Behind Liz, a soft laugh rang out, light and quick. Emma had covered her lips with one hand, trying to stifle it but failing, her shoulders trembling as she held back the sound.

  Not long after, another laugh followed, rougher and bolder. Dan, already standing with his arms folded across his chest and boots firmly balanced on top of the water’s surface, let out a short, almost restrained chuckle.

  Liz froze, the sound striking at her pride sharper than the cold wind ever could.

  At this moment she narrowed her eyes at him. Every part of her wanted to storm across the water and plant her boot right into his smug face. She pictured it clearly in her mind, her foot colliding with his jaw, his cocky smirk finally knocked away, but the cruel truth of the situation weighed heavier than the snow at her feet: she couldn’t even step onto the water. Her anger, loud and burning, had nowhere to go but her throat.

  Her voice rang out across the rippling surface.

  “Just wait for me! I’ll get to you soon, Dan!”

  Dan didn’t even grant her the satisfaction of turning fully. He only shifted his head slightly, the pale winter light catching the rough strands of his dark blue hair. His tone came out unruly, enough for her to hear.

  “I can’t hear you!” he shouted back, before cupping his hand lazily beside his mouth. “Why don’t you come closer?”

  That grin of his, it wasn’t visible, but Liz could feel it stabbing her pride from across the sea.

  Ron and Jett, who had been standing a short distance behind Dan, stiffened in a desperate attempt to contain themselves. Their shoulders shook, and muffled sounds pressed against their palms as they nearly burst out laughing. The sight only fueled Liz’s fury at Dan, further.

  Her fists clenched tight at her sides. She stamped lightly at the snow, as though grounding herself, her emerald-green eyes narrowing even more.

  “That infuriating...!” she muttered under her breath, the frosty mist of her words dispersing into the air.

  While her mind spun on what insult to fling back at Dan from this distance, a gentle touch wrapped around her hand. The sharpness in her eyes softened as she turned, and there Emma stood.

  Emma’s silver-white hair caught the stray glints of the pale light og the sky, a faint glow contrasting against the thick fluffy coat wrapped around her frame. Her pale hands, small but firm, held Liz’s tightly.

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  Liz blinked in surprise. “Emma…?”

  Without answering immediately, Emma moved past her and stood in front. Her unique white eyes, calm yet deep, lifted to Liz’s with a reassuring glow. She tightened her hold on Liz’s hand, and with her other hand, she reached forward to take Liz’s free one.

  “Alright,” Emma said softly, “I think this way will be better.”

  Before Liz could question further, Emma began stepping backward toward the river, her boots crunching softly against the snow as she faced Liz directly, pulling her along.

  Liz’s eyes widened, her heart kicking against her chest as panic rushed in. She tried to resist, wanting to planting her feet hard into the snow. “Emma, I don’t think this might..”

  But Emma interrupted, her words simple yet cutting through the fear.

  “Don’t worry. You don’t need to believe.” She gave a small grin, her lips curling in quiet confidence. “Just be my eyes forward… while I become your belief.”

  The air stilled around them at those words. Liz’s breath caught, her protest locked in her throat.

  “How’s that going to..” Liz started, but her voice faltered.

  Her emerald eyes caught it then, a faint white line, delicate as silk, glowing faintly against the cold air. It wasn’t physical, but it hovered between them, wrapping around their hands, connecting them together like some unseen tether.

  Her lips parted slightly, the realization sinking deep into her bones. “Wait… Emma. Did you just… create something that might actually work?”

  Emma’s expression brightened, her smile soft but radiant against the bleak backdrop of sea and snow. “Well, yes. I just had a thought. Why don’t I share my belief with you? And that was how I manifested the ability to do so.”

  She kept walking backward, her boots nearing the water’s edge. Liz felt herself being pulled along helplessly, fear curling inside her chest like a tightening rope.

  Then,

  Tap. Tap.

  Emma’s boot landed on the surface of the water.

  Ripples shivered outward, distorting the reflection of the pale sky above. Emma’s weight pressed against the surface, yet she didn’t sink. She remained there, standing lightly on the rolling skin of the deep blue sea as if it were solid ground.

  Liz’s breath hitched. She had no chance to resist as Emma gently tugged her closer, dragging her foot toward the same place.

  “No… wait..” Liz’s thoughts screamed inside her skull. Her heart raced, bracing for the cold sting of being swallowed into the depths.

  Her boot pressed against the water.

  Tap!

  The impact rippled outward. The deep blue surface trembled beneath her sole… but it held. The water didn’t swallow her. She stood at the surface, trembling but steady.

  Her chest rose and fell in rapid breaths as her emerald eyes darted to Emma, who still held both her hands firmly, her smile unwavering.

  “You see,” Emma said gently, her voice carrying warmth even against the icy winds. “It’s easy.”

  Liz stared at her, speechless for a long breath. Then, slowly, a smile broke across her own lips, fragile at first, but brightening with every passing second.

  “Thank you,” she whispered, her voice filled with relief.

  Emma squeezed her hand once more, her smile quiet but sure.

  “It’s not a big deal,” she said, turning her gaze toward the sea ahead. “Alright, let’s get going. If we start now, we can leave this sea early.”

  Liz nodded, her smile lingering, her emerald eyes glinting with a new light.

  “Alright.”

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