A Chance for Charity (The Immortal Ones) by S.L. Baum Page B

we went. Weirdly, I found it nowhere
near as hard as I had imagined. Link sped up just a tiny bit so he
could turn around and ski backwards right in front of me. Showoff!
As we made our way down the slope Link would shout out little
instructions. “Straighten your left ski a little,” or “Press down
on your right foot we are coming toward a curve,” and “Keep the
skis straight for a minute we need to build up a little speed
here.” The instructions kept coming and before I knew it The Peaks
had joined Meadows and we were soon at the bottom of the hill.
    We got in line for the ski lift, our passes
were scanned, and I shuffled and maneuvered my way to the lift. It
was a weird sensation, sitting and being lifted up all at the same
time. My feet, heavy with boots and skis, dangled in the air. I
gazed out at our surroundings and watched all the other skiers
below us. You could see them whizzing down, falling down, and
gliding down the hill. I was extremely proud of myself for making
it, without the falling down part.
    “ Get ready, we’re coming to
the end,” Link said.
    “ Oh no, what do I do?” I
turned to him with panic filled eyes. I hadn’t anticipated the
getting off part.
    “ Just keep your skis
straight and stand up when your feet are firmly on the
ground.”
    I looked at him with little confidence,
“Okay,” I squeaked. I watched the people in front of us, determined
to copy their movements. My skis hit the snow and I stood up. I
started to slide forward, but my feet wouldn’t move the way I
wanted them to. I looked down, saw that my skis were crossed, I
lost my balance, and fell. An alarm sounded behind me as the ski
lift came to a halt. Link reached out his hand to pull me up.
    When he was sure I was steady he grabbed my
poles out of the snow and whispered in my ear, “It’s okay, everyone
falls down sometime.”
    “ I thought I was doing so
well,” I whined.
    “ You are, you’re doing
amazing,” he smiled.
    I managed to move out of the way, thanks to
Link, and the lift re-started. My cheeks were burning, I was
mortified. My humiliation deepened when I looked up and noticed
Summer and Rusty waving at me, a laughing smile played on their
lips.
    “ Told ya she’d be falling
down,” Rusty whispered to Summer, keeping his eyes on me as he
continued to smile and wave.
    “ Shut up, they’re coming
this way,” she hissed back at him.
    Sometimes I really wished my hearing wasn’t
so sharp. I smiled and waved in return. Then we made our way over
to where they stood, with one boot on their boards, one in the
snow.
    “ Hey guys, pretty smooth
huh? Are Burke and Delilah with you?” I directed my question to
Summer, too self-conscious from my fall to look Rusty in the eyes.
His expression still screamed, I told you
so .
    “ They’re down there
somewhere. We decided to do a couple of runs with them and then
we’ll head over to lift four. Dee’s having a pretty hard time of
it,” Summer answered me but kept staring at Link.
    “ Sorry... Manners...
Summer, Rusty, this is Link. Link... Summer and Rusty,” I hurried
through the introductions.
    “ Hey,” they both chimed at
the same time.
    “ Nice to meet you,” Link
smiled.
    “ You guys go on ahead,
we’ll start in a sec,” I urged, not wanting an audience for my next
screw-up.
    “ Okay, see ya,” Summer
waved goodbye and caught up to Rusty who had disappeared in a flash
the second I’d dismissed them.
    As soon as they were out of sight, through
the narrow entrance, Link grasped my shoulders, “We’re going
through that entrance. Just watch your speed like I showed you.
We’re not going to do The Peaks this time, just Meadows. If you
feel like you are going way too fast then turn and head back up the
hill. That’ll bring you to a stop. Remember, I am with you,” he
squeezed my shoulders and flashed me my smile.
    “ Okay, thanks for the pep
talk. I’m feeling brave. Let’s do it,” I smiled back a little more
confident now.
    I dug