The next day, they had a rendezvous at Solana’s house. They discussed possibilities of where they could go and how they could possibly find the entrance to a world that they don’t even know if it exists or not.

Miyuki screamed in frustration. “This is stupid! We’re looking for something that, more than likely, doesn’t even exist.”

Solana’s face with a mix of despair and hope. “I know Yuki, but… this feels right. There’s something inside that tells me that I’m not whole, that there’s another place where I belong and now that I’m looking for it, I feel hopeful.”

“I know how you feel – I feel it too – but I mean we don’t even know what we’re looking for.” Miyuki pointed out skeptically.

“Me neither,” Solana said miserably, “but, there’s got to be some kind of portal here, something.”

Miyuki raised her eyebrows, “So you’re saying that we need to wait until we see someone just up and vanish before our eyes?”

Solana’s face lit up as her friend’s words triggered something from long ago. “We don’t have to.” She said excitedly. “I’ve seen someone disappear like, right after the storm. I saw a woman who, now that I think about it, kind of looked like you. Anyway, she disappeared. Just vanished.”

“Where?” Miyuki asked, excitement building with Solana’s.

“I think I remember, but it was summer when I saw her.”

“Well, let’s go find out.”

Solana grinned as they rushed to find their hats and boots.

Solana’s mom came around the corner, “Where are you girls going?” she asked carefully, knowing her daughter was up to something.

“Yuki’s house,” Solana answered absently.

Her mother nodded, just as absently; worry echoing through her body.

Solana led her friend through the woods, twisting and turning through the bushes, dodging fallen trees and squinting through the blowing snow. Solana emerged on a main road and ran towards a rocky outcrop that was just off the road.

“I used to hang out here all the time, but I haven’t been here in years.” Solana told her friend over the wind.

“Why are we here?” Miyuki asked.

“This is where I saw that woman disappear.”

“Okay,” Miyuki said, “so what are we looking for?”

Solana stopped and thought back to what she had seen; the woman had reached into something, and then she was gone. “A hole or something,” she said finally.

Miyuki nodded and stared her search. Soon enough, she came across a gap in the rock. When she inspected it with the flashlight on her phone, she saw that the inside of the gap was definitely not rock like the outside. She called her friend over.

“This is it!” Solana cried excitedly. She put her hand in the hole and waited. Nothing happened. “I don’t get it, I saw the woman place her hand in the hole and then disappear.”

Miyuki shook her head, “It’s not that complicated Sol. She probably wasn’t wearing gloves, so the stuff inside must react with the heat of your skin.”

Solana smacked herself in the forehead. “Duh, why didn’t I think of that?” Miyuki shrugged, and Solana added, “So, who’s going to touch it? I’m not.”

Miyuki sighed and rolled her eyes as she saw her friend shivering slightly from the cold, “I’ll do it.” She walked to the hole and tore her glove off before she could lose her nerve. The air bit her hand and turned it cherry red, yet at the same time, it felt more comfortable than cold. She shoved her hand into the hole, hoping for something to happen and felt her head explode. Bright light filled her vision, her head throbbed and something gripped her arm in a death grip. She felt herself falling until everything turned black and she slipped out of consciousness.

Miyuki returned to her senses slowly. Noise returned first to tell her she still lived. She heard the howling of the wind and her name being called. The sound got louder until she was able to recognize her friend’s voice.

Soon, the voice stopped, if it wasn’t for the cold seeping into her bones and making her feel more alive, she would have believed that she was dead. Then someone started to shake her.

Miyuki struggled to sit up and open her eyes. “Solana, is that you?” She asked blearily, making certain she wasn’t seeing things.

Solana stopped shaking her and said, “Yeah, it’s me. I don’t know where we are, but, Yuki I’m telling you, it’s freaky.”

Miyuki managed to finish opening her eyes and look around her. The snow frosted trees were a deep reddish-brown that looked maroon against the stark whiteness of the snow. The wind whipped hair into her face as she surveyed the wall of snow that swirled around them from a storm worse than the one they had left behind.

“Solana, we need to find shelter.” Miyuki said, trying to be heard over the wind.

Solana nodded her throat already raw from yelling over the wind.

The two struggled through the biting wind to the shelter of the nearest tree. The tree, however, was frozen and offered no shelter from the wind and snow. They forged onward. Their clothes were frozen and ice seeped into their bones, causing one girl to become weak, while the other became strong. Their shoulders were sore from being hunched over when the snow and wind started blowing harder. Despair clenched its ugly hand around their hearts as they raised their heads, forcing their stiff neck muscles to creak from effort.

What they saw left them breathless in astonishment.

A castle was silhouetted against the grey backdrop and towered over them the numerous towers reached like delicate fingers towards the heavens.

With unspoken consent, the two girls ran towards the castle, the thought of warmth and shelter giving new life to the one who felt weaker than a kitten.