The first snow flowers of the season danced in the sky, spinning like ballerinas as they fell.
Ana watched the men shoveling the snow outside, feeling warm and cozy as she sipped on her coffee.
She delighted in seeing the snow fall, a portent of the holiday merriment to come.
The chime of the doorbell snapped her out of her revel as a new customer entered the coffee shop.
His long silver hair was coated with snow flakes and his hands looked absolutely frigid, clutching a thick tome.
He sat down at the table closest to the fire and held his hands in front, rubbing them to get some feeling into them.
He frantically leafed through the book, muttering to himself.. Vladivostok, Russians, Mafia....
Words that only he seemed to understand, a conspiracy spiraling in his mind.
She was fascinated by this man - someone who seemed so out of place in this world.
Could he be an ally that could help rid this town of evil?
Ana made a fresh cup of coffee and set it down.
"Please drink this, you must be feeling cold"
He looked up at her then, eyes cold and brooding.
His hand moved across the table, throwing the cup into the wall - it shattered into a thousand pieces.
"Poison, poison, you won't fool me you - You're not Mara!"
His words ripped through her like a thunderbolt - She bit her lip to keep from crying.
Her gentle heart felt so cold in that instance, a single teardrop welling up in her left eye.
"I don't know what you mean, Mara left weeks ago and I've been minding the shop since she left..."
He rose up and grabbed her, his hands icy cold around her shoulders.
"No No No, Mara would never leave me, we've been friends for ages, You're a Liar, You're one of them"
Terror gripped her as his hands sunk deeper into her shoulders, pain ripping through her as he shook her.
She didn't know what to do - tears falling freely now she begged him to listen.
"No, she is just gone on holiday, she didn't even know you would come, please don't do this"
His eyes looked possessed, a dark rage flaming behind them as he gripped her neck choking off her air.
"You are a liar, liar, mafia, Mara would never leave me - you killed her, you have to pay."
Her neck began to turn the same shade of blue as her eyes as she struggled helplessly in his grip.