The ice was so cold it burned. Tiana sat behind the now upside-down car, rubbing her hands together. She was going to be late, there was no doubt about it.

Her sleeveless dress was already soaked with melted snow and torn up from the crash. Blood ran down the side of her face where she had slammed her head against the wheel of the car. The airbags hadn’t worked.

Tiana shuddered as she remembered the screeching tires, a car that grazed her, scared her into a ditch, a car that left her there to die.

She was gonna die. She was gonna die. She didn’t want to die.

A silent prayer played over and over in her mind. Keep me alive. Let me survive. Keep me alive. Let me survive. I don’t want to die. My life is yours if you keep me alive…

Car lights flashed nearby and cop car sirens blared. Saved. Tiana jumped up and waved her hands frantically at the car, but it had already seen the wreckage and had parked nearby. A cop with dark blue aviators stepped out of the police car and started walking toward her. Tiana subconsciously brushed the dirt off her ruined dress. He looked around her age. In his early twenties or so.

“If your looking for directions, the nearest Sonic is sixteen miles that way.” She said. The cop laughed.

“Need help?”

“No I’d prefer waking sixteen miles to Sonic.” He laughed again. She liked this cop.

“Well where do you live? I can drop you off.” Tianas face fell. Right. Home. The dance was over. The night, ruined.

“Actually, I want to dance.” The cop raised his eyebrows. Tiana shrank back a little at her boldness.

“I-“ whatever she was going to say she didn’t get to say it.

The cop twirled her in the moonlight. She laughed a sweet and surprised laugh. His dark blue eyes held stars she wanted to be lost in. His smile was warm and innocent. She felt safe with him.

Thank you. Came the whisper in her mind. Thank you.

She knew who was to thank. And she knew that those who didn’t were destined to be cold and lonely. For she knew. She knew and she was no longer cold. The cop laughed as Tiana twirled him. And she was no long lonely.