“Skate with me?” Parody offered, getting up. 

“sure!” pangolin agreed, and they skated off on the lake.

***

“oh…” pangolin moaned, rubbing their feet. “blisters are painful.”

It was already dinnertime, and just about everyone was back in, with just a few lingerers out on the lake. Everyone had such a fun time skating, the lake was now a white surface from all the scratches from the skates.

“They’ll be gone by tomorrow,” Swan promised from the desk, and there was a collective sigh of relief from around the room as the people in there started to put on their shoes, wincing slightly. It seemed that most everyone had gotten them.

“Is everyone here?” Swan asked. “It’s time to head back.”

“Mmm, no,” Moon Wolf said. “GloomyBear and amari are still out there, somewhere.”

Just as she finished speaking, Gloomy opened the door and siddled in, then plopped on a bench and removed her black skates.

“GloomyBear, did you see amari out there?” Swan asked. GloomyBear looked around the room with a frown on her face, and shook her head. “I was the last one in,” she insisted.

Everyone exchanged worried looks. Forgetting blisters, everyone got up and rushed to the door. 

“Spread out,” Swan called, locking the door behind her once everyone was out. “It’s getting dark.”

“amari!! amaaaariiii!” came the echoing call from all sides.

pangolin had a bad feeling that she wouldn’t hear that call again… ever. For at the shore close to the shop, the ice had shattered. Somehow, ice that was at least 4 feet thick had shattered, and a wet black feather glistened against the snow.

Dead:2 (Silver Crystal, amari)

Alive: 8 (Moon Wolf, pangolin, Wildsong, Seadragon, GloomyBear, CelineBurningBright, BookGirl, Endless Parodies)