Aria Snow pov :
I waited for the cold.
I waited for the crushing weight of the black water to fill my lungs again. I waited for the burning sting of the bruises on my ribs. I squeezed my eyes shut, curling into a ball, preparing for the end.
But the cold never came.
Instead, I felt... warmth.
It wasn't the artificial heat of a heater. It was the gentle, soaking warmth of the sun. I smelled something sweet—like wildflowers and rain, mixed with the scent of ancient pine trees.
I opened one eye, then the other.
I wasn't in the dark, murky depths of the Frost Lake anymore.
I was lying on a bed of soft, emerald-green moss. Above me, the sky was a shade of blue so bright it looked like a painting, with fluffy white clouds drifting lazily. The trees around me were towering and maj
