Once Upon a Winter Read online

  Kai turned toward the class and walked to his seat. Peter could see he was chewing gum still. He sat down with a thwump, and Mr. Moreau continued with his discussion of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

  “So, as we were discussing, the question is: Do you think this was a real world the children went to? Or do you think they made it up together? As a sort of break from the real world? Remember, this was during wartime, when the children felt displaced and as if they didn’t belong anywhere.”

  Kai’s voice piped up near Peter. “Oh, it was definitely a real world. I’ve been there.”

  Laughs from students twittered around the room.

  “Mr. Delikatua . . .”

  Kai went on. “I’ve been to a lot of so-called fantasy worlds. Narnia, Hogwarts, Rivendell. I just got back from the land in Elf Mirror, in fact.”

  Peter sat up straight and turned to look at him. The class laughed while Mr. Moreau frowned, but Peter wanted Kai to talk more about Elf Mirror. He didn’t believe Kai had been there, of course; but he knew the game, and maybe he and Peter could talk about it.

  Kai saw Peter looking at him and he winked, which made Peter turn around fast, his face hot and flushed.

  He realized he’d have to actually be able to look at Kai if he wanted to have a conversation with him. He was just so . . . different from anyone Peter had ever met. No one could or would ignore Kai—he seemed larger than life. He was able to talk to adults like he was on their level. And walk into a room of complete strangers and be okay. Better than okay—he basically owned this room. Even as a new kid, he seemed to fit right in.

  Peter couldn’t even speak up at a charades game. With his family, he just went along with everything. Kai didn’t seem like the type of person to do that. Not at all. Everyone would listen when Kai talked, Peter was sure of it.

  He heard smacking and knew that Kai had started chewing his gum loudly again. Peter laughed a little and smiled to himself—Kai clearly wasn’t afraid of anything.

  “Mr. Delikatua,” Mr. Moreau said. Peter had never heard him so angry. “I asked you to get rid of your gum. As you cannot follow directions, please report to the principal’s office.”

  Peter heard the desk squeak way too loudly. Kai walked by Peter’s elbow, and Peter could feel his warmth as he passed. Something about Kai made him sit up straighter.

  Kai turned around to face the class, still grinning and chewing gum, and said, “Later, losers.” He caught eyes with Peter and winked again, then walked out of the room.

  Peter very much wanted to get to know him better.

  CHAPTER 3

  Peter the Brave

  That night, Peter was quieter than usual. Quieter, but with a constant smile on his face.

  He played Elf Mirror after dinner, thinking of all the things he’d want to talk to Kai about. Peter was only a little way into the game. His avatar had made it through the mirror and he’d met the guide. But she’d asked him for the right spell to get his weapons, and he couldn’t figure out how to get all the ingredients. The game was a mix of Peter’s favorite things: puzzles to solve, evil creatures to fight, and an awesome world full of magic.

  He shut off the game and practiced what he was going to ask Kai: “Have you met the guide? I can’t find the fairy weed for the spell.” He whispered it over and over until it felt natural on his lips.

  Tomorrow he was going to talk to Kai. He could almost see Kai winking at him as he drifted off to sleep.

  Going into sixth grade, in a new school, hadn’t been easy for Peter. Trying to understand the layout of the school, going to a locker before his classes, and changing teachers constantly had been jarring for him. The halls were loud, and people always bumped into him, like he wasn’t even there. Olive seemed to be fine, but it made Peter nervous every day. And it made him dread school just a little bit.

  Except today.

  He stood at his locker, looking around for Kai. He wanted to catch him before class so he could ask about Elf Mirror. He’d practiced all night to start the conversation. It was time to make it happen.

  Before first period, Lizzie and Sarah stood by Peter and Olive’s locker. Peter could barely pay attention to them.

  “Peter!” Olive said loudly, right in his ear.

  He snapped back to the conversation the four of them had been having. Well, that the three of them had been having with him standing there.

  “What?” he asked, watching more people walk by.

  “I was telling you that I took the phone because it’s my day and you left it on the table. And then Lizzie asked you a question!” Olive said, her voice irritated and loud.

  Lizzie smiled at him. “It’s okay. I was just asking if you’re coming over with Olive to do some orientation for the orchard tours.”

  Suddenly, Peter spotted wavy brown hair bobbing above the crowd. His heart started beating wildly.

  “Uh, gotta go,” he said, and grabbed his books, trying to keep the bobbing hair in his sights. He pushed between people and watched as the hair turned a corner to a different hallway. He followed.

  Behind him, he heard, “Peter, what are you doing?” but he ignored Olive’s voice. There was something else in her tone lately, he realized suddenly. She was hurt. A small pang of guilt made him slow down a little. He almost turned around to say something to her, but when he looked back, he saw Olive, Lizzie, and Sarah talking in a crowded huddle. There was no room for him.

  The bell rang, and Peter groaned. He’d missed his chance to talk to Kai before class. Somehow, without even saying a word, Olive and his friends had stopped him from saying what he needed to say—again.

  He walked to language arts class, trying to get rid of the frustration he felt. He sat down hard in his seat, already thinking about when he could try to talk to Kai next. Maybe after class? If Kai could make it through without being sent to the principal’s office . . . But to Peter’s surprise, he didn’t need to worry about it. Kai came and slid into the seat near him well before the second bell rang. He hadn’t thought a rebel like Kai would get anywhere on time. Peter’s mood immediately lifted.

  He took a deep breath and steeled his nerve. He would talk to Kai. He would. Surely the looks from the other day meant something, right?

  He turned around and caught eyes with Kai. “Where are you in the grame?” he asked.

  And then kicked himself. Grame? What was a grame?

  “I mean . . . glame,” he muttered. “Um. Game. The Elf Ear game. I mean. The Elf . . .” His voice trailed off.

  Kai grinned. “Ah, Petey, I know what you’re talking about.”

  Peter caught his breath: Kai knew his name! Mostly. Peter had never been called Petey in his life. But it seemed okay coming from Kai.

  “I just finally got through the mirror. It was hard, though—took me forever. But the graphics are wicked cool. Now I need to find the spells from the witch and start on the quest to the dragon.” Kai leaned forward in his desk, chewing his gum loudly and bouncing his legs, making the desks behind him and in front of him bounce too. The girl in the desk in front of him started giving him a dirty look, but Kai grinned at her and her irritated expression morphed into a dreamy smile.

  Peter nodded and turned all the way around in his desk to look at Kai, leaning toward him. “I just got through the mirror too. I’m thinking about going online and getting a partner. I think you might need one to get the spells.” He noticed that the people around him were staring at him. He wanted to say, “I know I don’t talk a lot. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have things to say.” Instead, he lifted up his chin a little. Somehow talking to Kai made him feel a little bolder.

  Kai pointed his finger at Peter like a gun and made a clicking sound as he winked. He blew a bubble. “Well, maybe I’ll catch you online and we can partner up.”

  Peter’s stomach flipped. He smiled back and was about to give Kai his username when the second bell rang and Mr. Moreau came in. Without looking up, he said, “Kai, spit your gum out.” Kai too
k his gum out and threw it at the front of the room. It landed directly on Mr. Moreau’s desk.

  “Sorry, sir,” Kai said. “I was totally aiming for the trash can.”

  Peter noticed that the trash can was in the corner of the room, far away from Mr. Moreau’s desk.

  The teacher sighed. “Principal’s office, Kai.”

  Kai got up, still grinning, and walked down the row. He rapped his knuckles on Peter’s desk and said, “Catch you on the other side,” and then breezed out the door.

  Peter could swear he felt the air currents still swirling after Kai had left. He put his chin on top of his hands on his desk and tried to cover up the huge smile he couldn’t seem to get rid of.

  CHAPTER 4

  Once Upon a Winter’s Night

  The Garrisons had been right—the orchard was beautiful in the winter.

  Peter stood by the barn, shifting on his feet nervously. The air was frigid, and his breath came out in thick sheets of white. He watched as Tabitha Garrison, Lizzie, Gloria, Olive, and a few of the extra hands the Garrisons hired for the winter season tried to put up lights all around the fences on the property. Except they didn’t get very far because every few minutes, someone would get hit with a snowball. As far as Peter could tell, there was no one particular instigator—they were all throwing snowballs at each other.

  He watched as Gloria started to yell “ACT—” but was cut off by a snowball in the face. Sarah and Lizzie collapsed in laughter, and Olive and Tabitha high-fived. Peter sort of wished he was over there with them, instead of stuck here, having to “face his fears,” like his dads said. But at the same time, he liked the feeling of watching from afar and of having the moment to himself. He was secretly glad that Olive had forgotten she’d said she would help with the sleigh rides.

  He stamped his feet to keep warm and heard the horses near the barn behind him snort and stamp too. The sound made his stomach do a nervous flip. He heard Albert Garrison talking to someone else in the barn.

  “Ah, you’re here!” Albert said cheerily—the way he said everything.

  Peter recognized the sheriff’s voice. “Well, we like to help neighbors in need. We heard you might want to do a practice run with the sleigh and show Peter the ropes. Ms. Shirvani and Luna and me decided we’d sacrifice the evening to help you out. Shoot, Luna—”

  A bark sounded near him and Peter jumped. An all-white dog came sprinting out of the barn, headed toward Peter. The dog was hard to see when there was no barn behind her and there was no contrast between her and the snow. Peter thought briefly that he should run, but the dog was there before he could even react.

  Peter put his hands up as she jumped on his chest and knocked him down, and he waited for the bite. But instead . . . his face was covered in kisses. Peter found himself giggling a little, even though it was pretty gross and the ground was incredibly cold. And just two seconds before, he’d thought he was going to die.

  “Ah, Luna, dang it.” Sheriff Hadley appeared over Peter and the dog wriggled off him, her tail going a million miles an hour. Peter shot up and brushed snow off his back. Luna wriggled in a circle all around Sheriff Hadley and Peter—she was clearly too happy to sit still. Peter could see she was just a puppy. He put his hand out and she came over and leaned into his legs, falling over and landing on top of his feet. Peter giggled. She might be the sweetest dog he’d ever met.

  “Peter, I’m so sorry,” Sheriff Hadley said as he patted his knee and called Luna to him. “I’m trying to train her, but she’s still a little squirrelly. And she likes people. Especially you, by the looks of it.”

  Footsteps crunched in the snow, and Ms. Shirvani and Albert appeared, smiling. Luna wagged herself over to the newcomers and did circles around them. Ms. Shirvani laughed, and Albert said, “This is one wiggly dog! Her tail seems to be leading her head, instead of the other way around.”

  “Peter, Albert tells us we have the honor of your sleigh-driving expertise tonight? How fun!” Ms. Shirvani petted Luna, and the horses stamped behind them.

  Peter blushed and nodded. Even though his only expertise was in not wanting to be there.

  A squeal and a splat sounded from far away, and Peter saw Lizzie sprawled out on the ground, laughing, and Sarah standing over her triumphantly.

  “Well, that’s my daughter. A warrior. I do hope she takes it easy on Lizzie . . .” Ms. Shirvani’s eyes were full of love.

  Albert said, “I think Lizzie can hold her own. As can Olive and Peter. You’re all pretty well matched, right, Peter?”

  Peter nodded, not at all sure if that was true.

  “I don’t want to rush us, but is that sleigh ready? It’s just a tad cold out here,” Sheriff Hadley said. Peter was glad. Albert might be one of the nicest parents he’d ever met, but he was definitely spacey. He wouldn’t be surprised if Albert forgot why they were all standing around.

  “Oh, yes! It’s on the other side. During winter break, Peter, I’ll show you how to hook it up. But for now, you’ll just ride in front with me. Sound good?” Peter nodded again and followed the adults as they walked to the other side of the barn. There a beautiful, ornate sleigh stood, attached to one horse. The horse snorted, and white air came from his nose.

  Peter had a thought. “Does the . . . is the horse okay with pulling this?” Then he blushed again. Maybe it was a dumb question and he should have kept quiet. But he’d hate to think of any animal being forced into doing something they didn’t want to do.

  Albert patted his shoulder. “That’s always a good question. This is Sebastian, and Sebastian loves to run and to work. He gets really antsy if we can’t ride him and let him run. So this he likes—he pulls the sleigh and it helps him get some of that energy out.” He winked at Peter. “But you should always ask a horse if they want to work. And listen to their answer.”

  Peter’s eyebrows furrowed. “But how do you . . . ?”

  “Okay, dear riders, shall we go?” Albert said loudly. “Your sleigh awaits!”

  Luna and Sebastian were sniffing each other, and Sebastian did a few side steps. If Peter asked him what he felt right now, he was pretty sure Sebastian would say, “That dog is way too rambunctious.”

  And sure enough, Sebastian kept trying to pull the sleigh away from Luna. He moved a couple of steps forward and the sleigh slid on its runners.

  “I’m so excited about this!” Ms. Shirvani said. Then she and Sheriff Hadley exchanged a look that Peter could only describe as mushy.

  They climbed into the sleigh. It was partially covered because of the cold, so that the guests sat under a sort of hood. But the drivers in front were exposed, and Peter tightened his scarf and hid his face in it. He could feel the energy of Sebastian traveling through the sleigh—he seemed so powerful. Peter’s stomach flipped again.

  He hoped Sebastian was a nice powerful.

  Albert seemed to notice Peter’s nervousness. He said quietly, “Sebastian has been working with us for a long time. We talked about giving you a nice smooth ride today.” Then he picked up the reins. “The reins tell Sebastian when to go and how fast. We only use them to guide him and give him a little nudge to go faster, or a little pull to slow down. Got it? Though by this point, it’s pretty much like Sebastian understands English.”

  Peter nodded and swallowed.

  “Ready?” Albert asked the sheriff and Ms. Shirvani.

  Luna barked once like she was answering. Both the sheriff and Ms. Shirvani replied “Yes,” laughing.

  Peter still had some doubts about the horse liking what he was doing. Surely pulling along what looked like a heavy sleigh with three adults, a kid, and a dog was too hard. And it felt kind of mean.

  But all Albert said was “Let’s go, Sebastian. Let’s see the forest!” and the sleigh was off. Right away, Albert had to pull on the reins to get Sebastian to slow down. Peter relaxed a little. The horse really did seem to be enjoying it.

  And Peter had to admit, as he looked around, that he was enjoying it too.


  The sun was still up but was just starting to fade a tiny bit. That made all the snow look sparkly and magical. The Garrisons’ orchard butted up against a huge, beautiful forest, and the sleigh slid by the edge of it, so that Peter could look in. Sunlight filtered through the trees, and snowflakes danced in the beams.

  It had started to snow.

  No one talked as the sleigh raced across the snow. The sound lulled Peter into an almost dozey state. They turned down a large and well-worn path through the forest—Sebastian didn’t even have to be told where to go. He’d clearly gone down the path a million times.

  The snow floated down, and the sun began to set just a little more. Peter felt like he was in a trance or a fairy tale. The world seemed so magical and full of possibility . . . but at the same time serene and blissful. He wanted to do this every day.

  But the reverie was broken by a bark from Luna. Peter felt the sleigh shift and then saw a white streak take off into the forest.

  Sheriff Hadley yelled, “LUNA!” and Albert pulled on the reins to get Sebastian to stop. The horse stopped, but the sleigh moved forward on the snow. Finally, the whole thing stopped moving and the sheriff jumped out.

  He called, “LUNA!” again near the edge of the trees, his hand cupped at the side of his mouth. Peter felt the sleigh shift again as Ms. Shirvani got out.

  “Colin, we should look for the tracks,” Peter heard her say. The sheriff nodded, his eyebrows furrowed with worry.

  And then they heard a yelp, like Luna was hurt. Was being hurt.

  After that, everything moved so fast that later, Peter wouldn’t remember exactly how it all happened. He saw the sheriff tear off into the woods and immediately fall down; saw Ms. Shirvani follow him; heard another terrifying yelp from the woods; and watched as Albert got out of the sleigh to go help the sheriff and Ms. Shirvani.

  “Stay here, Peter, I’ll be right back,” Albert said as he stepped down from the sleigh and hurried toward the trees.