In The Mountains

The car slowed down to a stop outside the resort as the sun was setting in the sky. Dad was the first to get out of the car, as a bellboy approached to get our luggage. I followed suit, turning off my phone as I opened the door and got out of the car, the cold mountain air hitting my face. It was then that I got my first look at the resort we would be staying at for the next few weeks.

Nestled in the mountains, it was a fairly large wooden lodge, with stone accents adorning its exterior. Mist covered the property it was standing on, but I could make out several cottages behind it, one of which we would be staying at. The website even said it had a swimming pool and a clubhouse, so that was neat, even though I wouldn't be swimming anytime soon in this weather.

To avoid the summer rush of tourists, we'd chosen the off-season to arrive, with only a few weeks to go before school started, meaning there would be fewer tourists but we'd have to deal with the cold weather. We'd severely underestimated the weather, though. It was freezing out here.

After checking in at the reception, which only felt like a few minutes, it was already dark outside. Taking the keys, Dad read out the number written on it.

"Number 13. Oooh, scary," he said, chuckling. "How many cottages even are there?"

"We should ask for another one," said Mom, slightly concerned. She was on the internet a lot lately and believed in things like these.

"Mom, nothing's gonna happen," reassured my sister Sakura. "I'll be there with you."

"Here's me getting reassured by a 12-year-old," said Mom, ashamed. "What kind of mom even am I?"

"The best type," said Dad, hugging her from behind. "Now, let's head to our cottage, shall we?"

I stood behind them, watching them joke around, watching them be a family. I was part of it, but I didn't feel that was exactly true for some reason. I'd always felt some... Distance between them, like I didn't deserve to be part of them.

Something told me I didn't deserve this happiness.

"Kin, aren't you coming?" Said Mom, heading to the room with Dad and Sakura.

"Yeah, Mom, I'll be there in a bit. I want to take a walk around and explore this place. Cottage 13, right?"

"Alright. Don't stay out too long and be careful," said my Mom, turning to head to the cottage.

As my mom left the reception building, I took a look around it. It had a fairly clean interior, the walls made of wood and stone, and a polished wooden floor. Wanting to get some air, I decided to head outside and take a walk.

The night air was freezing when I took a walk on the grass outside the building, clutching my shoulders on the red sweater I was wearing. It was a new moon tonight, so it was dark outside, the only illumination being the light from the resort buildings behind me, and a few lights from the mountain beside this one. It looked like a small mountain town where everyone was probably accustomed to the cold. This was normal for them.

Mist formed from my mouth as I breathed, taking in the sights, even though it was dark. The only sounds I heard were the cracking of grass behind my feet and the sounds of insects, carried by the mountain wind. A thick wilderness covered the mountains next to this one, where you would probably get lost if you weren't careful. The woods looked especially creepy at night, sending a small chill down my spine as my brain worked on visualizing its horrors.

Then, for a second, it seemed like the air stopped.

I noticed a girl, dressed in a black hoodie standing a few feet ahead of me, over a cliff. There was a fence erected between us to avoid people going to the cliff, so she'd probably climbed it to get there.

Why was she standing there? Don't tell me...

"Hey, that's dangerous!" I called out, climbing the fence and moving towards her. "Is everything okay?"

She turned towards me, and I laid eyes on her face, illuminated only faintly. She had small but pretty features, and a simple expression, making a small smile at me. A few strands of her black hair lay on her face. Even though she was beautiful, there was something about her eyes that just felt off.

"Oh it's you," she said in a soft voice, her eyes locked on mine. "The Cursed Child."