Down for Nine

It was a day like any other. Headed out early for the NYSE on a cold winter morning, tumbler of espresso hot in hand, Eleanor chose the Jeep for its traction. She stepped into the vehicle, steam fogging her glasses to the point of annoyance; she threw the pair into the passenger's seat and settled in. It was a very early morning; she couldn't help but yawn. Navigating from the log cabin added an extra hour or so to her commute, but it was worth the hassle to duck under the high price, tiny spaces of downtown. She pulled out of the drive, and sipped at her redeye.

It all happened so fast it was slow-motion. She was turning a blind corner and blowing on her coffee when the deer jumped out from the forest. For whatever reason, she punched it and hoped for the best. The best she got was a jolt as she and the animal collided at speed, and her vehicle went careening off the cliff and into the ice-covered waters. As she sank below the massive waves, thick as a Very Berry Slushy, the ice began to freeze again, and time rewound behind her eyes. She saw the deer, yellow-eyed and terrified, the guard rail, bent beneath the weight of the Jeep, and a single snake, coiled 'round itself exactly nine times. What a strange detail to notice, before you die.

The waters were cold, so she didn't feel much pain: the shivering had already stopped. The tempered glass kept them out for now, presumably because they were so, so slushy. She glanced up through the sunroof, saw the parted ice thickly frozen back in place, and knew with certainty that this was the end. Here, in this icy pond. Funny, it had seemed bigger than that, before. Now it was small and bitter blue, like the old skating pond back home, where she'd go with her brother when the winter was strong and the ice real thick.

"Hey there, Ellie." A deep voice echoed smooth in the dark confines of her entombment.

She jumped, hitting her head hard in the limited space, but the pain barely registered at all.

In the seat beside her, handing over her glasses, was a man she didn't recognize. Taut black leather pants and an unbuttoned burgundy dress shirt left little to the imagination, yet, strangely, she was imagining anyway. He was hot as hell, here in this frozen place.

"Tsk," he chastised, tossing the glasses her way. They smacked her on the cheek and bounced to the floor. "No fraternizing with coworkers. Besides, that's what you want your last thought to be, huh?"

She frowned, put off as ever. "It's my choice, isn't it? What's it to you, weirdo." Tears welled cold in her eyes as she looked back up at the ice, darkening in its distance, even as they stayed still. Frozen.

He made to wipe away her tears with his hand, but she smacked it away. "Suit yourself," he said, tone neutral, "die crying if that's your wish."

She shrugged. "Why not. Death is sad."

"There are worse things," he muttered.

"Like what."

"Like little girls who kick puppies and grown-ups who won't swerve to save a pregnant deer."

A scowl flitted across her face, along with something dark and wild. "Wouldn't have made any difference."

"You didn't even try."

"What's it to you, again?"

"Nothing. But there is something I'm genuinely curious about."

She sighed. "And what's that?"

He met her eyes meaningfully. "Who did you betray?"

She looked down at the shadows the ice cast on the weather guarded floor, blue-black and glistening. "I was Catholic."

"So? You crashed."

Her eyes finally met his in a pointed display. "I committed murder."

He was unfazed. "Pretty sure that'd be bad even if you weren't Catholic, Els." He grinned. "So who'd ya kill?"

"My brother. Fineas. We were skating one day, the sun was out and the ice was thin. He fell in, and I couldn't get him out."

"How's that murder, El?"

"Maybe I didn't really try," she said, shaking her head even as tears flooded down her cheeks. "If I did, I'd have gotten him out of that damned pond! I cursed myself for failing, and everyone else. God could've saved him, if he wanted to. I prayed so hard, but nothing happened." She screamed. "Nothing happened!"

The man nodded. "Gotcha. You betrayed your Master. Worst thing a slave can do, y'know. Well don't worry, we're all free here."

She blinked through the tears. "What?"

"Take my hand, El." He extended it towards her, palm up, welcoming.

"What happens if I don't?" she asked, skeptical.

"What happens if you do?" He grinned, licking his lips. "Dontcha want to find out?"

"I--"

"I can give you anything you want," he said, eyeing her casually.

"I want my brother," she hissed.

The man was silent for a long time. "He's dead," he said finally. "You killed him, remember? Only, it wasn't really you at all. You know who's to blame."

She remembered that day, the sun rays shining and the way the honeycomb ice bonked and spider-webbed as they stepped out onto it. "Chance," she said finally. "And choice."

"What?"

She shook her head. "It wasn't anyone's fault. It just was."

He extended his hand farther. "Come on, El. We're wasting time."

"No!" She batted his hand away roughly. "I want my brother!"

He shrugged. "Catch ya on the flipside, kid." Then he disappeared.

Suddenly the car was gone, her breath was stolen, and everything turned white-hot-bright.

She was on top of the ice, now, and the image of the man was fading fast. Everything was fading. She looked at her hands, no longer numb from the cold, and they were so small. She was small.

Across the way, Fineas waved. But between them lay ice, seemingly spread for miles, but she knew it was only as wide as the little old pond.

"You've gotta take that leap of faith, sis," he said.

And towards him, she took her first, big step.