As I'm typing this AN, I finally finished revamping (before I started publishing this arc).

Winter Wonderland: Part Eight

Eventually, everyone arrives at the Blackburn mansion still having no response from Scarlet. They park their cars on one side of the driveway and walk up to Cinder and Winter, seeing their make-do snowplow since Thorne's is currently buried.

"Would this really work?" Kai asks.

Cinder shrugs. "I have shovels in the trunk."

"My plow is better," Thorne says.

"Your plow can suck my spades. Anyways, you guys coming or what?"

"I'll follow in my car," Wolf says.

"Good plan. You lead the way since I don't remember how to get to the farm."

"Have you ever driven with that thing on the front?" Cress asks, pointing at it.

Cinder huffs, putting her hands on her hips. "No. I'm only 95% certain I attached it right since the internet wasn't helpful."

Cress blinks before scooting over to Wolf's car. Cinder barely has experience driving in snow let alone when she has a plow attachment on the front that's likely secured correctly. Thorne heads over there as well because he's petty about his snowplow.

"We're bringing toboggans?" Kai asks as he gets into the Blackburn's car.

"Yes!" Winter exclaims. "We found them behind the plow in the garage. Scarlet's got a hill-y area by her farm. Forget the blizzard. We're having a tobogganing rematch once we get Scarlet."

-o-

The drive heading out of the main city was terrible. The roads were plowed and fine. Cinder didn't have any problems with the plow attachment on her car. The issue was dealing with other cars on the road and keeping up with Wolf. At one point, she lost him because his car blended in with the others and she somehow ended up in front of him. It took a lot of mixed signals through windows and choppy phone calls on speaker before they returned to how they started.

Once the city starts to disappear behind them in exchange for the countryside, Cinder passes Wolf and starts using the plow on her car. She knows it's a straight drive from here and they'll run into Scarlet at some point.

After fifteen minutes on the road, it's understandable why Scarlet was stranded. Even on a normal sunny day, it's empty compared to the city. With the snow, it looks like they're in a blank slate.

If a giant poof of red hair didn't come out of a mount of snow that they later learned was a car to stare at them, they would've driven past her.

Everyone stops around her and slowly disperse from their cars.

"Thank the stars," Scarlet says, shivering. Her voice is shaky and she's almost crying. Her skin is paler but colour slowly returns to her face since she's relieved. "You two are the first cars I've seen since I got here. I didn't even think you'd be here but my brain definitely has frostbite and -"

Before she finishes, Wolf runs over and hugs her tightly. If she wasn't so cold, she would've melted into him. He shakes her and snowflakes flutter out of her hair. Scarlet grips his jacket's collar, pulling him closer to her as he holds her hips.

"I want to get in your jacket," Scarlet mutters, tilting her head up to the crook of his neck.

Wolf opens his mouth, glancing down at her. He's tempted to rip off her jacket and put her inside of his. He wasn't sure if Scarlet meant it (he hoped she did) or if her frostbite brain did the talking. She told him not to kiss her because her nose has been running and she gave up on wiping it on her sleeve, but that didn't stop him. She ended up giving an I told you so face when he gags afterwards.

"Thank the stars Wolf didn't get you on his own…" Thorne mutters.

Scarlet narrows her eyes at him but keeps her arms wrapped around Wolf. When Thorne passes them with a shovel he got from the Cinder's trunk, she trips him and he falls face first into a snow bank on the side of the road. Nobody helps him up since he deserved it.

Wolf takes off his jacket and wraps it around Scarlet's shoulders, keeping his arms around her as well. He rubs her arms to warm her up and she leans against his body. Meanwhile, the others work on getting Scarlet's car out of the snow. Thorne and Kai shovel around the wheels, Cinder sits in Scarlet's driver seat to heat up the car to help melt some snow off since she'll be able to drive soon, and Winter and Cress work on brushing snow off the car.

"I can't thank you enough for this," Scarlet says. "I could cry if my face wasn't frozen."

"We thought you drove to France," Cress responds with a grin.

Scarlet narrows her eyes. "You're never getting over that."

"Nope!" Everyone exclaims.

If Scarlet wasn't rescued by them in the snowy farmlands, she would hate them.

"Oh, Scarlet," Kai says as he clears off his shovel, "you have some competition?"

"Do I?" Scarlet asks in disbelief.

"You shut your spades!" Wolf yells.

Scarlet gives him another face, wanting him to explain. At first, she thought nobody could be better than her but given Wolf's tough reaction, she has to know what happened. Cinder and Winter laugh amongst themselves since Kai told them on the way here. Thorne and Cress look over in anticipation.

"Torin's twins were all googly-eyed at Wolf when he picked me up," Kai says. "They looked at him like a fairytale prince."

Scarlet's jaw drops but she picks it up quickly. She thought she'd have to shank a classmate but her threats are two five-year-old girls. She almost feels embarrassed but then smiles because Wolf didn't even want her to find out.

"That's adorable!" Cress exclaims.

"I don't want to talk about it…" Wolf mutters.

"You should've seen their faces," Kai continues, smiling brightly. "They were gawking up at him. Mallory's definitely asking about that later."

"Like Scarlet does with Wolf," Winter adds, giggling because even Scarlet can't deny it.

"How's the car coming?" Wolf nearly yells, leaning over Scarlet to make sure Cinder hears him.

All eyes turn to Cinder as she starts the engine. The wheels turn, picking up speed the more weight she puts on the gas. Small amounts of snow spurt out of the spinning wheels but when the car doesn't move, everyone gathers around back and starts pushing. Cinder picks up speed and finally, the car shoots forwards. Cinder stops as all her friends fall over except Winter.

At least they're cheering.

At least they got out of the snow.

"We'll drive ahead and continue clearing the road," Winter says.

"Imagine if the plow came now," Cress says.

Everyone looks at both ends of the road, still nothing at sight. If now was the time for the real snowplows, they could've waited.

"I'll drive your car back," Wolf says to Scarlet, "just sit back and warm up." He tosses his keys to Cress because he doesn't trust Thorne driving his car, and takes off his jacket to wrap over Scarlet's shoulders. "Take mine."

"To the farm?" Cress asks.

"To the farm," everyone adds before going to their separate cars.