SNOWBOUND, original

01| LONG WINDING ROAD

"HAVE YOU TRIED CALLING HIM?" Elara asked, her voice tinged with a hint of annoyance.

"What the hell do you think I've been doing for the past hour, Elara?" Sawyer snapped, shifting the weight of her duffle bag on her shoulder.

Her breath puffed in small clouds against the frigid pre-dawn air. The sun had yet to grace the icy bus station with its warmth, leaving the trio standing amidst their gear, shivering. Although the ground wasn't blanketed with snow, the roads and sidewalks were treacherously slick.

"Don't get all up in my face. I'm just saying, if I drove—" Elara began, her tone innocent but defensive.

"You just got your license, El. I'm not saying you can't drive, but Finn knows his SUV best," Sawyer sighed, her irritation bubbling just beneath the surface as she tried once more to reach Finn's phone.

"Y'all are no fun," Elara huffed, stamping down on Ryker's foot with her boot. His clenched fists weren't from the cold, but from the effort it took not to lash out.

"When did I even get dragged into this?" Ryker grumbled, shoving Elara away, causing her to stumble back into their mountain of bags.

Sawyer felt a headache brewing. The morning had barely begun, and already she was teetering on the edge of tearing her ears off from the squabbling. Sure, Elara had a point—there was no denying that—but there was no reason to be screeching like a banshee at this ungodly hour. Though, perhaps there was every reason; Finn had overslept, leaving them stranded, and their planned five-hour drive, which was supposed to start at four-thirty, was slipping further and further into the morning.

The plan had been simple: Ryker and Elara would crash at Sawyer's parents' place, since their families were long-time friends, and they would all lug their gear to the nearby bus station where Finn would pick them up. But now, here they were, huddled together against the cold, mercilessly dialing Finn's number. Ryker had half a mind to find out Finn's whereabouts so he could personally wring his neck.

But in the end, that didn't happen. Instead, Finn was jolted awake by a loud knock on his door. Groggy and disoriented, it took him a moment to recognize Helena, who stood there with a sharp look of disapproval. Realizing how late it was, Finn scrambled, hastily shoving the keys into Helena's hands so she could start packing the gear into the vehicle. He still needed to secure the skis and snowboards to the roof rack.

"Nobody asked you anything, alright?" Elara and Ryker continued to bicker, their voices sharp against the cold air.

"Can you two stop just for a second?" Sawyer pleaded, her patience wearing thin.

"I'm freezing my ass off over here!" Elara whined, rubbing her arms.

"Yeah, well, it's below zero!" Ryker retorted, his breath puffing visibly.

"Stop yelling! It's five-thirty in the morning, and we're waking up the whole street," Sawyer snapped, her voice cutting through the crisp silence.

"Sorry," Elara mumbled, her tone softening.

"Can I say something?" Ryker interjected, his attention suddenly diverted by a ping from his phone.

"Must you?" Sawyer quipped with a sarcastic smile.

"Yes, I must. Helena went over to Finn's house. He just woke up and still needs to pack his board and everything else," Ryker explained, shaking his head.

"God give me strength," Sawyer muttered under her breath, looking skyward as if appealing for divine intervention.

By five-thirty, Finn was finally tearing down the road toward the bus station, his old SUV skidding to a stop as he jumped out, panting. Elara cursed under her breath at the sight of the gray SUV with its two rows of seats. She realized with irritation that she'd have to sit in the back, far from where she could throttle Finn.