A Christmas to remember

CHAPTER THREE

Before I could stop him, Ethan was on the ice. As I watched him go slowly and deliberately toward the hole, my heart pounded. Sophie's frantic cries pierced the roaring storm and reverberated in my ears.

"Grab the edge, Sophie!" With a strained voice, Ethan yelled. “Are you hearing me? Keep moving.”

Sophie's hands clawed at the sharp ice as her pale face bobbed in the water. She gasped, her teeth chattering so loudly that I could hear them from where I stood. "I can't!" she exclaimed. "It's too cold!"

"You must give it a shot!" Inching closer, Ethan pushed. Beneath him, the ice moaned menacingly, fissures emerging from his weight. Sophie, just a little more. I'm almost there.

I was having trouble breathing. Every muscle in my body begged me to take action, yet I was unable to move. Watching helplessly as Ethan extended his arm toward Sophie, I gripped my chest.

"Grab my hand!" he said, his voice ragged with haste. "Now, Sophie!"

Sophie whimpered and stretched out, her shaky fingertips brushing his. Ethan grabbed her wrist and sprang forward, his body gliding over the ice. My knees gave down at the sound of another thunderclap from the ice underneath them.

"Wait a minute!" Ethan clenched his jaw and dragged Sophie as hard as he could. "Just wait!"

He pulled her out of the water somehow, and her dripping body fell on the ice like a dead doll. However, the relief was fleeting. Before breaking under Ethan, the ice made one last, loud moan.

"No!" I yelled and hurried ahead without giving it any thought. As I got to the lake's edge, my boots slid on the slick surface. Ethan's head broke the surface, his terrified eyes wide.

"Emma, get back!" As the cold water dragged him under once again, he coughed and yelled. "Avoid getting any closer!"

I ignored his warning and fell to my knees, holding onto the ice's edge. "Grasp my hand!" Leaning as far as I could, I sobbed. "Please, Ethan!"

His hand sprang out and grabbed mine as he emerged, gasping. His grasp was feeble and his skin was freezing. I tugged as hard as I could, inch by inch, until he was near enough to drag me onto the ice next to Sophie. Tears clouded my eyes and my arms burned, but I continued until they were both out of the water.

As I attempted to raise Sophie, I gasped and trembled, "We have to get inside." Her body shivered involuntarily, and she moaned, her lips becoming blue.

Ethan stumbled to his feet, moving slowly and with a pale face. His voice was scratchy as he continued, "I'll carry her." His legs almost buckled under him as he gathered Sophie into his arms. "Leave now."

The journey back to the lodge seemed to go on forever. The snow was unrelenting and blinding, as the wind whipped at us with frigid rage. As we staggered through the drifts, I remained near Ethan, keeping one hand on his arm to stabilize him. We were all three just hanging on by the time we got to the door.

Though it was a harsh reminder of how freezing we were, the warmth inside struck us like a wave. Taking every blanket and towel I could find, I assisted Ethan in placing Sophie on the sofa. Her teeth chattered too loudly for her to talk, so she remained silent.

Ethan remarked in a terrified voice, "We need to warm her up." His hands shaking, he massaged Sophie's arms. "Get some hot water, Emma. Anything that's warm

I hurried to the kitchen after nodding. I grabbed a fresh towel to carry back as my hands trembled as I filled a bowl with hot water. Ethan was still at Sophie's side when I got back, his face smeared with shame.

"Why would you act so carelessly?" More to himself than to her, he whispered. "What were you contemplating?"

Sophie opened her eyes and gave him a look while shaking. Her voice was barely heard as she spat, "Why do you care?" "You don't give a damn."

Ethan's fingers lingered on her arm as he froze. "That is untrue," he murmured quietly. "I am present, am I not?"

Sophie snapped back, "Because you have to be," her voice breaking. "Not because you'd want to. You're simply acting like you usually do.

I knelt next to her and murmured softly, "Sophie, stop." He's attempting to assist. All of us are.

Her eyes came to mine, and her rage wavered for a second. She said, "You ought to have left me out there." "Anyway, I'm just a burden." I brushed her wet hair away from her face and sternly added, "Don't say that." "You don't cause trouble. You are kin.

Sophie's eyes welled up with tears, and her lip trembled. "So why do I feel like I'm not wanted around?"

Her comments shattered my heart, so I gathered her in an embrace and held her close as she cried on my shoulder. "That's untrue," I said. "They want you. You are cherished. Never question that.

Ethan stood motionless behind me, his shoulders stiff. He didn't say anything, but I could sense the shame oozing from him. I withdrew and tightened the blanket over Sophie as her tears subsided.

"You should get some rest," I murmured softly. "We'll discuss this further in the morning."

Sophie closed her eyes in tiredness and gave a feeble nod. My rage boiled to the surface as I rose and turned to confront Ethan.

I added softly, "We need to talk."

After giving Sophie a quick look and nodding, he followed me into the kitchen. I turned on him as soon as we were out of earshot.

"What was that?" I gave a hiss. "Ethan, she may have perished! Are you even aware of that?

He shook his head and combed through his hair, saying, "Of course I do." "You don't think I'm putting the blame on myself at the moment?"

"You ought to have anticipated this!" I fired back. "You've done nothing but dismiss her months of spiraling behavior!"

"Emma, what am I supposed to do?" he screamed, his voice flailing. "I'm making an effort! However, nothing I do is ever sufficient! I have no idea how to resolve this!

I was frozen in my tracks by the unadulterated intensity in his words. He turned away, clutching the counter's edge as if it were the only thing holding him up.

His voice was hardly audible above a whisper as he confessed, "Emma, I'm afraid." I'm afraid I'll let her down. of failing you both. Sophie, whose face was pale and her eyes wide, stood at the doorway without our knowledge. She had heard it all.