The air was cold, and I could see my breath clouding from my mask. I trudged through the snow and unlatched the shed to find Ryu fast asleep. Opening the bag of grain I brought and poured some out in a spare bucket. I left it in front of her and quietly closed the door again. I stepped inside and instantly felt the warmth flood over my body. I sighed and crouched down to pick up Choux, who was meowing at me to do so. 

     I walked into the living room to see Amelia coloring by the fireplace. I walked over to her and sat down. I was taken aback as the paper was shoved in my face. 

     “Look! It’s our family! There’s me, mommy, mama, you, and Choux!” Amelia squealed. I sat there, shocked. Family. I was part of her family. This made me beam. It was so long since I could say I had a family. I picked her up and swirled around. I looked at the time and realized we should start heading towards the school now. After successfully getting a coat and shoes on Amelia, I wrapped Choux up in a blanket and set off. 

     The school wasn’t far, and it didn’t take long before we reached it. Right before I opened the doors leading to the entrance, I stopped. I realized I couldn’t take Choux inside the school. I started to feel the panic welling up inside of me and I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t leave Choux outside, but Amelia would be late for school soon. 

     At that moment, I felt a hand upon my shoulder. I felt my breath catch in my throat and my mind began to race. Who was it, were they going to hurt me? What should I do?

     “Hey, are you alright?” the voice I heard from behind sounded oddly familiar, and I felt myself go tense. I turned around and almost fell over.

     It was one of my old classmates, Noah.