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The human world is too cold, Ray thought miserably, his breath escaping him in a white puff of condensation. He slapped his arms, next rubbing them to try to get his blood moving.
Norman had wanted to go outside during their first winter there for some godforsaken reason, and had gently dragged an eager Emma and a reluctant Ray out with him. The clouds were dark and foreboding, and Ray would like nothing more than to be back inside with the Ratri clan, sipping hot chocolate.
Marvelous invention, chocolate. Ray had had one taste and found he couldn’t get enough. They’d never had chocolate at Grace Field House, so after running around the Ratri house in a sugar rush until he threw up, Ray was forbidden from eating all the Oreos in a pack ever again.
Norman hadn’t chided him for his lack of self-control, but Norman never had to chide anyone. His eyes had shone with disappointment as he held Ray’s hair back, and Ray vowed between heaves that he’d never hurt Norman like that again.
Emma had also been terrified, worried that Ray was sick and would never heal and would eventually keel over. The diagnosis? Chocolate overdose.
From then on, Ray tempered his intake of sugar, only allowing himself some when everyone else was indulging, and only eating a little at a time. He had the self-control to plan an escape attempt for six years--surely he could handle a stupid, little thing like sugar.
He had all the self-control in the world. None of which helped him warm up.
Ray’s teeth chattered as he glanced around the New England suburb. Emma and Norman were chattering about the seasonal markets that were springing up like fungi around town.
“It’s freezing.” Ray figured that if he could inform them of his near-frozen state, they’d take pity on him and allow him to go inside. “Why are we outside again?”
Norman smiled in that aggravating way he always did. “Just wait, Ray.”
Emma threw her arm around Ray’s shoulders. “I told you to bundle up!”
“I didn’t think we’d be out here for long.” Ray pursed his lips. “Have pity on a poor, unfortunate fool, Norman.”
“You’re not a fool, Ray,” Norman said in the silky way he said everything. “You’re impatient, though.”
Ray leaned into Emma’s touch, stealing her warmth. She was like a living fire. He pursed his lips, feeling sour. “It’d be a lot easier to wait if you told us why we were waiting.”
Emma poked him in the chest. “Where’s your sense of adventure, Ray?”
Ray huffed. “Left it at Grace Field.”
Emma wilted. She pulled away from Ray and touched the withered piece of flesh that served as her ear. “Oh.”
“Ray didn’t mean it like that, Emma, I’m sure.” Norman both her hand and Ray’s. Ray noticed that Norman’s hands were ridiculously warm. Both his friends were furnaces; he’d half-expected Norman to be cold-blooded, like him.
“Norman’s right,” Ray said, but she continued staring at her feet. “I didn’t mean it like that, Emma. I just...”
“Ssh.” Norman looked up. “It’s starting.”
Ray looked up. He couldn’t see anything. “What are we loo--”
“Oooooh!” Emma squealed, pointing up. “There are little white spots!” She turned to Norman, taking his hand in both of hers. “Is this… snow?”
“What’s snow?” Ray said, cocking his head to the side. The demon world didn’t have things like seasons or snow or Christmas; those were human inventions.
Norman inclined his head. “Very good, Emma. This is snow.”
Emma released Norman and spun around in the snow, white flakes catching in her hair, making her look practically made of magic. “It’s so pretty!”
“Snow forms when the atmospheric temperature is at or below freezing--zero degrees Celsius or thirty-two degrees Fahrenheit.” Norman’s recitation was dry as dust, making Ray smile. “While it can be too warm to snow, it cannot be too cold to snow, as snow can occur as long as there is some source of moisture and some way to lift or cool the air.”
Ray held his hands out and caught a couple of flakes. They melted almost immediately. “What happens if it reaches the ground? It melts?”
Norman shook his head ever so slightly, his expressions as subtle as ever. “If the ground is also freezing, the snow sticks.”
Ray’s eyes widened. “It sticks? Does it get in the way of cars and stuff? I can’t imagine snow giving a lot of traction to the road.”
Emma giggled, spinning around and around in the snowfall. “Ray, come join me!”
Ray left Norman and took Emma’s hands. She turned him in circles, throwing her head back and letting loose a shriek of laughter.
Ray raised a brow. “You’re really excited about this, aren’t you?”
Out of the corner of Ray’s eye, Norman smiled slightly.
“The question is,” Emma said, ceasing her spin abruptly and catching Ray in a hug when he didn’t stop in time, “why aren’t you?”
“Uh, I dunno, because it’s cold?” Ray grumbled, trying to fold his arms but not being able to with Emma holding on to his neck. She bent her knees, her weight going dead, and nearly dragged him down to the dirt. He stood, but barely.
“Ray!” Emma grabbed his face and kissed his cheek, and Ray felt heat flood his face. Norman chuckled, but Emma continued. “You’re such a grumpy-grump!”
Norman placed his hand on Emma’s shoulders. “One of us has to be. It may as well be Ray.”
“Hmph!” Ray said.
“Hmph!” he said again for good measure. “Whatever.”
Norman reached out, trailing his knuckles across the cheek that Emma had kissed. “You may as well embrace it, Ray.”
Ray extricated himself from Emma’s grip and threw his arms around both Norman and Emma’s necks. “Yeah, well. If I embrace that, Emma has to embrace her cheerfulness, and you, Norman, have to embrace being the mom friend.”
Emma laughed, giving him a thumbs up. “I can do that!”
Norman smiled up at Ray. “Mom friend?”
“It was a term Don told me.” Ray was sorely tempted to give Norman a noogie. So he did. He released Emma and gently dug his knuckles into Norman’s white head. “It means the one friend who’s super responsible and tends to take care of the other two.”
Norman hummed. “I accept this designation.”
Ray beamed. “Good.”
***
The snow stuck with a vengeance. By the morning after it first started falling, there were a few feet of it out in the front yard. Ray bundled up this time, mittens and double-socks and all, and followed Norman and Emma outside.
Ray had to admit that the untouched snow was beautiful. Everything was still; no birds chirped, and aside from the sounds of his soft breathing, he couldn’t hear anything.
Then Emma whooped at his side and stomped through the snow, kicking it up into the air.
Norman hung back. “Do you want to make a snow angel?”
Ray blinked at him. “A what?”
“Snow angel.” Norman pointed at Emma, who was already throwing herself backwards onto the ground and waving her arms. “I explained it to Emma earlier.”
Ray crossed to Emma and offered a hand. She took it, allowing him to help her up. “Look, Ray, look!”
“Huh.” Ray furrowed his brow down at the indentation in the snow. “Looks very… angelic.”
Emma held her belly as she laughed. “You’re so funny, Ray!”
Ray didn’t think he was funny. But that was probably Emma just embracing her cheerfulness again. He turned to Norman. “I don’t think I want to make one of those. That looks cold.”
Norman had scooped up some snow and patted it into a sphere in his hands. “Cold, huh? Try this.”
Norman tossed the ball at Ray, striking him in the chest. “Wha--”
“Ooooh,” Emma said, already scooping up snow and hurling it at Norman, who laughed. “Balls of snow! Snowballs!”
Norman’s bright blue eyes glittered. “Exactly.”
Ray grinned wickedly. “Snowballs, huh?” He leaned over, gathering snow in his hands. “You’d better run, Norman. I owe you for hitting me in the chest.”
Letting loose a shriek, Emma threw more snow at Ray and bolted off. Ray growled and lobbed snow at her. “I’ll get you, you’ll see!”
Giggling, the three friends chased each other around, churning up snow in their wake.
They built snow tunnels, snow men, and snow forts. They exhausted themselves pitching snowballs at each others’ heads and laughing until their ribs were sore.
Then Norman led them through town to admire the Christmas lights, holding hands and catching snowflakes on their eyelashes.
“Ray?” Emma said, leaning her head on his shoulder. “I love you.”
Ray kissed the top of her head. “I love you, too.”
Norman smiled. “And me?”
Emma flung her arms around him. “Of course I love you, too, you goof.”
Norman embraced her back. “I love you both as well.”
“I didn’t say I loved you,” Ray said, winking at Norman to let him know Ray was teasing.
“You don’t have to, Ray,” Norman said warmly. “I know you do.”
“Hmph,” Ray said again.
Winter wonderland, Ray thought later, sipping his hot chocolate. Winter wonderland, indeed.