The Red Winters Society

Ebony Winters watched fat, fluttery snowflakes mix and swirl and float down to earth. The world in and out was a blank, white static, and Ebony almost blended right in. She pressed her nose against the glass, felt the rawness of the cold and the bitterness of the silence as the snow stifled all sound. She made out the dip of a lake’s edge: a massive expanse of water now sheeted with ice. Her dark hair splayed limply and spidery on her shoulders, and when she caught sight of her dark eyes in the reflection, she shuddered. 

“Ebony!” a voice screeched. The girl turned sharply away from the window. The voice called her name again. “Ebony!”

“I’m in here.”

“Where have you been? I’ve been calling you!” The owner of the voice materialized in the room. She was a squat woman with wild eyes and thin lips. Her powdered face was pinched with disgust as she closed her bony hand around Ebony’s wrist. “What are you doing in here? Answer me when I’m talking to you, girl!”

Ebony swallowed a wince as the woman’s nails jabbed her arm and forced the girl into a march next to her. “Nothing,” she mumbled. “Just thinking.”

“Thinking? Thinking about what? You better not be getting any ideas, girl—I’m spending a lot of dough on this!” The woman yanked Ebony out of the room and down the hall, passed white walls and white tiles. The girl was silent. “Look at you!” The woman rambled on. “I told you to make yourself presentable. You look horrid!” Ebony was shoved into a small bathroom. “Wash your filthy hair. And hurry up, will you? I have an event in an hour!” The woman banged the door shut and left in a series of stomps and curses. 

Ebony slunk into the shower and waited for the initial shock to wear off as frigid drops stung her skin. She touched the glass of the shower door and quietly wept. When the cold was too much to bear, she shut off the water and wrapped herself tightly in a dirty towel. Tears and loose hairs circled the drain and collected cheap soap suds before slipping through the holes. 

The girl gingerly pulled on the outfit that was left outside the door and inspected herself in the tarnished mirror. She wore a raspberry dress that did little to flatter her attenuated frame with red flats and a faded silver pair of studs. Everything stunk of alcohol and Ebony gagged. Her sunken cheeks offset plump lips and thick eyebrows—features that may have been pretty once but had now lost their appeal. She could not meet her own eyes. 

The woman thumped on the door. “You better be ready!”

“I am.”

The door swung open. The woman shook her head, gray hairs flying. She was now dressed in white silk and cranberry satin. Lustrous gold hooped jewelry bedazzled her fingers, neck, and ears, and her lips were coated in red lipstick that matched her dress. Even her crow's feet and laugh lines complimented her pretty face.  “Is that the best you can do?” She asked.  “Don’t tell me you’ve already forgotten what I’ve told you. If you never look good, you never get away with anything. Alright, come along, people will be here shortly.”

Ebony obediently followed as the woman click-clacked down the hall in functional white-heeled sandals. She self-consciously raked a hand through her damp hair. “I don’t want to do this anymore. I don’t want to be like you,” the girl said. “My parents were wrong to send me here.”

The woman barely missed a stride. She whipped around and gripped Ebony’s shoulders. “You listen here girl, it’s too late. I’ve told you before. It’s not up to you to decide. Your parents were right to send you to me. You’re inexperienced. Foolish. I’m going to change that. Now I don’t want to hear another peep, understand? If you ever bring this up again, you know very well what the consequences are. Don’t test me, girl.”

Ebony nodded. She glanced at the snow still falling steadily outside. She could almost feel it in her throat, so chilled and unforgiving. The woman gave her a hearty slap and trundled away. 

Within minutes, the guests started to stream in. They methodically removed fur coats and velvety hats then joined the river of suits and gowns as they made their way to the great room. The woman had assumed a regal composure. She nodded at the men, cooed over the women’s dresses, and made a great show of being the hostess. Her clouded eyes twinkled with malice. 

Ebony got to work whisking red wine and champagne to the guests. She eyed the red snowflake pin that was fastened on every lapel and neckline and was repulsed by all of them. 

The air was electric. Amidst the sounds of soft classical music and clinking glasses, she heard snippets of “the last job was too easy” and “almost got caught” and “hope I get a good one” accompanied with shrill laughter. Ebony felt woozy. She spun into a long-legged woman who dropped her glass of wine. Dark liquid seeped into a posh oriental rug. “Ebony!” the woman squawked. “That cost me a fortune! Clean it up! And get Giselle a refill!” To the gazelle-like Giselle, the woman said, “Such a clumsy girl! You understand now why she’s here now, don’t you?” Giselle gave a tinkling snicker in response. 

Ebony dipped her head and made a grateful beeline for the kitchen. It was late, but the sky was still light enough to illuminate the heaps of flakes outside. Across the frozen tundra, a crescent moon began its slow ascent. Dark-barked trees clawed at it with spindly branches. There was no lake on this side of the large house, just endless sweeps of ice ad snow. Ebony splashed warm water on her face and took a deep breath. The music had stopped, and a hush had settled over the great room. The auction was beginning. 

Ebony rocked back and forth. Selecting a dark washcloth, she nipped back to the wine spill and dabbed at the rug.

 The woman stood at the front of the room, microphone in one hand. In the other, she clutched an envelope. “Hello, all, and thank you for coming!” Her voice boomed across the audience. “It is my pleasure to welcome you to another meeting of The Red Winters Society!” Applause erupted and cheers rang out. “We have an auction to get to, so I’ll make this quick. As many of you may have noticed in recent meetings, we have a newcomer among us.” Ebony went still. “Ebony, will you stand up?” The woman asked. A tenderness Ebony had never heard before had seeped into the speaker’s voice. She rose and moved the washcloth behind her back. “Ah yes, there she is.” Dozens of eyes fell on the girl. “Everyone, meet our latest recruit, Ebony Winters. My granddaughter.” A collective gasp transpired. Ebony’s cheeks burned and her upper lip quivered. 

“Quiet, isn’t she?” a man asked. The audience chuckled. Giselle smirked. 

“A bit nervous, perhaps,” the woman offered. “Today is a special night. Today, Ebony gets her first assignment.” More applause followed but Ebony’s head was replaced with white noise. Knees shaking, she squeaked an “excuse me” and dashed out of the great room. 

As her grandmother began reading names and guests shouted bids, Ebony remembered what she had been told. Her parents: “This is for your own good, Ebony. Do not disappoint us.” Her sister: “Ha! You’ll never be good enough for them! You’re too soft! You’ll never make it out of training alive!” And her grandmother: “It’s as easy as serving wine.”

Ebony crept back to the great room and hid behind the archway. The wine was now a blood-colored puddle on the rug. Permanent. Her grandmother was fired up as usual. The crowd was energetic as usual. And as usual, Ebony felt completely alone. The auction was coming to a close. Empty-handed guests desperately called outrageous sums of money for the few remaining names, hoping it would turn them a profit. The girl counted by snowflakes, waiting for the people to leave but knowing all too well that they would leave their cruel energy behind. 

Finally, her grandmother clapped her hands, recited her gratitude, and bid her guests a goodnight. Tipsy women tripped over their high-heeled feet and weary men skittered into the icy wind. They might have been drunk, but they were careful to leave nothing behind, exiting in the same calculated manner they always did. By the end, only a smartly dressed man holding a brown leather cowboy hat stood in the great room.

“Ah, Mr. Chaz Fuller, what can I do for you?” Ebony’s grandmother asked, sashaying over to him.

The man shifted from foot to foot, contemplating. His drooping blue eyes and disheveled salted hair were the only tell-tale signs of age. Otherwise, he was the picture of youth: striking jawline, broad shoulders, quick-witted tongue. “I need to talk to you, Gwen.”

Gwen slid her eyes back and forth. Ebony held her breath. “Alright, out with it then. I must give Ebony her assignment.”

“That’s what I want to talk about. She’s not ready. She’s a danger to our society.” He eyed the plash of red by his foot.

Gwen frowned and folded her arms. “She’s a Winters. She’ll be fine.”

“She’s soft! Have you seen the wretched thing? How do you expect her to pull this off?” Chaz demanded. 

“She’s been a challenge, yes,” Gwen replied slowly. “But her parents insisted. And I agree with them. Another Winters might help with new recruits. You know we’re losing members.”

“We don’t need another Winters, Gwen.” Chaz rubbed his chin and licked his lips. “We have Lena. She can make up for the both of them.”

Ebony prickled at the mention of her older sister. She was instantly and painfully aware it was her sister’s dress that she stood in. You’ll never make it out of training alive!

“Yeah? And what do you expect me to do with her? She’s been coming to these meetings for months now! She knows, Chaz. You want me to just end it?” Ebony sucked in her breath, knowing full well the implications of just end it. Gwen continued. “Look, I appreciate your concern. But she’s my responsibility.”

“She makes me think you’re going soft. You know what happens to failed recruits, to traitors.”

“Ebony is not a traitor.”

“Are you sure?”

“Are you questioning my leadership?”

Chaz was silent for a moment. “Of course not, Gwen,” he said softly. “All I’m saying is what if she can’t do it when the time comes? What if she fails her assignment? Will you follow the protocols then?”

“Of course I will,” Gwen snapped. “But she won’t fail. I’ll make sure of it.”

“If you’re sure,” Chaz said, faltering. “But I’m giving you fair warning: if things don’t go as planned, I’ll be the least of your problems.”

Gwen nodded curtly and gave the man a frosty smile. “Goodnight, Chaz. I’ll see you next time.”

Chaz replaced the hat on his head. “Indeed you will.” He stormed out of the great room and into the blustery night, letting a flurry of snowflakes dance inside. They melted instantly as they settled, thawed by the hot tension that was thickly layered in the air. Gwen gave an audible sigh of relief.

Ebony’s heart pounded. Chaz’s words echoed in her ears. You know what happens to failed recruits, to traitors. Gwen zipped down the hallway towards her bedroom and Ebony followed. Her grandmother perched on a queen bed, head in her hands. The red snowflake pin sat on the spread. Ebony watched her for a moment, trying to decipher the savageness this woman had always shown her from the vulnerability she exhibited now. 

Ebony crossed the threshold. “Chaz is right,” she said. “I can’t do this.”

Gwen looked up in alarm. Rage filled her eyes. “You nasty little brat! What did I say about eavesdropping? And I told you never to talk about that again! You never listen, do you? What an embarrassment you were tonight! You know what, here,” she said, extending a closed fist towards her granddaughter with a huff. “Your assignment.”

Ebony reluctantly let Gwen drop a slip of paper in her palm. She did not read the words scribbled on it. “Who is it?” she asked.

“Read it. Then you’ll see that I’m serious about this. Deadly serious.”

Ebony shivered at the reference. She considered, then closed her fingers tightly around the scrap. “No. I’m not doing it.”

“Yes, you are, girl. I promised your parents I would turn you into a respectable member of The Red Winters Society. You’re a Winters. There’s no escaping that. It’s in your blood.” Her grandmother sounded tired. 

Ebony choked down her fear. “I don’t care. I’m not killing someone. I won’t.”

Gwen clenched her teeth. She sprung from the bed and smacked the girl across the face. “I’ve had enough of this, Ebony! Listen, it’s a lucrative business,” she said. “But it leaves no room for mistakes, no room for hesitation. Kill or be killed, plain and simple. You will do what I say. Understand?”

Ebony stroked the welt on her cheek and stared into eyes that matched her own. “I understand,” she said. 

“Good. Now leave. Tonight you are nothing. But tomorrow you will be able to take your place among our long line of skilled assassins. Be prepared.”

Ebony scurried out of the room. In her bed late that night, she tossed and turned, unable to quiet her racing thoughts. Images of her parents and sister flashed in her head. They were savvy killers, among the best that could turn blood to gold in a matter of seconds. Evil, ruthless beings, all of them, as cold as the season from which they earned their name. Ebony tried to imagine herself in the rankings. It was as easy as serving wine, right?

The moon was bright outside her window despite the ever-falling snow. The house was completely silent. Ebony eased away from the warmth of the sheets and edged her way back to the great room. The wine was now a stain. Gwen would be upset. She didn’t like evidence of mistake. Outside, a gust of wind sent a branch into a violent tremor that rapped against the house. Ebony jumped. She hurried back to her room and sorted out her warmest clothing of the few articles she owned. She moved quickly, only stopping for a brief moment to read the name on the slip of paper: Chaz Fuller.

With the midnight glow of the moon, the lake was much easier to see. The snow was not as muddied as before, not as dull, not as suffocating. Ebony opened the window and was blasted with arctic wind. Her teeth chattered, and she took a deep breath. Her mind was made up.

Carefully, she climbed out of the window and down onto a snowbank that flanked the entire lake. The drift poured into her socks and froze her ankles and toes. Flakes twirling, heart pounding, Ebony stepped tentatively onto the ice. When it began to crack, she ran.