“See, this is why I didn’t want to go outside!” I hear her voice in my ear, and it’s immediately comforting. “You okay? You sound like you’re panting. And don’t worry—no earthquake activity in your area.”

“Of course I’m panting, this cross-country skiing thing is hard work!” The snow vibrates even more fiercely now, and it’s accompanied by the sound of a loud engine. “Oh, not an earthquake after all,” I say.

“Turn your video so I can see,” says Zora in my ear.

We all come to a stop as the roar draws closer. I turn around, adjusting my hood so that Slick—and therefore Zora—gets a better view.

There, on the fanciest snowmobile I’ve ever seen, is Nathan. There’s a compartment for his baku underneath his legs, and the machine appears to glide across the snow with effortless grace, almost like it’s hovering over the snow rather than sliding. He skids up beside us, sending a shower of snow over our heads.

“How quaint. Enjoying your cross-country outing?”

“Leave us alone, Nathan,” says Tobias through gritted teeth.

I have a sudden fear that Nathan is going to follow us through the woods. There’s no way we’ll be able to find Lake Baku if that is the case.

“Don’t worry; I’ve got somewhere much more important to be. Just wanted to say hi to my little bro. Don’t get into any trouble, now.” With that, he revs his engine, spraying us with snow again, and disappears in the opposite direction.

I breathe a sigh of relief. I feel bad for Tobias though, having to deal with such a show-off older brother.

“Was that one of the new hovercraft snowmobiles? So cool,” I hear Kai whisper to Ashley.

I turn to Tobias, trying to catch his eye, but he studiously avoids my gaze, his jaw set in a firm line.

We get moving again, at first traveling along what looks like well-used paths, following close to the shoreline of Lake Washington. But on Aero’s signal, we deviate deeper into the forest, Tobias forging ahead to cut the track.

Aero stops after we’ve been skimming through the forest for about half an hour. “We’d better be getting a hot chocolate after this,” grumbles Kai from behind me.

I’m glad we get to stop, my breath coming heavier now, leaving my throat in streams of steamy air. We’ve had a couple of fun downhill slides and tiresome uphill slogs where I’ve had to turn my skis into a V-shape and make my way up in a cumbersome manner. I don’t have the hang of it, and it takes me twice as long as everyone else. I feel drained, and I’m grateful when Ashley passes me some hot tea in a flask.