The sky was that shade of blue one finds in a piece of lapis lazuli. The storm, having left a little over a foot of snow in Blauvelt had painted the world a dazzling, brilliant white. The sun caught every little crystal, reflecting brilliant patterns onto every surface. Inside the house, Victoria sat in the kitchen, looking out at the scene unfolding outside. For once the house was silent. Victoria simply stared. Her plans for the day had been made up since she noticed the first flakes fall last night. She could picture it now; a seemingly endless supply of snow for the perfect snowball. She was going to challenge Amy today. In Victoria's mind, Amy still had to pay for her remarks.

She didn't know how long she'd been staring out at the snow when she heard Amy's voice from behind her.

"Thinking about how I'm going to cream you during our snowball fight?"

"You wish."

By now, Anne had entered the kitchen and began making coffee. Seeing the snow made her feel as bright as the tableau unfolding before her. Her mind focused back on the blizzard last February; sure, she was stuck in the house with her two youngest kids for nearly a week, but she felt it was worth it.

"Did I hear one of you mention a snowball fight?" Anne inquired. Amy and Victoria had gone silent.

"You'd hate to be against me, I used to have quite the arm." Anne said, the happiness in her voice making itself known. Amy stared at Victoria then her mother.

"Your uncles and I used to be quite brutal on the streets of Yonkers. We would put rocks in our snowballs and pelt anyone who came too close. Your uncle Jack nicknamed me the Sniper."

For a second, Amy could picture her mother up in a tree; pelting the target from above.

"Mom's on my team!" Amy exclaimed.

"I'm on my own team, Amy. I could hit both of you." Anne said as she prepared breakfast. Victoria sat in anticipation at the kitchen island. She loved it when it snowed; because it had awakened something within her mother. Anne would make homemade hot cocoa and make muffins and other small baked goods. The cocoa was packed into a personal thermos and the baked goods in two small baskets; wrapped heavily in blankets. Anne had done this when their three oldest children were still young, and she continued the tradition with Amy and Victoria.

The smell of French Toast and chocolate filled the kitchen. Anne put the fried bread on their plates and served them.

"Since you two are going out into the snow today; I'm making the both of you a personal care package. You each have your thermos and a basket. When the muffins are ready, I'll put a couple inside." Anne began. Amy perked up. She remembered the storm last February; and the assembly line of baked goods she built. 

"Remember the last big storm we had in New Rochelle?" Amy asked Victoria. That was in February 1978 when one of the largest snowfalls on record for much of New England buried the Westchester County coastline under three feet of snow. The girls had made tunnels throughout the yard and Anne's homemade hot cocoa flowed like water.

A half hour later and the two were champing at the bit to go outside. The muffins were ready, as were their thermoses. Amy helped Victoria with her boots and they headed out. Amy sunk up to her thighs in a snowdrift, unable to move. Suddenly

Thump!

Victoria had struck and not a moment too soon. Another snowball hit Amy.

"Hey! Watch it, I'm stuck!"

"Defend yourself, then!"

Amy made a snowball and chucked it at her sister; it hit her straight in the face.

"That's it, I'm going to war against you, Amy!" Victoria said, laughing. Another snowball scored a direct hit and Victoria cheered as she moved further out into the yard and up unto the small bit of high ground in the corner. Amy took note of her sisters position and ambled her way over. She balled up more snow.

"I control the hill, Amy. You'll have to pry it from my dead, frozen hands!" She cried as she pelted her sister. This caused Amy to retreat towards the oak tree. From her vantage point Victoria had an unobstructed view of the yard. The sun temporarily aiding Amy as she ducked behind one of the firs that lined the property.

"Come out Victoria! You can't stay on the hill forever!" Amy cried out. Suddenly she was hit from an angle she least expected. Turning, her mother caught Amy by surprise.

"I told you I had a good arm, Amy!" Anne called out. Victoria had also noticed Anne and decided to take a shot at her mother. The snowball hit her side.

"Good job, Victoria!" Amy shouted. She moved in closer to Anne, now. Balling up the snow, she chucked it at her mother. Scoring a direct hit. She felt another snowball hit her on the side.

Calling a momentary truce, Amy and Victoria made their way to the back porch and opened their thermoses. They looked at their mother, a smile on her face.

"You weren't kidding when you said you had a good arm. You must've been scary when you were a kid."

"Your uncle, Jack certainly thought so. He'd have me climb trees and pelt passersby."

They'd been outside two hours now, and the war was looking to go Victoria's way. She'd been able to score direct hits on Amy, no matter where she tried to hide. Amy had begun to grow cold and wanted to go inside. She surrendered. Victoria, seeing her opponent leave the field cheered as she realized that she'd won this battle and rode high

The pot of tomato soup was simmering on the stove; the grilled cheese sandwiches piled high on a plate. The warmth of the kitchen penetrated into the souls of its three occupants. Anne pulled a tin of muffins from the oven and set them off to the side.

"That was fun, Amy." Victoria uttered as she picked up her sandwich.

"I'm going to get you next time; watch your back." Amy shot back.

"Can I invite Stacey Greenbaum over?" Amy asked her mother.

"You can invite her over tomorrow. The roads are still bad." Anne replied, expecting Amy to protest.

"Okay. I'll call her tonight, I forgot that the roads might be bad." She replied calmly, throwing Anne for a loop. Victoria simply ate; staying out of Amy and Anne's conversation. She was thinking about her upcoming time at Kristina's tomorrow and how she would spend that time.

"I can't wait to have a snowball fight at school. I wonder if they allow that?" Amy wondered aloud.

"Probably not, unless you do it secretly." Anne replied.

"The teachers probably wouldn't like it if us students came in with snow all over us." Amy continued, her thoughts starting to wander.

"I've set up the TV room upstairs for you two to take over. Your blankets are ready and on the couch." Anne cajoled. The girls looked at one another, as if they needed an invitation to go up to their TV room. They decided to go check it out. True to her word, Anne had taken the heavy quilts off of their beds and put them on the couch. She wanted them to be comfortable, especially when everything immediately around them had become outright uncomfortable. Their routines having collapsed entirely in the past week; with no school for either of them in the interim. Anne needed to do something with her children; despite them wanting to stay home.

Anne had come to the realization after her two youngest children trudged upstairs. Recently, she'd heard Amy say something about wanting to go see The Cloisters in the city. It had been years since they'd gone; Amy had been in the third grade. She wanted to take Amy again before it was time for her to leave. Her mind then focused on Victoria; her youngest child. What could they do together that didn't involve so many steps? Victoria could go anywhere with Amy; but then that would involve having to balance everything. Victoria's behavior could lead to trouble, but as of late that hadn't been much of a problem; the recent school visit an example. She wanted to take Victoria to one of their secret spots for a while now: Clifford Island in New Rochelle. When they lived there, Anne would often take Victoria to the beach alone, allowing her to talk to her mother without distractions.

As she took the last batch of muffins out of the oven, Anne decided that she'd take the kids to The Cloisters and Clifford Island in the coming week; something to take their minds off of current events. She hoped that the rest of Saturday would go by quietly. Amy could have Stacey Greenbaum over tomorrow; today Anne would try to spend Saturday with her children, not many Saturdays left to do so. The coffee maker signalled that it had completed brewing another half pot of coffee. Anne poured the hot, steaming liquid into her mug and lit another cigarette. 

Tom parked the car in the driveway at the house on Hudson Terrace. The bright sun nearly blinding him as well as Victoria. Her heavy gray coat kept her warm as she ran to the front door. She couldn't wait to see Kristina and pick up where they last left off. Tom had finally caught up with her as he knocked at the door. Mirasol opened the door and they headed inside. Mirasol had kept the house neat and tidy; everything had a place. The hardwood floors were waxed, and they reflected nearly everything back. A smell of pine hung in the air, reminding Victoria of the pine trees at Briarwood. Helping Victoria remove her coat, Tom announced his presence. Upstairs, feet were stirring. Suddenly, what sounded like a herd of elephants running down the stairs manifested itself in the form of Kristina.

“Hi, Victoria!” Kristina shouted. Victoria ran over to her friend, and they disappeared up the stairs; as if the herd had moved on. Mirasol let out a slight laugh.

“She's been waiting patiently since she came home on Thursday for Victoria to come over.” She began.

“The McDonald's thing worked like a charm. She told me that she was being 'extra good' to get discharged. She wants to take Victoria there, today.” She continued.

“I don't see a problem with that.” Tom replied.

Upstairs in Kristina's room, she had taken out every Barbie she had; even the dream house. Victoria's eyes grew huge. She'd wanted the Barbie Dream House since last Christmas, instead she'd gotten an Easy Bake Oven; a decent compromise. The “theme” of their play today seemed to be centered around vacation.

"Did you play outside yesterday?" Kristina asked.

"Oh yeah. I beat my sister, Amy, in a snowball fight, then I fell asleep upstairs in the TV room. Did you play outside?"

"Mom and I built a snow man in the backyard. I made ten snow angels."

"Why ten?"

"They get lonely when it's just one, and I wanted him to have friends."

Victoria could hear the loneliness in Kristina's voice. They were going to get into their play when Mirasol's voice came up from downstairs:

"Krissie, Victoria!"

Like a runner at the starting line, Kristina took off running down the stairs. Victoria struggled to catch up. Moments later, they were face to face with Tom and Mirasol.

"Are you hungry?" Mirasol asked. They looked at each other, then back at Tom and Mirasol.

"Yes." they replied in unison.

"Let's put on our coats and get ready to go out for lunch." Tom and Mirasol replied in unison.

"Where are we going, mama?" Kristina asked.

"McDonald's."

"Yay!" Kristina exclaimed. They got into Mirasol's car and headed up to Nyack.

The parking lot was nearly full as they parked and headed inside. Inside, the murmur of the crowd was at an acceptable level. Mirasol, Kristina, and Victoria found a table and sat. A high-pitched beeping found its way to Victoria's ears. The beep annoyed her, but she managed to keep a straight face. 

“I hear that you're going to a new school in Massachusetts after Christmas, Victoria.” Mirasol asked calmly.

“It's an awesome place, Mrs. Mellon. I'm far away from my mom so she can't yell at me there.”

“That's a shame that she yells at you.” Mirasol replied.

“I'm used to it, Mrs. Mellon.”

Suddenly, Victoria saw a familiar car heading through the parking lot; it was Anne's Country Squire. She could see her mother and Amy, plus a blonde haired girl who she identified as Stacey Greenbaum. They headed for the drive thru. Victoria breathed a sigh of relief.

“Victoria, when we get back I'm going to show you my complete collection.” Kristina said.

Tom returned and they began to eat.

“Mom's car was out in the parking lot.” She told her father. That was the last thing he wanted.

“They went through the drive thru.” Victoria replied.

Mirasol looked at Tom then went back to eating.

“She had Amy's friend, Stacey with her. She wouldn't want to make a fool of herself with her in the car.” Victoria replied.

Twenty minutes later, everyone was finished eating. They walked back into the sunshine and got into Mirasol's car.

Kristina had set up the Barbie Dream House and had moved all of her Barbie's into it. To her and Victoria it had become a vacation getaway for the dolls. Victoria wanted Kristina to clarify if this was on Long Island or in New Jersey.

“Definitely New Jersey, Victoria. This house would fit right in down near Atlantic City.”

“It absolutely does! Barbie looks like someone who walks the beach all the time, offering nasty stuff.”

“Barbie and her friends are visiting from North Jersey. They like to bring all their trash with them.” Kristina said as she put Skipper inside the house.

“Why do they bring their trash?”

“Because their neighbor roots through it. Ken tells Barbie to throw it away at the rest areas on the way, but does she listen to him? No, so then he gets mad and spends the next day in his room, pouting because she couldn't do the job.” Kristina replied; Victoria had always liked her flair for storytelling. To Victoria, Kristina's narratives for Barbie sounded like reality.

“That sounds like it's a smelly time in the car and the house.” Victoria asked.

  “Skipper can't stand it. She loves Ken, but knows Barbie will have to fight her if she gets too close. It reminds me of one of our neighbors. They love to have fights in the middle of the street.”

By now Ken had entered the tableau, and he seemed to be angry at Barbie for a lack of beer.

“Barbie! Did we pack enough beer to take to the beach?!”

“You told me not to stop!”

“Damn it, Barbie! I meant to say stop. Just another thing for us to do. We'll never get to the beach at this rate!”

“Oh, stop it, Ken! We'll get there; if you're going to be mad, don't say anything!”   

              Victoria and Kristina had become fully engrossed in their play; having no idea of the conversation that was beginning downstairs.

Mirasol had poured the coffee into the mugs and sat down. The worry finally showing on her face. For months, anxieties about Kristina had simmered beneath the surface. Deep down, she began to dislike Piermont Montessori and what it was offering Kristina. She wanted Kristina to be educated like her peers, but she knew that Kristina would never be able to survive public school. With her awkward nature, her monotone, and nasal voice, Kristina would've been an easy target for almost anyone. Mirasol shuddered; she'd seen what other students like Courtney Chase had done to members of her own case load. She'd spoken to Amy several times after these incidents.

"Jane Treadle, Kristina's therapist, suggested I enroll her into Briarwood. I've thought about Kristina's future here in New York."

"And?"

"I took the plunge. She starts in September. They'd never allow her to have a normal class schedule in Nyack; she'd have to remain in the Special Education Room. Everyone would make fun of her."

"Similar to Amy and that Courtney girl?" Tom asked. Mirasol nodded.

"That was an ugly saga. Amy didn't deserve to be singled out like that." She replied; a slight hint of anger in her voice. She felt as though nothing had been done to help Amy. Her notes had been disregarded in such a casual manner by the school administration; that it impacted Mirasol off the job as well. Sometimes she'd find herself blowing up at Kristina when she had nothing to warrant it. The way her daughter sprinted away from her afterward told Mirasol that she'd brought her work home again. The aftermath resulting in Mirasol wiping Kristina's tears away.

"I'll keep it under wraps as far as Victoria and Anne. If Anne were to find out, there'd be hell to pay. She'd pull Victoria out of there. I won't allow that." Tom said coolly. A fit of laughter filtered down from upstairs.

"Someone's having fun." Mirasol said, showing an ever so slight smile.

"That was Victoria. That's her 'I'm going to hang on to that joke' laugh." Tom beamed.

"She inherited that from you, Tom." Mirasol gloated. If Victoria had been a student at Nyack Junior High, Mirasol would've fought tooth and nail to get Victoria on her case load. Like Kristina, however, Victoria would never have left the Special Education Room. Deep down, Mirasol loved Victoria as if she were her own child. The things Tom would mention regarding his wife and youngest daughter made Mirasol's heart reel with anguish. Wanting to distract herself, Mirasol turned the subject to something more appropriate:

"Have you started Christmas shopping yet?" she asked him.

"I'm done with Victoria's gifts. Anne's getting her an entirely new wardrobe. I got her more practical things; like a new book bag. I even got her a few toys. It's an improvement over last Christmas." He replied.

"What about you?" He asked her.

"Kristina's wardrobe is under replacement. I'm getting her some new bedding, and lastly a new Mr. Hops. Her old one is on his last leg, and she'll be crushed if I threw him away without a replacement."

Peals of laughter filtered down from Kristina's room.

"THAT'S my Krissie!" Mirasol beamed. Something in her daughter's laugh made Mirasol feel her happiest. Soon the girls were running down the stairs and made a beeline for the kitchen.

"Barbie and Ken had a bad vacation in Atlantic City!" Kristina shouted in excitement.

"First they forgot to leave the trash at the rest area, then they never made it to the beach. Ken couldn't have his beer so he got mad at Barbie and Skipper." She continued.

"Krissie, is this the North Jersey storyline?" Mirasol asked; knowing exactly why Kristina had been laughing earlier.

"Yeah."

"Be careful with that one." She said. Not only referring to the story, but to Victoria as well.