Aurora

9.

I hadn't skied in ages.

When aunt Diane got home, Connor immediately ran up to her, begging for her to let us go. She nodded, and Connor's face split into a smile. "YAY!"

We packed our stuff; our helmets, ski masks, boots; squishing all of it into one large bag.

"Good thing we brought our ski stuff," Connor grinned, zipping up his jacket. I slid on some thick socks, then put on my snow pants, followed by a warm winter coat.

We ate lunch before we left, which was around noon. Julien parked his car in our driveway, and Landon helped us pack the bag and skis into the trunk.

Julien drove and Natalie sat in the passenger's seat. Connor, Landon and I sat in the back respectively.

It was a small town; surrounded by forests and ponds and such. There was a mountain that wasn't too far away. We could see it from aunt Diane's house.

As we neared our destination, I could spot tiny figures of people darting down the hills, descending in a pattern shaped like the letter S.

"Do you ski well?" Landon asked.

"Not really. I haven't gone in a while." I replied, "Connor's pretty good. Natalie's really good. She's taken lessons forever. You?"

"Julien snowboards. I'm okay, I guess."

Connor butted into the conversation. "Julien snowboards? That's so cool! I wanna learn how to snowboard!"

Julien laughed. "You should, if you're good at skiing, you'd probably be good at snowboarding."

He pulled over in the parking lot. We stepped out of the car, popping open the trunk and taking out our stuff. We dropped the fat and heavy bag onto the ground and unzipped it, unloading our ski gear.

I took off my boot, gripping onto the car door for balance. I slid my foot into my ski boot, tightening it. I did the same for my other foot. I grabbed my skis and said, "I'll go put these in the ski racks."

"Same." Landon said.

"Me too." Connor added.

"Alright." Julien replied, "I'll go put our bags inside. Don't ski without us. Wait." He gestured towards the building at the bottom of the mountain and began walking towards it. Natalie grabbed another bag and followed him.

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When they finally came back, we made our way to the chairlifts. I could feel my heart pounding. I had a fear for heights, no doubt about it.

Natalie and Julien went on the chairlift together. Once they got on, we were next. Landon, Connor and I skied forward and stopped at a red line painted across the snow. A chair floated around the corner and began to head towards us. My heart beat faster than the wings on a bird's first flight. I released a deep breath as I sat down on the chair. It wobbled as it lifted into the air. I squeezed my eyes shut.

"You okay?" Landon asked, reaching upward and pulling down a metal bar. It offered me a little reassurance.

"Yeah," I swallowed.

An uneasy feeling stirred inside of my stomach when I dared to look down. Small figurines of people raced down the hill. One tumbled and his ski managed to fly off. I winced.

"Heights scare her," Connor said.

"Thanks Mr. Obvious." I replied. A grin spread across his lips.

A few minutes went by and Landon placed his hand back on the metal bar, lifting it upward.

My heart pounded. "W-What do you think you're doing?"

He glanced at me and pointed towards the other end of the mountain. "We're close to the end."

I gazed ahead and felt a shiver down my spine. I swallowed. Landon offered me a smile, "It's all right, Aurora. You'll be fine. Haven't you skied before?"

"Well... Yes, but-"

"It was years ago." Connor interrupted.

Landon laughed, "Skiing's like riding a bike. You'll remember. Just watch."

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Landon was wrong. I barely managed to get off the chairlift properly, so you can imagine how good I was at skiing down a black diamond. Yes, you read that right. A black diamond.

Connor had managed to convince me we were skiing down a green hill. I don't know how; he and Landon were both acting very suspicious. Even Natalie didn't feel comfortable skiing down the slope they were guiding us to.

Landon pulled up his ski goggles, revealing his eyes. "Connor, I don't know if-"

"Shh, it'll be fine." Connor grinned.

I skied towards the edge of the hill and couldn't bring myself to find the bottom. "Guys, are you sure this is a green-"

"Yes," Connor said.

"I don't know..."

He ignored me, beginning to ski down the slope without the slightest hesitation. Julien followed. I glanced at Natalie. She shrugged and did the same.

"Aurora, start skiing." Landon said.

"I can't."

He placed his ski goggles back onto his face. "Just go. I'll follow."