Page 1 of Ethan

Prologue

Eleven years ago

Ethan looked forward to this day every single year.

Well, noteverysingle year.

When they’d lived in California—almost so long ago Ethan could barely remember the hazy edges of the memory—there’d only been ice when they went to the big building with all the rinks. Otherwise, Ethan and his brothers had strapped on their rollerblades and tumbled around the cul-de-sac outside their house, getting scrapes and bruises despite all the padding that their mom insisted they wear.

But in Michigan, there wasice. Real ice. Outside even, freezing over the pond that lay just behind their house.

They always had to wait until Dad declared that the ice was safe. Mom had sat them all down, last year—or maybe the year before that—and reminded all of them that they weren’t allowed on the pond until Dad checked it. Made sure it was frozen solid.

Her voice and the look in her blue eyes had been serious enough that even Charlie had listened, though he’d whined everyday after that, begging their dad to check it just one more time, hoping that it might be ready.

Avery had shoved him every time he’d complained about it, the two of them always getting into their own little fights, because they were bigger and they annoyingly listened too much to Mom when she’d told them, that same serious note in her voice, that Ethan was much smaller than them, and they needed to be careful around him.

Ethan had argued that he wasn’tthatmuch smaller. He was a whole nine years old! Didn’t they know he was nearly as tall as Charlie now? Ethan hated being the baby. Hated being treated different just because Charlie was twelve and Avery was fourteen. It wasunfair.

Ethan shoved all those thoughts away. Today was a good day. Thebestkind of day. Aniceday!

Their dad had gone out this morning, after Charlie had pestered him all last night, on and on and on about how surely it was ready, now. It had been so cold, surely the pond was frozen over now.

Avery had told him he was being annoying, but that was the thing about Charlie. He never cared if he was being annoying. Or if Avery told him he was being annoying.

If Avery ever told Ethan he was annoying, his throat would get tight and he’d bury his head in his arm, not wanting to cry in front of his big brother. Not wanting him to see how much it hurt that he’d annoyed Avery.

But Charlie just laughed.

Which, really, was more annoying than the constant pestering or even Ethan’s tears.

Still, it was aniceday, and there was nothing bad that could ever happen on an ice day. Hockey was the best thingever. It could never be bad, but it was always the best on the ice.

They all got ready in Avery’s room, because it was the biggest, and Ethan and Charlie shared, and their room was currently a disaster zone because Charlie was the messiest person in the whole world.

“Ugh,” Charlie said, as he wrangled a jersey over his coat. He hadn’t wanted to wear one—which was pretty much true all the time—only his Sidney Crosby sweater, which was basically his most prized possession. If any of them touched it, Charlie got really mad, every single time.

His arm was stuck in the sleeve, and he flailed around, trying to get the jersey on. Ethan thought it looked too small. But he wasn’t going to be the one to say so.

Charlie could be prickly, but he was prickliest about his Crosby sweater.

“You look stupid,” Avery told Charlie.

“Be nice, V,” Ethan whined, using the nickname Avery’s teammates liked to call him. “You’re gonna piss him off.”

“Hey,” Charlie retorted.

Ethan pulled on his Modano jersey. He liked the big star on the front, all sparkly. So much better than a stupid penguin or Avery’s big blue shark. Stars werecool.

Avery was nice, most of the time. He was nice now, reaching over and tugging at the sleeve of Charlie’s jersey, trying to loosen it up so Charlie could get it on. But he finally gave up, and Charlie gave a muffled whine under the fabric.

“I think it’s too small,” Avery said reluctantly. “Guess you grew since last winter.Finally.”

Charlie glared at him after he shrugged it off.

“Take your coat off,” Ethan suggested. He’d finally managed to get on his own jersey on over his coat, with no help from his brothers. He was officiallybignow.

“Yeah, if I do, Mom’s gonna kill me,” Charlie said, frowning.