Whispers Under the Christmas Sky

Chapter 2: A Frosty Welcome

I thought I forgot what Ethan’s gaze felt like. I didn’t think I’d be affected as much. But I brushed off the twists and turns that my soul took, remembering how his eyes made me feel. The warmth they brought, and for a second, the ghost of his arms around my body haunted me.

No. No. I shook my head internally. This is just pure nostalgia. And I knew that I still had a part of me that didn’t find closure yet.

I was a wreck after the breakup. I thought he’d try to amend things. To stop it. Even though I very selfishly didn’t and instead decided to leave all of Wintervale in pursue of my dreams.

My head felt dizzy and my breath caught in my throat. For a moment, the rest of the room seemed to fade completely around us. Ethan was standing tall and mighty with a tablet in his hand, his gaze piercing through mine and I could almost feel hi tense body vibrating from my place.

The air between us seemed electrified, my pulse quickening. I tried to nag my brain in search of what exactly had happened between us, why was I so mad at him but came out empty.

I haven’t seen Ethan in a decade, but there he was, every bit of him as striking as I remember. His dark hair was a little shorter and had fashioned a couple of silver strands on the sides, his jawline a little sharper, and his nose looked crooked, but I needed a closer look to confirm. But his eyes, those same piercing grey eyes, were exactly the same.

For a second, I saw something flicker in his expression. Recognition? Surprise? Anger? I couldn’t tell. All I knew was that I felt rooted to the floor and my heart beating louder than what my eardrums could handle.

“Claire?” Mayor Gladys broke through the trance.

“Sorry.” I mumbled, shaking my head back to reality. “I got distracted.”

Mayor Gladys gave me a side look. She had seen Ethan. “He’s still single you know.” She brushed off the comment faking casualty.

I turned my head to look at her. “I don’t really care.” I mumbled as I made my way straight to the office.

“I’m just saying,” Mayor Gladys shrugged, “in case you were wondering out of curiosity.”

The games this woman plays.

Ethan is a very successful man from what I heard last. He had inherited his family’s real estate corporate and had it thriving as one of the largest corporates in the US with several branches and offices all over the country> though keeping his HQ here in Wintervale.

Add that to his 6-foot 5 height and lean frame, Ethan was probably never single for long. He’d have girls around him with every twist of day.

I dismissed the topic as we settled in the office.

The back office was quieter, tucked away from the chaos of the main hall. The faint hum of music still filtered through the walls, but the air was cooler here.

The space lined with rows of filing cabinets and stacks of paper that had yet to find a home. Mayor Gladys led the way, her steps against the floor light despite the years etched in her joints.

“This,” she said, motioning to the table scattered with plans, blueprints and checklists,” is where the magic happens. Well, most of it anyway.”

I stepped closer, my eyes scanning the array of documents. I recognize the familiar layout of the community center on one of the blueprints and the cribbled notes that someone – definitely Etan – had jotted down in the margins. I can never forget how crooked and messy his handwriting was.

“Here’s the schedule we’ve been working on,” Gladys continued, sliding a printed itinerary towards me. “It’s simple and not as eventful, but something to keep the people going.”

“I scanned through the program and my eyebrows immediately furrowed. Something was off.

“What’s going on?” I asked and I was sure Mayor Gladys will understand. “Why doesn’t it feel the same?”

Mayor Gladys sighed as she sank into the armchair. “I have to be quite frank with you here, Claire.”

I took a seat on the leather sofa by the wall.

“Things haven’t been going good lately, after TerraCore Developments made their first visit.”

“I know them.” I mumbled under my breath. “Victor Cane has been hot on my spine for a couple of years now. His event planning venture, Radiant Occasions, has been my primary competitor.”

“They were okay with us when we were just niched on simple social events, but once we expanded our product lines for corporate event, specialty events and community events and the likes, he felt threatened.” Lila, meddled.

“I see.” Gladys replied. “Looks like we have a shared enemy on our backs.”

“What does he want from Wintervale?” I voiced my confusion, keeping my assumed conclusions to myself.

“He wants to buy all of Wintervale. Turn it into a resort.” She confirmed my suspicions. Victor was known for his serial resort projects. He wants TerraCore to own almost all of the US resorts and tourist destinations.

I can’t deny his superior work in building the most lavish and extravagant destinations and I have to admit, he does a great work in providing one of the best customer experiences, but I have a huge problem with the way he does it.

Victor is known for his unethical ways of buying out towns, bullying its residents and offering very minimal payments and his underground ways of acquiring investments.

“Unfortunately, he has succeeded in buying out some of the homes here. About a third of us. They were the ones that were blinded with the promise of better lives in the city.” Gladys continued.

“I can’t believe someone here actually agreed to sell their homes.” I muttered. Last thing I remember about Wintervallians were they’re undying loyalty to this place.

“You’re right, you’d never expect one of Wintervale’s elders to sell out, and they didn’t, “Gladys explained, “It was their children and grandchildren that opted out on selling their deceased grandparents’ homes, finding no use of keeping it.”

“It’s hard to blame them entirely,” I sighed, though the words tasted bitter. “Not everyone sees Wintervale the way we do. To them, it’s just old buildings and memories that don’t belong to them.”

Gladys nodded, her expression a mix of frustration and sadness. “But Wintervale isn’t just a place, you know?” She protested. “It’s a heartbeat. It’s the people and the peace. Were can you find a place with a river view like the one here or how the mountains look during the winter? How can you sell that?”

I could see the tears she was trying to hold back and I felt a pang of guilt engulf me. I was one of the people that left all that for dreams of something more.

I didn’t have an answer. There wasn’t one, really.

“Victor doesn’t care about that though.” Gladys went on. “To him, it’s a canvas for his empire, just another project. He only sees the resort. A snow globe he can shake up and fill his pockets from. And once he’s done with it,” she added darkly, her voice going down an octave,” it won’t be Wintervale anymore.”

The thought sat heavy in the room, like the first clouds of a coming storm. I stared out the window, at the familiar curve of hills and the way the late afternoon sun painted them gold. It felt like I was seeing it for the first time and I hated that feeling. I hated that I prevented myself from it for this long because I was too stubborn and afraid to go back.

'So,' I said, forcing myself to meet her gaze, 'what do we do about it?'

Gladys hesitated, and for a moment, I thought she was going to say we couldn’t do anything. But then she squared her shoulders in that fierce, unyielding way she had. 'We fight. The same way Wintervale’s always fought—with stubbornness and grit. If Victor wants this place, he’s going to have to pry it from our cold, dead hands.'

I almost smiled. Almost. 'That’s the Gladys I remember.'

Her grin was sharp, like the edge of a blade. 'Damn right. Now, are you in?'

I didn’t even have to think about it. Wintervale wasn’t perfect, but it was home. And you don’t let someone like Victor take your home without a fight.

'I’m in.' I grinned. And for the first time today, the sinking feeling in my chest lifted just a little.