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“Jim!”
The shriek of the voice jolts Jimmy upright, his heart rabbiting in his chest. He feels his wings flare up, large and defensive behind him. There’s a face right in front of his- big, down-turned eyes, a devilish grin, and big owl wings fluffed up in excitement behind it.
“ Jesus , Bek,” Jimmy exhales. “You can’t just- I was sleeping !”
“I know.” Bek grins remorselessly, and Jimmy shoots his adoptive sister a glare. This is just rude . “But Jimmy, it snowed!”
Jimmy’s eyebrows raise, and he clambers out of bed. Normally, it’d be a struggle to get up in the morning- but thanks to Bek, Jimmy’s already about as awake as he can be. The adrenaline still rushing in his veins makes him shaky as he goes to open the window shades, and he struggles for a moment, flexing his fingers to try and get them to do what he wants them to. Bek makes herself comfortable on his bed, settling down on the edge of it and kicking her legs in the air. Jimmy shoots her a glare.
But sure enough, massive flakes of snow are coming down fast and thick, and the ground below is carpeted in the stuff. It’s probably about a foot deep- which, overnight, isn’t unheard of for Boatem. Lake effect does have its benefits, after all. But in November? Well, it’s pretty crazy. And there hadn’t been anything like this in the forecast. Jimmy pops open his phone now, and navigates to the weather app- sure enough, for all the days after this one, the highs are in the forties Fahrenheit.
“It’s all gonna melt soon,” Jimmy says absentmindedly as he closes his phone, turning back to Bek. Her wings droop slightly.
“Don’t be such a killjoy,” Bek mutters, sounding vaguely heartbroken before her tone picks back up as she continues. “We’ve got it for a day! Might as well make the most of it, you know?”
Jimmy sighs. “Yeah, yeah. So what d’you wanna do, you menace?”
“Well,” Bek starts. Jimmy gets the feeling that this is exactly the reason she ran in and woke him up in the first place. “Mom and Dad bought some skis for us this summer. And no one ever drives in this neighborhood- it’ll be a while before the snow plow makes its way through. So- until then, we can go cross-country skiing!”
“Oh, cool,” Jimmy says. He actually doesn’t know if it is cool, because he’s never skied before, but Bek seems excited enough. “How do you ski?”
“I’ll teach you,” Bek announces, “and we can go out together after we have some breakfast. Now, c’mon! Mom and Dad are making pancakes!”
A smile finds its way worming over Jimmy’s face as he follows Bek down the stairs, chasing the smell of the delicious food. Bek’s parents, John and Laura, are absolutely wonderful- truly the best people who could’ve possibly taken Jimmy in after he ran away from Patty. And John? Well, he’s just about the best cook Jimmy’s ever met. A meal made by John is a meal that will never be matched.
The pancakes are just as good as Jimmy’s been expecting, and he wolfs them down with almost inhuman speed. The conversation is quick and rushed, and before Jimmy knows it, he and Bek are out the door in their coats, two pairs of skis propped up on the porch frame.
Bek shows Jimmy how to put one on his feet as they walk out into the street, and after struggling for a second, Jimmy manages. He feels awfully clunky with the massive things bolted to his feet, but Bek shows him how to use the poles to move forward. She also demonstrates the v-shaped motion one makes with their feet to glide forward. Before Jimmy knows it, he’s gliding across the snow.
He and Bek end up laughing in a snowbank half a mile away. It’s the most fun Jimmy’s had in a long time.