“We’re getting out of here tomorrow,” Anna says. “I promise. But tonight, take this—” She hands Maeve her mug of whiskey, still half full. “I don’t need any more. And you could use some sleep.”

She douses the lantern before she goes, closing the door between their rooms softly behind her. Maeve sips the whiskey in bed, the buzz reaching her cheekbones. Just as she’s drifting off, there’s a knock or some sound from next door.

“Anna?” She lifts her head a little, but her eyes are heavy. There’s no other noise. Maeve thinks, It’s the bear, outside. A nonsense thought.

She knocks on the wall, shave-and-a-haircut.

“Good night,” she calls to Anna, or to no one, since Anna is already asleep. She sets the empty mug aside and sinks down into her duvet, wrapping herself up. Safe.

Sim’s wrong about her. She didn’t get frostbite. No tether can hold her down.

She’s built for whatever comes.

Day 6

Day 6

In the morning, there is still no change—no signal and no road crew blasting up the hill in a high-powered plow. Maeve doesn’t wake to any sound of rescue. She wakes up because it’s cold.

This is the first thing Maeve notices and it’s the first morning she’s woken like this: shivering under her extra blankets, under the feather duvet. Her breath hangs in the air. Not a puff, but pure mist.

Karolina is up and by the fire, so the lobby is warm when Maeve comes down. Dan with a serious look to him, drinking tea but not speaking. Karo looks like she hasn’t slept. She wants to call a meeting, but the others are still straggling in: Sim, carrying a piece of whalebone he’s whittling into some small detail, his own fingers bone white with cold. Justin still in his robe. Sadie, silently trucking hot water from the fire to the kitchen to wash some cups, then crouching by the hearth to make coffee. When nine o’clock rolls around, Maeve runs up to get Anna—it’s strange that she’s not down here yet. Every other morning, she’s been up and around long before nine.

“Anna?” Maeve leans on the door in the hallway, knocking. When there’s no answer, she tries going into her own room and knocking on the adjoining door. “Anna! It’s late.”

When there is still no answer, Maeve wonders if she can just barge in.

She hesitates at the door. What if it’s just that Anna couldn’t sleep last night, or she’s finally lost her nerve? Maybe she hasn’t overslept. Maybe she wants to be alone. There’s a part of Maeve that gets it. Why not just stay in bed until this is all over?

“Oh, Anna, for God’s sake,” she says, opening the adjoining door and swinging into the room.