cold gaze -- open

The first thing her eyes saw when she opened them was the harsh glare as the sun broke through the curtains. But as her sight adjusted, the curtains weren't there. The glass was gone. There were bits of it smashed all over the ground. Vandals. Tossing their rocks into windows and knocking down curtains. Now they were after her house. She got up, walking downstairs. Her father was dressed in that old, muddy uniform the people who chopped down trees wore. "I love you," he said to her sister. But not her. The pain struck as he kissed her sister on the forehead and ran out the door. She followed him outside, sneaking towards the forest behind his back. He was given an axe the moment he entered the forest. Her eyes widened as a man fell to the ground.

"Another accident. Hit himself in the head with the axe. Poor fella," a middle-aged man said. Aelita ducked back behind the bushes. "Well, he was always clumsy whilst he lasted." Death was mutual? That was just wrong. Sure, 24 died on purpose every year. Some committed suicide, she presumed. But that was the first time she saw someone hit themselves with an axe. And it was terrifying.

"Aelita? Is that you?" her father asked, and she straightened her back. "I wanted to see what happened. I didn't know he'd die." The word was so sharp on her lips and it bounced off them. The word 'die' had been bubbling up in her mouth for a long time, and she'd finally spat it out. "It's rare. It only happens about once a month. Well, with the exception of winter. We shiver and shiver till we lose grip. Don't worry, honey, I'm careful." She could only hope so. "Now go home to Mum. Be careful on the way back, okay, hon?"

She didn't hesitate to run back home. Her feet pounded against the ground. "Hey, sis." Acting as if the man never dropped dead - that was what she was doing. Aelita knelt down and hugged her sister. "That was a fast walk," her mother said, walking into the room with some breakfast. It was just some stale bread again. But they tucked in. They had grown up eating stale bread, to them it was like any other meal.

"A man died today," Aelita muttered to her mother when Amy was absorbed in eating her food. "It was possibly suicide."

And that was one thing she never thought she'd say. Then she picked up Amy, who was finished, and ran outside.