Chapter 46: Danny

As we sit around the cabin, chatting about random things like favorite books and music, Sofia’s quiet laughter fills the room. She leans into me as the conversation drifts, her head resting lightly on my shoulder. It’s peaceful, cozy, despite the power outage.

But then Leo’s face changes. He frowns, his eyes narrowing as he looks at Sofia.

“Hey… Sof,” Leo says, his voice laced with worry. “Are you cold?”

Sofia shifts a little, her cheeks slightly flushed. “Yeah, a little, but it’s fine.”

That’s when we all start to notice. Her lips are a pale blue, and her fingers… they’re white, almost frozen-looking. I feel a surge of panic rise in my chest as I tighten my hold on her, pulling her closer to my side.

“Shit,” Riley mutters, standing up. “Why didn’t you say something?”

Sofia shrugs, trying to smile, but her lips tremble. “It's not that bad...”

“Bad?” I echo, disbelief in my voice. “Sof, you’re freezing. Your lips… your hands.” I look over at Riley, who’s already rushing to grab more blankets.

Nate quickly presses his hand to her forehead, then down to her cheeks. “She’s freezing,” he says, his voice low with concern.

“I didn’t want to bother you guys,” Sofia says softly, her teeth beginning to chatter.

Riley throws a heavy blanket over her as Leo grabs one more, wrapping it around her legs. “You’re not bothering us,” Leo says, his voice firm. “You’re our girl. You need to let us know when something’s wrong.”

Sofia looks a little surprised at his words, her eyes darting between us. “Your girl?” she echoes.

“Yeah,” Riley replies without hesitation. “Our girl.”

But she’s still trembling, the cold wrapping itself around her tiny frame. I pull her into my lap, enveloping her with my arms, and Riley moves to sit on her other side, pressing his body against hers for warmth. Leo sits at her feet, covering her legs with another blanket, and Nate sits behind her, holding her close to his chest.

All of us, gathering around her, trying to warm her up as fast as we can.

“Sofia, you’ve got to tell us next time,” I say, my voice a little rougher than I mean it to be. “No more toughing it out.”

“I didn’t think it was that bad,” she murmurs, her voice shaky as she huddles closer to me.

I feel a pang of guilt. How didn’t we notice sooner? She’s so small compared to us, and the cold’s clearly hitting her harder than any of us realized.

“You’re smaller than us,” Riley says, echoing my thoughts. “We’re built like tanks, but you’re not, and the cold is more dangerous for you.”

Sofia trembles, and Nate wraps his arms around her more tightly from behind. “Just lean into us, okay?” he whispers. “We’ve got you.”

Leo rubs her hands between his, trying to get some warmth back into her fingers. “This isn’t about toughing it out,” he says, glancing up at her. “You’re important to us. You’ve got to tell us when you’re cold, or hurting, or anything.”

Sofia looks at us, her eyes softening even as she shivers. “I didn’t realize…”

“It doesn’t matter,” I say, interrupting her gently. “Just promise us you’ll tell us next time.”

She nods, her eyes slowly closing as she leans into us. And slowly, we feel her relax, her body finally settling into ours, her breathing softening as she falls asleep in our arms.

I watch Nate gently adjust Sofia in his arms, the way her small body molds into his, her head resting against his chest like she belongs there. I know we’re all thinking the same thing—whether she’s truly warmed up or if it’s just from us huddling around her, giving her what little heat we could manage.

“We should bring her to bed,” Nate says, keeping his voice low. “She’ll be more comfortable. We can check how she’s really doing.”

Reluctantly, I nod. She looks so peaceful, tucked in like this between us, but Nate’s right. We need to make sure she’s actually okay. Riley’s already moving, gently scooping her up as she stirs a bit but doesn’t wake. It’s been a long day, and I know she’s exhausted. We all are.

We walk down the hall to the bedroom, the cold biting at us even more now that we’re not piled up on the couch together. The temperature in here feels like it’s dropped even more. When Riley lays her down on the bed, she barely moves, just murmurs something in her sleep.

“She still feels cold,” Leo mutters, glancing at the thermostat by the door. “It’s under 30 degrees in here, no wonder she’s freezing.”

“We’ll keep her warm all night,” I say, pulling the heavy blankets over Sofia. I make sure they’re tucked tight around her small body, brushing a finger along her cheek to feel for warmth. “We’re not letting her get cold again.”

We all move without saying much more. It’s automatic at this point—protecting her, keeping her safe. Nate lies down on one side of her, curling around her like he’s done it a million times before. Riley takes the other side, his arm protectively draped over her waist. Leo pulls the blankets tighter over her, while I take the spot at the foot of the bed, ensuring we’re all touching her, all keeping the warmth close.

The room is quiet, the sound of our breathing filling the space. I glance down at Sofia, her lips almost back to their normal color, her skin finally warming again. Her body’s relaxed, but I can’t shake the worry gnawing at the back of my mind. She’s so much smaller than us. I can’t believe we didn’t notice how cold she was sooner.

“She looks okay now,” Nate says, his hand gently brushing along Sofia’s arm. “Not great, but better.”

“Yeah,” Riley agrees, his voice soft. “We’ll stay close to her. She’ll be fine.”

But the temperature keeps dropping, and now that we’re not all piled together on the couch, I’m starting to feel the cold creep into my bones. How she managed to stay so calm while freezing like this blows my mind. I can’t help but admire how strong she is, even in the worst situations.

We all shift closer to her, our bodies pressed together to block out the cold. I watch her chest rise and fall with every breath, and for the first time in a while, I feel like she’s safe with us.

Leo leans over and brushes a strand of hair from her face. “She’s okay now,” he murmurs, more to himself than anyone else.

As I lie there, Sofia nestled between us, something stirs inside me. This girl…she’s become everything. It’s not just about protecting her anymore. It’s deeper than that. There’s a fierce need in me to keep her close, to never let her out of my sight. She’s ours. She belongs with us. And we’ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe.

Eventually, the room quiets. Everyone’s breathing slows, and the exhaustion from the day catches up to us. I feel the heaviness in my limbs as my eyes begin to close.

Nate shifts, brushing his fingers against Sofia’s arm. “She’s okay,” he whispers again.

We all settle in, holding her close, and one by one, we drift off to sleep.