Only Fire

Chapter 25

"You guys think you're funny?" Mr. Schwertz said to us, a crowd of bored adolescents who sat in front of him while he and the other teachers ranted.

Our giggles eventually hit him like the gradual formation of an ocean wave, knocking him off the invisible pedestal he stood upon.

"I'll have you know this lodge has cameras and we will find out who it was!"

We had already wasted thirty minutes of our morning being lectured by the teachers. It all started when they woke up to the slew of duct tape on the ground outside of each hotel room door. I regretted nothing.

"The snow is going to melt if you don't let us leave already," Antonio yelled, hidden somewhere deep within the herd of humans, as he would call them.

This was the one time I would actually coincide with the cold-hearted vamp. Shouts of our agreement grew louder as we became restless.

"Just go get your ski suits on and get out of here," Mr. Schwertz said, defeated. "But this isn't over!"

He tried to add the last sentence on, but it was too late as the students dispersed and headed for the doors.

"Come on," Zane said, grabbing my arm to drag me away.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"There's a party tonight, and I volunteered to stay back while everyone else skied."

He discovered yet another method to prevent me from being exposed to the cold. I observed the back of his head while he grasped my wrist, pulling me along through the dimly lit hallway. I did not know our destination, and truthfully, I questioned whether it truly mattered.

Two metal doors stood in front of us, and I knew right away this was the kitchen. I pushed the double doors open. The room emitted a welcoming scent of freshly baked cookies and cinnamon apple pies, evoking nostalgic memories of being enveloped in the comforting embrace of a grandmother's warm hug. If I had ever had one.

"Grab an apron!" Lucy shouted at me. She had flour painted across her face, making it look like a snowball had smacked her, leaving a trace of unmeltable flakes in its place.

I looked back at Zane while he just shrugged his shoulders. It was obvious he had planned this reunion. I'm not sure what he had said to them, but I was grateful.

"Gladly," I said.

I saw a white apron that hung from a silver hook beside the door and grabbed it. I was no stranger to the kitchen from working at the cafe. Besides coffee, we also had to prepare an assortment of pastries.

"Here," Zane whispered from behind me. "Let me."

"I can do it."

"But it's more fun this way."

He took the two long strings of my apron and gently tied them together behind my back, letting his fingers slowly caress the edges of my waist when he did. I would never get used to the minor earthquakes that rolled up my spine as his fingertips glided smoothly across my body. And maybe I would never want to.

"Thank you," I whispered.

"For what," Zane said.

"I don't know what you said or did and maybe I'm not supposed to know, but whatever it was," I said and turned to face him. "I'm glad you did."

I placed my hands on his shoulders and stood on my tiptoes to plant a soft kiss on his cheek.

The warm water ran over my hands as I washed them before I ran to join Lucy, digging them into the soft dough.