Rose's brows furrowed in her sleep; it was freezing. Her teeth were chattering and goosebumps were all over her body even though she was covered head to toe in the thick fur coat. It could only be this cold if the fire were out and all the windows were open.
She knew it wasn't possible—her father would have noticed and kept the fire burning. Her mother was too sick to be left in this sort of weather. Did her father not notice? Rose's eyes flew open in horror at the realization.
However, nothing she imagined was the case. The windows weren't open; in fact, they were tightly shut, and the fireplace wasn't out. There was still a little wood burning softly. The smell of the burning wood and smoke filled the air.
Rose frowned; this didn't explain the freezing cold she felt to her bones, nor the chattering of her teeth. She looked at her mother's bed and noticed it was empty. Rose panicked immediately, but then she realized her father was carrying her mother, his back to her.
