“Isabel, slow down and tell us what happened,” Max said, putting his arm around his sister and guiding her over to the sofa. Liz followed them, sitting next to Isabel so that she sat between Max and Liz. Max’s arm around her shoulders seemed to calm Isabel a little. She took a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling briefly. Liz noticed that Isabel’s eyes were full of tears that threatened to spill over. She tried to suppress her own worry over Alex; it had to be bad whatever had happened. Liz had never seen Isabel cry before and she had a feeling it wasn’t something she did very often.
“I guess it was about an hour or two ago that I sat down next to the front doors that lead out to the ski slopes. I thought that whenever Alex came back he would come through those doors and I would be the first thing he’d see. I fell asleep before it was dark and when I woke up a few minutes ago I looked outside and saw how dark and stormy it’s gotten. He’s not back yet, and he’s in trouble!” Isabel said, her voice raising as she started to panic. Liz reached for her hand and gripped it tightly.
“Isabel, he could be back at the rooms. What if he didn’t see you when he came in?” Liz asked, trying to reassure Isabel. She shook her head.
“No, I called upstairs and Maria and Michael were up there. They’ve been up there the whole time and he hasn’t come up or called. I even checked with some of the people coming in from the slopes, nobody has seen him for hours. Max, what are we going to do?” Isabel asked, looking to her brother for advice. Max thought for a minute and both girls waited patiently. Liz had learned very quickly how Max was the one Isabel and Michael turned to for advice and guidance. She knew that was also why he was used to being in control and making most of the decisions. Finally, Max sighed and looked at Isabel.
“We’d better go to the resort administration and report Alex missing. They’ll probably call the police or search and rescue to try and find him. Come on,” Max said, standing and reaching out for Isabel’s hand. Isabel stood and Liz walked with her since Isabel hadn’t let her hand go. Liz studied her carefully and noted how pale and nervous she looked. Liz felt the growing pit of worry in her own stomach but tried to ignore it. With Isabel so worried for Alex, she didn’t need to have Liz panicking too. They walked to the front desk and the clerk quickly came over.
“Can I help you?” he asked.
“Our friend was out cross-country skiing earlier today. He should have been back a long time ago and he hasn’t returned. We’re a little worried because of the storm and how dark it’s gotten,” Max said. The clerk frowned and then picked up the phone.
“Let me give the police a call and have someone come over. Why don’t you three wait over there?” he said, gesturing to a pair of sofas across the room. They nodded and walked to the couches, which also provided a view of the ski slopes. Max sat down next to Liz and Isabel sat down for a minute before she sprang up again, walking to the window. Her eyes searched the snow outside for any sign of Alex and she barely managed not to cry out when she saw nothing. She couldn’t believe this was happening. Finally, she’d become comfortable with the people around her. Finally, she’d become accepted for who she was by people who knew her secret. And finally, someone had made her forget that she was any different from the normal teenage girl. Now that person was gone and she couldn’t fight the fear that pressed on her heart.
Max glanced at Isabel and sighed. He looked back at Liz and reached for her hand, recognizing her face set in worry.
“Hey, are you okay?” he asked, squeezing her hand gently. Liz looked at him and nodded a little.
“I’m okay, I’m just worried about Alex,” Liz said, her eyes moving back to where Isabel stood at the window. Max nodded and put his arm around her shoulders, bringing her against his chest. Liz closed her eyes and tried to think of all the possibilities of where Alex could be. Maybe he went shopping or for a walk in the town. Liz dismissed the thought quickly, knowing that Alex would have told one of them first and that he would have come back for Isabel before leaving again. Liz wondered if Isabel was so fearful for Alex because she sensed something was wrong. Liz was only just beginning to realize the depth of the connection she had with Max. She knew when something was wrong with him without even being near. Liz worried that Isabel was feeling her fear because something was telling her Alex was in trouble.
“Any news on Alex?” Maria asked, rushing up to the group with Michael following close behind. Liz noticed Michael rubbing his eyes like he’d just woken up and Maria’s mussed hair, but she decided to ask about that later.
“No, he’s still missing,” Liz replied. A uniformed police officer entered the resort and they all stood as the clerk pointed him in their direction. The officer came over to greet them, his face serious. Liz found herself standing next to Isabel, Maria flanking the blond girl on the other side.
“Evening, folks. I’m Officer Dean James. What can you tell me about your missing friend?” he asked, taking out a notepad. Max spoke first.
“I think I was the last one to see him, about two this afternoon. We were done downhill skiing and Alex wanted to go out cross-country skiing. I was going to go with him, but a man at the ski shop was heading out on the Aspen trail and Alex decided to go with him,” Max said.
“So he didn’t go alone?” Officer James asked.
“No, Alex is an experienced skier, he wouldn’t have gone out by himself” Liz replied. James finally noticed the large group of teenagers around him.
“Are you kids here by yourselves? What about Alex’s parents?” he asked. Liz explained that they were on vacation together and that their parents were in Aspen for the day. She also explained that Alex’s parents were in Europe but that her parents were his guardians for the trip. The officer continued to write the information down and then he looked up at Isabel, noticing her agitation was more profound than everyone else’s was.
“Do you have a picture of Alex so we have a description of him?” James asked. Isabel’s face crumpled at the question, tears spilling down her face as she brought her hand up to cover her eyes. She turned away and Liz followed her over to the window, away from the group. Behind them, Liz heard the conversation continue.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset her--“
“It’s ok, she’s just really worried about him. I have a picture of Alex in my wallet,” Maria replied, reaching into her purse. Liz stood next to Isabel, silently waiting for her to speak. Isabel cried softly for a few minutes before she looked out the window, her eyes catching her own reflection in the glass.
“I don’t even have a picture of him. What does that say about me? This wonderful person cared about me for so long and I virtually ignored him for years. Then, when I finally do realize what’s right in front of me, it’s snatched away,” Isabel said quietly, her voice wavering. Liz put a hand on her arm, bringing Isabel’s attention back to her.
“Alex knows how you feel. And he’ll be back soon so you can tell him in person,” Liz said firmly. Isabel nodded vacantly and returned to staring out the window as Officer James called in the report over his walkie-talkie.
“Base, this is Officer James. I have a missing skier at the Chalet resort. White male, sixteen years of age. Name is Alex Whitman from Roswell, New Mexico. He was last seen on the Aspen cross-country ski trail with another skier, it is unknown who. Call search and rescue and have them meet me and some officers at the resort. This is a priority with night falling and the heavy storm coming in.”
Liz overheard the report and her eyes found Max, who looked stricken but was trying to hide it, standing off to the side with Michael. Maria came up to stand next to Isabel and she put her arm around her. Their quiet Christmas vacation had turned into a nightmare.
Max closed the door to the rooms as the parents left to check in with the police. He turned and bumped into Liz, who had sneaked up behind him quietly to hear what he said to his parents and hers. Instead of backing away, he opened his arms and engulfed her in a hug. He felt her shaking in his arms and he heard her start to cry her face buried in his neck. He knew he had to try and be strong for Liz and for his sister. He also knew that Liz was trying so hard to put on a brave face for Isabel despite her own worry over Alex. It was now after midnight and the search had been in earnest for over five hours.
Liz clutched at his shoulders, her fingers digging into his sweater. He didn’t mind her tight grip; it reminded him that she was still with him. The past two days in Snowmass had left the group with an overwhelming sense of comfort. Alex’s disappearance had served to remind them that bad things could happen to them. He felt utterly helpless to help the situation and he realized he’d voiced the thought when Liz stepped back and dried her tears with her hand.
“I know. I wish there was something we could do,” she whispered. He took her face in his hands and rubbed her remaining tears away with his thumbs. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead before tucking her head underneath his chin. He moved his hands in slow circles over her back, trying to comfort her.
“All this time, we’ve worried about something happening to me, Isabel or Michael as a result of who we are. That fear seemed some much more imminent than any accident. The possibility that some government agency or the police coming after us always seemed more likely,” Max said. Liz could hear the rumble of his voice deep in his chest where her ear was pressed against him.
“That day at the Crashdown, and now Alex missing. It seems like some dangers can never be avoided,” Max continued, his voice trailing off. Liz looked up to meet his eyes.
“They’ll find him, soon. I can’t believe that Alex would be taken away from us, taken away from Isabel, so cruelly,” Liz said firmly. Max smiled sadly at the stubborn expression in her eyes and he touched her hair briefly.
“I don’t want to worry you more, but cruelty is amazingly blunt. You would have been taken away from me that day in the Crashdown if I hadn’t been there, if I hadn’t ignored every instinct we’ve drilled into one another over the years and healed you,” Max replied, trying to keep his voice gentle. She nodded once.
“I know,” she replied. She leaned up and kissed him softly before stepping back. “I’m going to see how Maria and Isabel are doing.”
Max nodded and watched her walk back towards the master bedroom on the girl’s side of the rooms. Isabel and Maria had retired to the bedrooms after their mothers had insisted they get some sleep. He doubted either girl was actually following instructions.
Liz walked softly, trying not to awaken Isabel or Maria if they were sleeping. A dim light cast shadows over the room and Liz saw that both girls lay on the bed. Isabel was on her back with Maria facing her on her side. Liz came closer and noticed that Isabel clutched something in her hands. She leaned over and saw that it was a picture of Alex that she’d given Isabel a few hours earlier. Maria had given the police a photo of Alex from her wallet and Liz had handed Isabel the one from her own purse when Isabel had asked before trying to go to sleep. It suddenly hit Liz why Isabel would want the picture of Alex.
She was trying to locate him by walking into his dreams. Liz came closer to the bed and kneeled down, resting her arms on the bed as she sat on the floor. She closed her eyes and listened to the even sound of her friends breathing. She was so tired, but she didn’t know that she would actually be able to sleep that night. Isabel stirred and sat upright suddenly, her breath catching in her throat and her eyes flying open. Her movement woke Maria and she sat up, immediately awake.
“What? Liz, did Alex--” Maria started, then stopped as she saw Liz’s negative expression. Isabel looked down at the picture in her hands and sighed.
“He’s not asleep. Wherever he is, he’s not sleeping so I can enter his dreams. I was hoping that I might be able to talk to him, get him to tell me where he is,” Isabel said, trying to keep her voice from cracking. Liz moved to sit on the bed so that they formed a circle, facing each other.
“I know we all want to help, and we all want to find Alex, but I think the best thing we can do right now is try to sleep. We can’t help search at night, but maybe when it gets light out we can help, so we need to be alert when that time comes,” Liz said, trying to use reason. Maria and Isabel both nodded and instead of moving off the bed, they shifted to make room for Liz. Despite everything that had gone wrong, Liz smiled a little at the gesture. She knew what her friends were feeling. They didn’t want to be separated from each other. Having one another close was such a comfort, to know that the people they cared for were safe. Liz leaned her back against Maria’s and closed her eyes, trying to sleep.
Isabel’s eyes flew open at the sound of the front door slamming shut. For just a second she couldn’t remember what had happened the night before, but suddenly she recalled and she shut her eyes painfully. Once she opened them again she realized that light streamed into the room from the window. It was morning. She heard Michael and Max talking excitedly and she quickly sat up, her movements waking Maria and Liz who had been sleeping beside her. They blinked rapidly but sat up quickly as they heard the guys talking.
“What is it?” Maria asked. Isabel threw back the blankets and stood.
“I don’t know,” she replied as she quickly walked out to the main room, followed closely by Liz and Maria. Michael and Max looked up as the girls approached and Isabel searched their faces, looking for any sign of hope. When Michael smiled at her she suddenly felt her fear lifting a little.
“Did they find Alex?” she asked hopefully.
“Not yet, but they did find the other skier he went out with,” Michael replied. Isabel’s heart dropped and she unconsciously reached next to her for Maria and Liz’s hands. They clutched at her hands and she closed her eyes, trying to draw strength from the pressure.
“I stayed downstairs at the headquarters search and rescue set up and waited for any news of Alex. About an hour ago they found the other skier a few miles away from the resort. I thought it might be Alex, but I realized by his description that it wasn’t him. They brought him in, he was pretty torn up from the night out in the storm. He did tell search and rescue what he knew about Alex though, before they took him to the hospital,” Michael replied to the hushed group, listening intently.
“What? What about Alex? Where is he?” Isabel asked frantically. Michael turned to look at her.
“Alex broke his leg yesterday on the trails and on their way back to the resort they got caught in the storm. He’s still out there, Iz.”
