Wasilla, Alaska
“Leslie’s only six! She can’t hang out with me and my friends.” Twelve year old Ashley Bumgarden stood over her mother while she spooned green mush into her baby brother’s mouth. She couldn’t believe her mother was doing this to her today.
“You either take her along with you or you don’t go.” Her mother wiped the gross stuff from around Aaron’s mouth.
Ashley glared at her little sister standing in the doorway. She was dressed like a snowman, her ice skates in her mitten-covered hand. Her hat had two pompoms on top like ears and matching pompoms dangled from the ties on either side of her head.
She looked stupid.
She was stupid.
Ashley could just die. Greg was going to be at the lake. She’d been in love with him for like…forever. She couldn’t show up with her dumb little sister in tow. She looked back at her mother’s stern face and knew there was no way to change her mind.
“Fine.” Ashley faced Leslie. “But you stay as far away from me and my friends as possible.” She stomped out of the kitchen.
“You hold your sister’s hand crossing the street and keep an eye on her.”
Ashley cringed.
“Did you hear me, young lady?” Her mother’s raised voice reached the hall.
She picked up her skates by the door, gave her idiot sister the stink-eye, then answered. “I hear you.”
Ashley rushed out of the house to her friends standing in the yard. “Sorry, but I have to take Les with us.”
“I don’t care, I think she’s cute,” Melissa said.
“Whatever.” Ashley stared down at the thorn in her side whose gap toothed smile mocked her. “You’re such a big pain in the butt.” Ashley turned her back on her sister and started walking.
“Um, you said a bad word. I’m telling,” Leslie said.
“Oh, shut up,” Ashley grumbled. “Walk ten feet behind, maybe that way people won’t think you’re with me.”
Trini grabbed Ashley’s hand. “It’s okay. We’ll have fun. I’m just glad we could finally get out of the house.”
Melissa snatched up Ashley’s other hand. “Yeah, stupid storm. Blizzards are supposed to happen on school days, not during vacation.”
The three friends walked side-by-side, with Leslie bringing up the rear. When they got to the end of the street, they cut through the woods. Ashley couldn’t wait to see Greg. She hadn’t seen him in a whole week. She was wearing the new hat and scarf she got for Christmas. She’d prayed all night long that he’d ask her to skate.
When they arrived at Draper’s Pond, there were other kids from school and a few grown-ups. The three friends sat on a fallen log and hurried to put on their skates. Ashley scanned the crowd, but didn’t see Greg or his friends. Her hopes crashed. “I thought you said he’d be here.”
Lacing up her skate, Melissa said, “That’s what Danny told me. They’re going to be here. They’re probably just late, that’s all.”
“Jeez, Ashley, keep your pants on.” Trini stood and brushed the snow off her rear end.
Ashley got up, adjusted her jacket and fluffed up her scarf.
“I need help,” Leslie’s tiny voice interrupted her primping. Ashley rolled her eyes at her friends and glanced down at her little sister, who was struggling to get her foot in the skate.
“Fine.” Ashley squatted and helped her. Afterward, she jumped up. “Now don’t bother me.” She grabbed the hand of each of her friends and they marched through the snow toward the ice.
They’d been skating about thirty minutes when she noticed Greg racing toward her. Her heart skipped a beat. She dropped her friend’s hands and waited.
“Hey,” he said.
“Why are you so late?” she said by way of a greeting.
“My mom made me do chores first.”
“Tough break. My mom made me bring my little sister.” Ashley searched the ice until she found Leslie clasping both hands with another little girl while they twirled in a circle. The little ones squealed as they went faster and faster. She pointed her out.
“Yeah. My little brother spent the night at a friends or I’d have had to bring him too,” Greg said.
Ashley focused back on him.
“You want to skate with me?” Greg asked.
Ashley tried not to show her excitement. “Okay.”
He took her hand and off they went. They were on their second lap when Ashley’s cheeks began to hurt from smiling so big. Not only were they skating together, but he was holding her hand for everyone to see.
“Whoa, did you see that?” Greg slowed and pointed to the other side of the lake. “I think your little sister just wiped out.”
She followed his finger and witnessed Leslie sliding face down across the ice and slam into the snow bank. “Oh, no!”
Ashley dropped his hand and raced across the pond, yelling at people to get out of her way while waving her hands. Leslie got up on all fours and shook her head.
At least it didn’t look as if she’d been hurt too bad.
Ashley could hear her sobs as they carried with the breeze. Suddenly an earsplitting scream erupted from her tiny mouth. Ashley picked up speed and slid to a stop next to her.
“You’re okay, Les.” Ashley stood behind her sister, pulling her up by the waist.
Leslie was stuttering and pointing down at the ice. “Mmm, mmm.”
“What?” Ashley hugged her tight against her body. She followed her sister’s finger and screamed so loud her throat hurt. She dragged her sister away from the horror as quickly as she could. The blades of their skates tangled and they landed in a heap.
The ghostly pale face of a woman stared up from beneath the ice. Her eyes were wild. Her mouth was wide open as if pleading for help, but there was nothing anyone could do.
The woman was already dead.