"I'm waiting for you."

She lifted her hand and lightly stroked it down the cold window, her forehead long ago numb from the frosty glass. Her words had blurred a small section of the window with fog, melting the glossy frost away. Green eyes scanned the snowy landscape beyond the windowpane, taking in the great hills and bowing trees. She had memorized them long ago. They gave her little comfort now. And yet she couldn't tear her gaze away from the gray horizon, hoping incessantly that it would not be bare for much longer.

Minutes passed before she could tear herself away from her perch, and then only because she feared that her lips were turning blue due to their resting place. Something warm was in order. As she crossed to the cabinet and removed a kettle from it, she couldn't help but ponder again about her unusual situation. Each window and door leading out of her cabin appeared to be frozen shut, though no amount of picking at the edges with a knife would offer any give. Upon realizing just how cold it appeared to be outside, she had decided against trying to throw something through the glass.

How long had she been here? She frowned even as she filled the kettle and set it on a burner on the stove. Her eyes flicked over to the calendar beside the bed in the corner while she turned a dial to begin the process of boiling the water. Nearly six years. Good Lord. She was shocked that she hadn't gone insane by this point in time. Somehow, though, the cabinets remained stocked, her toiletries never failed, and her clothes rarely grew worn.

And somehow...somehow she knew it had to do with him.

She drew in a shocked breath of air and whirled around when the cell phone on the countertop started to ring. There was only a moment's hesitation before she grabbed it and searched the display screen. Yes. It was him, just as it always was. A button was pressed and the whole room seemed to fill with his presence. "Hello?" she asked quickly, eyes wide and a smile across her face.

"Hey there." A sense of comfort and warmth filled her system. There was something about his voice that never ceased to have a calming effect on her. She grinned fondly and leaned lightly against the counter, supporting her chin on her fists. "How have you been?"

While the question might have seemed obligatory coming from anyone else, she could tell that, like always, he genuinely cared about her response. "As good as I could be." She heard him click his tongue in sympathy and couldn't help but smile wider while ignoring the pain in her cheeks. This man had turned into her father over the years, and she loved it.

The two talked of everything and nothing for the next hour through two cups of hot apple cider and a few gingerbread cookies. It was then, as she was gently washing out the mug that she used, that she felt as if she ran out of things to say. With a lowered brow, she set her mug in the sink. "I should go."

He was silent for a moment, and his voice carried a hint of regret when he did speak. "All right."

"When am I getting out of here?" she asked softly, turning to rest against the countertop as she crossed her arms over her chest.

She heard him laugh quietly, as if not quite believing that she was asking, before choosing his response carefully. "Give him time-"

"I've given him plenty of time," she nearly snapped, feeling incredibly impatient all of the sudden. She tilted her head back and stared at the ceiling, feeling her dark hair fall down past her shoulders.

As always, he was incredibly patient in return. "He's not ready yet. He needs to grow a bit more."

How many times had she heard this answer? It was turning into an excuse in her eyes. Now frustrated, she simply huffed and walked to the phone. "He'd better grow quickly." She shut the phone and pushed it to the side.

She'd come to this house when she was barely a teenager. By now, she'd legally been an adult for over a year. She'd missed all of the fun in her life, thanks to that man. In her anger, though, she couldn't help but feel the loneliness as well. Her eyes flitted back to the phone, but her own stubbornness kept her from picking it up.

She would wait. Like always.

Crossing the room slowly, she gently rubbed her upper arms and sighed. As she stopped before the window, she noted that the horizon was still bare. It was a dreary sight, the beauty in its simplicity easily forgotten or ignored. The snow, all that she had ever seen out there, remained undisturbed, perfect in its unmarred state. She bit her bottom lip anxiously, tracing her hand down the window once again. "...I'm still waiting." Those words breathed against the glass, she pulled herself away to prepare something to eat.

It was a shame that she didn't see the traces of green finally rising from the pure snow.