In the following hour, Mr Hartman tried to explain linear algebra to the students, but nobody paid attention. Even Lennox Ford grew more absent-minded as the frost came closer.
When class was over and most students had already left, Mr Hartman approached Lennox.
"Here are some books I got from the library for you. Maybe they can distract you a little bit during the frost." He reached into a bag and pulled out three books: "On Advanced Methods of Weather Prediction", "Computer Programming in C - Complete Edition" and "Basics of Geo-Information".
Lennox was moved by the gift "I don't know how I can thank you, Mr Hartman."
"Reading them all will be enough. Bright young minds like you are our only hope for better times" Mr Hartman said lovingly. "But now make sure you get home before it gets worse outside."
"Will do, Mr Hartman" Lennox said and packed his books.
Afterwards Lennox took his time to say goodbye to Ivy. "I hope we can still sit together after the frost" he said while averting his eyes shyly.
"Yes, I would love to. I wish we could play some VR games together during the frost, it's such a shame you don't have an experience chip. And one more thing…" She said hesitantly. "I am going to miss you."
"Huhhh?" Lennox gasped and felt his cheeks heat up. "I will miss you too!" He was asking himself if he should lean in for a hug, but he did not find the courage to do so. "Alrighty. See ya round, Ives." He said nervously and left hiding his over-the-moon smile, before turning around to wave Ivy a couple times.
After Lennox left his school building he was still thinking the awkwardness of his parting words. "See ya round? That's the best you got, Lennox? The girl of your dreams says she is going to miss you and that is how you respond?"
Lennox walked down a stony snow-paved path through a dense forest to go home while collecting some loose wood from the side of the way. He was walking carefully on the icy ground when he saw footsteps in the snow in front of him that suddenly ventured out into the trees. Behind one of the trees Lennox could hear voices and saw a white smoke cloud rising up between the bare branches. The voice was familiar, it belonged to Venyce Stone, a voice that even haunted Lennox in his nightmares.
"Lennox should be here soon, let's give him one last present before the frost."
At that moment Lennox realized that this was an ambush and tried to step as silently as possible but the fresh snow crunched everytime he sat a foot on it.
"I think our special guest is here" he heard Venyce's mischievous voice that made Lennox's breath stop. Venyce held a lit cigarette in his left hand that he dropped into the snow where it glowed bright red for a second before leaving a black ash stain in the white.
Lennox stared at the ground, knowing there was no point in running. His tormentors could always catch up to him.
"What a cold, cold world for such a fragile boy" Venyce's voice echoed through the forest.
"When the frost is over you will no longer sit next to Ivy, did you understand me? You will stay away from her and from our school. Did you understand me?"
Lennox was intimidated but did not scare away "I will do as you wish" he said. "But that won't make Ivy like you and it won't make you a better student. All you are is a scumbag who bullies the defenseless and everyone knows it" Lennox' eyes started to glow furiously.
"Don't talk about him like that", Esteban curled his chubby hands into little fists and stormed up to Lennox, tackling him with the immense force of his hefty body.
Lennox felt dizzy after losing his balance and after a brief numbness he noticed a stinging pain in his leg. "Aaargh!" Lennox was crushing his teeth in anguish, while he felt a sharp cold stone piercing through his upper thigh. When he looked down with wide-open eyes he saw a stream of blood running down the stone like a red river, a small pointy hill.
"Get up, or do you want to die out here like your idiotic mother?" Venyce kicked him against his leg.
"Aaah! Get the f**k off of me!" Lennox' eyes were equally filled with anger and shock as he screamed squeakily. "Dirty bastard, don't talk about my mom like that."
"She was nothing but a junker. The lowest of the low" Venyce emphasized every single syllable of every word.
Ian was looking at his injured brother without any glimpse of empathy.
"Ian, how can you let him talk about mom like this?" Lennox asked helplessly while his face was disfigured into a mask distorted by pain.
"He is right." Ian paused. "Our parents knew the frost was outside, but still they went to the wastelands. They knew the risk, our parents cared more about the money than about us."
"They returned every time before that. We once were a family" Lennox objected with a strained voice. Despite his fractured bond with his brother his words still hurt him more than all the physical pain they could ever inflict on him.
"Only because you came crawling out of the same bitch it doesn't make you my brother," Ian fumed and spit on Lennox, who was reaching out his hand for help.
Panic and fear started to control Lennox' mind and body as he noticed that he could not get up by himself and there was no help in sight.
"Pathetic how he is lying there" Esteban shook his head condescendingly.
"They say the frost devours you, turns your skin into ash, leaving behind only your bones" Venyce said. "Is that how your mom ended?"
Lennox moved his body uncontrolled trying to drag himself to safety but not finding the necessary strength. He rapidly moved his arms and his head, straining every muscle in his body. "Help me Ian! Ian! Ian!!!"
When Lennox lifted his head, he saw how the three of them turned their back on him, callously abandoning him in his misery.
Esteban asked "Are we playing Sanguine Conquest later?" It was the last thing he heard them talking about.
Lying on his back in the snow he closed his eyes after seeing a flock of blackbirds flying southwards over him in the sky.
As he lay there, feeling life's ebb, a sense of isolation and meaninglessness enveloped Lennox. Yet, just before succumbing, in the chill of his final breath, there flickered a vision—a new chapter in a different world, where shadows transformed into crowns and his return blazed forth, scorching the lands with a different kind of fire.