Chapter Text
The door burst open, and she stumbled inside, shaking off as much snow as she could. The freak snowstorm had caught her completely off guard. The day had started out sunny, so she had worn her lightest winter coat and some thin gloves. Both were now soaked through as well as the hand-knitted blue hat that she’d stolen from her brother. Thankfully, whatever building she had stumbled upon on her hike seemed to be outfitted with heating of some sort. She slammed the door shut behind her and closed her eyes, sighing in relief at the sudden absence of cold wind blowing against her.
After taking a moment to enjoy the warmth, she opened her eyes and looked around the room. Almost immediately, she spotted a fireplace across from her, and she hurried to sit in front of it, pulling off her gloves and hat and warming her pale (turning dangerously blue) hands and toes as close to it as she dared before sitting with her back to the fire to look around the rest of the room. The rest of the room was quiet plain. A small couch sat in front of the fireplace, dark brown and worn looking. The room lacked the traditional hunting décor she would have expected from such an isolated place. Maybe it was a place for the park rangers to rest if they got caught out here. That would explain the lack of personalization in it.
“Amy, Amy, Amy,” she chided herself under her breath. “Why did you think a hike in the snow would be a good idea?” She rubbed her hands up her arms as she looked around the rest of the cabin, venturing away from the fire only when she was warmed through. Directly to the right of the living space she’d walked into was a kitchen and dining combination area. Amy wondered if whoever owned this place kept it stocked just in case. She’d check later. For now, she wanted to know what she had to work with until the snow died down and melted long enough for her to get back down to the city.
She turned to the other side of the cabin, and the one door that led to the left side. She opened it and saw something move out of her view. Jumping back, she let the door slam shut again. Taking a deep breath, she placed a hand on her heart and willed herself to calm down. Surely, it was just someone else taking refuge from the storm. Or it was a park ranger, or the owner. Nothing to be afraid of.
Amy opened the door, much more slowly this time, and called, “Hello?” No one answered, so she stepped tentatively through the door into a bedroom outfitted with two bunk beds on either side of the room. “Is anybody here?” Still no answer. Amy sighed and stepped out of the room. Whoever was here with her clearly didn’t want to be bothered. Still, she should let them know why she was in their home. “I’m just waiting out the storm,” she called back into the room. “I didn’t mean to disturb you. I’ll leave as soon as I can.”
She retreated all the way back into the main room of the cabin, turning around and leaning her back against the now closed door. The squishy feeling at her back told her that her sweatshirt under her jacket had gotten wet in the storm as well, and she wrinkled her nose as she stood away from the door. Sighing, she looked around and found another door at the far end of the kitchen. She crept to it and opened it hopefully. A washer and dryer were stacked in the small space. Grinning she ripped her jacket up, followed by her sweatshirt, leaving only the t-shirt she was wearing under that over her skin.
Goosebumps formed as soon as the wet fabric left her skin, and she shivered at the chill that settled over her. She would go back to the fire while this dried, she decided, throwing the sweatshirt into the dryer and turning it on. It was a loud machine but as she closed the door behind her, the room seemed to minimize the noise. She wandered back to the couch in front of the fire, curling up under her coat and staring at the flames.