“I thought we were sticking with green circles.” I blocked the snow from my face and peeked over the ledge. It looked like a straight drop with moguls, funneling into a sharp turn leading deeper down the trail.
“Oh, please.” Blair curled her lip into a sneer. “If you wanted to take it easy, you shouldn’t have left the bunny slope. Wait—didn’t you take lessons with a bunch of children? That’s so lame. I think you need a new nickname.” Blair tapped her finger against her chin. “How about…Sage the Baby Mage.”
Gretchen let out bitter laugh. “What’s lame is thinking you can come home after a few years and think you’re one of us.”
I recoiled, pushing back on my skis to create distance. My throat burned. I should have known better. This was all a nasty trick. People don’t change. They get meaner.
“You look upset. Are you going to put a hex on me?” Blair taunted, crossing her ski poles like she was trying to ward me away.
Aaron skied between us and gave me a hard look before angling toward the slope. “Come on, let’s leave her here. Thesnow’s getting worse. We’ve had our fun. I’m ready for a drink.”
He took off down the slope, maneuvering expertly over the steep terrain, then vanished into the blinding snow.
“I guess we’ll see you at the bottom...or not. Remember to point your skis into a V and make a snowplow.” Blair’s lips trembled as she tried to restrain her laughter. She motioned to Gretchen and the two of them left me standing at the top of the slope.
I wiped away the snow pelting my face. The flakes melted and mixed with the tears stinging the corners of my eyes. I swallowed a sob and felt my chest shudder. Now wasn’t the time to cry. Tears wouldn’t get me through this. They’d only make the snow worse.
So much for my sunny stretch. The curse was back. Had it ever left? Maybe it was bidding its time, letting me think a little self-care and a moving speech in the town square was enough to break the spell.
I tipped my skis toward the edge. There was no turning back. I had to figure it out on my own.Just go slow, make a V.I closed my eyes and imagined Leo standing next to me, coaching me down the hill.You got this, Bennett. I’ll pick you up if you fall.
Oh, I was going to fall. A lot. But I would pick myself up and get the heck out of Cold Spell.
A wall of wind and ice slammed into my face as if the storm had laughed and shouted back, “You’re staying right here!”
I slid a few inches at a time, scraping my skis against the hard-packed snow. My stomach twisted in knots and little dotsdanced in front of my eyes. I forced myself to focus, deep breaths, then slid a few more feet.
My skis slipped out from underneath me, and I landed hard, coasting a distance on my butt. It hurt, but it counted as progress. I stood back up and tried again.
This time, I made it about thirty feet before I fell. At this rate, I’d be here all night.
How long does it take to freeze to death?Probably just enough time to give me a shot at meeting the Grim Reaper. I clenched my teeth. I would not die on this mountain and have my obituary on the front page of the Gazette.
The article would read:She had a good run, winning a prestigious award. Then she died tragically at the hands of her high school bullies. Who went on to live an envied life of wealth and success. We never did get that photo of her award.
I scowled and clicked out of my skis. Forget this. I’d walk the rest of the way and someone could come back for my skis later. At least I wouldn’t break my neck.
Using my poles, I climbed to my feet and took my first couple of steps. The going was clunky in ski boots but manageable.
The snow had developed into a ferocious blizzard, falling in sheets of ice. I shivered and kept going, walking for what felt like hours without making much progress. No one else skied past, and with the weather like this, I was sure they had closed the lifts.
I was alone on the mountain. An allegory for what had amounted to my life.
Things werenotfine or fantastic.
I pushed onward until a strange sound made me stop. Turning my head, I listened to the wind. Was that a crack? Another jagged sound sent fear spiking through my chest.
Looking back, I watched in horror as a section of snow broke free and barreled down the mountain straight toward me.
Chapter 11
Leo
I paced in frontof my office window, watching the snow. The storm that started as a few flakes had progressed into nearly white-out conditions. An hour had passed since Sage went up the chairlift, and I told Valerie to let me know once she made it back to the lodge. So far, Valerie hadn’t radioed in.
“I’m going to have to call you back. There’s an emergency,” I said into the phone, ending the conference call early.
A bad feeling twisted in my gut. I shouldn’t have let Aaron and the other girls take Sage up the mountain. But what was I supposed to do? Embarrass her by hauling her over my shoulder, and then tying her to the chair in my office so I could keep my eyes on her?
