"Up! Up! Up!"
Rapunzel was forced awake by Sophie jumping on her. She reached up and grabbed Sophie, pulling her down next to her. Sophie giggled and Rapunzel started tickling her.
"Don't you know better than to jump on people?" Rapunzel asked.
Sophie wiggled away from Rapunzel and sat on the edge of the bed. "Ice skating!"
"Oh. That's right." Rapunzel yawned and stretched before finally getting out of bed. "Let me take a shower and get dressed and then I'll meet you and Jamie downstairs for breakfast."
"Okay!" Sophie jumped off the bed and bounded down the hallway.
Rapunzel took a hot shower, taking her time and enjoying the warmth. When she was done, she dried off quickly and blow dried her hair. As she stood in front of her closet, trying to decide what to wear, there was a knock on her door.
"Are you ready, yet?" Jamie asked.
"Almost. I'll be right down," Rapunzel called out to him.
She eventually decided on a tight, low cut purple sweater and ripped jeans over black tights. She pulled on her black boots, then headed downstairs. Jamie and Sophie were already at the table and their mom was just bringing out the plates, full of eggs, bacon and waffles.
"Where's dad?" Rapunzel asked, taking a bite of bacon.
"Work," Mrs. Bennett replied. "Not everyone gets spring break."
Rapunzel nodded. "Right."
Jamie and Sophie spent the rest of breakfast talking excitedly about spending the day with Rapunzel. She was thankful that the name Jack Frost didn't come once. When they were done eating, they rummaged through the closet until they found their ice skates, then headed outside. Jamie went right for the loose piece of wood in the fence and the three of them slipped through it, then walked down the hill that led down to the street.
"Hi, Jamie."
Jamie blushed when he saw Pippa walking down the street towards them. "Hey, Pippa."
"Me, Cupcake and the guys are going sledding. You wanna come?" Pippa asked.
"Not today. I'm hanging out with my sister."
"Hi, Pippa," Rapunzel greeted with a smile.
"Hi."
"Ice skating!" Sophie said, holding up her ice skates.
Pippa smiled down at her. "Have fun." She gave them a short wave, then continued walking.
The Bennett siblings walked across the street and made their way down the hill that led to the pond.
"It's okay to like Pippa," Rapunzel told Jamie. "She's a very nice girl."
"I don't like her," Jamie insisted. "She's like one of the guys."
"If you say so."
They sat down on a large rock beside the pond and changed into their ice skates. Jamie was the first one ready and awkwardly started skating. Rapunzel helped Sophie with her skates, then held her hand as they walked onto the ice. After only a few minutes, Jamie got the hang of skating and was literally skating circles around his sisters. Sophie gripped Rapunzel's hand tightly and kept her eyes on her feet as she slowly made her way around the pond.
"Rapunzel!" Jamie called out. "Watch this!" He skated as fast as he could passed them, then jumped into the air. He attempted to land on his feet, but landed on his butt and slid a couple feet. He burst out laughing.
Sophie cheered for her brother. She let go of Rapunzel's hand and slowly made her way over to Jamie. She took Jamie's hand. "Me too!"
Holding onto Sophie, Jamie skated as fast as he could and then they jumped into the air. They both fell and started laughing, but Rapunzel winced.
"Be careful, you guys!" She called over to them.
"We'll be fine," Jamie said. "I do this with the guys all the time."
"Just watch out for Sophie. She could get hurt."
Sophie kept her hand glued to her brother's as they skated around the pond. They continued to skate as fast as they could, doing jumps and spinning around in circles. Rapunzel kept to the edge of the pond and watched them. Whenever they would fall (which was more often than not), she would wince and warn them to be careful. Every once in a while she would glance back towards their house. She couldn't see the house over the hill and she was glad. If their mother could see what Rapunzel was letting them do, she would freak out.
After they had been skating for a while, it started snowing. The sun disappeared behind a cloud, casting shadows over the pond. Rapunzel shivered since she was only wearing her sweater. She instantly longed to be back home.
"Hey, guys!" Rapunzel called over to her siblings. "Let's head back home for some hot chocolate."
Their faces lit up. "Okay!" Jamie called back. "Just one more jump."
"All right."
Jamie and Sophie started skating across the ice and then jumped into the air. But, when they landed they fell and disappeared inside what looked like a shadow, but Rapunzel knew it had to be a hole in the ice.
"Jamie!" Rapunzel screamed as she raced towards where they disappeared. She skidded to a stop and fell to her knees. "Sophie!"
Rapunzel tried to reach down into the hole, but was surprised to find that it was solid. She frantically looked around, hoping to see her brother and sister through the ice, but she didn't see them anywhere. The shadow slowly slipped away, but Rapunzel didn't notice. She started pounding on the ice. "Jamie! Sophie!"
"They're not down there."
Rapunzel whirled around, startled by the sudden voice. A blonde woman was slowly walking across the pond towards Rapunzel. She was wearing a tight, pink leather jacket, matching skin tight pants and white fingerless gloves. An arrow quiver was strapped to her back and she was carrying a bow. Rapunzel didn't know what to say to her.
"They didn't fall through the ice," the woman said. "They were taken."