“I’m so glad you all think this is funny.” I was fighting with the skis on my feet. Drew stumbled over and helped me get out of them. Grabbing my arm, he hoisted me up as easily as a feather. I’d made the last-minute decision to spend the holiday break at his chalet. Home was the last place I wanted to be right then.
“I’m sorry, Sophie.” Tears streamed down his face from laughter. “At least you didn’t shift this time.”
“I was too terrified. Do you see how tall that hill is? You tricked me. I had no idea it was so steep around that last curve.”
“Oh, come on, we just wanted to give you a thrill. I never would have guessed you’d be afraid of skiing. You fly!” He melted into laughter again. I smiled despite myself. There were only a few of us there. Drew, myself, Kylee, Penelope, and a fourth year boy named Nick. As a group, we gathered our things and headed back inside. Good. I’d enjoyed the break. But I could do without the bone chilling cold.
John, Drew’s dad, greeted us as we returned.
“There are the intrepid explorers. Did you shift this time, Sophie?”
“No.” I fell into the closest chair. “I managed to stay human. It didn’t help.”
“Dragons are made for the desert, not the snow.” John attempted to comfort me. “Do you want to finish up your figurines?”
“Oh yeah!” Spending a couple of hours in a sweltering workshop sounded like heaven.
“Remember, when you pack tonight, leave your phones and electronics on the counter.” I followed John to his workshop in the back of the house.
“What are you working on today?” He asked me as I set up. John had taken notice how amazed I was with all his blown glass creations when I’d first arrived. He’d taken me under his wing and taught me how it worked.
“I want to make a wolf for one of my friends.” The thing about being able to create fire meant I didn’t have to worry about using a blowtorch. I pulled up fire from my chest and let a steady stream of it heat up the ball of glass in my hands. Watching the glass melt in my hands was fascinating. I pulled and shaped it. I was so deep in concentration I didn’t realize John had stopped what he was doing to watch me.
He clapped when I finished.
“Bravo. That was much better keeping a steady stream of heat this time. You don’t run out of breath?”
“No. The fire doesn’t come from my lungs exactly so I can still breathe through my nose.”
“And it doesn’t burn you?” I rolled the howling glass wolf around in my hands a couple of times.
“Nope. I’ve not tested normal fire, yet, but my own doesn’t burn me at all. Barely feels hot.”
“That’s absolutely fascinating.” I shrugged. Being a dragon just seemed normal to me now. I set the now cooled wolf on a shelf next to the dragon, doe, crystal ball, lark, and butterfly I’d already created.
“Done! A little belated for Christmas, maybe, but I think everyone will like them.” I wiped my hands on a nearby rag and turned back to John. “So how did you get into glass blowing?”
“It’s my magic. I can manipulate glass and metals.” He flicked a wrist and a ball of glass levitated in front of him. He held a hand on either side of it and it became liquid in the air. From there John was able to twist his fingers and change it. I leaned forward on my stool and watched as he worked on the glass until it became a tree. With another flick of his wrist, the tree floated over to a shelf next to a round disk with a bear track and a crown etched into it. The wings on John’s back fluttered as the magic faded from the room.
“Wow, I’m impressed.” It was John’s turn to shrug.
“I like to do it the human way more. Makes it more challenging.”
After dinner, I checked my phone one last time. No messages. With a sigh I turned it off and tossed it on the counter with my smart watch and my headphones.
“Back to the Dark Ages.” Drew slid me a steaming mug of hot chocolate across the counter.
“Hmm? Oh, yeah.” I took and sip and let the warmth travel through my body before answering.
“Why so glum, Princess?”
“I’m just tired, I guess.”
“You’re lying.” Instead of answering I walked away to sit down on a couch.
“Are you still fighting with your friends?” Penelope asked. A wave of annoyance washed over me. I really didn’t want to have that conversation.
“Well, fighting would involve talking. So, no.” I hadn’t told anyone why we were fighting or mentioned my dad’s involvement. I was grateful for that now. Dad didn’t even get on the video chat with Mom and Simon on Christmas. I didn’t want to think about it. Penelope sat down beside me and patted my knee.
“Don’t worry about them. You have us. What better friends could you find?” A weight lifted off my shoulders at her words. It was so simple, why hadn’t I thought about it before? It was clear Dad wasn’t going to apologize. Willa, Gracie, and Hudson had written me off. So why should I spend my time worrying about them? I had friends. Good friends. Friends that liked me for me.
“You’re right.”
We spent the rest of the evening cuddled up on the couches together under blankets watching Christmas movies. Drew ended up beside me. I tried to focus on the movie but the heat of his body next to mine pulled my attention away. Every time he moved, I flinched. Could I be any more awkward? As much as I could, I tried to relax and enjoy his arm around my shoulders and the warmth of our legs touching under the blankets.
Sleep wouldn’t come that night. Gracie, Willa, and Hudson’s
