The wind is picking up again, blasting my coat across my back. I shuffle forward carefully, not wanting to stumble off the road if I somehow miss the guardrail. But before I know it, the guardrail is in front of me. The drift to my left is enormous, but here a single swipe of my boot uncovers some of the metal rail.

I step forward, peering down the gray-white slope of the valley. It’s steep here at the top, with trees dotting the hillside. It’s hard to be sure, but I think the slope becomes more gradual. The evergreen branches have provided some cover and with the wind blowing the other direction, the snow on the hillside is patchier. Here and there, I can see bits of black forest floor peeking through. I crouch down, peering through the tree trunks to see what’s at the bottom. Just darkness. Trees. Lights.

Lights?

My heart trips. I lost them, but I wouldn’t have imagined that, would I? It had to be headlights or a house or…something. I stare until I find them again, between the spaces in the trees. They’re real—I didn’t dream them. It’s only a few tiny yellow glimmers, but they’re lined up at the bottom of the valley, which means there is a road. And those lights? They are houselights.

I squint, spotting the vague colorful twinkle of holiday lights in a window. There are people down there. Hope bursts through my chest, as warm and bright as sunshine through stained glass.

“You guys!” I shout, pointing. “There are houses down there!”

They are out of my sight, hidden entirely by the mountainous snow drift. And apparently with the wind howling they can’t hear me. I shout again, but no one answers.

I stomp back across the road, fighting against the wind to get to them. My legs burn from wading through the snow, and I’m breathing fast, but I’m thrilled. It’s cold, but I don’t care. I could climb Everest in a bathing suit right now, because there are people! People who are not Harper and Brecken and Josh and Kayla. People who can help me get home.

When I make my way back over, everyone seems to be wandering. The trunk lid is open, and I can hear Brecken working the shovel. Harper is murmuring at him. Kayla is near them. Josh, too, but he must hear me coming, because he turns and meets me at the trunk.

“There are houses!” I say.

“What?” Josh asks.

Harper comes over and Brecken pauses. Even Kayla looks interested.

“There are houses down in the valley,” I say. “It’s steep, but I can get down there. I’m sure of it.”

“You mean you can roll down, breaking every bone in your body,” Brecken says.

Harper frowns. “I don’t know. This feels like an even worse accident waiting to happen.”