Amelia turned to stare at Matteo, befuddled at his fervent rejection. "Why not?" Amelia asked, "I’ve learned enough, and Andrea said I’m ready."
Matteo gnashed his teeth. "He could be lying to spare your feelings. Don’t forget who hired him." Matteo’s eyes darted to Andrea, who slowly inched away, not wanting to be embroiled in a couple’s brewing argument.
"I haven’t forgotten," Amelia said, trying to be patient. "But I’m ready to try out anyway. How else would I know if I have truly learned anything of value?"
"You could get injured going down this slope," Matteo hissed, upset. "I advise you to think twice."
Amelia’s eyebrow twitched. Her irritation with Matteo was slowly rising from the patronizing way he spoke to her. She understood that he was concerned about her well-being, but his overprotectiveness was getting ridiculous.
After all, a quick glance showed that this was clearly the slope for beginners. There were literal children skating down on their boards, screeching loudly as they hit the snow, their neon green parkas blinding bright.
"Matteo, if this slope is safe enough for children, it will be safe enough for me," Amelia said firmly, before turning to Andrea, "I can start now. Tell me how to begin."
Andrea gave Matteo a wary glance. "Are you sure, Miss Amelia? Your husband-to-be still seems mightily unconvinced."
Matteo glowered at him. This man was trying to drive a wedge between the both of them with his words.
"Ignore him. I’m your student, not him," Amelia said simply, and Matteo glared at her. "Should I slide down now?"
"Yes, but remember what I said about falling!" Andrea warned. "If you feel like you’re losing your balance, flex your legs and get your body as low to the ground as possible to stabilize yourself."
"I got it." Amelia flashed him a thumbs up, before glancing at Matteo who still looked mightily displeased. "Are you not going to wish me luck?"
Matteo grunted reluctantly, "Good luck." He wanted nothing more than to pry Amelia from the slopes.
Sure, it was a beginner slope, but who knew what dangers were lurking underneath the surface? He had fallen on them plenty of times when he first began skiing, giving himself a plethora of bruises and aches. He didn’t want Amelia to suffer similarly.
A half-hour lesson was simply too short for her to learn enough to not hurt herself! He gritted his teeth, his heart in his throat as Amelia began to slide down the slope.
Meanwhile, Amelia took off, exhilarated from the wind rushing across her face. She was thankful she had put on her goggles properly, and the wide expanse of snow opened up beneath her. It was as though she had the world at her fingertips, the clouds at her feet.
No wonder rich people loved to do this! Amelia’s heart raced with delight. But just as she thought that this attempt would go peacefully, suddenly, a bright red blur darted out in front of her.
It was a kid! Amelia screamed and tried to swerve out of the way, but then her legs wobbled and she stumbled, tripping over her board, her body slamming into the young child. Quickly she used her own body to cushion the blow.
A slow dull ache radiated through her back. ’Darn it,’ Amelia cursed to herself. She was going to need an ice pack after this, which was highly ironic since she was lying on a bank of snow.
The child in her arms wailed loudly in fear.
"Mama! Help me!"
"Hey, hey, sweetheart, it’s fine," Amelia said, patting the child’s head gingerly.
She took a close look, the child didn’t look older than seven. Her long black hair was tied up in a series of complicated braids, topped with bright pink bows. Her blue eyes blinked tearfully up at Amelia, as though she couldn’t understand what she was seeing.
"It’s alright," Amelia said, gently wiping the tears off her face with her gloved hand. The young girl’s face scrunched up at the sensation, reminding her of a baby kitten getting groomed by their mother. "I’m Amelia. What’s your name?"
"It’s Lilie," The girl said, sniffling loudly. "It’s on my jacket." She shakily got up and pointed to her coat pocket, where her name was stitched on.
"I see, Lilie, that’s a lovely name," Amelia said. She decided it was time for her to get up, but before she could, she heard an outraged yell coming from behind her.
"Amelia, are you alright?!" Matteo’s voice was frantic. She blinked in surprise; when did he arrive?
Next to him was Andrea, with a similarly worried look on his face. "Amelia, can you stand?"
"Of course I can!" Amelia said, and she slowly got up, with Matteo’s hand supporting her. Her muscles complained, but Amelia paid them no mind. They’ve been complaining for years due to her long working hours, a fall wasn’t going to make things worse anytime soon.
"Good as ever, then!" Andrea excitedly said. He gestured to the next slope― a much steeper one this time, filled with an older age group mainly consisting of teens and young adults compared to this beginner’s slope. "We can try the intermediate slope next―"
"Absolutely not," Matteo barked before Andrea could properly finish his sentence. "We’re going to the infirmary. That was a pretty nasty fall."
"I am sure Miss Amelia is perfectly fine," Andrea said with a nervous laugh. He waved the matter off nonchalantly, causing Matteo’s eyelids to tick in annoyance. "Beginners fall all the time. It’s how they learn."
"They do," Matteo coldly replied. "But that doesn’t mean they don’t need to get their injuries checked out. This isn’t a video game. There are no tutorial levels where beginners won’t suffer any consequences."
"Well, I was doing pretty well! Didn’t you see me go down the slope?" Amelia protested.
She would not have fallen if not for Lilie’s sudden appearance, but one could fault her for it. Accidents happened. Children were children after all.
"It was a marvelous first attempt! You’re a natural, Miss Amelia, and your talents will only shine when you attempt the more advanced slopes―" Andrea began, but Matteo’s face darkened further.
"Shut up before I fire you," Matteo growled out, and Andrea clamped his mouth shut, despite the fact that it was technically Miss Emmeline Hawthorne who hired him to teach her cousin.
"Matteo! Don’t be rude!" Amelia demanded, aghast by his behavior.
Then, Matteo’s eyes fell on the young girl.