I wonder if saying you don’t want a lesson, Will thought, and then sneaking around to take a lesson anyway counts as lying.

  Then he thought, I’m the laughing stock of Sorenson Resort. At least if I just sit in the lodge and drink cocoa, it can’t get any worse.

  CHAPTER 6

  SQUIRE’S FALL

  Will slouched down on the comfy little couch close to the fireplace at the lodge and watched the big TV behind the bar.

  His empty cocoa cup sat next to him on a small table. He’d finished it two hours ago, but he was too down to throw out the cup or get a refill from the coffee stand.

  Besides, there was always a little crowd gathered at the coffee stand. They’d probably recognize him as Will Pastora, newbie snowboarder and infamous liar.

  “This seat taken?” asked a familiar voice.

  “It’s a free country,” Will said.

  His sister dropped into the seat next to him and handed him a paper cup. “Mint cocoa?” she offered.

  Will glanced at her an instant. “Thanks,” he said, taking the cup. It smelled great. He loved mint in his cocoa, but he hadn’t been sure the coffee stand had any mint syrup.

  “Why aren’t you out there tearing up the slopes?” Eve asked. “You’re not going to let a couple of crashes ruin your vacation, are you?”

  “Maybe,” Will said.

  “Come on,” Eve said. “Last winter, you and I both wiped out on our boards a dozen times each! That didn’t stop us from having a good time.”

  “This winter it’s stopping me,” Will said.

  “That’s not like you,” Eve said. “You’re a lot of things, Will, but you’re not a quitter.”

  “Says who?” Will said. “I can be a quitter if I want to.”

  Eve shook her head. “Nope,” she said. “You can’t quit. For two reasons. One: I will not have my last name ruined forever by my annoying little brother.”

  “Ha-ha,” Will fake laughed.

  “And two,” Eve went on, “you already spent ten dollars to register for that race. You have to compete, or Mom and Dad will not be happy.”

  Will hadn’t thought of that. “I’ll pay them back,” he said. “I have ten dollars in my save jar at home.”

  He sighed. “Look, it’s worse than you think,” he finally admitted. “I let Jasper and Eli—the two guys I met—think that I was as good as they are. When I registered, I signed up as intermediate instead of a beginner. That means I’ll have to race on really tough trails—too tough for me.”

  Eve’s eyes widened and she nodded. “For me too, I bet,” she said. “Why’d you do that?”

  Will shrugged. “I don’t know,” he said. “I guess I didn’t want them thinking I was a baby.”

  “Will,” Eve said. “I’m sixteen. I am not a baby, but I also can’t really take on the blue runs yet. I know I’m getting better, though, and someday I’ll be able to.”

  “It’s different for you,” Will said. “You’re a girl. Your friends won’t make fun of you if you’re not as good at a sport as they think you should be.”

  “First of all, ha,” Eve said. “That’s a laugh. Girls don’t make fun of each other? You obviously haven’t met enough girls. And besides, who says Jasper or Eli will make fun of you?”

  “Eli already has,” Will said. “Every chance he gets. He definitely wouldn’t leave me alone if I raced in the beginner category.”

  “What about Jasper?” Eve asked.

  “He’s actually pretty nice. I don’t think he’d make fun of me,” Will admitted. “But it’s even worse with him. His little sister is in the beginner race! She’s eleven!”

  “You were eleven too,” Eve said, “like eighteen months ago. That’s not a very big difference. And if their family goes to ski resorts a lot, then of course they’re better snowboarders. So what?”

  Will didn’t know what to say. Eve was only a few years older, but she’d obviously already forgotten what middle school kids were like.

  “I have a solution for you,” Eve said, “and it won’t cost you a penny. Melody the instructor is basically my new best friend, and she would be happy to give you a free private lesson this afternoon when she gets off work.”

  Will nearly gasped with horror. “Um, I don’t think so,” he said. “I’d be way too embarrassed.”

  “I’d be there too,” Eve said. “I promise she won’t laugh at you.”

  “There’s no way you can know for sure she won’t laugh at me,” Will said.

  “Okay, then if she does,” Eve said, “I’ll dump her as my new best friend forever and you and I will leave her on the side of the hill and never look back.”

  Will actually laughed. “Fine,” he said. “One lesson. But if this is some kind prank you two are playing on me …”

  Eve raised one hand and said, “No prank. All good intentions. I swear.”

  * * *

  That afternoon Will and Eve met Melody at the top of the trail called Squire’s Fall.

  “A squire, like a knight’s student?” Will asked.

  Melody nodded. She wasn’t in her resort uniform anymore, so she didn’t look like a superhero—just a regular girl.

  “And ‘fall,’” Will said. “What do you think that means?”

  “Probably dying in battle or something,” Eve said.

  “So this trail is named for a student dying,” Will said, looking down the gentle slope toward the lodge. “Great.”

  Melody smiled at him. “I promise,” she said, “no one has died on Squire’s Fall.”

  “No instructions this time,” she went on. “We’ll just go down together, nice and easy, and I’ll give you tips at the bottom. Think you can handle that?”

  “Yes,” Will said.

  “And you won’t try anything crazy,” Melody said, “like snowboarding off the trail and into the trees, right?”

  Will sighed. “Right,” he said.

  “Ready?” Melody asked, glancing at Eve.

  Eve nodded. The three boarders buckled in, pulled down their goggles, and slid off the edge.

  Will’s shoulder was stiff from yesterday’s wipeout, and his legs weren’t in great shape, either. But on the beginner slope—and with some emotional support from Eve—Will kept his turns smooth.

  He loved the sound of his board’s base whispering over the fresh-laid snow. His spirit soared as his legs and feet worked with him, pulling the tail to turn right, urging it forward to raise the toe edge to turn left.

  He cut across the wide trail over and over, keeping up with Melody and Eve. He was sure Melody wasn’t exactly trying her hardest, but it felt good to stick with the older riders without much trouble.

  At the bottom, Will twisted to a perfect stop alongside his sister and teacher.

  “Nice!” Melody said, putting out her palm. “I didn’t even see anything to work on.”

  Will pulled up his goggles and rolled his eyes.

  “Come on, Will. Don’t leave me hanging.” Melody waved her hand.

  Will laughed and slapped her hand. “All right,” she said. “Let’s go again.”

  They spent the afternoon going up and down Squire’s Fall. With each run, Will’s legs got stronger, and his spirit grew more confident. By the time the sun began to dip behind the mountain, the three riders were laughing and having fun.

  “It’s almost dark,” Melody said when all three gathered at the bottom after their fastest run so far, “and I have to be home for dinner. But let’s take one more run.”

  “Sure,” Will said. He headed for the lift to the top of Squire’s Fall.

  “Uh-uh,” Melody said, grabbing his arm. She nodded behind her. “Let’s try Knight’s Trail one time.”

  Will looked at Eve, who nodded eagerly. “I’m game,” she said.

  “I don’t know,” Will said. “You saw what happened to me last time.”

  “That was before a half day of lessons with the best teacher on the mountain,” Melody said.

  “Come on, bro,” Eve said. “You did it for those two kids you met yesterday. Do it for me.”

  “All right,” Will said. He looked toward the top of Knight’s Trail and his heart tumbled in his chest. “Let’s go.”

  CHAPTER 7

  KNIGHT’S TRAIL

  Will made sure to avoid the middle seat on the chairlift this time.

  It was almost night on the mountain. The lights clicked on, casting a golden glow over the slopes. It made the woods at the edges of the trails look even darker and scarier.

  The icy wind across the mountain became cold and hard, especially up on the lift. Their chair swung in the wind. Will held tight to the bar in front of them.

  “You got this, bro,” Eve said.

  “For sure,” Melody said, leaning forward a little. “You’re a super quick learner, and you definitely have some natural talent for snowboarding.”

  “Really?” Will said, shocked. “Then why do I fall so much?”

  “I didn’t see one wipeout this afternoon,” Melody said.

  That was true, Will knew. Still—he wasn’t feeling very confident.

  Melody lifted the bar. They were almost to the exit ramp.

  “Ready?” she said. “I’ll go left, Eve, go straight, and Will, you go to the right. Don’t start down without me.”

  I can do this, he thought. He kept his eyes on the ramp. He was careful to stand without pushing off his sister or the chair, but to just let the ramp and his board guide him down and to the right.

  He took a deep breath, stood up, and placed his right boot on the back of his board. His left boot was already strapped in.

  With ease, he slid to the right, leaning a little over the toe edge as he went. In a moment, Melody and Eve joined him at the top of Knight’s Trail.

  “Nicely done,” Melody said. “Will, I want you to go down first. Eve and I will follow behind you.”

  “Me?” Will said. “You want me to lead?”

  “Sure,” Melody said, pulling down her goggles. She bent over to strap in her right foot. “That way I’ll be able to watch your technique as you go. This lesson is mostly for you, right?”

  “Makes sense, I guess,” Will said.

  “Whenever you’re ready, then,” Melody said.

  Will pulled on his goggles. Eve did the same.

  “Here goes nothing,” Will said. He hopped over the edge.

  In the golden light of the night lamps, the first drop felt otherworldly. Everything Melody had taught him that day seemed almost second nature.

  He picked up speed quickly, but he knew he could hold the turns. He cut back and forth across the face of the trail, just as Melody had taught him. It was just like the green run, but faster.

  He smiled as the icy night wind cut into his cheeks. He shortened up his turns, allowing him to move a little faster and to keep his board’s nose pointing more steeply downhill.

  Will loved the feel of picking up speed, and he loved the sound of the icy machine-made snow as his tail swished back and forth.

  “Slow down, Will!” Melody called behind him.

  “I’m fine!” he shouted back, though he was sure the wind carried his voice away and Melody didn’t hear.

  Ahead, after a steeper drop, the trail cut to the left. Will recognized the spot as where he’d crashed the day before.

  “Not this time,” he said to himself. He gritted his teeth and turned hard to the left to take the steep section at a diagonal.

  As he reached the bottom of the steep section, though, he was going too hard into the left turn. Before he could slow down, he overturned.

  For an instant, his nose was pointing back uphill before the toe edge caught the packed snow of the trail and sent him face-first into a wipeout. If not for the board acting like a brake behind him, he would have slid all the way into the woods again.

  A few seconds later, Melody and Eve slid to a stop beside him.

  “So much for natural talent,” Will said. He rolled over onto his back and pulled up his knees.

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” Melody said. She put out her hands to pull him up. “Everyone wipes out sometimes.”

  Will grabbed her hands and let her pull him up.

  “You okay to finish the run?” Eve asked.

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” Will said. “A little embarrassed.”

  “Pff,” Melody said. “You’re out here after dark, working hard. Nothing embarrassing about that.”

  “I guess,” Will said.

  “Besides,” Eve said, “from what I’ve seen on this run, if you’re just a little more careful on that last turn, you’ll be fine in that intermediate race tomorrow.”

  “Race?” Melody said. “You’re in the competition tomorrow?”

  Will nodded.

  “In intermediate?” Melody asked.

  Will looked away.

  “I guess I shouldn’t have said anything,” Eve said. “But yeah, he is.”

  “Look, Will,” Melody said. “You’re a fast learner and you’re doing well. But I don’t think riding in the intermediate group is a good idea. It’s not just Knight’s Trail—it’s the snowboard cross trail, a lot of competitors all in there together. Jumps, hard turns, drops—it’ll be a rough ride.”

  “Too late now,” Will said. “I registered intermediate.”

  Melody pulled her goggles back on. “Not necessarily,” she said.

  “What do you mean?” Will asked.

  “Let’s finish this run,” Melody said. “I have some people to talk to in the lodge before I head home for the day.”

  With that, she took off down the mountain. By the time Will and Eve finished their run down the green portion, Melody was long gone.

  CHAPTER 8

  FESSING UP

  “I don’t think I can do this,” Will said. He and Eve walked toward the check-in table on Sunday morning.

  “You’ll be fine,” Eve said. “Melody handled it.”

  “I know,” Will said. He turned around and found Eli and Jasper heading their way. “That’s not the part I’m worried about.”

  “Hey, you two,” Melody said as they stepped up to the table. She was back in her superhero resort uniform.

  She looked at Will. “Ready to race?” she asked.

  “I think so,” Will said.

  Eli and Jasper stepped up next to him.

  “There he is,” Eli said. “What happened to you yesterday?”

  “Yeah,” Jasper said. “We didn’t see you all day.”

  “Oh,” Will said. His voice shook with nervousness. “I was around.”

  Eli looked over the paperwork on the table. “Isn’t this the beginner race check-in table?” he asked.

  “Must be,” Jasper said. “The intermediate races are later this morning.”

  “So what are you doing signing in here?” Eli asked.

  “I know you made a mistake on the form,” Jasper said, “but I thought you fixed that mistake.”

  Will glanced at Eve. She nodded at him.

  “My mistake was changing my skill level back when I signed up,” Will said.

  “What do you mean?” Jasper asked.

  Melody smiled at him.

  Will turned and faced Jasper and Eli. “I should have left it as beginner,” he said. “My mistake was lying and saying I was an intermediate snowboarder.”

  Jasper stared at him, but Eli laughed. “I bet Jasper’s little sister will beat you in the race too,” he said. “What a newb.”

  With that, Eli walked away, still laughing.

  “Sorry,” Will said to Jasper. “For lying, I mean.”

  “You should have just said you were a beginner,” Jasper said. “Who cares? I would have gone with you on the greens or helped you out on the blues. Then I wouldn’t have had to spend my entire day with him.” Jasper thumbed over his shoulder toward Eli.

  Will laughed. “Good point,” he said.

  “Good luck in the race,” Jasper said, “but of course I’ll be rooting for my sister.”

  CHAPTER 9

  TIME TO RACE

  The first round of the beginner competition was a downhill race with staggered starts on a green circle called Apprentice’s Wand. It was a new trail for Will. The day before, the crew had been preparing it for the competition, so no one could practice on it.

  Every thirty seconds, a pair of racers started together. That way the slope wouldn’t get too crowded.

  Though they were all beginners, some displayed more skills than others.

  The top four riders would move on to the final race.

  Will and his starting partner were the first racers to start. Will lined up at the start and strapped on his board. A few feet away at the other gate was his starting partner, a girl who looked a little younger than him.

  “I’m Essa,” she said.

  “Will,” he replied. “Are you Jasper’s sister?”

  “Oh, yeah,” she said. “He told me you’d be in the race too. My biggest competition.” She pulled down her goggles.

  “Okay, you two are our oldest beginner boarders,” said the judge at the top of the slope. He was the same young man who had gotten Will registered on Friday. “So you’re going first and hopefully fastest. We don’t want to clog up the trail.”

  “That’s kind of depressing, isn’t it?” Essa said to Will out of the side of her mouth. “I guess we’ll be racing against a bunch of babies.”

  “I only go snowboarding once a year,” Will said. “I guess I’m doing all right. And you’ll probably be racing black diamonds before you’re out of middle school.”

  “So true,” Essa said with a smile.

 

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