In My Skin

CH 22 || Out of Bounds

Everything was white.

After the heavy snowfall last night, the white powder glittered in the rays of the midday sun. The intense azure color set a stark contrast to the overall brightness. Not a single cloud was in sight.

I pushed my scarf higher to cover my nose, and secured it with my new ski goggles. The whole world glowed in peach pink. My ski tipped over the edge. For a second they hung motionless until gravity pulled me forward. With a few fast turns, I was in perfect control, easily maneuvering past groups and the occasional solo skiers.

When the end of the slope came up, I straightened my ski and shifted my weight. My surroundings blurred but everything in front of me sharpened as adrenaline pumped through my veins. The wind felt like a batch of ice pressed against the tiny sliver of skin exposed on my cheeks. A wide grin stretched my lips. There was no better feeling than this.

Ahead of me, a familiar pair of snow jackets caught my eye. It wasn't so much as the individual color was special but the combination of them. So far, I had only seen one bright-red snow jacket hang with a forest green one.

The inseparable duo; Cody and Killian. Both facing away from me.

Perfect.

I adjusted my course and crouched.

One hundred feet.

Fifty.

Ten.

I braked at the last second, digging the edges of my ski into a pile of fresh powder. A wide wave of snow sprayed over Killian who was sitting down, his board stretched out in front of him. He whipped around.

"Hey there, slackers," I said.

Cody doubled over. Killian glared.

I fluttered my eyes at him. "Sorry, didn't see you there." Good thing the scarf hid the huge grin pulling at my mouth.

His goggles rested on his head and he squinted at me through his now glistering white lashes. Slowly, he reached up and pushed the snow out of his face. "You're such a bad liar."

"I wasn't trying," I said cheerfully.

"Well, don't let me hold you up." He waved his hand in front of him. "Go on, your highness."

Uh-huh.

He hadn't lied about not being good at skiing. But that was because he was apparently born on a snowboard. Something I would have considered if I'd been smart and not so focused on beating him in...something.

I shifted my weight. Could I outrun him? Probably not.

I made a point to look around. Like straight from a postcard, the surrounding mountains rose like silent giants against the blue horizon. Just below our level, the tree line started and the smooth slopes dipped like gliding snakes through the snow-covered forests. It looked like a winter wonderland. "You know what? I think I like it here."

His brows raised. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. Right here. It's nice. Great view. I can probably stay for a whi—" A snowball flew at my head and I dodged it at the last second. "Hey!"

"Whoops, didn't see you there," he said dryly. "Maybe you should grow taller. Makes you easier to spot."

"Very funny," I grumbled. "Didn't exactly help you just now, now did it?"

I kept my eyes on Killian's hands as I fixed my glasses and tightened my scarf.

He tipped his head and dropped his voice. "I'll give you thirty seconds."