The Wrong Side

Chapter 24

I haven't thought about that journal entry in a while. I don't want to think about that journal entry unless I want to stay up for nights thinking about what it means. It's been almost two months since I found that entry and since I beat up Dennis. We haven't sparred again since that time, but Tanner has kept me in the same weight category. A few more people have joined the heaviest class and I've been sparring against them mostly.

I didn't realize how close to Christmas it was getting until it actually came. I was sleeping in on December twenty-fifth when the door opens and Luna comes bouncing into my room and starts jumping on my bed.

"It's Christmas! Wake up! Wake up!"

I kick around in my blankets, trying to push her off the bed but next thing I know, she's lying beside me. I open my eyes and her face is right in mine; her hazel eyes shining with excitement. I fall off the bed and land with a little bang on the floor, my right arm smashing through the table and my head hitting against the bottom of Matthew's bed. Luna giggles and offers me a hand up which I take.

"Don't do that," I mutter. "That's too close for my liking."

She smiles and shoves a package in my chest. "Merry Christmas, nerd."

The package is wrapped in red paper with a green bow. Interesting... I hate the red for some reason but the green is appealing. I rip it open and in there is a printed book entitled, A Madness of Angels.

"This is for me?" I ask, staring at the book in disbelief. Printed books are practically non existent now. Paper is barely used anymore. To have a book... it's so rare and only the really wealthy or privileged have them. All other books are read electronically.

"Yeah. It's a fantastic book and part of a series which I have if you want to read later. You always are borrowing my reading tablet so I figured that I'd give you a real book."

I grin. I do borrow her tablet a lot in class and before I go to bed. I like reading and I can't believe that Luna would actually pick up on that. She smiles at me and I realize something: I don't have a present for her.

"Um," I say nervously, "I don't have anything..."

"That's fine. You don't exactly have an income or a means of getting any presents so I wasn't really expecting anything in return."

I smile and she throws her arms around me. I can feel my face heat up before hesitantly hugging her back. She smells like cinnamon and she's warm. When she lets go of me, her face is a little red and she smiles nervously before climbing off the bed and leaving the room.

Without her, it's dead quiet now. Outside, the sky is a light grey and snow covers the frozen earth in a blanket of sparkling white gossamer. The trees have water droplets frozen onto the branches which catch the sun's light and makes the whole world sparkly.

"You don't like my sister, right?"

I look over at Matthew who's lying on his bed and staring up at the ceiling with his hands resting underneath his head. His expression is pretty blank.

"Well yeah I like her," I say. "She's my friend-"

"No. I mean, are you attracted to her? Romantically speaking?"

"Oh. I don't think so..."

Matthew grins. "You'd better not hurt her or anything. She's my little sister and I'll have no problems kicking your ass if you break her heart."

"I'm not attracted to her," I say. Then I think about it. Am I? No... Maybe I'm just denying myself because I know she's spying on me for Ember and I may end up betraying her later. In fact, knowing that the Irvings are spying on me brings some sort of relief since I may be betraying them later on down the road.