Chapter 17

The main street of Oxford was officially set for Christmas�"a 30-foot-tall tree covered with lights in the center of the town, wreaths with velvet ribbons on every lamp and telephone post, and most of all, it was flowing with the cheery spirit of the holidays that came with every visitor of any hour of the day.

          “I can’t believe we’re doing this,” Anna said, smiling at Lizzy, as they both strolled down the snow-surrounded sidewalk of the Oxford main street. Her cheeks resembled pink frosting; they were rosy from the cold. “It’s not even 20 degrees outside!” Anna laughed at the thought.

          Lizzy giggled with Anna. “But just think…in less than a minute we’ll be inside the Tea Leaf drinking creamy hot cocoa in the presence of a crackling fire! It will be just grand, my darling!” Lizzy said, mimicking in a sophisticated manner, as she twirled around on the sidewalk. The snow surrounded her like a shaken-up snow globe in the middle of a toy store.

          Anna laughed. “What am I going to do with you? You’re so loopy!” Anna said, giggling at her energized friend.

          Lizzy was, indeed, loopy about something. It was the day before the Cadwell family left to Cannon Lake to spend Christmas with Jerry’s brother and sister-in-law, Rich and Joanie�"and Lizzy was simply ecstatic. Not only was she radiant with the fact of the Christmas season arriving, she also couldn’t contain herself with the thought of being in the middle of an English forest for a whole week. Ice-skating, fishing, hikes in the tall woodlands, and even relaxing by a toasty, warm fire seemed more than a pleasant idea to Lizzy. And on top of that, she was spending it with Braden.

          Soon, the two girls arrived at the Tea Leaf, which was, like the rest of the main street stores, all decorated in pine roping and blossoming with winter and holiday-esque merchandise.

          “After you,” Anna said jokingly, like a twentieth century butler. She waved her hand in a mannerly motion as Lizzy slipped into the toasty café.

          “Thank you,” Lizzy said, like a proper lady. She played along.

          The two burst out in laughter.

          “I am going to miss you so much.” Said Anna, after their laughter ceased. She took off her small mittens. “Who am I going to call in urgencies of ‘my-father-is-meditating-and-I-need-to-get-out-of-the-house’ type situations?” Anna said, as if completely clueless.

          Lizzy smiled as she slid off her plum colored pea coat. “We can still talk! There must be some reception up there, right?” Lizzy said, actually musing the thought.

          Anna shook her head. “Most likely not, way up in the north forests. Maybe you’d be lucky to get a bar or two.” Anna said, grinning, as she inhaled the sweet and creamy aroma of the store.

          “It smells so good…” Lizzy said, inhaling also, with her eyes shut. “I think I might get a vanilla Chai latte.”

          “Mmm,” Anna said. “That sounds delicious. But personally, I think I’m leaning more toward the hot cocoa.”

          Lizzy smiled. “Well, we should probably snag that seat over there before someone else gets a hold of it.” Lizzy said, indicating the two seats by the crackling fire.  

          The two strolled over to the glowing, inviting hearth. Two sets of checkers lay on the stone surface, ready for anyone to play.

          Anna and Lizzy sat down in the chairs, and picked up their menus. The list was long, but they both picked out what they wanted in a matter of no time.

          “A vanilla chai latte, please, with a blueberry scone--” Lizzy said, talking to the waitress.

          “�"And a hot cocoa with whipped cream, please.” Anna said, handing in her menu.

          “Alright,” said the waitress. “That will be right out for you.” The waitress then wandered back to the kitchen area with their orders.

          “So, what time are you guys leaving tomorrow morning?” Anna asked Lizzy, as the orange fire sparked with yellow flames.

          “Well, Jerry said we’d want to make it out before 10:30 in the morning, so I’m guessing probably about 10:00 o’clock.” Lizzy said.

          “Wow, so you’ll be there until the…?” Anna trailed off.

          “The twenty-seventh of December. Tomorrow’s the twentieth, right?” Lizzy inquired.

          “Yup,” Anna said. “So a whole week of remoteness…away from the city life…you ready?” Anna pondered.

Lizzy smiled in excitement. “I don’t know, but I can’t wait…it’s going to be so much fun!”  “Definitely.” Anna said.

Before long, two cups of steaming hot beverages were placed on the table along with Lizzy’s scone. It was the perfect thing to eat right in the middle of a winter flurry of a delightful main street, especially with your best friend.

The two spent an hour more in the Tea Leaf before leaving. Even when the snowfall picked up, they continued to walk home. And at the corner of south Main Street and the road leading to Foxglove Avenue, they parted ways.

“I’ll try to call you as soon as I get there.” Lizzy said.

“Yes!” Anna said. “You have to tell me what it’s like up there…it has to be exquisite!” Anna jumped up and down.

“I will,” Lizzy said. She then pulled her in for a hug.

“I’ll see you on the twenty-seventh, then, okay?” Lizzy said, as they pulled apart.

“Okay,” Anna said. “Have a wonderful Christmas!”

“You too, Anna!” Lizzy said, as they began to walk their separate directions. Only then did Lizzy realize her true excitement rush into her bloodstream�"this trip to north England felt like it was going to be the most important trip of her life.

 

                   ~

Lizzy pulled the zipper shut on her biggest oyster-colored travel bag…it almost felt like she was leaving to New Hampshire, but she knew that wasn’t the case. She looked out her window that was currently getting attacked by what seemed like a swarm of snow acting as angry bumblebees. She had to laugh at the apparent character of the snow. Nonetheless, Lizzy was “packed and ready to go” as one would say, and was more excited than she ever had been in Oxford. She was on her way to northern England, up in the cold, remote, forest covered in spruce trees, bordered by Cannon Lake, which was where she would be staying. It was absolutely thrilling to think about.

Lizzy headed downstairs with her bulky suitcase. She had placed her tiny toiletries bag inside it, so she would seem like a light packer. Lizzy had never been on a trip with the Cadwells before, and she wanted to make sure she took up as little space as possible in the car, especially because her suitcase was already so large.

As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she headed over to the door, where she set her suitcase. She already saw Braden’s suitcase there, so Lizzy figured he must already be up, and was most likely more awake than she was.

Lizzy wandered out into the living room and headed toward the kitchen. She smelled a buttery aroma, and soon enough heard sizzling and the swirling of a whisk against a pan. She decided to step inside.

“Lizzy!” Braden exclaimed. He turned away from the stove, where he was stirring eggs in the frying pan. “This was supposed to be a surprise.” He said, in a sarcastically disappointed way.

Lizzy widened her eyes and smiled. “Sorry,” she said genuinely.

“No problem,” Braden said, laughing. “I’m just messing with you.” 

Lizzy giggled. “So, why are you up so early anyway?” She asked. “Do you always make a grand breakfast for everyone before vacation?” Lizzy hoisted herself up on to the counter across the stove, and watched her feet dangle as he stirred the eggs.

“Actually,” he said, as he went to the fridge for some herbs. “I do. It is one of our family traditions.” He looked toward her a grinned.

Lizzy grinned. “Ah,” she said. “So what else did you make?”

“Well, underneath the foil there are some Belgian waffles…” Braden said, sprinkling some herbs into the eggs.

“Awesome,” Lizzy said. “It sounds really good,” she smiled at him.

“I’m glad I made something you like.” He said, letting every one of his teeth show as he beamed at her. Lizzy smirked inwardly and giggled. It was just too wonderful to have a cute guy making breakfast for you in the morning.

Braden paused. “But anyway,” he said, as he turned off the fire for the eggs. “I was trying to stray away from pancakes…I made them last year.” Braden said. He finished stirring the eggs and pulled a fork out of a drawer.

Lizzy smiled. He was so sweet when he cooked. She watched him as he scooped up a small bunch of scrambled eggs from the pan and turned around to her.

“Try them,” he said, lifting the fork up to her mouth. Lizzy opened and tasted the hot scrambled food. She closed her eyes, just like she always would when tasting something delicious. The eggs were heavenly, but not only because they were flavorful. It was because they were made by Braden.

“Do you like them?” He said hopefully, his crystal blue-green eyes looked up at her, as she was still sitting on the counter next to him.

“Mmm-hmm,” she said, he mouth closed. “They’re amazing,” she said, as she perkily bounced off the countertop.

“Great!” Braden said. “Now we can set the table, and I’ll get everyone up. Do you mind getting out plates and stuff?”

“Nope,” Lizzy said as she jumped off the countertop.

“Thanks,” Braden said, as he went upstairs.

As Lizzy finished setting the table, (with a prearranged vase of flowers and all) Jerry and Sylvia came down the stairs, followed by an unhurried Gwen, who seemed to be texting someone. Lizzy figured it was either Hanna, her best friend, or Sean, her new boyfriend who she could never seem to stop talking to.

As everyone gathered in the kitchen, Braden cleared his throat like he was going to announce something important.

“So,” he said, “I got up extra early and made every one these Belgian waffles, and some eggs, to every one’s likings…” Braden paused as they all took a seat. He smiled at Lizzy. “Which is scrambled.”

“Oh, my boy, what would we do without you?” Jerry said, as he placed a napkin in his lap. He smiled at Braden.

They all sat down and soon the waffles, followed by authentic maple syrup, were served, along with the scrambled eggs. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, as well as enjoying the food, for there was much silence at the table; all Lizzy could hear was crunching, chewing, and drinking of juice and coffee.

Soon, Sylvia, Jerry, and Gwen headed upstairs to finish packing their things and to get ready for the 5-hour car ride to Cannon Lake. Meanwhile, because Braden and Lizzy were already packed, they washed the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen. In a matter of an hour after breakfast, it was nearly ten o’clock, practically time to leave.

“Alright,” Jerry said in an excitable manner. “Are we set to go?” He said, anticipating the family’s nodding heads. But no one said anything, due to the fidgeting around with zippers and purses and such.

“Yes, dad,” Gwen said, sighing in annoyance. Apparently Jerry wasn’t going to move until someone verbally replied. Gwen held her glossy blue sliding keyboard phone in one hand, ready to text for entertainment in the car. She started tapping her foot.

“Okay! Let’s go!” Jerry quickly picked up two suitcases (which included his own and Sylvia’s) and opened the door leading into the garage and out to the car.

Braden looked at Lizzy as Sylvia and Gwen went in front of them. “Aren’t you excited?” He said. He picked up his duffel bag and slung it over his shoulder. It looked as if it weighed so much, yet he picked it up without a problem. Lizzy tried to keep her twitterpated feelings inside, as she began to pick up her oyster colored suitcase. But to her surprise, a strong hand got to the handle of it before she did.

“I’ll get it,” Braden said, showing glossy teeth that any dentist would be proud of, in the form of a perfect smile. He looked into her eyes for half a second as he opened the door for Lizzy.

“Thank you,” Lizzy said, carrying nothing but her purse and her amazement of such a polite person as she went out the door. Braden followed with two bags and no struggles to carry them whatsoever.

As the family loaded the bags in the backseat, Jerry started up the car in the garage. Red headlights illuminated the room slightly. 

“Braden, would you open the garage, sweetheart?” Sylvia called from the passenger seat as she slid into the car.

“Yup,” Braden said, closing the gate of the trunk. He half-ran over to the large, brown garage door and lifted it all the way up. Suddenly, a huge blast of snow and white light swept into the garage like the power of a thousand vacuums in reverse function.  Braden looked a little alarmed at the flurry that had blown itself onto him. Quickly, Jerry pulled out of the garage and onto the snow-capped driveway, as Braden shut the door. He ran quickly over to the backseat door and opened it, forcing Gwen into the middle of the three-person row. She was abruptly interrupted from her texting as she was squished into Lizzy as Braden climbed in.

“Braden!” She exclaimed. “I have to have a window seat!” Gwen said, “I’ll…get better service if I’m not in the middle,” She looked as if she knew that wasn’t really true, but she debated the thought anyhow.

“Sorry, no turning back now,” Braden said, laughing slightly.

Gwen gave him a mock-death stare as he laughed.

“Okay, we’ll switch.” Braden said willingly.

Gwen looked a little surprised at his offer. Lizzy was too, for she hated being in the middle also. She hoped that Gwen would somehow reject his proposition, so Lizzy wouldn’t be squished up against him for almost five hours. But she knew Gwen would take it, so she just looked out the window at the pharmacy they were passing, as if she wasn’t paying attention.

“Okay, then,” Gwen said, as she unbuckled. Braden did the same, and they both switched places.

Lizzy’s spine felt like a compressed slinky. She was feeling all jittery; she wasn’t expecting this to happen. Out of all the things she thought of as she was lying in bed the night before that could potentially make this trip tenser than it actually was, this particular situation was not one of them. She took a deep breath in, hoping it would make her feel more relaxed. But it didn’t, because the scent of the air she breathed in happened to be the scent of Braden, which in fact, smelled very good.

“So, kids, you want to watch a movie? Your mother brought her laptop.” Jerry said, as he looked at Gwen, Braden, and Lizzy from the rearview mirror.

“Um, not yet dad. Maybe later. Thanks, though.” Braden said. He grinned slightly as he looked at Lizzy.

“What?” Lizzy said, leaning in, curious to why he was smiling.

He leaned into her, looking around to see if anyone was listening. “In about five seconds, dad will turn on the classical station, and start to hum along to it. He always does that whenever we start out a road trip.” Braden whispered to Lizzy. He looked at her with his radiant eyes and then nodded toward the radio.

“Five…four…three…two…” Braden mouthed ‘one’, as he looked at his dad in expectation.

Surely enough, Jerry put his hand to the dial of the radio and tuned it to the classical station.

Lizzy started to giggle. Braden snickered along with her.

“What are we going to do?” Lizzy asked, as if this were the worst thing on the planet.

“I have a solution,” Braden said, reaching into his coat pocket, pulling out his iPod.  

“Can we listen to it?” Lizzy asked, reaching for an ear bud.

“Nope, it’s all mine.” Braden said as he turned it on and put the right earphone in.

Lizzy’s mouth dropped in sarcastic disappointment. Her eyebrows crinkled together as she smiled. “Well, that isn’t fair,” she said quietly, almost inaudibly.

Braden suddenly grinned and handed her the left earphone. He smiled at her and looked at his ipod.

“Here, I have the perfect play list for times like these,” Braden said, as he clicked to a menu that displayed play lists. He scrolled down some, and selected the play list option.

“Times like what?” Lizzy asked. As soon as she said that, she realized it was a stupid question.

“When we’re together,” Braden said, as he pushed the center button on a certain play list.

As soon as Lizzy realized the flattery of the sentence he let escape his mouth, she felt the infatuated feeling that she knew so well climb up and down her arms like so many times before. As the feeling ceased, only then did she realize the familiar beat coming from the headphones.

 

I know you may be disinclined,
to find the love we left behind,
so kiss me then make up your mind

Lizzy felt shivers crawl up her spine for the second time that morning. The song was from the night they almost made Boston cream pie, and the night she found out about what she learned to not be such a big deal�"Mia.

Lizzy listened to the song with the utmost of a lovebird feeling. When the song ended, more songs that they had listened to together played. Occasionally, their eyes met while she was looking at him, or he was looking at her. But all the looks turned into were playful smiles. Lizzy knew that all she was thinking about was the notion of Braden feeling the same way. The only problem was, she didn’t know if that notion was true or not.

~

          Five hours had passed, and the green digital clock in the Cadwell’s SUV read past three o’clock in the afternoon. Lizzy had fallen asleep many times; careful to lean against the window, in order to avoid any awkward instances in which she woke up only to find out she had been sleeping on Braden’s shoulder.

          “Well, everyone, I am pleased to say we are almost to our final destination,” Jerry said. Lizzy had just woken up a few moments ago, and she was happy to hear the news Jerry had just announced. She wasn’t sure if she could take sitting in a car for much longer.

          “Wonderful,” Sylvia said. “I am ready to get out and take in some fresh air.” She smiled as she looked toward the window.

          Lizzy looked out the window also, only to realize that the view included one thing: towering green pine trees for miles and miles around. She woke up a little, excited to be getting out of the car and also to meet Aunt Joanie and Uncle Rich. Just from their names, Lizzy pictured them to be kind, woodsy people. She couldn’t wait to see their house.

          Jerry soon approached an extremely steep stone driveway that led up to what seemed like a camp’s registration building. It was made out of brown logs, but wasn’t small in the slightest. It had a large peak in front and a balcony on the side, facing west. From the low point of the hill, that was all Lizzy could see.

          “And we made it!” Jerry said as he was pulling up the tall driveway. Lizzy could now see more of the house, and also the frozen lake beside it. Surrounding the lake were very skippable rocks, but would be no use when the lake was solid. Lizzy looked out the window once more as they came to a stop by the lodge-like house. It was up on a hill, standing gloriously like a mountain, but not absolutely covered by trees. Snow capped the roof, but around the chimney the snow had melted due to smoke from a fire billowing out. Several wooden steps led up to the rustic, but almost palace-like home, to the front porch where a grand wooden door with glass designs on it welcomed any guest by sparkling like diamonds in the sunlight. It was like an oasis in the middle of vast tundra. The atmosphere to the whole place was serene…it was almost like the northern lights would appear in the sky any moment.

          Soon, the car was parked, and all five of them unfolded themselves out of the rather cramped SUV and took a look at the winter beauty.

          The first thing Lizzy felt was cold air surrounding her body. She wore her fleece magenta jacket over two other layers of clothing, but still, she felt as though she’d be frozen within a minute.

          Jerry inhaled deeply and closed his eyes, as if thinking that there was no place on earth better than there. He then opened them, and began to go to the trunk, where Lizzy, Braden and Gwen were huddled together, more or less to gain body heat from each other. 

          “Okay, gang, let’s get the luggage together and head inside!” Jerry exclaimed, visible breath that looked like a miniature cloud coming out of his mouth. Together, they all emptied the trunk and started to walk to the porch of this house, which was almost directly above them, due to the steepness of the stairs that led up to the house.

          “Are we all going to be okay carrying up our bags?” Jerry asked. Everyone had pretty much stationed their things in their arms so their luggage would not fall onto the stairs and topple down. There were only about ten steps, thankfully, but the walk up them was still a little intimidating. In a matter of a minute or so, they had made it to the front porch, then the front door, which gave off an even warmer glow than it had by the car. As Jerry was about to knock on the majestic door, Lizzy saw that someone had already beat him to it. The door swung open with great enthusiasm.

          In the doorway, standing were two figures, one, being Aunt Joanie, who was rather tall and robust, and wore a hefty woolen sweater. Her hair was silver, in a “bob” style, and she had warm brown eyes.  And the other being Uncle Rich, who was even taller than Aunt Joanie, and had graying hair that covered most of his head. A perky mustache rested above his lip. Both of them were smiling graciously as they greeted the Cadwells and Lizzy.

          “Oh, I am so glad you made it!” Aunt Joanie exclaimed as she hugged Jerry, then Sylvia. “I apologize for not helping with luggage, sometimes it is so difficult to see if anyone has arrived!”

          “Oh, don’t mind it, Joanie,” Sylvia said. “It is nice to see you again, dear.” Sylvia pulled away as Braden began to hug Aunt Joanie.

          “Jerry!” Uncle Rich said in a gruff, booming voice. He smiled with friendly creases around eyes, which gave off the same feeling as his graying mustache, which somehow seemed like a happy squirrel frolicking above his mouth.

          After the hugging of all the Cadwells had finished, Lizzy decided it would be a good idea to introduce herself, and sound grateful to be there. Thankfully, Jerry rescued her from doing it herself.

          “And this is Lizzy Hunt, who, as you know, is staying with us this school year in place of Bridget.” Jerry said, smiling. Lizzy glanced at him graciously and saw that he had the same eyes as Uncle Rich, warm and comforting.

          “How wonderful it is to meet you, Lizzy.” Aunt Joanie said as she extended her hand to Lizzy.

          “And the same to you. I am so excited to be here!” Lizzy said thoughtfully.

          Aunt Joanie smiled widely, but genuinely, as Uncle Rich stepped forward and extended his hand to Lizzy. “Pleasure to meet you, Lizzy.” He said happily, firmly and kindly shaking her hand. Soon enough, they all stepped inside and set down the bulky luggage.

          Lizzy, though amongst Jerry and Sylvia who were catching up with Aunt Joanie and Uncle Rich, stood in awe as she admired the astounding interior of the house. The ceilings were about twenty-five feet tall, coming to a peak at the ceiling where the tip of the roof was. On the wooden walls hung many mounted animals, a result of hunting, all surrounding a tall, stone fireplace crackling with a warmth and a glow that attracted Lizzy so to the point where she wanted to sit by it and fall asleep. In the room was a deep burgundy pit couch, laden with matching quilts and pillows. In the center was a large wooden table with many magazines like National Geographic fanned out neatly across the table. On the far wall, opposite the fireplace, a large bookcase filled with many novels and stories stood with beautiful, sparkling geodes as bookstands. Atop the bookcase was a large wreath made with real holly berries and pinecones, which gave a certain woodsy aroma to the room. Beside the bookcase, in the corner, was a maple wood piano that somehow gleamed with a certain manner that made Lizzy feel like it was an important artifact to the house. And what made the room feel complete were the two, tall, wide windows across from the door that peered out into the immeasurable amounts of trees.  Below the magnificent windows lay one long, velvet window seat that matched the couch’s color. Several pillows were set on the seat, making it feel like a comfy spot to snuggle up and ponder any thought that might enter your mind. So far, this was the only room Lizzy had seen, but she had a feeling that it would remain one of her favorites.

          “Well, you all must be a bit exhausted; you can go up to your rooms if you’d like to freshen up.” Rich said, smiling as the corners of his mouth turned up.

          “Oh yes, that could be very nice, Rich.” Sylvia said. “You know how long car rides can be.”

          And with that, Sylvia, Braden, Gwen, and Lizzy followed Joanie to the bedroom part of the house while Jerry and Uncle Rich went to the kitchen.

          Aunt Joanie led everyone up the stairs that allowed one to see the living room from a bird’s eye view, and into a hallway that was shaped like a capital letter “L”. There were three bedrooms total, one was Aunt Joanie and Uncle Rich’s, the one next to that was Sylvia and Jerry’s, and the one rounding the corner of the hallway that was opposite the wall that held the fireplace was Gwen and Lizzy’s. The room Lizzy and Gwen were sleeping in had two twin beds across from each other, and the room Sylvia and Jerry had was the one guest bedroom. 

          “And Braden, dear, you know where you’ll be sleeping…” Aunt Joanie said, elbowing him jovially.

          “Oh yes, that place…” Braden said. “I’ll be down there, then,” Braden said. He then went downstairs with his luggage.

          Just as Lizzy was about to ask where ‘that place’ was, she saw Gwen walking to their room and she decided to follow.

          “Where is ‘that place’?” Lizzy asked, laughing a bit.

          “The den. There’s a huge plushy chaise lounge in there, so he’s fine. I think he rather enjoys it, actually.” Gwen said, as they entered upon the room.

Before Lizzy could ask which bed Gwen would like to claim, Gwen had already plopped her bags down on top of the bed pushed against the left wall. The two beds were identical, so it wasn’t a problem. Likewise, Lizzy walked to the bed beside the right wall and set her things down as she observed the room.  Deep green comforters were placed on the beds, and beneath it were two other blankets, one tan polyester blanket, and a brown sheet. The pillow had an embroidered sham with rich accents of blue designs swirling about it, like shimmering wind. Lizzy felt a little ridiculous about being so consumed in a house, but she knew that this was also her first time there, so she figured she was allowed to be a little amazed.

          Lizzy looked around the room a bit more, observing the painting hanging on the wall between the two beds. There were also two dressers on the opposite wall, both bearing a cozy lamp and a few in place knick-knacks here and there.

          Lizzy started to open here suitcase. She figured she would start unpacking then, rather than later when she may need something. Likewise, she separated all of her clothing articles and placed them into the dresser. On top of it, she spread her makeup, perfume, brush, and pieces of jewelry out so it would slightly feel more like home.

          After about five minutes, Lizzy was finished up packing and set her empty suitcase in between the nightstand and her bed.

          Lizzy sat down quietly on her bed. She figured Joanie and Rich were giving Gwen and she time to unpack, so Lizzy stayed in the room, hearing barely audible conversation coming from the kitchen, and from the room down the hall, from Aunt Joanie and Sylvia.

          “Ugh, there is absolutely no service here!” Gwen said, flopping herself down onto the bed. She then got up quickly. “It’s completely ridiculous!” She had a look of semi-frustration on her face, but soon her expression lightened and she spoke again. “Maybe I could use their landline…do you think it’ll be expensive?” Gwen asked Lizzy.

          Lizzy looked up from the wooden floor. “Well, considering how far away we are…it might be a little pricey.” Lizzy said, trying not to completely shoot down Gwen’s idea. 

          “That’s true.” Gwen said, her shoulder’s drooping a little. There was a slight pause. “Let’s go downstairs…we’ll see what Uncle Rich and Dad are doing.”

          Likewise, Lizzy followed Gwen down the steps and into the kitchen, where Jerry, Uncle Rich, and Braden were standing.

          “Hello, ladies,” Uncle Rich said. “Are you all set up there?” He said, his moustache curving with the edges of his mouth.

          “Yup,” Lizzy said cheerfully, “Thanks.” She said, making sure she sounded happy with her room.

          “Great!” Uncle rich said. He then continued with the conversation he was having with Jerry and Braden.

          “So, that day, I shot a twelve pointer, four rabbits, and still came home in time for dinner. Although, the deer wasn’t my biggest ‘catch’ ever.” Uncle Rich said.

          “Ace.” Braden said. “I don’t really go hunting, but it sounds…” Braden seemed like he was thinking for the right word to say. But Uncle Rich spoke again.

          “Oh! It’s one of the best hobbies you’ll find! You’re not a man until you’ve hunted some good game.” Uncle Rich exclaimed, his husky, but still British voice warbling through the house.

          “Oh, yes, of course.” Braden said, looking around the kitchen.

          Jerry and Uncle Rich continued talking about several things, many including deer, rabbit, birds, etc. Meanwhile, Braden, Gwen, and Lizzy sneakily migrated to the comfy living room by inching every couple of minutes away from the kitchen.

          “Ahhh,” Braden said as he plopped down on the large pit couch. He sat on the end closest to the door.

          Lizzy smiled at him, taking a spot in the middle. She then glanced over at Gwen, who apparently had gotten some connection to the outside word, and was texting at the speed of light.

          Lizzy then scooted closer to Braden. “So, Uncle Rich seems…spirited.” She said, laughing at his non-euphemistic way of describing manhood.

          “Oh yeah,” Braden said. “That’s not all he talks about though. Once Aunt Joanie is in the room, he seems to quiet down and talk about different things…like identifying trees…and fishing.” Braden said, grinning at Lizzy.

          Lizzy smiled softly. “That’s hardly different,” She said, beginning to giggle.

          “I know,” Braden said, playing with his hoodie strings. “But they’re fun, trust me. It’s not as bad as it seems.” He said.

          Lizzy smiled. “Okay,” She said.

          Braden looked to her with beaming eyes. “Okay,” he said. He smiled at her gently.

          Lizzy smiled back, even though she didn’t know why he did in the first place. Even so, it made her absolutely fluttery inside.

For the next hour, Lizzy and Braden talked, with an occasional word from Gwen. After about thirty minutes, Aunt Joanie and Sylvia joined them, as well as Jerry and Uncle Rich. Soon, they were all together in the living room.

          Jerry cleared his throat, and got everyone’s attention. “Well, we have decided, before too many flurries come this way and snow us in, we will all go out to Cannon Lake Steakhouse for dinner this evening.” Jerry said. “It’s almost five-thirty, so we going to try to make it out the door by six. Can we do that?” Jerry said.

          “Yup!” Braden said. Lizzy and Gwen followed with nods.

          “Great!” Uncle Rich said. “Make sure you bundle up. The temperature drops to sub-freezing during the nighttime.” He then went upstairs along with Jerry, Sylvia, and Aunt Joanie.

          Lizzy rose up from the couch. There was a slight silence as Gwen continued to text and Braden seemed to be preoccupied watching the snow fly across the window. “Well, do you think we need to dress up at all?” She asked. She wasn’t particularly certain if she needed to change if that wasn’t the case.

          Gwen finished a text and set her phone on one of the side tables. “No, probably not. I’m sure people go there in bright orange hunting gear all the time,.” She said, looking around the living room.

          Lizzy nodded, taking that as an answer. “So, I guess we’ll just stay down here then?” She asked.

          “Uh huh,” Gwen said, as her cell phone vibrated, receiving a text back. She then curled up against the other end of the couch and began to text back.

          Lizzy turned and looked at Braden expectantly. “What do we do now?” She said, a little let down that there was yet again nothing to do for half an hour.

          “Well,” Braden said. “I know where they keep some cards in here…maybe we could play a game while we’re waiting.” He suggested.

          “Okay,” Lizzy said.

Braden then got up and went over to the bookcase and reached for the eighth shelf, and got a stack of playing cards.

          For the next thirty minutes, Braden and Lizzy occupied themselves by playing a two-person card game called “Spit”. It was one Lizzy had never heard of before, but it was fast-paced and a lot of fun.

          For most days, that is what they did in their spare time. After they went to the steakhouse on that night, Uncle Rich set up a large fire in the stone fireplace as Aunt Joanie prepared hot chocolate, and Braden set up the board game they were going to play, called “Clue”. The game ended up taking a little over an hour, but that included many side conversations (mostly initiated by Uncle Rich) and hot chocolate refills. The next morning, Lizzy awoke to Braden who crept inside her and Gwen’s room to inform her that they, plus Uncle Rich and Jerry, were all going to go ice fishing out on the pond. It turned out to be a lot of fun, on the account of that they caught a plentiful amount of fish, and cooked them for lunch. Later in the afternoon, Gwen, Lizzy, Braden and Aunt Joanie went sledding down a slope about two miles away from their house on an old bobsled that had belonged to Jerry’s father. Lizzy thoroughly enjoyed the sledding, even though it was cold. After, they went home, played cards, and ate a dinner consisting of chicken, garlic mashed potatoes, and green beans. For a game, they played poker, until midnight, in which only Lizzy, Braden, and Aunt Joanie were still awake. Most days went by like that, with several different activities.  

 At last, Wednesday arrived�"Christmas Eve. Jerry, Sylvia, Aunt Joanie and Uncle Rich had gone “out to town”, but Gwen, Braden, and Lizzy knew they were just completing some last minute shopping. The three were cooped up inside the house. They had all just finished up a pizza that Aunt Joanie had got from the grocery store, so they were all just relaxing. Braden was in the living room, watching TV, Gwen was in her and Lizzy’s room making a woven thread bracelet for her friend Hanna (her phone had zero bars), and Lizzy was focusing on an old novel that she had found down on the bookshelf in the living room. All together, the house was quite silent, only small gusts of snow and the sound of the house creaking occurred every few minutes.

          After another hour or so, all of the adults came back. Lizzy could hear them all shuffling inside the house, kicking off their snow-laden boots, and chattering amongst themselves. She didn’t want to come out of the room just yet, but just as she decided to open the door, she could hear someone walking up the stairs. By the pattern of the footsteps, Lizzy could tell it was Braden. She immediately sat back on her bed and picked up her book, pretending like she hadn’t moved at all since they got home. Gwen looked over at the sudden movement Lizzy created by flopping on her bed, and just laughed. Lizzy smiled nervously, hoping Gwen didn’t know why exactly she had done that. But as the door opened, Lizzy didn’t have time to think about that anymore. In came Braden, carrying Sylvia’s laptop, a few movies, and a very large bag of candy. He shut the door behind him.

          “Hey guys,” he said, as Gwen looked up at him with surprised eyes. Lizzy had already been looking, so she pretended to re-look up again.

          “Let me guess,” said Gwen. “Mom wants us to stay up here while they wrap gifts?” She smiled, looking down at her almost-finished bracelet. She set it on the nightstand next to her bed.

          “You got it,” Braden said. “Now,” he placed the folded laptop and movies on the end of Gwen’s bed, along with the candy. “I guess I’m going to chill out on the floor here, but first, I’m going to scoot forward your guys’ dresser so I can put the laptop on it.” Braden said.

          He went over to the dresser and scooted it forward an ample amount he set the laptop on it, opened it, and started it up. Soon, the desktop appeared and he popped open the disc tray.

          Lizzy looked at him, expecting a possible movie listing, but she already heard Gwen flipping through the pile of four DVDs, so she placed her attention over there instead.

          “I’m all for Avatar,” Gwen said, raising it up in the air. She smiled, beginning to open the case.

          “Is that cool with you Lizzy?” Braden said, smiling at her.

          “Yeah, sure,” Lizzy said.

          Braden then took the disc from Gwen, who was holding out in front of him, waiting for him to take it.

          Braden then placed it in the tray and closed it. After a few minutes, the movie began and Braden had made a miniature bed on the floor, consisting of one of Gwen’s quilts and a blue polyester blanket and pillow that he had found in a closet down the hall. Lizzy had never seen the highly acclaimed film before, so she was excited to watch it. It was over two hours long, so by the time it ended, it was past twelve in the morning, and both Gwen and Braden had fallen asleep. Even though the credit music was playing loudly, not a stir or a movement came from either of them.

          Lizzy looked around the room, sighing. It was technically Christmas morning, so she was feeling a little jittery. After a few moments, she decided it would probably be a good idea to get to sleep, so she crept over to the dresser and shut the movie off, silencing the triumphant music coming from the small laptop speakers. She shut the computer slowly, making only a small clicking noise as it folded together. She then went back over to her bed, climbed underneath the covers, and tried to get to sleep.

          Lizzy lay there unsure of what to do. This was the first night she absolutely could not fall into peaceful slumber at Aunt Joanie and Uncle Rich’s house. She thought maybe it was because of “Christmas excitement” as children often felt before going to bed on Christmas Eve, but that just wasn’t it. She lay there for a few moments more, listening to the soft breathing coming from Braden. She smiled to herself. Before she even really thought about it, she realized the cause of her temporary insomnia. And then she thought that if she continued to stay in the room, she would not be able to get a moment of rest. She got out of bed, took her book and blanket with her, and went down the hall.

          Lizzy looked down at the living room while she held on to the railing in the hallway. All of the lights were shut off, so she figured the adults were already asleep. Lizzy tiptoed quietly down the stairs, her blanket wrapped around her like a shawl. Even though it was slightly tempting, Lizzy did not look at the gifts that she knew were resting under the tree. She quickly tiptoed past the living room and went into the hallway close to the kitchen and Braden’s makeshift room. After a few brief moments, she decided that, since Braden was asleep on her and Gwen’s room, she could probably go inside his room, which was really the den. She had never been in it before, so she was extra curious to see what it looked like.

          Lizzy went down the hallway and entered the den. The walls were shadowed with silhouettes of tall forest trees, so Lizzy couldn’t see much. But the thing she did see was a small dab of moonlight drifting through the window, landing on a window seat quite like the living room’s. Only, it was much better than the living room’s, because the view one would see below was a glassy, frozen lake that gleamed with reflections from it’s exquisite surroundings. Lizzy was completely taken in by its beauty. 

          She then got closer to the window, and finally sat down on the cushioned seat. Thanks to the exceptionally bright moon that night, she was able to continue reading her novel that she had gotten from the bookshelf. But due to the captivating lake below, she could barely keep her eyes on her book. She was captured by the unblemished surface, and so badly wanted to go outside to touch it. But she knew she couldn’t do that, so she looked back to her book, sighing. But only a few moments went by until her head was lifted again. Not by the lake, but by the sound of an opening door. 

          Lizzy involuntarily shut her book as an act of surprise. There, in the doorway, stood Braden, who clearly taken aback as well.

          “Hey,” he said, a tad confusedly, his voice a little crackly from tiredness.

Lizzy straightened up in his window seat and  started blurting out her excuse for being in there.          “Hi! Um, sorry I’m in your room, I just, couldn’t, well, I couldn’t get to sleep, uh, up in my room, so, I uh, came down hear to read. But I’ll leave…sorry.” Lizzy said. She was slightly embarrassed.

          “It’s fine,” he said, his eyes widening, amused by her long and frazzled response. He had a boyish smile on his face as Lizzy got up and glanced back at the shiny, frozen lake one more time as she was walking toward the door. But she was stopped by Braden’s voice.

          “It’s so cool, isn’t it?” He said as he looked down at the lake. “I’m surprised we all haven’t gone ice skating yet. I mean, it’d just be so awesome, ‘cause it’s so big and so…” Braden sighed in wonder as he went closer to the window. “It’s just amazing.”

          Lizzy smiled nervously, still a little humiliated from getting discovered in Braden’s room by Braden. But she spoke anyway. “Well,” she said. “We still have three more days to do it…I’m sure if you suggested it to Aunt Joanie or Uncle Rich we go probably go someti--”

          “We should go now.” Braden cut Lizzy off. His eyes shone with an excitement of some sort, and he came closer to Lizzy, explaining more. “No one’s awake…and, I know where the ice-skates are, so, all we’d have to do is get coats on!” Braden said. “C’mon!” Before she could even say anything, he took Lizzy’s hand and led her over to a closet in the hall in between the den and kitchen, and opened it. He bent down and pulled out two pairs.

          “…But, I don’t really know how.” Lizzy said, smiling although she was a bit appalled at what was taking place at that particular moment.

          “I’ll teach you. It’s easy.” Braden said, as he carried to ice skates into the living room as he and Lizzy sat on the couch and began to lace the skates on. “Although, I haven’t done this in almost three years, so, we might be in some trouble.” He said jokingly.

          Lizzy smiled at him as he got up and tottered over to the coat closet on his skates. He pulled it open and grabbed he and Lizzy’s winter coats. He put his on, and gave Lizzy hers. Soon enough, they were out the door.

          Lizzy watched the snow dance lightly from the sky as they walked off the porch. It took a little while to get to the steps leading down to the driveway and the lake, which would be a whole other obstacle entirely.

          When they got to the steps, Braden stopped and started to speak.

          “Here, I’ll hold your hand while we go down the steps. It might be a little difficult to walk.” Just then, he reached for her gloved hand, and intertwined his fingers with hers. Lizzy felt the most unusual feeling she ever felt by him, and started to smile as they went slowly down the steps. She felt so shocked, in fact, that she could barely hold in her twitterpated laughter inside as they step-by-stepped together. At last, without any obvious reason, Lizzy fell on the last step, embarrassing herself once again.

          “Oh my gosh, are you okay?” Braden said, bending down to help her up.          He chuckled a little as he helped her up, only because she was laughing so hard, for a reason so unapparent to him.

          Braden smiled, as she finally gained control of herself. “What’s so funny?” he asked, in genuine curiosity.

          Lizzy was still giggling. “Oh, sorry, I just…” She started laughing again but finally stopped because she realized that she couldn’t explain herself without forwardly admitting her feelings for him. “Um,” Her face became more serious as she cleared her throat. “Uh, I don’t even know…” She said, almost blushing because her response felt so lame. “Let’s keep walking!” She said cheerfully as they continued down the driveway.

          “Okay,” Braden said, looking at her with a kind face. He smiled at her in an admiring way, even though he hadn’t the slightest idea to why she had just burst out in laughter. Even so, they continued walking steadily until they reached the lake, which appeared even more beautiful there than it had been from the window view.

          “So,” Braden said. “I’ll go on it first, then, I’ll help you on. It’s just like roller blading, just on ice.” He smiled at Lizzy as he stepped onto the ice, without any struggles. He stood there, in perfect balance, as he leaned forward to help Lizzy on.

          “Here,” he said. He extended his hand.

          Lizzy took a step forward as she prepared to go onto the ice. She had never been ice-skating before, much less on a full-blown lake, so she was a little nervous. She was also pretty sure that had something to do Braden being there, too.

          Finally, Lizzy stepped onto the ice, taking his hand in hers. She put her other foot on, wobbled a little bit, but stayed up. Braden smiled as she watched her feet, as she was afraid to fall.

          “Okay,” Braden said. His eyes glittered in the moonlight as he looked at Lizzy. “Just start gliding forward, liking walking…just sort of shuffle your feet a little, though.” He said, as he still held her hand. “Like this,” he let go for a moment skating in a straight line, and then looping back toward her. He took her hand again. “Try it,” he said kindly.

          Lizzy took a breath in, anticipating the movements she wanted to take. At last, she put her right foot forward, and did exactly as Braden did. She didn’t fall, or anything, she just skated across the mirror-like surface of the lake that applied to perfect atmosphere to such a night, at such a place, with such a person. She cautiously looped back to him, smiling at her accomplishment.

          “Wow!” Braden said, in surprise. “You’re actually really good!”

          “Thanks,” Lizzy said, modestly. She looked down at the ice.

          “Let’s go out farther,” Braden said. So they went out further, to part of the frozen lake that was especially reflective and beautiful.

          As they skated to the center, Lizzy felt a little unsure of herself, and tremendously nervous. She and Braden had never been this alone…ever. She felt like a silly storybook character…so gullible, so infatuated, so hopeless, and so wonderfully happy. She had never been in a setting so romantic. Any other time, with any other person, this would just be a little ice-skating lesson. But this was the best she had ever felt, in any time of her life. 

          “Oh!” Lizzy said, as she began to slip. She then fell again, stopping herself with her hands. “I keep falling!” She said, feeling a little ridiculous.

          “It’s okay,” Braden said, laughing as he extended his hand to her to help her up. “It’s your first time, I fell a lot more than you. Don’t feel bad,” he said as he helped her up.

          “Okay,” Lizzy said softly, as she stood again on the ice. She was about to skate forward, when she realized that he hadn’t let go of her hand. This gave her an excessive amount of butterflies in her stomach that she almost fell again. But Braden kept her stable.

          “Maybe I better just get off the ice.” Lizzy said, half-jokingly. She didn’t want to fall again, because she was slightly unsure if her constant spells of losing her balance were becoming clear as signs of nervousness of being around Braden.

          Braden smiled as he shook his head. “Here, I’ll hold on to your hand real tight so it’ll be impossible for you to fall. And if you do, I’ll come down with you. So it won’t be so bad.” Braden said, his voice bubbling over with flirtatiousness.

          “Okay,” Lizzy said quietly, but happily as they held hands and glided across the vast, luminous lake. Often, Braden would look over at her with the most unidentifiable expression that gave her the best feeling in the universe. She felt like the luckiest girl in the world, holding hands with Braden, whom she could never keep her mind off of, whom she wanted to be with so badly, whom she felt like a goddess around. All of these things swirled around in her head as they slid across the ice in complete, utter, but absolutely beautiful nighttime darkness, with the radiant moon above them. Finally, they came to a stop in the center of the lake, where they had started.

          Lizzy was expecting Braden to exclaim with something like, “Wow, that was fun!” or “Hey, you didn’t fall that time!” Something like that, because that was typical of how he always acted around her after things like that took place. But this time, all Lizzy heard as they stood on the beaming ice was the sound of breath coming in and out of both of them. She felt like saying something, but for some reason she couldn’t think of a single thing, and no words would come out. She panicked, but before she knew it, Braden grabbed hold of her other hand and pulled her close. She looked up at his gentle, kind, good-looking face for a moment as he looked at her with such a genuine expression that she was sure it took her breath away for a bit. Without thinking about it, Lizzy came closer as he moved his hand out of hers and touched her face softly. Suddenly, he took hold of her hands and spun her in a circle, then leaning her back, holding her.

          “Elizabeth Hunt?” He said. She could see his breath in the cool, midnight air.

          Lizzy couldn’t contain her happiness. “Yes?” She asked breathlessly.

          He softly pulled her back up, drew her in, and kissed her full on the lips.

          They both pulled back at the same time.

          Lizzy laughed. “…All right,” she said. “Would that be it?” She asked jokingly.

          “Not at all,” Braden said, as he pulled her in again.

          Lizzy felt him kiss her once more. She opened her eyes and looked up at the star-laden sky, the sanctuary of trees that surrounded them, and the beautiful, silvery surface below them. Everything was perfect, and there was nothing she could do to change it.

          And that, Lizzy thought, was perfectly fine with her.

       

Reviews

[Short.Nerd]

Oh yeah Braden you wanted to hold her hand so she wouldn't "FALL". lol. So sweet(: I loved this chapter and how they went ice skating. Oh, I loved how Braden was like "Oh it's just like roller skating just on ice." I for one see a big difference in the two (I'm horrible at ice skating and only decent at roller skating thougH) lol. Great chapter! :)

[compositionc]

THAT WAS SO CUTE AND SO SWEET AND OMG ARE THEY TOGETHER NOW
BRIZZY FOREVERRRRRRRRRRRR