The Tiger's Den

Madcap Altitude

Natasha felt a bit strange going on the school ski trip. She had left her grammar school and had started another specialist school in the arts in a quaint spa town with friends that helped to make her feel more at like herself, with he love of literature and the arts. She loved ski-ing but she felt so different from the rest of the kids on the trip with their pop songs and jokes, like a life that she had left behind, but most of all, she hadn't wanted to leave Wills for a week. Life with him had been so calm and she finally felt like she was able to study again.

For so many years her mind had not been able to focus as it had been swept up in a whirlwind of emotions after her parents divorce. Liz and her had been growing apart ever since Liz teased her about her family, Natasha rage felt provoked and in a sudden burst of anger, she had lashed out at Liz which sent her rolling down the stairs. It had never been intentional to hurt her, but the volatility of her emotions was hard to control, especially if provoked. She didn't realise her own strength as she was so used to feeling weak despite dance, netball, hockey and badminton after school.

In the coach on the way to Austria, the other kids were already messing around, telling jokes and listening to loud music with speakers. Natasha had to read and remember Dicken's Hard Times as well as Love Labours's Lost for her literature and theatre studies classes and she couldn't concentrate with all that noise. All she wanted to do was study, since Wills love her had helped her to find some peace of mind, despite that she was longing to just get to Austria and hit the slopes without having to go through this 15 hour coach ride. Her former Maths teacher came up to her on the coach looking at her book

"Look at you, so intellectual and grown up"! He smiled.

Natasha smiled back but felt now even more out of place.

At the ski resort Natasha was put in a dorm with the other kids. She just couldn't wait to get out with her skis and feel the the exhilaration of freedom.

"Natasha, you've been ski-ing before, right? You're in Scotties group" Her former Math's teacher pointed to a muscular, but not so tall man with a dark tan and mirror reflective ski shades smiling back at her with white sun-screened lips.

She smiled awkwardly back, lifted her up skis onto her shoulder and made her way towards the group through the powder still getting used to her ski boots.

Scottie, liked to challenge the group, taking them on red and moguled slopes on the first day to see how far he could push them. Natasha could tell he was showing off a bit, but she didn't mind cause she enjoyed the challenge. Besides having to concentrate so much on her turns and making all those moguls, meant that she wasn't so consumed by missing Wills all the time. She was focused and wanted to improve.

"What do you think to this route, Natasha"? Scottie would come over to where she was standing to show her the map. He traced the trails to show her where the red joined the blue and where they could stop for food.

"Looks good to me". Natasha answered nonchalantly, not really sure why he had to keep asking her. Others in the group had started to notice. Natasha pretended to tighten her ski boots and look off out at the view across the mountains.

On the way back from a long day on the slopes, that night all the groups stopped off in the ski bar near their hostel. Everyone was glowing and teasing each other at their white panda eyes that even more visible in the dark. There was not enough room in the small bar and Natasha, sat with her group found that she was being forced to squash up Scottie.

"Photo! Photo" Scottie shouted to one of the teachers. Scottie gestured to the rest of the group "Come on guys squeeze in" and took that as his opportunity to put his arm around Natasha and put his cheek against hers.