Chapter Text
Cress had never seen so much snow before. It covered everything in sight on the mountain's peak, and only grew thicker as they drove further. She didn't remember ever being in such cold weather, or around something so beautiful. It wasn't even until she had moved up north that she had known what a true winter was. Sybil had never been one for the cold and insisted that they remain in the south.
Inside Scarlet's spacious van, Cress sat snug along with five of her friends from school. Scarlet, along with her boyfriend, Wolf, babbled along in French, probably 'I love you's and the like. Cress couldn't help but feel a little bit envious as, all the way beside Cinder and Iko, sat the object of her affections since she had first set foot in Artemisia Prep. Carswell Thorne spent the length of the drive telling stories of his short time in military school and doodling in the fog on the window. Every time he laughed, Cress couldn't help but laugh along and hope that he didn't notice her blush. It was, as Iko would say, a heart-meltingly long four hours.
They were all on their way to Kai's cabin on the summit of La Plagne, famous for its amazing views and exceptional skiing terrain. Everyone in their inner circle had been invited on the trip, and with the help of her graphic design sales, Cress was able to pitch in enough to justify tagging along. Aside from Sybil's grand mansion in Italy, and her new home in Lyon, Cress had never really been anywhere, and she was excited beyond words to visit the French alps, in the company of her first and only friends.
It began to snow. Before long, the sky was grey and little flakes managed to keep Cress' attention from Thorne's pleasantries. Scarlet and Wolf finished their heated exchange and left nothing but silence in the car, which was more than unwelcome by Iko. It was to be expected that she and Thorne would quickly put an end to it. Thorne turned to the window, like Cress, and let out a long and obnoxious sigh.
"Ah, La France. It's even lovelier than in the postcards."
Iko snorted. "You live here."
"For like a year. I'm a pure-blooded American, babe. This is all still new to me."
From the front, Scarlet laughed and peered at them through her rear-view mirror. "I think it will always be new to you. Americans aren't the most adaptable."
"Are you kidding?" Thorne scoffed. "I've managed to survive Louisiana and all the other places that my parents have dragged me to."
"Speaking of which," Iko rolled her neck, "how was Oregon?"
Thorne crinkled his nose. "I never thought I'd say that I missed the swamps of New Orleans."
"You hated it, I can assume."
He smiled. "I swear, they should've had a sign at the airport that said; 'Welcome to bOregon.' Or should it be snOregon? I know!" He leaned back again, crossing his arms. "AbhOregon. There was no sun at all; total storm weather."
"Oh, stop it—"
"Ahhhh, August in pOregon! Ain't it grand?"
Cress said nothing throughout this exchange, instead keeping her gaze fixed to the sky. She had seen pictures of Thorne's trip on his blog, and she couldn't help but wish that she could visit such a beautiful place. She thought of it more as adOregon. Cinder, unconvincingly, was trying to fake sleep in the hopes of avoiding conversation with Thorne. While Cress thought that he was dreamy and charming, Cinder was fond of calling him a 'charisma vacuum'. Cress knew that she was only along for the ride so she could see her own beau, who just so happened to be their wonderfully generous host. She tried to hide it, but Cress could see that she was eager to reunite with Kai.
"Have you ever gone skiing before, Cress?"
Cress glanced over at Iko, whose beaming smile caught her slightly off guard. Even though they insisted that she was more than welcome, the meek, shy girl couldn't help but feel like an outsider amidst the group of close friends. From enigmatic Winter to tense Wolf, it seemed that everyone had their niche. But Cress often had to wedge herself into conversations, and even then, she was seldom heard. She didn't let it hurt, though. She knew that she should speak louder. She knew that she should be more outgoing.
"Oh, no..." she sighed, rubbing her gloved hands. "I've never even been to a mountain."
Iko's blue braids fell around her lovely face, beaming like a thousand suns. She was enough to make anyone feel a little happier. "Oh, that's a shame! Well, we're about to remedy that!" She scooted forward a bit. "Scar! How long 'til we're at Kai's cabin?"
Scarlet's red curls bounced as she shook her head. "I'm in the process of finding it. It's not so obvious."
It couldn't have been, Cress thought, as she took in the sprawling village laid out in front of her. Posh chalets and condos spread as far as she could see, above which chair lifts brought along eager skiers and snowboarders.
"He told me it's the one closest to the red chair," said Wolf.
"There are three red chairs," Scarlet grumbled. "And the GPS isn't helping."
"I'll just call Kai; he'll come out and meet us." Cinder grumbled, bringing her phone to her ear.
Thorne put his arm around Iko and brought a hand to his lips. "You wanna go skating tonight? With li'l Cress. You'd come, wouldn't you?"
Cress' head jerked around, and she cursed herself for her sudden reaction. She was sure that her cheeks burned red. "O-of course. I'd love to." No need to add that she had no idea how to skate. It was not often that Thorne addressed her directly, and she felt the oh-so annoying butterflies in her stomach every time he did.
"Since Cinder certainly wouldn't want to come with me," Thorne winked. Cinder, with a scowl, batted his attention away as she strained to overhear her boyfriend's directions over Scarlet and Wolf's bickering. Cress looked down at her lap with a smile, feigning deep interest in her polka-dotted gloves. She would not reveal her crush, she swore to herself. But, as giddy as she was, she couldn't help herself from glancing at Thorne and admiring his chestnut hair, his defined jaw, his debonair smile.
Cinder got off the phone just as Thorne was about to catch her staring at him. Cress was quick to fix her gaze back out the window. "He told us to just wait here; there's a coffee shop down the street and I'm parched." Cinder clapped her hands. "He'll meet us there and show us the way. Sound like a plan?"
"That's perfect." Wolf switched off the GPS, much to Scarlet's irritation. She eventually relented, though, and quietly parked the car in front of a quaint little expresso bar. It was something straight out a travel brochure, and Cress was once again dazzled. She felt stupid for being so impressed by the slightest thing. Iko insisted that it was cute.
"Should we all go inside, or should some of us go wait for Kai—"
"Let's go, let's go!" Scarlet cheered. "I need some coffee myself, or I swear I'm going to faint." She licked her lips. "Maybe a croissant as well."
Cress shrunk back in her seat and watched the rest of the group get out of the car. She didn't want to feel defeated. Scarlet was never rude on purpose—she didn't mean to cut her off. Surely she didn't. Cress just wasn't loud enough, is all.
"You coming, Cress?"
"Hmm." Cress forced herself to stamp down her anxiety and forced a smile. "Just...just give me a moment."
She gathered all her things in her purse, and, as she wrapped her scarf around her neck, she noticed that everyone had already gone inside. She felt her heart sinking. She was much too slow, as always. She decided that she would just continue to be slow, and go out at her own ease, since everyone was already off without her. Nervously, she opened the door and planted her feet down on the icy pavement, determined not to let herself slip. As luck would have it, though, she sped forward as soon as she took her first step, and would've fallen flat on her face had she not been caught by Thorne. She looked up, met with his warm gaze.
Cress squeaked and forced herself upright. Through the flurry of snowflakes, her long hair blew free of its bun and whisped in her face. She had chopped it all off when she finally got away from Sybil, but Iko encouraged her to once again grow it out. It didn't help Cress' case that some of it was getting in her mouth.
"Need a hand, damsel?" Thorne laughed, with his wonderful smile and sparkling eyes. Cress took his hand, trying to force down her embarrassment. She could've sworn that everyone had already gone inside.
Great. They had only just arrived and she already managed to make a fool of herself. Cress just hoped that she wouldn't be so bad on skates, or worse, on the hills.