"What about winter boots? And snow suits? And normal clothes?" I ask the burly man sitting behind the counter.

"That would be in our winter department." I didn't notice before, this guy has an Australian accent. The man gestures to an empty corner of his little shop. Great.

I walk over to the little corner and start to gather a pair of boots and some sort of normal clothes, a pair of leggings and a huge tunic shirt. There is only a pink magenta coat that looks fairly fancy. And it flares at the bottom, and it's not water proof. Great.

"So, by any odd chance, did a young girl come by here? In a nice dress, perhaps?" I ask the man behind the counter as I plop my stuff on the counter and he adds up their amounts.

"The only one with so little sanity that they're out in this storm is you, darling." He says kindly. Like a joke. Ha. Ha.

The door of his little shop bursts open, and a snow-encrusted young man comes through the door. He brushes himself off. The wind outside howls as the blizzard roars on. The man behind the counter, Oaken I think it is, changes his previous statement.

"You and this guy. Hoot hoot, big summer blow out!" He finishes talking to me and turns to his new customer.

The man walks over to me. I try to ignore how close he comes to me. "Chips." He says through his face mask. I barely understand.

"Huh?" I ask. I'm never clueless.

"Behind you." He says. I move over, and he grabs the big bag of chips behind me.

"Where are you coming from, young man?" Oaken asks.

"The North Mountain." He says through his face cover. He still doesn't have a name, I have no idea who he is. He walks over to the measly winter department and grabs a rope and pick axe. He then slops it down on the counter, along with the chips.

"The North Mountain?" I ask. That must be where Emmy is!

"Okay, that will be thirty five." Oaken tells the man how much his stuff is going to cost.

"What? No, fifteen. Please."

"Oh, no. That's no good. You see," Oaken touches the pick axe and rope from his "winter department", "That is from our winter department, and there's a big supply and demand problem, mate."

"Look, 'mate', if you want to talk about a supply and demand problem, I'm trying to sell wet wood to get by." I'm surprised.

"That's a horrible place to be in right now, economically," I drift off and realize I'm being rude.

"That's… that's really difficult, I'd bet." I finish.

"Still thirty five. But, I can throw in a shack for you to stay in!" Oaken says this so happily, I almost forget this is the 21st century.

"Look, ten's all I got. Help a guy out?" He asks.

"Okay, fifteen will get you this," Oaken points to the chips, "And you'll have seven left over." Oaken finishes.

"Just tell me one thing, was anything different on the North Mountain, like, perhaps, magical?" I ask the man.

"Yes. Now back up." He takes his face mask off.

I know this "young man". Can you guess who it is?

Chris.

Chapter 14

"You." I say to him. He looks over at me, and I think I see his cheeks redden.

"Hey. Sorry to leave you hanging. I sell wood on the weekends, because I need to support myself and everything. Good to see you, Hannah." He says this fairly shy, like he's trying to forget that I rejected him after he made an idiot out of himself.

"Sure." I say, and back up like he asked before.

"What're you going to do?" I ask Chris, as he rolls up his sleeves.

"I'm going to deal with this cheat, here." Chris means business as he says this.

"What did you call me, mate?" Oaken asks.

/

Chris was just thrown out of this trading post. Without any of his stuff. Is that bad? I'm pretty sure it is.

"Sorry for this violence, doll. I can throw in some sardines, and I've got some good feelings, huh?" Oaken looks to me as he pulls a jar of sardines out from under the counter.

"I'm good on sardines. But, I'd like the chips, pick axe, and rope, along with my other items. I can pay you after I get down from the mountain. Can I have a tab?" Oaken nods.

"Of course I can make you a tab. Can I have some sort of personal information to reach you?" I nod and proceed to write down my phone number and email on a slip of paper.

I quickly change in the bathroom into my new clothes, and I look crazy. My coat flares out and isn't even water proof. And my boots are really muddy. But, I don't care. Because I found a way to get to the North Mountain, and I'll have protection, as well.

I head out in the snow and catch the tail end of a song Chris is singing.

"Cause animals are better than people,

Tino don't you think that's true?" A new voice comes in.

"That's to discus,

For all except us!"

"You're right!"

"As always!"

"And now goodnight!"

"Good night!"

"Don't let the frost bite,

Bye." Chris finishes.

"Nice duet," I come in and say.

Someone on the floor jerks up, "Oh, it's just you, Hannah. What's up? You totally heart broke Mr. 'I'm terrible at excuses' over here." Valentino is lying on the ground in a pile of hay, next to Chris, sitting on a bench covered in hay.

"I'm sorry, I'm confused." I say.

"Same old you. Always asking questions. Well, Chris over here can't" Valentino is immediately fell on, by none other than Chris, always eager to keep me from information. And Valentino is always willing to share it.

"I can't dance and Tino dared me to ask you out, and I did. I'm sorry you don't like me and rejected me. But can we not dwell on it?" Chris is exasperated. I'm trying not to laugh. He's so defensive, it's cute.

"Okay. But I need your help." I tell them Valentino sits up, but Chris lies down and puts his hat over his eyes.

"I'm listening." Valentino says.

"I need you two to take me up the North Mountain. To Emmy. And in return, I have your supplies and I'll" The boys look unamused. I say the first thing I can think of at the moment, "Go on a date with Chris." I blurt out. I try to be persuasive. It may seem like a petty, fake date, but I doubt it will be. NO! It will be a fake and extremely petty date because I love Holden, and he loves me. A lot. And stuff.

"Fine, but we leave in the morning, Chris and I don't work in the dark." Valentino lays back down and puts a hat over his face. I'm fuming.

"Let me rephrase that," I throw a sack at Chris, and it lands on his stomach with a thud. Ouch. He immediately reacts to it and cries out in pain. Valentino jerks awake.

"We leave now." I've never been more serious in my life. And my life was very somber and serious. VERY much so.

"You forgot our chips." Chris says. I get angrier.

"Oh, did I?" I throw the bag of chips I purchased at Chris and it hits him in the head. It's heavy, for a bag of anything.

"Ow!" Chris's big purple eyes bore into me and are amid with pain. I feel a twinge of guilt.

"I'm sorry. But I am serious now. And you don't take me seriously. And the only thing that seems to make you take me seriously is that." I stand still. Chris gets up and comes over to me. He puts his big, awkward man hands on my shoulders and shakes them.

"Hannah. I know you are a very serious person, but you need to calm down. You can't get through to people that way. I knew you, this wasn't, isn't I hope, you. You can calm down and still be yourself. With calmness. Calm down." His face is serious, and I know what serious means.

"I will." I say. Chris is different than Holden, gentler. And composed, but funny. But I still like Holden better. Yeah. Maybe?