Chapter 1
As the clock struck midnight on Saturday, January 7th, Asher was woken up by the vibrations of his new phone. It was actually his third one since he had received the first one at thirteen. Unfortunately, Asher was a bit prone to having smartphone accidents that ended with a broken screen. It was really weird because he was only clumsy with his phone, not in general.
Asher had received this phone as a gift from his parents about six days ago when the month of his fifteenth birthday had begun. It had been kind of a forced early present because Asher’s phone had been the target of a very illegal firecracker thrown in the air by the neighbor’s youngest son during New Year’s eve. The kid had a serious lack of experience with fireworks or he was simply terrible at throwing things; either way, the firecracker had landed right on top of Asher’s phone, which had been sitting on the grass of his front yard. With a loud pop, the firecracker exploded, leaving Asher with yet another broken screen and unable to communicate with his friends and parents. At least it hadn’t been his fault this time.
Asher was usually a heavy sleeper, but today was not just any other day, and it wasn’t just any other night. It was the beginning of his big day, his fifteenth birthday, a number that Asher had been looking forward to eagerly. It meant that he was definitely no longer the “beginner teenager” as he used to classify all kids aged between thirteen and fourteen years old. He was now the proud owner of the “intermediate teenager” title. Today, Asher officially became a significantly more experienced user of the adolescent world.
If he had to be honest, though, Asher would say that there were still some aspects of the beginner user that he needed to polish. Having said that, his knowledge of skin care (or lack thereof) and its consequences had certainly increased. Something similar had happened in the spheres related to emotions and girls, respectively. These had extended to include a lot more information than they did before. If everything that Asher had experienced until a few years ago had been feeling happy, sad, excited, or angry, his list of possible emotional states had definitely become longer. It now included more nuanced emotions like confusion, frustration, and nostalgia, as well as multiple shades of his basic set of emotions, each one stronger than the one before.
There was also another more complex emotion that he couldn’t quite fully understand yet.
The infamous anxiety.
But there would be more time for that later, he thought to himself. Right now, Asher was extremely excited to kick off this important celebratory day. So he quickly opened his eyes and turned off his alarm.
It had become a tradition among his friends to congratulate each other on their birthdays at exactly 12:00 a.m. Asher really enjoyed reading all the group chat messages as they arrived, one after the other. It was like being showered by virtual confetti, like the official start of his own big party, and he didn’t want to miss it. This was exactly why he had set an alarm.
Chris
Happy birthday bro!!!
Tomo
Asher! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Priya
Duuudeee
You’re finally 15!!!
I was tired of being the only one!
Happy birthday!
Tomo
You weren’t, Priya…
Chris turned 15 before you…
Chris
Thanks for forgetting about me Priya!
Priya
Sorrryyyy
Maddie
Happy birthday Asher!
Chris
Hope you have a great day man!
Tomo
Eat lots of delicious food!
Asher
Thank you guys!
As he kept chatting with his friends, Asher sat up and looked out the window. It was snowing. He loved snowfalls, and his fascination with snow had only become greater after he had learned more about it in the school’s Physics Club. Those ethereal and mysterious looking hexagonal snow crystals were one of nature’s most majestic creations, Asher thought. They were each perfectly symmetrical and yet wonderfully unique, each one following its own journey as it fell through the clouds, interacting with its own specific set of temperature and humidity. Science at its finest.
Asher
Guys it’s beginning to snow!
I’m gonna head out for a bit!
Tomo
Ohhh
Such a cool present for you
Send us some pics!
Priya
Make a funny snowman
Haha
Asher got out of bed slowly and quietly so as not to wake up his baby brother, Noah. He stood by Noah’s crib for a moment and looked at how peacefully he slept. He really loved his little brother, even if they had only met ten months ago when Noah had come into the world. Asher still couldn’t believe that Noah was real. He had wanted a sibling for so long, and now he finally had a brother. It was a fantastic feeling to know that he would be able to play with him and teach him new things and try to be a great big brother.
With this warm and fuzzy feeling, Asher kept walking towards his closet. He put on a thick coat, gloves, and boots before he stepped out of the room.
Using his phone as a flashlight, Asher made his way down the stairs carefully. When he was finally in the living room, he took a moment to admire the very nice cabin that his parents had rented. It was all made of elegantly polished wood. The floor was carpeted, soft, and warm. The little house had two stories. The rooms were on the second floor, while the kitchen, dining area, and spacious living room were all on the first floor. It was actually kind of a small place, but Asher really liked how cozy it felt. It was just the perfect size for his parents, his brother, and him.
Asher kept walking quietly because he didn’t want to wake anyone up. Tiptoeing across the living room, he finally made it to the door and opened it in silence. Standing under the door frame, Asher could appreciate the beautiful and perfect white that decorated almost every space.
The ground was covered in snow. The trees and plants, too. And the sky… the sky was the best. It was a magnificent display of tiny floating snowflakes against a backdrop of pure darkness contrasted by dozens of bright stars. The sight of it all was so beautiful that it felt almost unreal, magical, even.
Asher stood at the door in awe for a couple of minutes, letting his eyes take all the wondrous snow feast in little by little.
Out of the corner of his right eye, Asher saw a flash of gray move quickly in the background. Since his vision was still adjusting to the brighter environment of the forest, he concluded that his eyesight was probably playing tricks on him.
Closing the door behind him, Asher finally left the cabin. He stepped happily onto the bed of snow below his feet. It was soft but sturdy enough to hold his weight. Asher took some more steps further until he reached a pile of snow.
“Perfect for a snowman!” Asher said.
He crouched and quickly began to gather snow with his hands. Asher wanted to build a small snowman, something fun that didn’t take him too long. After all, it was still the middle of the night, and he really wanted to go back to sleep.
A few minutes later, Asher had already formed the base of the snowman, and it only took him a couple of minutes more to place a second ball on top.
It was time for the snowman’s head. This is where Asher was planning to do something funny; maybe he could give the snowman’s face an angry look or a thick mustache, Asher thought.
“This is even better!” he said, clapping his hands together after spotting several pine needles on the ground a couple of feet nearby.
He walked towards them and brought them back. Trying to be careful, he started to stick the pine needles to the top of the snowman’s head. Asher found the idea of a very hairy snowman so ridiculous that he couldn’t stop smiling as he attempted to equip him with a full mane of green hair.
“Oh!”
Asher had poked the snowman’s head a little too strong, making it fall off to the ground. The impact had created some deformation of the head, and on top of that, half of the green hair strands had become detached.
Slightly annoyed at this, Asher squatted to pick up the now misshapen snowman head. As he slowly placed it back where it belonged, Asher saw another gray flash from the corner of his eye.
This couldn’t be related to a problem with his vision anymore, he thought. His eyesight was perfectly adjusted to the light of the almost full moon above him.
Curious, Asher stood up to gain a clearer view of the area behind the snowman. What he found was way more interesting than his ongoing construction: a big gray dog sat several feet away.
It was a bit particular looking. Asher couldn’t really tell what breed of dog it was, not entirely. But there was something about it that caught Asher’s eye, making him take a slow step forward to have a closer look at it.
The first thing he saw in more detail was the dog’s thick gray fur. It was straight and slightly spiky, but it was so abundant that it wouldn’t be surprising if someone confused the dog with a pile of dirty snow in the middle of the night. The dog also had strong and lean legs. Its ears and muzzle were both pointed.
Asher took another careful step further to see more of this interesting animal. That’s when he discovered its stunning eyes. A powerful gaze made up of two perfect amber-colored circles met Asher’s eyes. It was as if he was looking directly into a deep and willful firepit. The dog’s stare was so piercing that Asher suddenly felt like the animal was able to see his deepest thoughts and feelings.
A chill ran down Asher’s spine. He was definitely scared, but at the same time, he just couldn’t stop watching this dog. Its magnificent fur and eyes pulled him in. The dog looked like an ancient, mythical creature similar to the ones in Asher’s video games. Just looking at it and observing all its features was a fascinating experience.
The big dog stood still as Asher observed him with wonder. The creature was so majestic that it was almost hypnotizing. Asher decided that he wanted to meet it. Slowly and carefully, he began to walk towards the big dog. He didn’t want to scare it away.
When Asher finally reached the dog, he was feeling very compelled to pet it. He knew, however, that he had to let a dog get to know him first before petting it. Little by little, Asher lowered his right hand with his palm facing downwards as if signaling the dog that it was okay to sniff it. After not getting any reaction, Asher moved his hand very slowly towards the dog. His heart started to beat fast. He was so close… Just a few more inches and he would become friends with this somewhat terrifying but gorgeous dog.
Asher’s eyes widened as his heart beat faster. A smile was appearing on Asher’s face when the dog suddenly snarled, moving his front left paw rapidly and viciously. In an extremely swift movement, the creature had slashed Asher’s right forearm.
Asher immediately put his left hand on his mouth and let out a muffled cry. He didn’t want to wake anyone up, let alone worry them, but the pain had been so instantaneous. It was intense, and it increased as it spread throughout his whole forearm. Instinctively, Asher wrapped his left hand around the scratches to help ease the pain. Thankfully, the wounds weren’t too deep, Asher thought. He concluded that he could take care of them by himself.
Confused and dazed, he reared a bit and stared furiously at the dog. He turned around, about to walk back to the cabin, when he heard a male voice speaking.
“I am not a dog, Asher. I am a wolf.” The voice was as cold as ice. Hollow and deep, the syllables of each word bounced around Asher’s ears like echoes in a cavern.
“What? Who’s talking?” Asher said, looking around as he tried to find the source of the voice. When he faced the direction of the snowman again, the dog’s sudden proximity surprised him. It looked intently at him. Asher stared back in confusion.
“That is correct, Asher. It is me who is talking,” the voice replied. At the same time, the dog kept its eyes fixed on Asher.
There was no other person nearby. It was only him and the dog. So, did that mean…
“Wait… Is it really you who’s talking to me?” Asher asked the dog.
The dog nodded with its head. “Yes. I am talking to your mind, and only you can hear me. As I said before, I am a wolf; more specifically, your wolf,” the creature spoke. “No one else can see me, either. It is only you and me here, boy. And do not go thinking that you can get rid of me. That will only make me more vicious,” the wolf warned with a growl.
Asher was starting to get a bit shaky, and his heart was beginning to beat faster. He couldn’t make sense of anything. How could a wolf be speaking to him? And how could he be the only one who saw him? And why did the wolf hurt him?
“So many questions, Asher. The only important thing now is that I have come here to stay. And the scratch was for you to learn your lesson about me not being your friendly neighborhood dog,” the wolf added sharply. “What you should really be focusing on is your careless manipulation of that snowman.” The wolf made a short pause as he redirected his gaze at Asher’s creation. “You pushed his head off his body. You deformed it so easily.”
Furrowing his eyebrows, Asher looked at the disfigured head and then back at the wolf.
“If you failed to handle a body made of solid snow in a proper manner, how are you supposed to take adequate care of your baby brother when you hug him and carry him around?”
A cold silence briefly lingered in the air.
“Noah’s body is much more delicate. He is not made of solid snow!” the wolf said, raising his voice in Asher’s mind. “You could drop him and hurt him, Asher! And the consequences could be severe! A strong hit in the head and you could kill Noah!”
“W-what?” Asher whispered, his face suddenly turning pale. His body had started to shake even more. His heart was speeding.
“You need to understand this, boy! Noah is just a baby. His body is still fragile. A misplaced movement on your part could end up costing your brother’s life. A caress can easily turn into a scratch just like the one on your arm! One scratch can turn into a deeper cut and result in enough blood loss to make Noah die.”
Asher’s complete body began to tremble violently. He could feel his heart thumping on his neck. His head was spinning with all the words that the wolf had spoken. And something dark and heavy was brewing inside of him. It was a combination of fear, anguish, despair. But all of them were raised to extreme levels because Asher had started to think that the wolf was right.
“I… I… I could kill Noah,” Asher said in a shaky voice, “with nothing… nothing but my bare hands.”
The second Asher finished saying these words, something happened in his mind that he had never experienced before. It was like an explosion that wiped everything, leaving only white space in his mind. Empty, white space.
Asher’s mind had simply shut down. He felt like he couldn’t move, so he sat down right there on the snow-covered ground. Still shaking and with his heart rate out of control, Asher noticed that something else was different now.
The world around him just didn’t look normal. It looked somehow off. Asher felt like he was watching a movie instead of reality itself. This sensation was so disturbing that it made him become even more nervous. Asher felt like he was going crazy. Maybe he was already crazy. Why was everything looking so weird? Was he losing his mind? His grasp on reality?
As his nervousness heightened, Asher started feeling like something was pressing on his chest, something heavy. This made his breath become faster and shallower. He was suddenly panting and that sounded weird, too. Asher knew that it was him who was panting, but for some reason, it felt like it was someone else. It was like Asher’s body had become part of the movie that he had started to watch before, and now, his internal self felt like a shadow that was standing outside of reality, outside of himself.
And this felt extremely horrible.
Asher was absolutely convinced that he was certainly going crazy now.
His breath got even faster, and he began to get dizzy. Asher felt so powerless, like he was free-falling into an endless void of despair without being able to stop it. He couldn’t handle this.
And then his father opened the cabin door.
