*****
The snow was breathtaking in the morning. The flakes were gently falling as they had been the entire night before, which made for incredible conditions. It’s always great to get on the mountain when the first flakes of the season come down in November, but usually only the top part of the mountain was open. It satisfies the craving a bit, but barely long enough until the entire mountain was open. Then the real skiing can begin, like today. It was great that we were all at similar levels. I was enjoying myself so much, and the best part seemed to be that there weren’t any creatures waiting for me. I thoroughly embraced the freedom around me.
It was getting close to noon when we decided that this would be our last run so we could go to the Longhorn and grab lunch. I was craving wings and a drink. We all made our way over to the entrance and propped our skis and poles in the storage area.
We walked past the diehards who were sitting outside eating and drinking next to the heat lamps and went inside to grab a place to sit.
“So everything seems pretty calm around here. That’s a good thing, right?” I asked whoever would answer.
“Yep. So far so good. We need to keep an eye out,” Cyril said, reaching for Arie’s hand.
The waitress bounded over to get our drink order, and we all wanted the same thing, a hot peppermint patty. Beer didn’t sound good compared to something warm for the first round.
Athen looked over at me. I could tell he wanted to bring up the topic of getting a house outside the village that we weren’t able to discuss last night. I nodded my head.
“I know it may seem odd since we have a place in the village, but hear us out. We’ve been thinking about getting a house right outside the village. We can have more privacy and then use this one when we are skiing, but there are times in the summer when I think we would all enjoy some land to go along with the summer nights up here.” Athen looked around trying to gauge Cyril and Arie’s expression. I could tell he was gearing up for an argument and had his list of reasons ready for the firing. Instead he got an answer that completely took us by surprise.
“We’ve been thinking the same thing,” Arie informed us, “Now that we are all together again, it seems fitting to have a little more room to roam. I think it’s a great idea. We can always rent this one when we aren’t using it.”
“Wow, sis, I was expecting a bit of a fight or something, but this is great.” Athen said sounding very relieved.
“I love looking at homes and have already compiled a list from some of the magazines I grabbed around the village last night on our way back from dinner. There is one that seems especially fitting, if you wanted to check it out,” I mentioned.
“No, that sounds great. You certainly don’t waste any time,” Cyril said.
“It’s back at the condo. I can show it to you when we get back.” I was getting super excited. It would also give us more room for some of the stuff I had accumulated, too, from my condo. Thankfully, we all had the same decorating choices.
We scheduled a meeting with a realtor for that Tuesday, and when we pulled up to the driveway, we all knew this was the place. The home was spectacular. It had a large front porch that was covered in cobblestones. There were shingles and exposed beams on every corner, which was a favorite look of mine. Cyril pulled the car next to the realtor’s, and we all hopped out of the Jeep. The towering trees that were kept on the lot greeted us as we walked up the driveway.
Athen took my hand, and I instantly squeezed it letting him know how happy I was with this place. We hadn’t even gotten inside yet. The realtor opened the door as soon as we reached the last step. She looked very pretty. I sensed a familiarity about her, but dismissed it to her being a local Whistler resident. She was dressed in an off-white pantsuit with a red, silk scarf tied around her neck.
“Hi, I’m Stephanie and you are…” She said looking directly at me with a very calming smile, sticking out her hand.
“I’m Ana. I spoke with you on the phone,” I said, shaking her hand, “This is Athen, Arie, and Cyril.”
“Oh, yes. I think we have worked together, you own the condo at the Fairmont, right?” She said looking at Athen.
That’s when it hit me. She had brilliant green eyes. I looked over at Athen who nodded. Wow, this was truly an amazing world I belonged in. I don’t know how I missed it for so long.
“So this foyer is two stories and to the right of us is considered the library. To the left is the dining room. It connects to the kitchen. Let’s go have a look shall we?”
I loved this house. The layout was perfect. The house was filled with warmth, and we hadn’t even moved in yet. We all walked into the family room, and I saw another set of stairs that were leading downstairs, which we followed and saw a cozy theater room, wine cellar, and little bar area. We came back up the stairs to the main floor, and I admired the view I had missed before. The snow was gently falling and graced the fir trees that were on the hill guiding the driveway back down the hill.
Cyril and Arie followed Stephanie upstairs, and we stayed down in the kitchen for a little while. I think Athen could sense the questions I had building up.
“She’s one of us?” I whispered to Athen.
“She sure is,” Athen replied.
“Are they all over? Is she in a family too? Like ours?”
“Yes, sweetie, she is. She is married to Joshua. They live here in the Winter and, believe it or not, they live in New Mexico in the Spring and Summer.”
“So you guys are friends with them?”
“We’ve been friends with them for a few years. They know the situation, if that is what you are wondering.”
“Yeah, I kind of gathered that,” I said grinning.
“Aren’t you something now?” Athen swatted at me, “Now let’s go upstairs and check out the rest of the house.”
We got to the landing. There was a little bonus room to the left. That was a nice feature I thought to myself. We heard Arie’s voice and followed it down the hallway that went to the left. There was a smaller guest room, which looked plenty big, and then a master suite where Arie and Cyril were chatting with Stephanie.
“Well, this is a nice size, and it has a deck. That’s great!” I exclaimed.
“And this is the smaller room,” Cyril chipped in.
“Really? Let’s go check out the other one, honey!” I said grabbing Athen’s hand and pulling him with me.
As we got down the hall I heard Stephanie say, “Wow, she is certainly well adjusted for such a short time.”
“Am I really?” I asked Athen.
“Yeah, you really are. It’s a bit abnormal.”
“Sweet,” I said, before heading into the other master suite.
“Wow, this one is great! It has a deck too. The bathroom was bigger. I bet Cyril and Arie would like this one. I have to be honest. I kind of like the other one. It feels more cozy.”
“I’m completely with you,” Athen agreed.
We headed back to meet the others. I heard Stephanie telling them that if it was a cash offer, we could close in as little as two weeks.
“What a Christmas present that would be!” I exclaimed.
Athen came in and hugged my shoulders, “You guys think we should keep looking or do you think this is it?”
“I think we all know this is it!” Arie said, jumping up a little.
“Great. We’ll go back to the office and submit the paperwork.”
The Watchers Trilogy: Awakening Page 44