Metamorphosis

Tis the Season

Chapter 26

Tis the season

"Hello? Anyone home?" Mira called as she walked through the door on Wednesday afternoon. She frowned and walked into the kitchen. "Mom?"

The teen was about to head up the stairs when she noticed a note on the fridge.

-Mira

Had to drive your sister to her friend's house. I'm going to talk to my guidance counselor after I drop her off. Won't be home till late. Matt is working an extra shift. There is tuna casserole in the oven. Heat it up if you get hungry.

Mom

Mira rolled her eyes as she crumpled up the note.

Honestly, why did her mother have to pick now to go back to school to become an actual dentist?

She flicked on the oven light and looked at the casserole.

Though, after puking in a plant the other day, fish had been the last thing on her mind.

Turning off the oven light, she headed to the fridge to make something else to eat when the phone rang.

She walked over to it and picked it up off the cradle.

"Pascal house: home of the lonely teens. This is Mira speaking." She answered sarcastically.

"Mira?"

The phone almost slipped out of her hand at the voice.

"D-daddy?"

"Hey, what are you doing home so early?" her father asked.

"Um, finals. We have half days till Christmas break." She answered.

"Oh, right. I forgot. I actually called your mom to talk about Christmas, is she home?" He asked. Mira glanced down at the crumpled note that she held in her palm and sighed.

"No, she took Marli to a friend's house then she is going to her guidance counselor."

"Oh, well I'll just try calling her later."

Mira knew that that was a way of saying they were about to go, so she intervened, "Dad, are you coming home for Christmas?"

She heard him sigh before he answered, "I hope so, princess. The odds are that I'll be there, though."

Mira smiled brightly, "Good," she paused to rest her hand on her tummy "because there is someone I want you to meet."

"But why not!" Mira asked in exasperation.

"Because I'm not leaving you alone on Christmas!" Audrey answered.

"Afraid I'll have a wild party?" she challenged. After she had gotten off the phone with her dad, Mira had come up with a plan to make Christmas enjoyable for everyone.

"No, of course not. How can you even ask me to leave my pregnant daughter alone on Christmas when the rest of the family is out?"

"You and dad need to use this opportunity to be together!"

"And where, pray tell, would we go?"

"Go to aunt Marilyn's and see the family with Marli and Matt! You and daddy can use this time to talk!"

"We can talk any time, why would we choose the holidays?"

"Because it's the season of spreading joy and love?" Mira attempted. Audrey smiled and tweaked her daughter's nose.

"Not buying it. Try something else. Unless you can come up with a good reason, your father and I are not leaving you alone."

"Because I'm spending the holidays with Seth!" she blurted out before she could stop.