Gen Three- Chapter Eight

It wasn't confusing at first, waking up. I was warm and comfy in a bed, and I was coming to consciousness after quite a deep rest. Most mornings during vacations started in such a way, and I remembered with bliss that I was on vacation. Christmas was soon, and that meant a lot of fun things were coming up. Parties and get-togethers, visits from family out of town, littering the yard with snowmen, drinking obscene amounts of hot chocolate- I could see more of why grandpa considered the whole time period a holiday.

Confusion, however, did start to settle in for at least a few seconds. My body was so, so heavy in an unusual way. The firmness of the bed made me realize it wasn't mine, and the sounds and smells were way off from what they should be. Cracking open my eyes cleared things up more. I knew the hospital well. There I lay in one of the small rooms in the emergency section- specifically the one near the end of the hall given that I right across from the men's restroom.

I was glad I remembered easily enough why I was here. Something had been wrong with me, I had passed out, and Mr. Mountain had suddenly shown up. Remembering that didn't make me feel glad. Not only had everything most likely been exposed, but the trouble Timber and I were bound to get in was going to be ten times worse given how I'd also ended up like this.

My eyes must not have been open all that much. It was that, or dad, who sat nearby, was just really distracted. I believed it was mostly distracted with a touch of me still lying like a corpse. It meant I got a good look at him before he noticed I was awake though, and boy did I feel terrible. The only other times dad appeared this stressed and downtrodden were when grandma and Uncle Eden died. Now he was like that because of something I had done, which got the guilt piling higher and higher with every passing second. He sighed multiple times, constantly massaged his temples, and rubbed at his right eye every ten seconds or so. Dad always did that when he was super stressed. I don't think it was so much the actual artificial eye bothering him as it was the suppressing emotions bringing him back to the memories of how he'd lost his eye to begin with. While he joked about that moment most of the time, I couldn't help but to wonder if he joked because it was the only way to deal with it all. I had no doubts he just hid the negative emotions from us kids.

     "Dad?"

Hopefully he would feel better if I was awake. I could at least try to give him that one comfort.

That assumption was a safe assumption. Dad's head shot up, and he sat closer to me in an instant. I did my best to shift and face him, yet my body remained like lead. I would simply have to be satisfied with having my eyes lightly open.

     "Dianthus, how are you feeling?" dad asked, tenderly rubbing my back.
     "I'm really exhausted, and it's hard to move. Other than that, I feel okay." I answered.

None of the strange symptoms from before afflicted me now. There was no headache, nausea, or dizziness.

     "That's good, especially because you cut it rather close," dad continued, his voice mostly calm with a hint of rebuke seeping in now that the worry was fading away, "Do you remember what happened?"
     "I was feeling pretty awful all of a sudden, and...and then I passed out, I think. I remember it getting really dark and suffocating. Mr. Mountain showed up though, but I don't recall what happened past that."
     "You passed out alright. Timber said he went into the bathroom, and when he came back you were nowhere to be seen. If Russet hadn't shown up right then and looked around, he wouldn't have realized you'd fallen into the lake until it was far too late. Even with Mr. Mountain going after you right away, it was still almost too late."
     "I'm sorry."

The first of many apologies fell from my lips.

Dad stared at me hard as I tried shifting and moving again. This time I was able to sit up a bit more properly, although if I had wanted more sympathy I should have stayed down. Dad's expression grew more and more stiff with controlled anger, disappointment, and what have you the more it became clear that I truly was fine.

     "Do you have any idea how close you came to dying, Dianthus?" dad asked me in a quiet way with a lightly quivering voice that honestly terrified me with the even stronger amount of guilt it pressed down on my chest, "Do you have any idea how much Russet risked diving into that freezing water to get you? You dying, Timber losing the only parent he has...that could have been a very real possibility today."
     "I'm sorry." I mumbled softer.

I stopped being able to look dad in the eye. I wish I could have pulled the covers over my head, but with dad's weight on the bed that was impossible. Thus, I remained totally silent and still while dad sighed a huge sigh.

     "I'm not intending to be overly harsh on you," he spoke more openly as he pet my hair, clearly seeing the steady change come over me, "I know how smart you are. I know you're able to grasp the weight of the consequences of your actions. That is why I am so confused, Dia. I understand that you wanted to help your friend, but to go as far as you did? Timber told us everything. Lying for all these months, sneaking about, going behind our backs, continuing on as if you knew better than those who had the truth...that's not like you at all. I'm extremely disappointed, and I honestly have no idea to what to say at this point. Where do I even begin?"

I went to apologize a third time, yet the words wouldn't come out right away. As the seconds ticked by, I began losing myself for a second time this day in a completely different manner. I started crying. It really wasn't so much because of the guilt. I could deal with that. Honestly, I was scared out of my wits. I was heartbroken. Only now was it hitting me how truly frightening the threat of the person who hurt the cats was. I thought of the little mangled bodies, and I couldn't stop my shaking. I wanted to wail and shriek at how someone could do that, how someone could take them away. It wasn't only that though...

     "Baby, come here."

Dad beckoned me before I could get all my emotions straight. I tossed myself hard into his arms and refused to leave them.

     "What is it? What has you so upset?" he asked gently, hopefully not minding how tightly I gripped him.
     "Autumn and November and their mom." I badly explained through quivering sobs.
     "Who?" dad frowned.
     "They were stray cats Timber and I were taking care of up by the lake. That's why I was always going off somewhere so much. We took Gilly with us yesterday so she could meet them, but somebody had killed them. Cut open their stomachs, and hammered down with nails the ropes they tied around their neck. It didn't scare me so much yesterday. I didn't even really feel that sad."

I had to take a moment to catch my breath. It seemed as if it would spiral out of control.

     "It hurts now though. Really bad. Those poor cats. I have no idea who did it. They could be anywhere. But it's not just even that! How could Timber's mom not show up? I mean, unless she did while I was asleep..."
     "Russet told us this is exactly why he won't let her come around. This is what she does. She lies and makes you think she cares, and she lets you down each time. He managed to get a call through to her. She never even bought plane tickets."

That just about destroyed me. If dad hadn't been holding me, I would have let myself be devoured by the mattress and blankets. Dad just cuddled me tighter.

     "I think I have that much more of a right to be furious with you now knowing about the cats. You came across something like that, and you went right back to where it happened without making anyone aware of the danger that could be lurking about. We're going to be talking about all this later though. The sneaking around, the lying, these cats- they can come later. I guess what I have to say now is that you were probably in shock, Dia. You see something terrible or you go through something terrible, and then it doesn't really affect you only to hit you strong later. I've dealt with that several times. And about Roti, I'm sorry she let you down. I can see this all meant a lot to you."
     "I'm really sorry, daddy."

I meant to tell him I loved him, but that was the most I could blubber out. Dad could have been yelling at me. He could have pointed out how terribly stupid all my actions were over the past weeks. He could have laid out my punishment before me. However, he wasn't trying to anything like that. I was upset and scared, and making sure I was comforted came first to him. I messed up his jacket with tears and perhaps a bit of snot, and dad didn't mind at all. He merely held me, even picked me up and paced about rubbing my back and softly humming an old lullaby. When a nurse came by to check on me, he held my hand the whole time. His care allowed me to calm down to the point where I passed out into another bout of deep sleep in his arms, yet I wouldn't slip off peacefully. All I could think of then was how happy I was that dad loved me so much, and how infuriated I was that Timber's mom held none of that kind of love for her son in her own heart.

Budding hunger woke me up, and right after I finished munching on the bag of cheese crackers a nurse gave me for a snack the doctor finally came in to give me the proper check-up to see how I was doing and if I was good to leave.

     "I'm sorry for the wait, but you're looking much better, my dear." he spoke kindly as he gave both dad and me a big smile.
     "I'm feeling okay. Just a little tired still." I explained, fiddling my fingers in my hands guiltily.
     "That's good. Very good. I do see on your chart here that everything looks back to normal. I'll try not to dawdle on giving you one last look over so you don't have to sit on that bed forever."
     "It hasn't been too bad. I like to treat each visit to the hospital as a learning experience."
     "Let's put a bit more space between trips to the hospital though, huh? Twice within the last few months is too much for me." dad joked.
     "Been having some rough luck lately?" the doctor wondered.
     "I fell down the stairs at the library."
     "Oh, you wouldn't happen to be the one that got that mysterious note from our supposed ghost? The nurses talked about that nonstop. They were all trying to figure out which one of them might have moved it and wrote the words." he pressed with a cheerful laugh.
     "That was me. I personally believe it really was the ghost." I replied with an amused shrug.
     "Honestly, I think so too. I wouldn't be surprised if we had hundreds of ghosts living here. Goodness knows I put a pen down and it vanishes into the void."

Dad conversed with the doctor as he began my check-up about the pens at the bookstore going missing all the time too. He'd even created special cubbies for each employee to place their writing utensils, and the silly things still disappeared. The talking went quiet after that until the doctor's work was done.

     "You look like a perfectly healthy ten-year-old to me. I think it's safe to say I can let you go free. If you could indulge my curiosity for a moment though, what exactly about coming to the hospital do you take as a learning experience?"
     "Well, I want to be a doctor too when I grow up. I like getting a chance to see the equipment, hear all the terms, know the basic processes, and understand the best ways to interact between patients and staff," I said before turning sheepish, "Although, I feel like I have a little bit of a black mark on my record because of today..."
     "Bah. Don't you worry about that, dear. You don't want to hear about all my stories of coming here as a patient when I was young. If anything, it helps you be more sympathetic towards those who come in as you know what it's like to be on the other side," the doctor encouraged, "Besides, everyone has something happen to them at some point- be it minor or major."

Dad frowned curiously when he motioned at him.

     "I remember when this one came in with a bonked up noggin. I swore it felt like we shaved off half the hair on the side of his head, and even then we could barely get to the cut. Then when he came in with his lungs all punctured, whoo boy, that was quite a day."
     "You were one of my surgeons? I'm sorry, I don't remember at all." dad said with a chuckle.
     "It's alright. Your family is a bit more famous in this place than I am." the doctor replied back likewise.

I felt somewhat better, but the guilt liked to linger around. In neither of those cases had dad's foolish actions been the cause of his hurt state. Content to leave the matter alone for the time being, I stayed quiet as the two adults chatted for a minute longer. Then I asked the question that had been sitting in the back of my head ever since I woke up.

     "Do you think you could tell me about the strange symptoms I experienced before I passed out?"
     "What symptoms would those be?" the doctor naturally asked back.
     "It...I felt a little lightheaded from the time I woke up this morning, but I didn't feel bad in any other way. Everything was pretty much fine for the longest time, but then it all got really intense. The pressure built up in my head, my vision went incredibly blurry, and I couldn't move at all. I would try to look to my left, and it would be like I'd be looking to my right. The world even seemed to go upside down."
     "You came in with quite the substantial case of hypothermia. You avoided the worst of it, but lightheadedness, dizziness, and loss of coordination fit right in with the condition your body was in when you arrived."
     "But the lightheadedness started when I woke up, like I said, and it felt like the symptoms started way before I really started to get cold too."
     "It is possible you were coming down with something that got overwhelmed by the hypothermia. If you do feel such things again, I would recommend coming back right away. However, all does seem to be well now. It is my belief that the hypothermia was the main contributor to the symptoms." the doctor stuck by his words.

I didn't think to argue. However extensive I thought my knowledge to be for a ten-year-old, I remained only ten-years-old. The doctor didn't appear that much younger than Blaze. He certainly had the more accurate assessment of the situation with all his years of experience. He was right too in that if there was something else going on with me that the best thing to do would simply come back to the hospital. I truly did feel fine though aside from the tiredness of going through such an ordeal and the weight resting on my chest from my guilty emotional state. The doctor left, dad gave me a pair of my own pajamas to wear, he departed momentarily while I changed, and then the two of us proceeded down the hall to the nearest waiting room where dad told me the others had been sitting in for not too long now. I walked in to find mom, Ember, Gilly, Mr. Mountain, and Timber there, and it proved difficult to keep my head up.

Timber stood up from his seat the second he saw me, but Gilly bounced from her seat to rush over. She barreled into my arms before I could blink, and I didn't mind the gentle 'thud' as she collided with me. We really weren't those kind of twins that couldn't stand to be apart, but I knew how much I loathed the idea of anything happening to my sister. It was easy enough to imagine then how terrible this afternoon had been for her.

     "I'm sorry." I apologized, squeezing her tighter.
     "Just don't do anything like it again." Gilly demanded, too happy to see me to sound intimidating in any way.
     "Promise." I answered wholeheartedly.

There we remained attached together for what felt like the longest while. Tears began to tickle my eyes once more as the powerful happiness of being lucky enough to still be able to hug Gilly welled up with a roar. Not wanting to bawl in front of the others, I turned my attention to Timber for a distraction.

     "I'm sorry, Timber. About not saying how I felt, about your mom..."
     "Dia, don't worry about it. Everything's mostly my fault. None of this would have happened if I hadn't been so pushy about ignoring all the warnings. I'm just so glad you're alright that I don't mind that we're going to be grounded for eternity."
     "Don't remind me." I mumbled with a pout as mom, dad, and Mr. Mountain gave each other quick looks before nodding at the two of us with mildly amused grins.

Instinct had me thinking to go to mom and Ember first after Gilly released me from our hug, but I knew as soon as mom had me in her grasp that I would never get out. I wouldn't want to let her go. She wouldn't want to let me go. I'd probably be taken out of the hospital in her arms. Mom could do anything in her heels. Anyway, I slunk over to Mr. Mountain, my footsteps growing shorter and shorter the closer I approached. My gaze was stuck to the floor when I stood before him and all the words I truly wanted to say wouldn't come out.

     "Mr. Mountain, I'm really sorry about all of this," I began quietly, "Timber and I went way out of line. We should have just come to you for answers. We should have trusted you. The two of us didn't mean any harm, but we made a big mess that put you in danger. I hope you're alright."

Having little energy left , those tears determined to come out managed to drop a few streaks down the sides of my face. Mr. Mountain smiled tenderly, opened his arms, and there was no hesitation on my part in snuggling up against him.

     "I'm perfectly fine, Dia. I merely got a little cold for a moment," he reassured, "Like everyone else, I'm just glad you're okay. I'm glad things changed with my plans so I came home early to find you two gone and that I knew enough about where Timber had been trying to sneak off to recently for me to have an idea of where you were. More than anything though, I'm sorry about Roti. This is largely my fault too. If I hadn't been so pig-headed about not explaining the situation, there wouldn't have been this need to find answers behind my back. I didn't give you a reason to trust me. The last thing I wanted was for her to show how heartless she can be first hand. It took me too many years myself to learn that she's simply that way."

I gave him an extra big squeeze, Mr. Mountain returned the love, and he patted me on the back before slowly peeling me off of him and giving me a smile.

     "You go on and get over to your mother now. Don't keep the poor woman waiting."

I didn't wait a second. Teleporting from where I stood into mom's arms, Ember scooted over so I could be cuddled up fully. I closed my eyes and cried more even though I felt so at peace being with her. I blubbered out another apology, she pet my hair and dried my cheeks, and I became a baby again. Clutching onto her so tightly, I didn't care how pitiful or silly I looked. Mom was so much smaller than dad, I could actually wrap my arms all the way around her with ease, yet I felt just as safe and secure when I was with her, perhaps even a bit more. She poured so much love out to me not even saying anything that I could hardly stand it. I buried myself in her chest, let the others do the talking now, and kept myself clutched to her side as we eventually all departed from the hospital.

The drive home was too quiet for my liking. It allowed me too much time to think. Dad stopped us at a fast food place since it was already dinnertime, and my order was forced to be a salad full of carrots and almonds, two things I despised, since my parents said they didn't want me eating so junky after just getting released from the hospital. I'm sure it was one of their ways of gently punishing me too. Obediently munching on the damp leaves of lettuce avoiding the carrots and almonds as much as possible, Gilly just scooted herself closer to me during the drive. Ember didn't say a word, and only mom and dad made any sort of light conversation. More apologies came when I greeted Blaze and Merlot at home. The words were quickly becoming repetitive, yet it felt like I couldn't say them enough. That was especially true when I lightly knocked on Ember's door and slunk myself into her room before bed.

     "How are you feeling?" my sister asked as she turned her chair around to face me, some email she was writing up on her laptop.
     "I'm okay. I'm still tired, but it's not really anything," I did my best to smile, although I wasn't highly successful, "I...I just wanted to say sorry again. I especially want to apologize about your phone. I heard mom and dad talking about how it's completely broke from sitting in the snow for so long."

My sister gave me a sympathetic smiled before pulling me into a quick hug.

     "It's a little inconvenient to have it broken, but, honestly, I seriously don't care. Mom, dad, and Aunt Holly were right to take away all my allowance until I save up the price to replace it as I am guilty in today's events as well. I really wanted to stop you when you came to me for it. I really wanted to say something about what you might be getting up to. However, I, well, I want to be your cool big sister. I want to be able to have secrets with you and do things that are a little rebellious. I should have realized there's appropriate times for those things while there are moments when I have to be the responsible big sister."
     "Em, you're the coolest. You've always been the coolest. You're the best just for not getting angry about your phone. I think it's always been so amazing as well- that we're full sisters, half sisters, and cousins all at the same time."
     "As if I had any control over that." Ember grinned and laughed lightly.
     "Oh yeah! Didn't mom, dad, and Aunt Mimi tell you recently about the big secret about why dad had you with Aunt Mimi? Do you want to share that secret?" I goaded lovingly, not expecting much, which was a good thing.
     "Definitely not. Knowing the truth, I can understand why they wanted to wait until I was older to tell me. I'm still having a bit of trouble accepting what happened was actually what happened," Ember explained seriously before giving me a smirk, "And, besides, you certainly reached your quota of how nice I'm going to be to you today. The only thing left I'm going to give you is an order to get your pink butt into bed, little miss."
     "Only if I get a another hug first." I demanded, stretching out my arms.
     "Of course."

Ember took me against her a second time, and we shared a much longer embrace before I scuttled down the hallway and to my bed.

My punishment started in full the next day. Timber and I weren't allowed to communicate at all. The most I was permitted to do was read and work on my vacation homework. I couldn't even help but up any of the Christmas decorations, although I was made to do the heavy lifting when Gilly and I moved our beds to be under the window and colored lights like we always did when the holidays rolled around. All the parties, events, and games I had been looking forward to over break, I didn't get to participate in a single one. I stayed home while everyone else went out. Even hot chocolate had to be earned by perfect behavior the whole day through. Worried that I wouldn't be given any presents on Christmas, mom and dad reassured me they wouldn't be that harsh.

Those days weren't so bad though. Blaze being my babysitter made my break relatively pleasant despite the restrictions. Feeling slightly sick due to the incredibly cold winter we were having, he stayed home with me when everyone else went out. That was when he permitted me to sneak in some television and the occasional game on the computer. However, mostly we simply talked. Blaze never ran out of stories to tell of grandma and grandpa when they were little, and he had a bunch about when my siblings and I were much younger too. We played each board game we had at least three times, and each meal ended with a candy cane or two. Or three. The rest of our family returned from a party in the city that turned out terrible due to bad weather preventing almost anyone from showing up, and Blaze and I greeted them with freshly made cookies topped with messily drawn figures out of frosting. Neither of us were very good artists. On Christmas Eve, the both of us agreed to wrap the others' presents for them, only leaving their presents for us hidden away for them to do themselves.

Blaze and I were pretty proud of our work when it was all done. Getting to see what everyone else got everyone else was a perk I liked as well. It would be fun knowing what someone was about to unwrap and anticipate their reaction.

     "That's the last of it," Blaze spoke as he scooted Merlot's big box behind him, "I'm quite satisfied."
     "Don't you thinking wrapping that book in such a big box is a bit mean though?" I asked even though I smirked at the small trick of ours, "He's going to get so excited and then be so disappointed."
     "It'll be fine. I did it to Am and Coal when they were his age. It helps to remind him that he should be grateful instead of demanding."
     "You didn't do it to Gilly or me."
     "I forgot that year. In any case, you two were so happy to be getting real presents of your own that year instead of copies or ones to share that I didn't think it was necessary to do it in the years afterwards."
     "I see. What about the coal though? I noticed you didn't get any for grandpa this time."
     "It can be so expensive to get the real, genuine stuff. It's like six or seven dollars for a single, small piece. I'm not spending that much money on a joke that's probably run its course."
     "Probably?"
     "I still think it's funny. I know your dad loves it too because Am always complains that I've never bought coal for Coal." Blaze shrugged merrily.

I started to smile along with him, but my smile faded as his did. Blaze's cheerful demeanor shifted into something somber. The abrupt shift left me more than a little confused.

     "Sorry," Blaze apologized, "I was about to say that Eden loves the joke too, but I can't really say it that way anymore, can I? He loved the joke. I forgot for a moment that he was gone, and remembering isn't pleasant. The first Christmas after losing someone is the worst."
     "I know. The holidays do feel much emptier without him." I nodded along quietly.
     "You know, I haven't been hating it as much as I thought I would. I'm actually rather glad you got yourself majorly grounded," Blaze joked, "Otherwise I would have been here alone these past two weeks. It's been fun hanging out with you. It's been a while since we've spent a lot of quality alone time together. You're a pretty entertaining kid."
     "Well, thank you." I beamed proudly.

Blaze laughed before giving me an amused look I couldn't place properly.

     "I have to say, I guess I'm still a little, hmm, astonished? Intrigued? Amazed, maybe? I'm something over the fact that you're pink. The Vivid line was red for so long. Not that I care at all about color, but the shift through red to green to pink simply fascinates me for some reason. I love seeing the transition. I think its way more fun to see how the children will come out from a Mixed couple instead of a same Solid one. I mean, Ember and Merlot getting some of Allium's purple? I sure as hell never would have imagined that those two would share grandchildren one day."

He stretched out and smiled wider.

     "Even though you're all pink, it's still interesting to see what you've inherited. Like, your skin is Allium's darker shade compared to the lighter one Gilly got from Dahlia. That kind of thing."
     "I never really thought about it that way. It is pretty interesting, huh? I should remember to put some books about genetics on my birthday list. That'll be good for whenever those tests about grandma's weird strain of albinism are finished."
     "I love that you're so easy to shop for. Just get you some medical books, and you're all set."
     "Yup!"
     "Which makes you different from Holly, and a lot more like Mimosa. The differences in personality is another reason I love this family of mine. It has been hard to be one of the last ones left of my age, and in the past I dreaded being the very last. However, now I'm determined to go as long as I can. I've said it before, but at the core of it all Am's my son. That means that all his kids are my grandchildren, and all their kids, like you, are my great-grandchildren. I refuse to leave this earth until I can meet all my great-great-grandchildren."
     "But Mint is only two, and you're in your eighties. It's going to a long time before he has children. That's if Aunt Glade doesn't have any more children either."
     "I'll make it work." Blaze declared confidently.

I shook my head, amused, until my own sudden mood shift took over. A distant, nagging thought that had been bugging me for quite a long time rose to the surface. I hadn't thought to address it, but in that moment I figured Blaze was actually the perfect person to talk to about the dilemma.

     "Hey, Blaze?"
     "Yeah?"
     "About having children and all that, do you think it's strange that I haven't ever really thought about wanting any? I haven't been interested in boys or even girls or anything like that either." I put it out there.
     "I mean, my immediate answer is no, it's not strange at all. Is there any particular reason why you feel that way to both of those things though?"
     "There's no big reasons, really. I know that I'm still a kid, so I can't say I dislike kids. However, I don't have a problem with kids in the first place. I like playing with Mint, and I don't mind him getting me messy. I don't mind helping to change his diapers. It's more that I guess I know I'll be in school a lot longer than most people. It's going to take me a long while before I get really settled in my career. I know that raising children requires a lot of time and effort, and if I had to pick between the two I would rather just focus on being a doctor. About liking boys or girls, I dunno. I'd like to get married, but I think about what I've learned about sex and...blegh. It just sounds gross."

Blaze laughed loudly at that, which I anticipated and hoped for. He still quieted his chuckles even as he replied again.

     "I can't share your thoughts on that last subject, naturally. Overall though, my advice to you is just to not worry. If you would rather focus on your career instead of raising a family, that's perfectly fine. Don't let anyone pressure you that you're missing out on something. I never wanted children. Things went a little differently than expected with me raising Amaranth, but even if things had gone right and his parents remained alive, I know I would have been just as happy having that kind of family too. Having children isn't all there is in life. About falling in love, getting married, having sex...give it some time. You are only ten, Dia. Honestly, you're not supposed to be bothered thinking about having a relationship or being intimate to begin with at this point. Most kids your age should find sex somewhat gross. You're more than welcome to talk to any one of us about any of it, of course, but a lot of things can change as you get older and your body matures. It could be that you need to hit puberty first before the things you don't find appealing or aren't interesting begin to call to you. It could also be that your feelings now never change, but we just won't know until we wait and see."
     "No, I get it. That makes complete sense. Thanks, Blaze. It makes me feel better."
     "You're welcome. I'm always glad to be of use," he lovingly ruffled my hair, "I just want to make sure everyone's living happily, and that's really all that matters in how you choose to live your life. If you're satisfied, then you're doing everything right no matter what other people say. As long as you're not, like, going around murdering people or whatever. Bad things that make you happy are not good things."
     "Oh, darn it, I'll have to scratch that off the list." I joked along.
     "Ah ha, see, I caught you. I knew you were too cute and innocent looking."

We stuck to joking around with that topic for perhaps a bit too long. Everyone returned right in the thick of it. Mom and dad walked in the door to hear me explaining to Blaze the best way to pass of a murder as a complete mystery thanks to what I'd learned about medical practices and the tools available to them, and both he and I received a highly suspicious and disapproving stare. It took several minutes to explain how on earth we'd gotten on the subject. The whole exchange made me unsure if mom and dad allowed me to participate in the rest of activities planned that night because it was Christmas Eve and they were being nice or because they were trying to distract me away from such a topic even if I had been joking.

Either way, I thoroughly enjoyed the change of pace. I stuffed myself full of good food, we watched old home movies, watched lame holiday ones, and continued with our tradition of each getting to open one small present that night. Seeing Merlot notice his huge box kept me smiling the whole evening. I went to bed smug, which probably wasn't the right emotion to be feeling on a holiday centered around sharing and charity. I slept soundly though, and Christmas proceeded smoothly despite the small hiccup of my brother's momentary pouting face after opening his box. More wonderful food was made, more good times were had, and as I glanced at the pretty calendar I'd gotten to usher in the new year I grew excited at the fresh start that lay ahead.