Frozen Lies, Pink Truth

Cold, biting wind whipped across my face.

I gasped, my eyes snapping open.

In front of me was a blindingly white ski slope, and a man stood right in my face, holding up his phone.

He was gripping a ski pole, and caught on its sharp metal tip was a shred of pink fiber.

I looked down at my left arm.

My professional-grade ski jacket had been ripped open, leaving a long, nasty gash that exposed the high-tech insulation layer inside.

###

The man angled his phone camera directly at my face.

"Look at this, guys," he sneered into his microphone. "This is exactly whats wrong with the slopes these days. Another textbook snow bunny."

"Dressed up in flashy pink, hogging the black diamond run just to take selfies and bait rich guys."

"But dont worry, chat. Today, Carter Thorne is doing public service. I'm going to teach this clout chaser a lesson!"

As he spoke, he shoved the camera even closer to my face.

The live stream chat on his screen was scrolling at lightning speed.

* 'Exposing the ski resort gold digger! She actually tried to extort me after I called her out. Go back to the bunny slopes if you can't afford real gear.'*

* 'Seriously, nine out of ten girls in pink are just there to fish for rich guys.'*

* 'Serves her right! Good job ripping her jacket!'*

Staring at his arrogant face, a wave of sheer terror and fury washed over me. The memory of freezing to death in my past life rushed back.

In my previous life, I had stood here arguing with him, demanding he pay for the ruined jacket.

Then, the avalanche hit.

The moment I pulled out my avalanche beacon, he snatched it out of my hands.

He used my beacon to get rescued and became a national herothe 'miracle survivor' praised by millions online.

Meanwhile, I was left to freeze to death in a dark, suffocating crevice, dozens of feet below the ice.

But now, I was back. I had reincarnated right to the exact second he ripped my jacket and started his hate-train live stream.

I quickly took two steps back, putting some distance between us.

"You ruined my jacket," I said, my voice cold.

Carter shrugged, completely unfazed.

"Oh, please. How much could a cheap pink jacket cost? A twenty-dollar Wish knockoff, and you have the balls to wear it on the black diamond run?"

"If you're too broke to buy real gear, get lost. Stop embarrassing yourself."

I pulled out my phone and tapped the record button.

"This is a polar-grade, specialized arctic research jacket. It has a built-in aerogel insulation layer and a vital-sign monitoring chip."

"It costs twelve thousand dollars."

"What you just did constitutes felony destruction of federal research property."

Carter blinked, stunned for a fraction of a second, before bursting into a hysterical laugh.

"Twelve grand? Are you out of your mind?!"

"Did you hear that, chat? This gold digger got caught, and now shes trying to extort me!"

"Polar research? Sure, honey. And if youre a scientist, then Im the Pope."

A crowd of skiers began to gather around us, whispering and pointing at me.

"Well, wearing bright pink on a black diamond run does look a bit... unprofessional," someone mumbled.

"Yeah, there are way too many influencers posing on the slopes lately. It's so annoying."

Seeing the crowd side with him, Carters chest puffed out.

He leaned in close, lowering his voice to a threatening whisper.

"Get lost while Im still being nice. Don't make me post your face all over Snapchat and ruin your life forever."

"Stay away from me," I said.

I purposely lowered my voice, acting as if I was terrified of him.

Seeing me retreat, Carter got even more arrogant.

"What? Not so tough now, are we?"

"Scared? There are fifty thousand people watching you right now on my live stream, you clout chaser."

He turned back to his phone, yelling into the camera.

"You see this, guys? Girls like this just need to be humbled. Put on some pink and suddenly they think they're royalty!"

I didn't bother replying to his provocations.

Under my feet, I felt a very faint, deep vibration.

If my memory served me right, the massive avalanche was less than sixty seconds away.

I quickly scanned the area, calculating the best escape route.

To the left, there was a massive, solid rock formation. I immediately shifted my weight and kicked off, snowboarding toward it.

As I sped past a few beginners who were standing around watching the drama, I screamed at the top of my lungs.

"Move! Head for high ground! Avalanche!"

The beginners froze for a second, but seeing how fast I was booking it, they instinctively scrambled toward the rock structure.

Behind me, Carters mocking laugh echoed across the slope.

"Look at her go! She can't even lie with a straight face!"

"An avalanche? On a perfectly sunny day? Shes just running away because she's guilty!"

"Chat, I'm not letting her get away. Lets chase her down!"

He kicked off his board, speeding right after me.

Right then, a thunderous boom echoed from the peak of the mountain.

The entire mountain shook violently.

The peaceful snow-covered slope suddenly transformed into a roaring, violent ocean of white. A massive wall of snow and ice came crashing down with terrifying speed.

Carters laughter died instantly.

He looked back over his shoulder, his face turning pale as a ghost.

"Holy shit!"

He tried to turn and run, but it was too late.

The colossal white wave swallowed him whole.

Meanwhile, I had safely made it behind the massive rock formation.

I gripped the cold stone tightly, feeling the violent rush of snow roaring past me like a freight train.

A few minutes later, the roaring stopped.

The world fell into a dead, suffocating silence.

I took a deep breath, reached into my inner pocket, pulled out my avalanche beacon, and pressed the SOS button.

This time, the beacon stayed with me.

---

###

The rescue team arrived incredibly fast. They tracked the signal of my beacon and dug me out.

Aside from a scratch on my arm and minor frostbite, I was completely unharmed.

I insisted on helping the search and rescue team. Fifty yards away from my shelter, we dug Carter out of a deep snow drift.

He was incredibly lucky. A fallen pine tree had blocked the brunt of the impact, saving his life.

But his leg was snapped, his skin was a sickly shade of purple, and he was screaming in agony as they loaded him onto the stretcher.

Once we arrived at the hospital, I got my arm bandaged up and prepared to head back to my hotel.

The moment I stepped into the lobby, my phone started vibrating like crazy.

Maya sent me a panicked voice note.

* "Chloe! Oh my god, look at the trending topics on Twitter! Youre being doxxed!"*

I opened Twitter.

Sitting at the very top of the trending list was: **#SkiResortGoldDiggerTriedToKillInfluencer**

I clicked on it. It was a screen recording of Carter broadcasting live from his hospital bed.

His head was wrapped in gauze, and he was literally sobbing into the camera, snot and tears running down his face.

"Guys... I almost didn't make it," Carter whimpered.

"When the avalanche hit, I could have made it to safety."

"But that girl in the pink jacket... she pushed me from behind just to save her own skin."

"She used me as a human shield so she could hide behind a rock."

"I was just trying to be a good guy and tell her to stop taking selfies on a dangerous run, and she tried to kill me!"

The live chat was a wall of pure rage from his loyal fans.

* 'This is insane! Put that psycho in jail!'*

* 'Find her! Ruin her life!'*

* 'She is a literal murderer. Call the cops!'*

Watching Carter spin this sick lie on screen, I let out a dry, angry laugh.

In my past life, he stole my beacon and built his fame on my corpse.

In this life, since he couldn't steal it, he made up a murder charge instead.

This man would literally feed on human blood if it gave him views.

I immediately dialed the police, reporting the incident at the resort and filing a defamation claim against Carter.

The deputy promised they would look into it, but the internet's trial moved a million times faster than the law.

Carter was a massive influencer with ten million followers. His brand was built on "calling out fakes," "social justice," and being a "no-nonsense alpha male."

His fanbase was incredibly toxic and aggressive.

In less than thirty minutes, my entire life was laid bare online.

My name, my photos, and even my employer were leaked.

* 'Chloe Vance? A deputy researcher at the National Polar Research Institute?'*

* 'Yeah right! A federal scientist wearing neon pink on the slopes to hook up with rich guys? Please.'*

* 'She probably slept her way to the top. Shes an academic bimbo!'*

* 'How is a literal murderer working for a federally funded institute? Taxpayer money is paying her salary!'*

* 'Guys, spam the Institute's social media accounts! Get this bitch fired!'*

My phone started ringing nonstop with calls from random numbers. Every time I answered, a wave of sickening slurs and death threats blasted through the speaker.

I shut the phone off completely.

When I got back to my hotel room and turned it back on, the first call was from Dr. Evans, the director of my institute.

"Chloe, you need to book the first flight back to the office right now," his voice was tense and exhausted.

"The internet is in an absolute uproar. The Board of Trustees has already been notified."

"You are suspended effective immediately pending an internal investigation. We need a full explanation."

I tried to explain. "Dr. Evans, hes lying. He maliciousy ripped my research jacket before the avalanche even happened."

"That was the new sub-zero arctic suit were supposed to test in Antarctica next month. It costs twelve thousand dollars."

Dr. Evans cut me off.

"This isn't about a jacket anymore, Chloe."

"Carter's followers have completely crashed our phone lines. Our Instagram and Twitter pages are flooded with thousands of comments calling us accomplices to murder."

"We are a prestigious federal research institution. We cannot have this kind of stain on our reputation."

"Go home, lay low, and wait for the investigation."

The line went dead.

I gripped my phone, a familiar feeling of helplessness creeping in. But I wasn't going to lie down and die this time.

I opened my laptop and began gathering my ammunition.

---

###

The next morning, I landed back in Washington, D.C.

The moment I walked out of the terminal, a group of teenagers holding up smartphones rushed me.

"Are you Chloe Vance?" one of them screamed.

"You murderer! Why don't you go kill yourself!"

A girl threw a half-empty Starbucks cup right at my face.

I ducked, and the sticky iced coffee splattered all over the tiled floor.

These kids were Carter's brain-dead stans. They had somehow got hold of my flight info and waited to ambush me.

Airport security quickly intervened and escorted me out.

I dragged my suitcase straight to the Institute.

When I walked into Dr. Evans office, he slammed a stack of printed printouts of angry tweets onto his desk.

"Look at this mess, Chloe!"

"Now theres a massive online boycott against our upcoming Antarctic expedition."

"Two of our biggest private sponsors are already threatening to pull their funding!"

I calmly placed a folder on his desk.

"Dr. Evans, this is the official medical report from the ski resort's clinic. The tear on my arm and the damage to the jacket occurred *before* the avalanche."

"And here is the evidence of Carter Thorne destroying federal research property."

"I have already filed a formal police report."

Dr. Evans didn't even look at the folder.

"A police report? Do you think the police can control ten million angry people online?"

"Right now, Carter is the national hero. Hes a victim who got severely injured while trying to warn people. And you?"

"You walked away without a scratch. The public always roots for the underdog."

I stared directly into Dr. Evans' eyes.

"So, just because he knows how to cry on camera, I have to take the fall?"

Dr. Evans sighed, rubbing his temples.

"Chloe, youre young. You don't understand how dangerous public opinion can be."

"Just take some paid time off. Go home and rest."

"Once the storm blows over, the board will re-evaluate your position."

I knew there was no point in arguing further. My suspension letter was delivered to my inbox ten minutes later.

I packed my desk into a cardboard box and walked out of the building.

On my phone, Carters live stream was still going strong.

He was propped up in his hospital bed, doing a virtual interview with a major entertainment outlet.

"Honestly, I don't hate her," Carter said, looking incredibly weak. "When it's a matter of life and death, survival instinct takes over. People get selfish."

"I just feel bad for all the people she fooled. Everyone thought she was this prestigious, elite scientist."

"Would a real scientist dress up like a bimbo on the slopes just to show off?"

The chat was flooded with sympathy.

* 'Carter is literally an angel.'*

* 'She should be charged with attempted murder!'*

* 'I heard she got fired today. Justice served!'*

Carters assistant, Leo, stepped into the frame, pointing at the screen.

"Hey guys, please check out the link in our bio. Carters medical bills are going to be crazy, and his recovery will take months."

"Were not launching a GoFundMe, but please support Carter by buying from his merch store."

What a well-oiled machine.

By turning me into a villain, Carter had gained over a million followers in a single day.

His merch sales were currently topping the Shopify charts.

I went back to my apartment and hung the ruined pink ski jacket on a rack.

This jacket wasn't pink just for fashion.

In the endless, blinding white of the polar ice caps, neon pink and bright orange are the easiest colors for rescue helicopters to spot.

That is why our research gear is manufactured in these specific colors.

But Carter had weaponized a stupid internet stereotype to paint me as a gold digger just to get clout.

I opened my laptop and logged into the secure intranet of our equipment manufacturer.

This specific research jacket had a vital-sign monitoring chip woven into the fabric.

And because it was designed to record data in extreme polar environments, the chip also featured ambient audio recording and structural impact analysis.

The moment I activated my beacon on the mountain, all the telemetry data from my jacket had already synced to the secure cloud.

I opened the cloud database, downloaded the audio file recorded on the slope, and saved it.

I knew that right now, Carter was the internet's golden boy.

If I just dropped the audio file out of nowhere, his rabid fans would immediately claim it was an AI deepfake.

I needed to trap him first.

---

###

Over the next few days, I stayed inside and watched Carter dig his own grave online.

He was discharged from the hospital. Sitting in a wheelchair and surrounded by screaming fans, he made a grand return to his talent agency's headquarters.

His agency threw him a massive welcome-back party, which they streamed live.

He even posted a dedicated video showing off the heavy plaster cast on his leg.

"Thank you for all the love, guys. Carter Thorne is too tough to die," he said, staring dramatically into the lens.

"But I heard that the girl who pushed me is only suspended? Just sitting at home?"

"If people like her don't face real consequences, then the system is broken!"

"Tomorrow at 3:00 PM, Im personally going to her office to demand justice!"

The video exploded.

Thousands of his followers commented, promising to show up at the National Polar Research Institute to protest.

I stared at the screen, a slow smile spreading across my face.

*You just couldn't help yourself, could you, Carter?*

The next day at 2:30 PM, I took an Uber to the Institute.

Even before getting close to the gate, I could see a massive crowd of hundreds of people blocking the street.

They were holding up signs that read: *Jail the Murderer Chloe Vance!* and *The Institute Protects Criminals!*

Carter was sitting in his wheelchair, pushed by Leo, shouting into a megaphone.

"Bring Chloe Vance out! Bring the directors out!"

"If we don't get answers today, were not leaving!"

The campus security guards had set up barricades, and the Institutes PR team was sweating bullets.

A couple of police cruisers were parked nearby to keep the peace, but the crowd was too large to disperse easily.

I wore a black hoodie and a face mask, slipping quietly into the crowd.

Right next to me, a young girl was live-streaming the protest on TikTok, screaming slogans.

I tapped her shoulder.

"Excuse me."

The girl turned around, annoyed. "Watch it! Can't you see we're"

She froze. I pulled down my face mask.

For a second, the space around us went dead silent.

Then, she screamed.

"Its Chloe Vance!"

"The murderer is here!"

The crowd instantly surged toward me like a wave of zombies. The police officers quickly jumped in, forming a protective wall around me.

Carters eyes lit up when he saw me. He raised his megaphone, pointing it directly at me.

"Chloe Vance! You actually showed your face!"

"When you pushed me into that snow drift, did you think about this moment?"

"Get down on your knees and apologize to me and everyone here!"

The crowd chanted in unison: "Kneel! Kneel! Kneel!"

I pushed past the officer in front of me and walked straight up to Carters wheelchair.

"Carter, did you break your brain along with your leg?"

"I pushed you?"

I pulled a small Bluetooth speaker from my pocket and connected it to my phone.

"Since you want an explanation so badly, Im going to give you one. Right in front of your millions of viewers."