From The Ashes We Rise

Chp 22: Winter Break

~1 month later~

It was finally winter and school's out for all of us. The temperature dropped drastically over a span of a few days and I was not enjoying it. Autumn was already unbearable for me every year and I still had to cope with yet another winter. I knew Minnesota was way colder than this but I just really couldn't handle cold weather. Sometimes I wished I could live in the tropics to avoid such weather.

Kyran initially wanted for us to go ice skating on the first day of our break but realised we had tons of homework to do. Sometimes, we'd go to the library with Cassidy to complete our homework together. Cassidy's an only child so she was alone at home most of the time. We're like brothers she never had.

A few days into our break, we had finally completed everything and could relax. Kyran brought up his initial idea again but he apparently changed it. He planned for us to skate at a lake in the middle of a forest.

"Why would we wanna do that, Kyran?" Cassidy asked, taking another bite into her burger.

"Yeah. We could just go to the ice rink. It's a 20-minute bus ride from here," I added.

Kyran, who was sitting opposite Cassidy and I, sighed.

"To be with nature of course! I don't like artificial rinks. Nature could just make ice when the temperature's just right!" he exclaimed.

Cassidy and I shared a look of uncertainty. "A-are you sure we'd be safe? Aren't there gonna be wild animals there too?" Cassidy asked again.

"Maybe. Not sure. It's a preserved area anyway. The animals there would most probably leave us alone."

"There's no maybe, Kyran. Only a yes or no. Now tell me, is it really safe for us?" I leaned in closer to him, narrowing my eyes.

"Y-yes. I've been there before," Kyran blurted out.

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?"

"Yes! Really! Now please get outta my face...I wanna eat here," Kyran said as he raised his hands in surrender.

I sat back down, contented with my 'interrogation'. Maybe it would be great for us to bond more. I've been used to a skating rink for years. I've never tried skating on a pond—not to mention a lake!

I leaned over to Cassidy. "Should we?" I whispered. She nodded in reply.

"Sure! What's the worst that could happen?" she whispered back.

•••••••••••••

"Okay, there's one problem. Where are we gonna get the skates?" I asked as we walked around the mall.

"Easy. We steal em from the ice rink," Kyran replied with a smirk.

I smacked his arm. "No! We are not stealing. Are there any other options? Cas, what about you?"

"I've got a pair for myself. Ebony, your feet match my mum's. She wouldn't mind you borrowing hers," Cassidy suggested.

"Now that I think of it, I actually have a pair somewhere in my wardrobe at the orphanage. Oscar gave them to me since he couldn't fit them anymore or have time to skate," Kyran said, snapping his fingers at the memory of one of the older orphans.