Read Online A Chance for Charity (The Immortal Ones) by S.L. Baum - Free Book Online

my poles into the snow, pushed off,
and skied through the narrow entrance. I plowed my way to a stop as
soon as we came to a flat part. My face glowed in excitement. I did
it. It wasn’t so hard. It was actually a little thrilling.
    “ That was pretty darn
good,” Link squeezed my arm.
    “ Thanks, let’s keep
going.”
    We pushed off again and this time I was
eager. The wind ripped through my hair and bellowed in my ears as I
picked up some speed. Link came up from behind me, fast. He turned
in front of me, circled around me, and then passed by me as I
steadily headed downhill.
    “ Showoff,” I yelled as he
turned his head and flashed a smug grin.
    When we reached the bottom, I caught sight
of the guys from school, and plowed to a stop in front of them.
Delilah was sitting down in the snow, openly displaying one of her
pouts.
    “ I’ve spent more time on my
butt than on my feet. This butt is too cute to be abused this way,”
she glowered at Burke.
    “ You’re absolutely right
Babe, but this was just your first run. It’ll get better. Give it
some time,” Burke gave her a wary smile, hopeful.
    “ You,” she pointed at me,
“how many times did you fall?”
    “ One,” I said.
    “ How many runs?” She
demanded.
    “ Two,” I answered timidly,
frightened by her expression.
    “ Eight times, one run,” she
snapped.
    I glanced over at Summer and Rusty in time
to watch them turn their heads and do a poor job of trying to cover
their smiling faces. They were truly amused by Delilah’s absolute
frustration.
    “ But I’m skiing and you’re
boarding. Don’t compare the two,” I offered, hoping she would
agree.
    “ Come on Dee,” Burke
reached down to help her. She accepted his hand and, still pouting,
he plucked her up out of the snow. Burke pulled her into his arms,
enveloping her tiny frame in his immense hug. I watched as her
expression changed from a disappointed pout to a contented smile as
she buried herself in Burke’s embrace. He leaned down to kiss the
top of her head and her smile widened.
    “ Jeez, let’s go,” Rusty
exclaimed.
    My second shuffle to the chair lift went
much smoother. I glanced down below and wondered what a fall from
such a height would do to a person. If someone were to lean just a
little too far forward they would plummet to the ground. I secretly
smiled at the thought of jumping down, landing all twisted and
injured, then walking into school on Monday as if nothing had
happened. The shock value alone, to witness the confused horror
plastered on the faces of the students and faculty was tempting.
But I knew I could never pull such a stunt. Even though it wouldn’t
permanently hurt me, it would still hurt – and not just me
physically, but everyone else emotionally. I pushed the thought out
of my mind and watched all the empty seats pass by, making their
way down to the waiting skiers. We passed an enclosed capsule with
a man inside. He was scanning the slopes below.
    “ What’s that?” I asked
Link.
    “ A gondola,” he answered,
surprised by the question.
    “ Okay I guess I knew that.
I meant to ask, what is it doing on the lift?”
    “ It transports non-skiers,
people meeting others at the restaurant down there, hikers in the
summer, whatever,” he looked at me. “Have you been on any of the
gondolas yet?”
    “ No.”
    “ How is that possible?
You’ve been in town for almost two months,” he was clearly shocked
by my admission.
    “ So take me,” I challenged
him.
    “ Oh I will,” he
smirked.
    We got off the lift and I stayed upright.
Yay! During the next two runs I only fell one more time. My skis
crossed again, this time halfway down Meadows. One ski came off,
poles went flying, and snow invaded my gloves as I attempted to
break my fall. I got up, brushed myself off, and with considerable
help from Link, was soon on my way down again. At the end of that
second run, Summer suggested lunch. We all agreed. At this point in
the day food was necessary,