New Title 1 by Shaun Jeffrey

invited in. Stepping into it, the cold chill returned and both of them shivered. Ratty had taken stock of where they were relevant to where the lights had been shining and he thought he knew the way, but now back in the fog, all sense of direction was lost. North, south, east, west, it was all immaterial, just points on a compass he didn’t have. He didn’t even know if heading toward the lights was the best option, but it was the only one they had.
    He felt Izzy grab his hand, and he took support from her touch. “This way, come on,” he said as he started walking.
     
    ***
     
    Chase woke feeling bleary eyed. She had woken numerous times during the night, partly due to sleeping in a strange house, but also because she thought she had heard someone screaming and shouting. She remembered the noise dragged her out of bed to look out the window, but with it too dark to see anything, she guessed she had imagined it. Haunted by the uneasy feeling there had been a mistake with regard the competition still played on her mind and didn’t help.
      Chase pulled back the sheet and slipped out of bed, shivering at the feel of the cold floor on her bare feet. She walked to the window and drew back the curtains, surprised to still see the fog circling the village like a wolf closing in for the kill. The orange sun sat high above like a bloodshot eye.
    Chase dressed quickly and then shouted, “Wake up,” to Jane who mumbled something in reply. Laughing to herself, Chase bounded down to the kitchen with a spring in her step.
    She searched the cupboards, found a jar of coffee and some bread. In the fridge, she found butter and jam. After making a drink, she took one up to Jane.
    “Come on lazy bones,” she said, entering Jane’s room and opening the curtains.
    “Bright light, bright light,” Jane squealed, drawing the sheet over her head.
    “Don’t be such a misery.”
    Jane mumbled something unintelligible.
    “Come on, shake yourself. I’ve made you a cup of coffee. Drink it before it goes cold.”
    “Okay mother.”
    Chase tugged the bed sheet down to reveal Jane’s face.
    “A little bit further and you’ll see paradise all right.”
    Chase shook her head and raised her eyebrows in exasperation. “Don’t you ever think about anything else?”
      “What else is there?” Jane sat up, the sheet slipping down her bare torso.
    Chase laughed. “By the looks of it, gravity’s a bitch.”
    “These are the real deal.”
    “Well they haven’t improved with age, now put ‘ em away and drink your coffee.” She walked out of the room, grinning.
    Downstairs, she studied the fireplace before tackling the ashes. A full bucket of coal and a pile of logs stood beside the hearth, and she set about making her first real fire. But by the time Jane came downstairs, Chase had given up, the room full of smoke and not a flame in sight.
    “Sugar, you’ll freeze to death if you can’t light a fire. Open that window and let me show you how I can get anything hot.” She winked and began to redo what Chase had started. Within fifteen minutes, a fire roared away in the hearth and Chase went through to the kitchen to toast some bread.
    When Chase came back with the toast, Jane said, “You should just throw your toast in the fire in future, it’s burnt more than those logs were.”  
    “Choke on it.”
    Shaking her head, Jane said, “What will you do without me?”
    “I’ll manage.”
    “That’s what I’m afraid of. Are you sure you want to stay here? This just isn’t you.”
    Chase looked down the hillside, admiring the view. “It is now.”
    Jane crunched on her toast. “Good job I like it burnt.”
     
    After breakfast, Chase put a fireguard around the fire and then she and Jane went to explore the village and to buy some supplies. The sun hovered in the sky and the trees rustled and swayed as though in reverence.
    Chase noticed curtains twitching in some of the houses, as though disturbed by a slight breeze. She