"You want me to what!?" an incredulous Patrick asked Rick the following morning in the lobby.
"Like I said, buddy; I want you to take Marti McClure on a date," Rick gestured at Marti, talking with the rest of Melanie's friends by the door, and not noticing the conversation, "Anything she wants to do, do it with her."
"Why!? I don't even know her!"
"Because she's crazy for you, and the least you could do is give her at least a day's worth of time together," Rick stressed.
Patrick sighed in resignation. "All right, but just for today," he said firmly, then started walking over to where Marti stood. Rick turned to Melanie beside himself. "There, promise fulfilled. She's got a date with the boy of her dreams," he said with a smile.
"I appreciate it, Rick," Melanie smiled herself at the sight of Marti's face lighting up in delight once Patrick tapped her on the shoulder.
"So, what shall we do first?" he asked, putting an arm around her, "This'll be your special day, Melanie; whatever you want to do, we'll do together."
"Well, that's a tough call. Carol and Roxanne were going ice skating on the lake, Sydney and Emily were going sledding on one of the smaller hills. Sophie's going to be working in the office with her dad, with her hurt ribs and all. I thought maybe I'd volunteer there if I couldn't make up my mind. I don't know which to do yet..."
"Well, who says we can't do both?" Rick proposed, "We'll spend an hour doing one, and another hour with the other. By then, maybe the slopes'll be open again, and we can get in some skiing."
"OK, I guess I can live with that," she nodded, "I was leaning towards skating first..."
"Well, let's go skating, then," he told her, zipping up his coat. Melanie did the same and followed him out the door. "Hey, wait up, guys," she called to the Parker sisters, who'd split off in the direction of the lake, "I decided to go with you for a while."
"Well, glad to have you along, Melanie," Carol grinned, "Here," she handed her a pair of skates, "Spare set Sophie found in the storeroom she found the sleds the others are using."
"You and Roxanne'll have to lead me along; I haven't had too much experience skating," Melanie admitted.
"No problem. I'm a novice myself. We'll learn together," Rick assured her. In no time, the four of them reached the lake. Melanie put on her skates and hesitantly stepped onto the ice. With a low cry, she slipped and almost lost her balance. "Hold on, hold on, I've got you," Rick lunged out and caught her before she could fell...then slipped and fell himself. "But who's got you?" Melanie laughed, helping him up.
"I guess it's you. Nice and easy at first, together," Rick took both her hands. The two of them started skating slowly in wide circles across the ice. "Not bad, for two amateurs," Roxanne teasingly commended them, "Now watch Carol and I show you how the pros do it."
She and her sister broke into impressive synchronized spins across the ice, culminating with flying triple twirls. "Impressive, you guys," Melanie applauded them.
"The Olympics are going to be ours eventually," Carol bragged, "Rox and I have what it takes to win the gold."
"And then, a big contract on national ice tours," Roxanne struck a dramatic pose on one foot-then stumbled and almost lost her balance. "Easy there, got you," Carol skated over and caught her.
"Thanks. I know you've always got my back, Carol," Roxanne grinned. Melanie smiled herself. "Shall we try some moves of our own?" she asked Rick.
"Well, let's see what we can do," Rick took her around the waist and lifted her off the ice, spinning in a circle. "Rick, Rick, put me down!" she protested, laughing.
"OK, if you insist," he lowered her back to the ice, then pushed gently off and skated on one foot down the ice, flapping his arms. "I call it the snow goose," he told her jokingly.
"Well, I can fly better than that," Melanie mimicked his movement. "Now together," she took his hand. The two of them burst forward on one foot down the ice-and slipped and fell in unison. Laughing, they rolled up into sitting positions. "We're really not that good at this, are we?" she chuckled.
"Not really. But at least I get to share it with a great and beautiful girl," he pulled her close, "And that's reward enough for me."
"I guess I could say that too," she smiled, her heart melting for him, "You're making this trip so much more special for me, Rick..."
"Yeah, I see her, and a couple of those other girls," the figure in the woods atop the hill overlooking the lake said into a radio, watching Melanie and the others through binoculars, "Too many people to strike now, but if I get a chance with any of them, I'll take it. If they go inside, I'll get in position. Don't worry, they'll be taken care of."
An hour later, Melanie found herself astride a sled staring down the hill towards the hotel. "Well, again, I guess it's first one down's having dinner bought for them," she told Sydney and Emily to her right.
"Guess so. You're doing not half bad for a first timer," Emily commended her.
"Well, there's not many hills in Nebraska to practice on. I guess I'm doing all right," Melanie said, angling her sled for the best and fastest angle down the hill.
"You certainly are. And thanks again, Sydney, for not wanting to take an extreme hill to go down," Emily thanked her neighbor.
"Hey, I did a little thinking last night, and figured it would help if I took in your feelings a little more, Emily. I know you'd want it nice and easy, so..." Sydney told her with a smile.
"Thank you. Now on your mark, get set, go!" Emily pushed off the hill. Melanie did the same, gripping the front of the sled hard. It careened down the hill, picking up speed, heading towards where Rick was standing with his arm raised. He jerked it down like a checkered flag once the sleds reached the bottom. "Emily, you were first to the finish line," he congratulated the brunette.
"All right," Emily pumped her fist in delight, "I'll have the baked haddock for dinner, Syd," she told Sydney with a grin.
"Well, if you insist, Emily. I'm glad to see you happy for once...and speaking of which," Sydney turned her gaze to the right and smiled herself. Melanie turned and broke into a smile of her own to see Marti and Patrick walking together, engaged in deep conversation, and with smiles on their faces. "...submitted it to the state poetry competition, and it got honorable mention," Marti was telling him, "That locked in my wish to be a writer. So when the chance came to join the school newspaper, I jumped for it. So I'll have the article written up with Melanie after this trip's over, and if you'd like, I'll give you a big plug in it, Patrick," she gave him a lovesick look.
"I'd really appreciate it if you'd like to," he seemed just as enamored, "You know, I think I'm really starting to like you, Marti," he said with a smile, taking hold of her hand, "I'll admit I wasn't sure about this at first, but you're really a nice girl, and, well, an interesting one too."
"Oh Patrick, thank you," she blushed.
"Yeah, you are," he gave her a pat on the shoulder, "Well, actually, I've got to get going-I promised Mark Franklin we're hit the arcade before the day's out-but hey, I'd be glad to join you for dinner tonight, Marti."
"Oh would you? Tell me where and when," she gushed. Patrick cracked a smile. "I'll see you later, Marti," he told her in parting, walking off. Marti shrieked in delight and deliberately threw herself backwards into the snow. "I have the man of my dreams, I have the man of my dreams!" she all but sang, making snow angels in delight.
"I saw, and congratulations, Marti," Melanie sat down next to her, "Look like we've both lucked out on this trip."
"And thank YOU," Marti hugged her, "Patrick told me how you and Rick told him I was the greatest girl he could find. I don't know how I can thank you for that...!"
"You don't need to, Marti. Setting you up with the boy of your dreams is my thanks for being such a great friend. This is..."
"Hey guys," Emily spoke up, and she sounded worried. Melanie looked up to see Roxanne coming towards them, and she looked nervous. "Hey, have you guys seen Carol around?" she asked them all, "She went for a bathroom break twenty years ago, and hasn't come back to the lake yet."
"Uh, no, she's not here, Rox," Sydney told her, frowning, "That is a little strange, although if you've got to go, you've got to go."
"No times for jokes, Sydney," Emily glared at her, panic starting to spread on her face, "She was the first one; now they're going to carve a path through the rest of us...!"
"Oh Emily, relax, this doesn't mean she's in dire danger," Melanie said firmly. It was at that moment, however, that loud cries by the hotel made her look up to see staff members rushing pell-mell into the building. "That's not good," she mumbled, her stomach starting to sink.
"I told you, this is bad. She's...Melanie, no, I don't want to see it!" Emily's protest fell on deaf ears, for Melanie had broken into a run towards the hotel. Her heart was pounding; if anything had happened to Carol...
She barely registered everyone else behind her as she raced in the front door and barreled down the hall. Her blood started freezing to see security members gathering around a woman's bathroom-and she could clearly see red streaks on the wall. Without thinking, she pushed forward through the wall of hotel staff members-and promptly stumbled backwards in horror, jamming her fist into her mouth to keep from screaming at the top of her lungs. Carol lay on the floor by the stall nearest the door, a wide-eyed expression of terror plastered on her face, her throat slashed, and numerous stab wounds all over her chest. There was no question she was dead, and had suffered severely in her last minutes on earth. Melanie slumped against the wall, covering her mouth to keep from throwing up...
"CAROL NO!" Roxanne's horrified scream filled the air, bringing her out of her stupor. The younger Parker sister flung herself on top of Carol's body. "PLEASE, NO, CAROL, NO!" she screeched in agony, pressing frantically on Carol's chest, "NOT THIS, PLEASE GOD, NOT THIS! COME BACK, PLEASE; DON'T LEAVE ME, CAROL! PLEASE, DO YOU HEAR ME, CAROL, DON'T LEAVE ME!"
"Sorry, honey, she's gone," the doctor put a sympathetic hand on her shoulder, shaking his head, "She died right away once her throat was slit."
"SHE'S NOT DEAD, SHE CAN'T BE DEAD! PLEASE, CAROL, COME BACK!" Roxanne screamed, pressing harder on her sister's chest in desperation. But Carol made no movement or any sign of life. Howling in misery, Roxanne rose up and pushed her way out of the bathroom with tears flowing down her face in rivers. Melanie turned and watched her go with a numb expression. Her hand went instinctively to her crucifix. "Heavenly Father, have mercy on her soul, and commend her into thy arms peacefully," she mumbled, making the sign of the cross towards Carol's body, which was being covered with a sheet. "What happened?" she heard Mr. Hunt the security chief saying vaguely in front of her.
"I went to clean the bathroom, and she was lying right there, dead," a maid spoke up with a faltering voice, "Who could have done something like this!?"
"I don't know. We'll have to check the security tapes and see if anyone came in or out," he declared, "Let's move it along, people, this is an official investigation now," Hunt waved people away from the bathroom. Melanie stumbled out into the hall, glanced in the direction Roxanne had run, then tapped a stunned Marti on the shoulder and pointed in that direction. Marti silently nodded and followed her up the hall. From the lobby, the two of them saw Roxanne slumped up in a ball just outside the door, her face in her hands. Melanie took a nervous gulp and slowly walked outside, the sound of hysterical crying overtaking her ears once she stepped through the door. "Roxanne, I, I don't quite know what to say," she managed to say with a halting voice, sitting down next to her, "This...this is horrible beyond words, and I never wanted to...I...I can only guess how horrible this is for you..."
"She was more than my sister, she was my best friend, hands down," Roxanne whimpered in a cracking voice, "It's always been the two of us, always inseparable. She'd always want me to come along with her friends; she said we'd be the best of sisters forever..."
She sniffed in misery. "Two years ago, we were hiking in the woods outside town," she related, choking her every word, "We were going up a rock ledge, and it started raining. Right at the highest point, I slipped on the wet trail and fell a hundred feet into a ravine, shattered my leg in three places. Somehow, Carol got down to me, and no matter much I begged and pleaded her to leave me and go for help, she refused to let me lay there alone and in agony. For eight hours, she knelt there beside me, holding my hand and giving me comfort, telling me that it was going to be all right. It got pitch dark after nightfall, but she still wouldn't leave me, wouldn't let go of me, stayed right there until search parties found us. Carol was my second half, and she was always there for me, to help me up when I fell. And now what am I going to do, without her to be there for me when I...CARRRRRRRROOOOOOLLLLLLLL!" she let out a heart-rending scream of grief, then buried her face in her hands again and wept uncontrollably. Melanie found herself breaking into tears as well. "I'm so sorry, Roxanne!" she sobbed, hugging Roxanne close, "Oh God, I wish this didn't have to happen, not to a nice girl like Carol, not to you!"
"CAROL!" Roxanne wailed tearfully again, pounding the hotel wall hard with her fists. Melanie squeezed her tight. "I know, I know!" she mumbled through her trembling lips, "But I'm here, Roxanne, Marti's here, the other girls are here. We'll get you through this while we're together, I promise!"
"Yeah, we're here, Roxanne," Marti came over and hugged the other redhead as well.
"I'm nothing without her!" Roxanne cried, "What am I going to tell Mom and Dad!? I should just kill myself now; then at least we'll be together again...!"
"Oh God, Roxanne, don't say that!" horrified, Melanie pulled away from her, "Killing yourself's not the answer! Think of the pain you'll cause everyone...!"
"The pain I'm feeling's too much; I just want to die!" Roxanne howled, "I should have gone with her; I could have saved her, or at least we'd have gone out together!"
"Roxanne, please don't think that!" Melanie shouted, "You need to live, for her! Carol would want you to keep going, to keep being the sister she loved! You understand me!?"
"I...I don't know! I just want this to be a horrible nightmare I can wake up from, and everything to be all right again!" Roxanne sniffed, wiping her eyes.
"We know, we do too," Marti rubbed her shoulder, "We wish it could be different. Come on," she gently helped Roxanne to her feet, then glanced at the mountain above them, "Looks like the trails are open again; let's go skiing together."
"I don't feel like it, Marti, and I..."
"Roxanne, it's best to get you away from here for a while. Don't worry, Marti and will be there for you all the way, OK!?" Melanie looked her right in the eye. Roxanne wiped her eyes and gave a soft nod. "All right, we'll go around the back door and get our skis and go down a couple of trails," Melanie put an arm around her and led her around the back of the hotel, shooting Marti a worried glance. "Don't take your eyes off her," she mouthed at her best friend, "She'll kill herself if we do!"
"I know," Marti mouthed back, patting Roxanne when she wailed in grief again, "We'd better be there for her till we leave. This just got deadly serious."
"OK, ready?" Melanie asked Roxanne a half hour later near the bottom of the ski lift.
"Guess so," Roxanne mumbled disinterestedly, staring blankly at the ground
"It's going to be good; this'll do you and us good," Melanie tried to assure her, patting her on the shoulder. She gave Marti another concerned glance. "You need time away, Roxanne," the other redhead told the surviving Parker sister, "Time to get your thoughts together, and..."
"Hey guys, wait for us," Sydney called behind them. She and Emily, wearing their own skis now, were approaching. "We're so sorry," the black-haired girl told Roxanne, putting an arm around her, "Emily and I will do anything we can to make you feel better, just like I'm sure Melanie and Marti promised you too."
"What would make me feel better would to have Carol back," Roxanne's lip quivered, tears flooding her eyes again.
"I know, we'd want her back too," Sydney hugged her, clearly fighting back tears of her own, "We'll go skiing with you as well. Rick'll be here once he gets suited up for the slopes," she told Melanie, "After what's happened, he's pretty adamant about making sure you and we aren't in harm's way. I listened in a bit to the security staff talking about it; they said that..."
"You can tell me, Sydney," Marti interrupted, walking over to her, "I'm sure Roxanne isn't in the mood to hear specifics. I'll catch up, Melanie," she told her friend.
"Right. Come on, Roxanne, we'll start on up," Melanie took her hand and led her towards the chair lift. Marti was right, she knew; best to get Roxanne away from anything that would remind her of her sister's murder. "Lord, give her comfort, and take the grief from her heart as best you can," she softly prayed skyward.
"What?" Roxanne briefly looked up.
"Just trying to give you some kind of peace. Here we go," Melanie slid into the first available chair, looking back at Marti conversing with her other friends down below as she locked the lap bar into place. Hopefully whatever they'd tell her when they'd had the chance would be helpful to exposing whoever would do such a horrific act. Carol deserved closure at least, she knew. "You're going to like this in the end, Roxanne, we're going to have fun together," she said, still looking back down the lift.
"And I'm going to have lots of fun, Haddix you thief," came a cold, familiar voice. Melanie spun in surprise. Sure enough, there was Rhonda, having snuck onto the lift with Roxanne behind her. "Figured that if you were going skiing today, I would too," Rhonda glared in her face, "It's amazing how high up we go on this, isn't it, Haddix," she gestured at the high drop below them.
"What do you want from me, Rhonda!? You lost Rick yourself by being a...!" Melanie let out a loud shriek as Rhonda abruptly pulled a large knife from her coat and thrust it in her face. "Don't scream, don't make a sound, and don't resist!" the popular girl warned her, "You embarrassed me and took the man I love, Haddix, and as I promised, you're going to pay a bloody price! I'm the only one among us who's getting off this ski lift alive."
"Do what you want, I don't care," Roxanne mumbled, her head hung low.
"Aw, miss your dear sister already?" Rhonda taunted her, her eyes zeroing in on the deep chasm directly under the ski life ahead, "Well, don't worry, I'm going to fix that."
"No, don't you dare!" Melanie cried, abruptly grabbing hold of the knife and trying to pull it out of Rhonda's hands, "She still has so much to live for...!"
She shrieked as Rhonda yanked the knife back and slashed her wrist hard. "You're extraneous now, so off you go," she snarled to Roxanne, giving her a hard shove right as the lift passed over the thousand foot chasm. Horrified, Melanie lurched forward, but was too late to grab Roxanne before she toppled out of the lift chair. She spun away and covered her eyes, unwilling to bear to watch, although the horrified screams of riders in front and behind her chair, plus Roxanne's final cry of, "I'M COMING, CAROL!" that slowly diminished to nothing rang ominously in her ears. "You heartless monster...!" she breathed furiously at Rhonda.
"Thank you. And now," Rhonda pulled Melanie's hands off her face and thrust the knife into it, "It's your turn."