An Alien Love

Snowflakes danced and glistened in the street lights like little fairies as they fell gently to the ground. The steady fall of snow in the early Alaska morning captivated Tosh as she and her group of friends crossed the quiet parking lot, their hushed voices and the crunch of their feet in the fresh powder the only sounds. December had come, marking the first day of the ski season at the resort a few hours away. The slopes there were unmatched by any other in the area and as the group piled into Tosh’s truck the excitement was thick in the air. There had been heavy snowfall that night and the forecast stated the snow would continue steadily throughout the day. Tosh couldn’t wait to carve tracks on the mountainside. With the heat on full blast and the music cranked up, the group grabbed coffee from the small vendor on the corner, then hit the Seward-Meridian Highway towards Girdwood. Jenna, Amanda, and Tosh had been frequenting the slopes together from the time they were students at Colony High. Now seniors at the University of Anchorage, Alaska, their group had grown to include James, Christopher, and Conner. Most of the group had been born on skis and snowboards. Amanda had learned to board in high school with Tosh and Jenna. Conner was relatively new to the scene, having spent the entirety of his life in Florida. After having made a fool of himself on his first attempt down a run, not wanting to tell the group he’d never skied before, Conner had been banished to the bunny hill with Tosh and Jenna switching out every so often to give him lessons. Now Conner had mastered the bunny hill and was cruising most of the lower mountain runs with ease. This season he was determined to hit the upper bowl where some of the best snowfall occurred, but with the reward of amazing skiing conditions came the challenge of some of the hardest runs the resort had to offer. “I can’t wait to get there. I’m going to kill it on these runs.” Conner puffed his chest out proudly. Tosh snorted, seeing the display from her rear-view mirror. “It's been almost a year since you’ve been on those skis. You sucked on the last run we did, and you’ll suck worse today.” Laughter exploded. Conner’s cheeks flushed pink. Jamie quickly jumped to his friends’ defense. “Yeah well, at least he didn’t lose every piece of gear he could while sliding on his back head first down the mountain wearing that stupid trash bag. Please tell me you have waterproof gear now.” The laughter got louder. The jabs and jokes continued to fly, and the cheerful comradery drove off the little sleepiness that the coffee hadn’t managed to banish. Tosh fell into silence, keeping her eyes on the treacherous road and both hands on the wheel. The drive from Anchorage to Girdwood was gorgeous. Steep mountains and sheer cliff faces lined one side of the road. A steep drop into the churning ocean below lined the other. With the fresh snowfall and low visibility, Tosh was on full alert as she steered her truck along the winding highway, thankful she had thought of throwing sandbags into the bed a few days previous. The two-hour car ride felt like mere moments. The parking lot was packed despite the fact the lifts didn’t open for another hour. Tosh and the others unloaded their gear from the back of her truck and found a table near the cafeteria that they staked as theirs for the day. They then headed to the kiosk for their season lift passes. The resort had been a part of Tosh’s life as long as she could remember. Her parents had taught her and her brother to ski when they were small and after years of begging, when they finally deemed her old enough, they’d also gotten her and her brother snowboards and lessons. Her brother and she had always raced down the familiar slopes. Tosh could not remember a single bad day on the mountainside. The group made fun of Tosh as she pulled out her helmet after getting the rest of her gear on, but she had taken enough nasty hits to the head to know she wanted it despite the heckling. After a few minutes’ discussion and a firm look typically reserved for uncooperative children, Connor followed suit, donning the helmet Tosh had given him. The group didn’t heckle Conner over the helmet. They knew he’d need it. James and Christopher decided that it would be better if they did their first few runs at the bottom of the mountain to get Connor used to the lifts and to be attached to skis again. Jenna and Amanda were anxious to get to the good powder in the upper bowl. The party agreed to split up and settled on a time to meet again. The boys, with a disgruntled Connor in tow, headed towards the lower mountain ski lift near the bar. The girls hung back before heading to the lift right outside of the lodge that would take them up the mountain. The ride up the mountain was a beautifully familiar site. The trees around them were covered in snow, contrasting their dark wood and pines against the white. When the trees gave way, the surrounding mountains were covered in clear white blankets, seemingly carving tracks through dense forests like rivers. The fresh snow made everything glitter like thousands of gems when lights filtered through the clouds. Upon reaching the top of the lift, the girls strapped the rest of the way to their boards. Tosh breathed in the icy air, taking in the surroundings. She smiled, preparing herself for the exhilarating journey down the first run of the day. “The last one to the bottom is a rotten egg!” Tosh hopped forward, starting the race down the mountain. Her board cut through the powder with ease. Shouts of joy escaped her lips as the wind rushed past her. It was a close race with Tosh barely coming out first at the bottom near the lift where they had begun. Jena had fallen in the first five minutes and snow was caked into her scarf. Amanda had managed to make it down the mountain without falling. She gloated about her success while Jenna attempted to free her scarf of snow clumps before they melted and froze again. Giving up, Jenna removed the scarf and placed it in her pocket. “We are right here at the lodge. Why not just take it back inside?” “I don’t want to take off the board just to put away a scarf. It’ll be fine.” “You might lose it if you fall.” Amanda smiled teasingly, barely concealing a laugh. “I kind of hope I do. At least then I’ll have an excuse not to wear it.” Tosh laughed and rolled her eyes. “Another gift from Nana?” Jenna nodded and the conversation was dropped as they made their way to the line for the lift once more. The girls mounted the lift, Amanda and Jenna joked back and forth between themselves. Tosh rarely got involved in the conversation. The girls had been visiting this mountainside so often together that her silence didn’t bother the other two. They reached the top and strapped in, once again beginning a race down the mountain. They all made it to the bottom crash free, subjecting Jenna to teasing about the lucky scarf that did not want to be lost. The morning continued much the same, with lighthearted banter on the lift rides and fast-paced races back down the mountain. When the group met together at the ski lodge for lunch, the boys had a story of death-defying brilliance. Connor had unwittingly found his way onto the half pike. Reaching the bottom of the steep hill, he had gotten some major air accompanied by a crash of epic proportion. Terrified and with hurt pride, Connor had detached himself from the skis and walked the rest of the way to the lodge. The retelling of this story had everyone doubled over, barely able to enjoy their food. Connor was bright pink but grinned good-naturedly, assuring everyone his death-defying stunt hadn’t dampened his desire to see the upper bowl. During the lunch break, snow began falling heavily outside. The group geared up once more and traveled to the upper bowl together. Snowboarding that high up with Connor was slow going. They wanted to make sure he was controlled to avoid injuries. Despite this, the group managed to enjoy themselves. After a few more hours, the group was finished and it was time to head back to Anchorage for their traditional after-mountain meal, pizza at one of the best pizzerias in the area with house-brewed beer, root beer, and cream soda on tap.