As the seasonal downpour subsided, it gave way to not only much needed rainfall in the NorCal basin but also ample amount of snow up north; perfect for recreational activities in Lake Tahoe for Katelyn and Danny.
At the crack of dawn, both moms took turns driving Danny's family SUV northbound towards the snowy bastion of Lake Tahoe. The trip took a total of six hours; five for the 300 mile trek and an extra hour thanks to Bay Area traffic and single lane congestion near the lake. Along the way, a still drowsy Katelyn watched out the window as she zoomed past small towns, wide open farmland, and pine tree forests that covered the slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountain range. When the four finally exited the interstate, Danny started to excitedly rummage through his backpack; getting ready to disembark for their destination, the Heavenly Ski Resort. Apt for its name, the ski resort featured a wide variety of well-kept ski trails from green beginners routes to more advanced diamond trails. To Danny, this trip was less about having fun skiing and more about teaching his girlfriend how to ski in an effort to get some quality bonding time with her. But for Katelyn, her mind was somewhere else. She had been harboring some particular thoughts about the mask and soon it was time for her to act.
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South Tahoe, California. 12 PM.
Once their parents dropped them off at the resort, Danny took Katelyn's hand and led her into the sports rental store to get fitted. She already had the Oakley goggles from Danny, and she was further fitted with a neutral gray helmet, ski boots, skis, and poles. Afterwards, the two got their tickets and waited on a line to ride the "Gondola" lifts up the mountain.
"Dang, we got lucky. The weather cleared up just in time for the lift to open up," Danny said excitedly. Katelyn shrugged and slid a hand into her pocket; grazing the cracked wooden texture of the mask.
After a few minutes of riding the "Gondola" lifts up the side of the mountain, the two disembarked and headed to the nearby Tamarack lodge to gear up and start training. Over the next hour, Danny attempted to teach Katelyn some basic ski techniques such as bending her knees and the pizza position. And after more than a dozen face-plants and belly flops... Katelyn finally learned to avoid tripping on her skis.
"Let's... take... a... break," Katelyn said between gasps of air. The combination of exerting herself up at a high elevation made her feel queasy and light-headed.
Danny nodded and helped her to a nearby bench while pulling out some water bottles from his backpack. They both took off their helmets and sat next to each other as the sun shined down on the snow covered ground.
"You're getting the hang of it! Soon you'll be ready to go on that," Danny said as he pointed at a nearby sign that read "Big Easy".
"In fact, mind if I show you how easy it is?" he asked. She nodded and Danny put on his helmet and headed towards the people-mover for the hill. Katelyn carefully watched as Danny headed towards the trail and once he was out of sight, she slowly stood up and walked to the back of the lodge; with her mask in hand.
After six months with the mask, she felt ready to let it go and get rid of it; once and for all. She acknowledged that she had some good times with it: her first time surfing that one night, stopping a blaze near Aunt Peggy's place, and even rescuing Danny from his ex on Halloween. But recently, the mask started to take a toll on her mental health with the numerous mirage encounters with her alter-ego, the reoccurring wet dreams of her dominating random people, and the sheer embarrassment at Danny's Christmas Party. And after Danny came to see her after New Years, she finally decided she had enough; it wasn't worth the mental stress despite how strong the urges were to continue wearing it and warp the world around her. After this trip, she would also send Aunt Peggy the sister mask and controller back; finally ridding her of any magical artifacts from her possession.
