The faint chime of bells welcomed Victoria Reign as she pushed open the frosted glass door of Northern Lights Yoga Studio. The smell of citrus and palo santo greeted her like an old friend, warming the cool December air that clung to her jacket. Winter had wrapped the small mountain town in its icy embrace, but inside these walls, a sense of stillness and calm prevailed. Or at least, it tried to.

Her desk was already cluttered with receipts for the holiday sales she'd been running all week—bundles of yoga blocks and mats tied with gold ribbons, essential oil sets labeled “Find Your Inner Light,” and hand knitted socks from Evelyn’s cousin, who swore they were perfect for meditation. Victoria smiled as she set down her thermos of chai tea. She wouldn’t have it any other way. Christmas was her busiest time of the year, and this evening’s Winter Solstice Yoga Workshop promised to be the highlight of the season.

She glanced at the large chalkboard sign by the entrance. “Winter Solstice: Reflect, Restore, Reignite. Tonight, 6 PM – Led by Victoria.” A few cheerful snowflakes had been doodled in the corner by Jade Emerson, who insisted his social media followers loved “Instagrammable” touches like that. The class was fully booked—thirty students, including a mix of regulars and a few new faces drawn by the solstice’s promise of peace and reflection.

A Hectic Prelude

By 4:30, the studio was bustling with the hum of preparation. Jade Emerson darted around the lobby with his phone in hand, snapping pictures of the fairy lights Victoria had painstakingly hung along the studio’s windows the night before.

“Hashtag WinterGlow!” Jade chirped, angling his phone to capture the lighting. “Oh, Victoria, we should totally get a picture of you by the welcome mat. You know, for branding!”

Victoria laughed, shaking her head. “Jade, I’ll take a picture later. Right now, I need to figure out why the incense keeps burning out halfway through.”

“Maybe the universe is trying to tell you something,” Jade said with a wink, before spinning toward the juice bar to grab one of the cucumber infused waters he'd set up for the event.

Behind the desk, Evelyn Knight, the studio’s oldest and most dedicated client, was quietly folding towels. “I love his enthusiasm,” Evelyn said, her voice low and warm, “but does everything need to be a hashtag?”

Victoria chuckled. “He’s trying, Evelyn. In his own way.”

“Trying my patience, maybe,” Evelyn said with a sly grin, passing Victoria a neatly folded stack of towels. “But he’s got a good heart. That counts for something.”

Olivia Carson

At 5:45, students began trickling in, shaking the cold from their jackets and chatting excitedly. Among them was Olivia Carson, one of Victoria’s psychology students from the local college. Olivia had started attending yoga classes three weeks ago, and though she was quiet, Victoria had noticed the faint glow of relief in her eyes after each session.

“Hi, Olivia,” Victoria said as the young woman approached the desk. “How are you holding up with finals?”

Olivia’s smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Oh, you know. Just trying to breathe through it.”

“Good. That’s a start,” Victoria said gently. “I hope tonight’s class gives you a chance to reset.”

Olivia nodded, her voice soft. “Me too.”

As Olivia moved toward the practice room, Victoria’s gaze lingered. There was something about the girl—an air of fragility, like a delicate thread stretched too thin.

The poor girl had been struggling. The college’s insistence on pharmaceutical ‘solutions’ never sat well with Victoria—her confrontation with Karen Everett still left a sour taste in her mouth. But Olivia deserved more than a system that saw her as a diagnosis.

Before she could dwell on the thought, a cheerful shout broke her focus.

“Victoria! Do you have my favorite mat?” Isla Stone, Victoria’s best friend and the town’s resident massage therapist, breezed in, her fiery red scarf trailing behind her. “And by ‘my favorite,’ I mean the one that doesn’t squeak during down dog.”

Victoria rolled her eyes and handed Isla a mat. “Try this one. It’s extra silent just for you.”

“Perfect,” Isla said, giving her a quick hug. “Now let’s get our Zen on.”

The Longest Night

By 6 PM, the studio was glowing. The fairy lights cast a warm, golden hue, and soft instrumental kirtan music filled the air. Victoria stood at the front of the room, taking in the serene faces of her students. This was her favorite part of teaching—watching people settle into the present moment, leaving the chaos of their lives at the door.

“Welcome, everyone,” she began, her voice calm and steady. “The winter solstice is a time to pause, reflect, and embrace the stillness within. Tonight, we’ll move through a gentle flow designed to restore and reignite. Let’s start with three deep breaths together.”

The class unfolded like poetry. Breath flowed into movement, movement into stillness. Even the normally restless Jade seemed grounded tonight. By the time they reached savasana, the final resting pose, the room was wrapped in a profound silence. Victoria sat cross-legged at the front, guiding them through a meditation on the darkness of winter as a gateway to light.

“Let go,” she said softly. “Surrender to the stillness.”

A Shocking Discovery

When the session ended, students began to stir, stretching and sitting up. Victoria glanced around the room, offering a gentle smile. But one figure didn’t move. Olivia Carson lay still on her mat, her arms relaxed at her sides, her face peaceful.

“Olivia?” Victoria’s voice was quiet but firm as she approached. She crouched beside the young woman and lightly touched her shoulder.

Cold.

Her heart skipped. “Olivia?”

By now, Isla and Evelyn had noticed the stillness. Isla rushed forward, her voice urgent. “Is she okay?”

“I… I don’t know,” Victoria whispered, her hand trembling as she checked for a pulse. Nothing. A chill crept over her as reality sank in.

Someone called 911, but the stillness of the longest night lingered. For Victoria, the peace of her studio had been shattered, replaced by a heaviness that no breathwork could dissolve.

Into The Silence

As the ambulance lights faded into the distance and the students dispersed, Victoria lingered by the now-empty studio. The scent of palo santo, once comforting, felt stifling. Her gaze fell to the space Olivia had occupied—silent, final, haunting.

The longest night of the year was meant to bring clarity, a reminder that light always follows darkness. But tonight, the darkness had taken root. A single question echoed in her mind, unsettling in its simplicity: What had Olivia been running from? And why, in the stillness of her studio, had it caught up to her?