Yay! Im getting back on track with this again! I have some more ideas (one part is actually already written out ^^) and I can't wait to post it! Now just to figure out how to get there…

CHAPTER 10

We held our breath, barely moving. If we were caught now we'd never reach Marisa.

The luck of the vampires was on our side, though, and we passed without incident.

We were crossing the national border into Canada. Hitching a ride in the back of a truck full of apples (unbeknownst to the driver), we had slept uncomfortably for the 5 hours until the vehicle slowed at the gate. The paperwork took longer than usual, since you needed a special license to transport food, and every second that ticked by brought us closer to being discovered.

Then the truck roared back to life and we sped off down the road. Judging by the signs, I figured we still had another 3 hours or so before reaching Whistler.

"What's in the bag?" I asked Lynne.

The boy sat up and reached for the backpack, unzipping it sluggishly. He pulled out a flashlight, a lighter, some rope, a few knives, a wad of cash (American), toiletries, some food, and a small blanket. It seemed like he had really prepared. There was a little extra room, so we stuffed some apples in there as well.

"You wouldn't happen to have a plan, would you?" Lynne posed tiredly.

"No," I replied quietly. "We'll just see when we get there I guess."

Silence enveloped us. Eventually the rocking of the truck lulled us into a restless slumber.

OoOoO

"Darren! Darren wake up!"

I cracked my eyes open to find Lynne shaking me roughly. "We're here," he said, lobbing the backpack over his shoulder.

Peeking out from behind the crates, all I could see were trees covered in snow. I turned back to Lynne but he was already climbing over the wooden sides and dropping onto the cement. Sighing, I followed his lead.

I surveyed my surroundings. We were next to a large building on the edge of the freeway that suggested it housed all sorts of foods. Highway signs pointed right, North, indicating Whistler was still 3 miles away.

"Are you a good runner?" I asked Lynne.

He nodded confidently and shot off without me. Sighing for the second time, I set off after him.

About half an hour later, we had reached the outskirts of Whistler.

"What now?" Lynne asked with the same tone as a small child who got bored with their game.

I didn't know. There were so many places we could look.

A man, quite out of the blue, approached us. He wore khakis and a jacket with some company logo on it.

"Hello boys! Would you like a pamphlet?" he asked. Lynne glared at the man and I shook my head politely, grabbing Lynne's arm and pulling him down the street into the town square. It was early in the morning and barely any people were walking around yet. I was thankful that Lynne remembered winter jackets.

Suddenly the same man materialized in front of us again. "Oh but there are so many things to do while you're here! Are you sure you wouldn't like a brochure?"

Something struck me. Brochure? On an impulse I snatched it from him and mumbled a thank you, before grasping Lynne again and hurrying away. I didn't notice the abnormality that he only had the one brochure, not an entire stack of them.

I rounded the corner and ducked into a restaurant: The Crêpe Montange. Mountain Crêpes. The place was tiny and smelled delicious, but I didn't have time to focus on that.

"What are you doing?" Lynne demanded, a little peeved that I had dragged him around like that.

"Bonjour, how can I help you?"

I glanced up and saw a middle-aged blonde woman smiling warmly at us. Lynne spoke something quickly in perfect French, and the woman's smile grew. She nodded and replied, then walked off to help the other customers.

"You're fluent in French?" I questioned, surprised.

Lynne nodded. "Marisa taught me."

I stared at him a moment, then returned to the brochure. I opened it up and there, in the center of the page, was an advertisement for a gondola ride. It was called the Peak to Peak, because it went from Whistler Mountain to Blackcomb Mountain, making it the longest unsupported gondola in the world. It was circled in red, and it wasn't a marker. I tried not to think about what it was or where it may have come from.

"Looks like we need to ride the gondola," said Lynne, reading from over my shoulder.

Nodding grimly, I folded the brochure back up and slipped it in my jacket pocket.

We walked to the base of the mountain, where the gondola started. It was just beginning to operate and early bird skiers stood eagerly in line. Snow flurried from the sky, adding to the excitement. Lynne bought our tickets, which we had to clip onto our coats. The line wasn't very long, and soon enough the doors of the compartment were banging shut behind us.

"Is this the Peak to Peak?" asked Lynne.

I shrugged. Luckily another snowboarder on the lift answered. "Naw, this takes you to the top of the mountain. Get off at the second stop, and there'll be plenty o' signs to point you in the right direction."

"Oh okay, thanks." I replied.

"No problem-o," the snowboarder said. He had an Australian accent. "So what're you two doin' if you don't have a board?"

"Our parents are up there already waiting for us with our skis," Lynne replied, lightning fast.

"Cool, mate."And with that, he retreated into himself.

When we reached the top of the mountain, we hopped off the gondola and sprinted outside. Only a few people milled about, sipping hot chocolate and strapping on skis and snowboards. A large building to our left had an enormous red sign that said 'Peak to Peak Gondola Rides.' Lynne and I dashed inside.

There weren't any employees. In fact, there weren't even tourists. But the gears were turning as one of the lifts pulled up and slowed. The doors slid open to reveal an empty compartment.

Suddenly I heard a muffled squeal and realized with a sickening notion that it wasn't empty at all. Marisa was kneeling, bound and gagged, on the floor. Her eyes were wide with fear and surprise. She vanished as the doors closed and the lift sped away back to Blackcomb Mountain.

"Marisa!" Lynne cried.

Another gondola appeared and we hastily boarded it. Once the doors slid shut, enclosing us inside, we raced out of the loading area and into open space. We were about 50 feet behind Marisa's gondola. But there was nothing we could do. Time seemed to slow as we inched along the cable. Without warning, the entire gondola came to an instant standstill. Lynne and I were thrown off our feet. With my face now presses against the glass bottom, I could see we were stranded high above the valley, exactly in the middle of the two mountain peaks.

"What happened?" Lynne groaned as he pushed himself up.

"I don't know," I murmured, looking around wearily. "Probably one of Steve's many tricks…"

Right as I spoke his name, I caught sight of him. He was slithering down the cable toward us. He stopped above the gondola Marisa occupied and opened the hatch in the ceiling. Smirking, he dropped inside. Unfortunately, I couldn't see what he was doing.

Lynne whispered, "Oh no," and plastered himself against the large window, trying to see. Our fears were confirmed when a blood-curdling scream floated into our ears.

"That's Marisa!" Lynne yelled. He stepped onto one of the seats and prepared to open the hatch, but I gripped his arm.

"No," I said calmly. "Let me go. This is my fight and I don't want either of you getting hurt."

Lynne began to protest, saw the fierceness in my eyes, and backed down.

Grabbing the lip of the now-open hatch, I swung my legs and hauled myself into the fresh air, 3000 feet above the ground.

"No Problem-o," I whispered to myself.

Aha! Wahoo pretty epic huh? Huh? Hahaha. Btw, everything is going to be accurate. Its not made up because I just went to Whistler so im describing it as I remember it lol.

ReVeIw PlEaSe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!