and landed on
the rigid surface. But I kept falling down the slope, scratching my
palms on the burning ice.
And I was heading straight to another dense
wall of pines.
Panic slashed my breath. My chest ached. My
entire body froze, blocking every motion. I couldn’t avoid my
course. Everything was over. My shaky peripheral vision faded into
a tunnel-like image, with the tomblike pines at the center. I
closed my eyes, waving my arms over my head, and listened to the
hasty beat of my heart, perhaps for the last time. In that split
second, like in the movies, memory flashes beamed through the
darkness, announcing the irrevocable arrival of death. But one
image yanked me from the stillness, as if my muscles had been
suddenly awakened by a sharp bolt of electricity—my dad’s face.
I couldn’t give up. I couldn’t leave him
alone. I didn’t want to erase that smile from his face. And I’d
promised him…I’d promised I would be careful.
I shoved my hand against the snow, ignoring
the bone-searing ice, and pressed it hard, hard enough to veer my
direction. My feet found a bump and jostled my body upward. I
landed on my chest and my lungs compressed against my rib cage. My
breath stormed out from my mouth. I rolled and rolled, my eyes
closed, until I finally stopped, one side of my face burning on the
snow.
Everything went quiet. Darkness was the only
image in my mind. A heavy darkness. Cold darkness.
Darkness…
“Kalista,” said an echo.
It took never-ending seconds to finally open
my eyes and come into the light. Tristan. He was kneeling close to
my side, his face a few inches from mine. And in the middle of the
haziness, something caught my eye. His eyes looked surreal, with
streaks of silver, like beams of light over a gray ocean. The green
haunting the depths an electric emerald.
“Oh no,” I sighed, pushing up myself with my
weak elbows. “I'm dead.”
He chuckled, relieved. “No, you’re not.”
I stared at him, mystified. He had to be an
angel…and those eyes. “Then why are you here?”
He didn’t say anything and only kept staring
at me.
I noticed an acute pain pulsing in the right
side of my forehead. I ran my tongue over my bottom lip and tasted
blood. I realized my whole body was in pain, especially my chest. I
couldn’t be dead. Heaven wasn’t supposed to be painful. “I'm not
dead, then,” I whispered. “What happened?”
“I was hoping you were the one who was going
to tell me. I just found you here.”
I shook my head and saw the pines next to us,
just a few inches away. “I fell from the sled and…I was about to
smash against the trees when I—when I bumped into something and
started rolling until I stopped.” I looked at the pines once more.
“I'm safe.” I said in awe.
Another silence fell upon us.
“I'm sorry I didn’t come on time,” he finally
said.
I turned to look at him. His eyes were
closed, as if he was in pain. To my surprise, I wanted to comfort
him. I wanted to tell him that everything was going to be okay.
But, “Wait a minute—” I said confused, “What are you doing
here?”
His eyes snapped open, hesitant.
“Snowboarding.”
I looked aside and saw his fancy snowboard
burrowed into the snow. “How did you get here?”
“On the lift.”
“The lift is not running.”
He leaned toward me, his eyes—now normal,
maybe I’d imagined them—close to mine. Really, really close.
“You’re not the only one who has connections over here.”
My heart began to pound. “Um…” I forgot how
to speak. “I-I don’t have connections. It’s Dean.”
“Right.” He said in a low, sharp voice, still
oh-so close to me.
“I saw the liftline stop,” I insisted.
He held the close distance between our faces
a few more seconds and then leaned back, face tight. “It
didn’t.”
My face flushed to a deeper shade. “Are you
saying that I'm a liar?”
“More like a space cadet,” he said, a smile
tugging up one side of his mouth.
Why did
the rigid surface. But I kept falling down the slope, scratching my
palms on the burning ice.
And I was heading straight to another dense
wall of pines.
Panic slashed my breath. My chest ached. My
entire body froze, blocking every motion. I couldn’t avoid my
course. Everything was over. My shaky peripheral vision faded into
a tunnel-like image, with the tomblike pines at the center. I
closed my eyes, waving my arms over my head, and listened to the
hasty beat of my heart, perhaps for the last time. In that split
second, like in the movies, memory flashes beamed through the
darkness, announcing the irrevocable arrival of death. But one
image yanked me from the stillness, as if my muscles had been
suddenly awakened by a sharp bolt of electricity—my dad’s face.
I couldn’t give up. I couldn’t leave him
alone. I didn’t want to erase that smile from his face. And I’d
promised him…I’d promised I would be careful.
I shoved my hand against the snow, ignoring
the bone-searing ice, and pressed it hard, hard enough to veer my
direction. My feet found a bump and jostled my body upward. I
landed on my chest and my lungs compressed against my rib cage. My
breath stormed out from my mouth. I rolled and rolled, my eyes
closed, until I finally stopped, one side of my face burning on the
snow.
Everything went quiet. Darkness was the only
image in my mind. A heavy darkness. Cold darkness.
Darkness…
“Kalista,” said an echo.
It took never-ending seconds to finally open
my eyes and come into the light. Tristan. He was kneeling close to
my side, his face a few inches from mine. And in the middle of the
haziness, something caught my eye. His eyes looked surreal, with
streaks of silver, like beams of light over a gray ocean. The green
haunting the depths an electric emerald.
“Oh no,” I sighed, pushing up myself with my
weak elbows. “I'm dead.”
He chuckled, relieved. “No, you’re not.”
I stared at him, mystified. He had to be an
angel…and those eyes. “Then why are you here?”
He didn’t say anything and only kept staring
at me.
I noticed an acute pain pulsing in the right
side of my forehead. I ran my tongue over my bottom lip and tasted
blood. I realized my whole body was in pain, especially my chest. I
couldn’t be dead. Heaven wasn’t supposed to be painful. “I'm not
dead, then,” I whispered. “What happened?”
“I was hoping you were the one who was going
to tell me. I just found you here.”
I shook my head and saw the pines next to us,
just a few inches away. “I fell from the sled and…I was about to
smash against the trees when I—when I bumped into something and
started rolling until I stopped.” I looked at the pines once more.
“I'm safe.” I said in awe.
Another silence fell upon us.
“I'm sorry I didn’t come on time,” he finally
said.
I turned to look at him. His eyes were
closed, as if he was in pain. To my surprise, I wanted to comfort
him. I wanted to tell him that everything was going to be okay.
But, “Wait a minute—” I said confused, “What are you doing
here?”
His eyes snapped open, hesitant.
“Snowboarding.”
I looked aside and saw his fancy snowboard
burrowed into the snow. “How did you get here?”
“On the lift.”
“The lift is not running.”
He leaned toward me, his eyes—now normal,
maybe I’d imagined them—close to mine. Really, really close.
“You’re not the only one who has connections over here.”
My heart began to pound. “Um…” I forgot how
to speak. “I-I don’t have connections. It’s Dean.”
“Right.” He said in a low, sharp voice, still
oh-so close to me.
“I saw the liftline stop,” I insisted.
He held the close distance between our faces
a few more seconds and then leaned back, face tight. “It
didn’t.”
My face flushed to a deeper shade. “Are you
saying that I'm a liar?”
“More like a space cadet,” he said, a smile
tugging up one side of his mouth.
Why did
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