Sia cradled Tangerine in her lap. Since moving, she’s been hoping to give each of her children one on one time so she can bond with them all in personal levels and hopefully make some lasting memories. It was hard considering the amount of children and the worries but thankfully Mug and the Splinter she had met were able to balance the others while she gave Tangie some mommy time. She nuzzled and hummed at him. “My little Sunshine Tangie, You make me happy when skys are gray, you’ll never know dear, how much I love you, so please don’t take my sunshine away~!”
Sia smiled as she watched Connie tinkering with a clock she gave him permission to take apart with some child friendly tools. She supervised him carefully, he was so smart. “Little Star Sweeper, make sure to be careful okay? Mama doesn’t want you to get hurt.”
He nodded and smiled but continued working. It wasn’t much but watching him work while his Uni plushie sat with him, she enjoyed the little moment. It was winter soon. She’d have to show them the fun of snow now that they were old enough to go out safely. She could see her little genius making a device for throwing snow balls. Won’t that be fun!
A scream, raw and primal, tore from Sia's throat. It echoed in the silent morning, a sound of pure, unadulterated agony. Her legs buckled, and she collapsed in the snow beside her youngest son. "Tangie! Oh, my sweet baby, no!" She reached out, her hand trembling violently, and touched his small, frozen cheek. It was ice cold. Lifeless.
The reality crashed down on Sia, a physical weight that stole her breath. Her chest constricted, a dull, agonizing pressure building behind her breastbone. It was a vice tightening with each shallow, desperate gasp for air. Where was Connie? The question ripped through the fog of her grief, a fresh wave of terror. He wouldn't leave Tangie. Not unless… unless he was terrified, lost somewhere in the cold, dark night.
The ache in her chest intensified, sharpening into a searing, stabbing pain that radiated down her left arm. Her fingers tingled, then felt numb, mirroring the icy stillness of Tangie's small body. "Connie…" she choked out, her voice a broken whisper carried away by the cold morning air. The image of his little face flashed in her mind, followed by the unbearable stillness of Tangie. The contrast was a knife twisting in her soul.
Her heart hammered erratically, a wild, uneven rhythm of terror and despair. It felt like it was trying to escape her chest, each painful beat a stark reminder of the two precious lives that had been entrusted to her care. Sweat broke out on her forehead, cold and clammy despite the biting air. Her vision blurred, the stark white of the snow and the small broken shape of Tangie merging into a sickening swirl.
A wave of nausea washed over her, and she doubled over, clutching her chest. The pain was relentless now, a crushing weight that stole her breath and her strength. It felt like her heart was literally breaking, shattering into a million icy fragments.
She reached for Tangie again, her frozen fingers brushing against the rough fabric of his snowsuit. The finality of it was a physical blow. Connie was out there, alone and terrified. And here she was, unable to even hold her youngest. Kumoko, Cherry, Blueberry… the thought flickered through the agonizing haze, a brief, sharp pang of responsibility before the overwhelming pain consumed her. They were still inside, unaware of the nightmare unfolding outside.
The crushing pain in her chest intensified, overwhelming everything. It was the physical manifestation of her shattered world, her broken heart mirroring the irreparable loss. The cold of the snow seeped into her bones, a chilling echo of the icy grip of grief that was stealing her breath, stealing her life. The last coherent thought before the darkness began to consume her was a desperate, silent plea that echoed across the snow-covered landscape: Connie, please be alive. Please be found. And then, only the white silence and the growing cold remained.
