Eli was, by all means, cold.
At least that's what his parents liked to scream.
Heartless. Broken thing.
His mother's favorite pet name for him came with the sting of her nails on his skin and the flurry of slaps that would leave his face swollen.
One time when he didn't do something she asked him to, she grabbed him by his throat and plunged him straight into the water bowl.
And even now, in the dead of the night, he would wake up gasping for air with that same name echoing in his ears.
He forced the memory back into the shadows where it belonged. Dwelling on it now would only poison the day.
A shuddering breath escaped his lips, curling in the cold before dissolving into the white fog surrounding the cafe's sign.
The Earl's Nook.
It looked somewhat familiar. Where had he heard it before?
A bell above the door chimed, signaling the arrival of a new customer.
Eli stepped inside the door, and the warm air slammed onto his face, forcing a little shudder up his spine.
