Shattered

19: The Yellow Envelope

  Christmas came around in the blink of an eye. It used to be such a precious holiday in the Worthington family, and each member had fond memories of the Christmases they used to share with each other. No matter how old they were, Brooke and Bradley always fought over who got to put the star on the tree. It usually  ended up being Brooke, which Brianna found amusing to watch. 

  The past few Christmases had been quite uneventful, and not memorable at all. It came upon Brooke to make it a Christmas that they could cherish forever, but in order to do that she had to earn some extra money.

  She spent most of her winter break working at Todd's Diner, and the rest of it babysitting and house watching for people who had gone on vacation. 

  Jacob was in search of work, but grew frustrated too easily, and could not settle on a job. In his opinion, he was not good at anything. Brooke tried to pretend that it was fine if he did not work, but she wished he would try a little harder. The savings in his bank account were decreasing every day, and if he did not get a job before he went overseas in August, he would be completely broke. He knew this, and feared it, but neither he nor Brooke would show any signs of fear or struggle if they could help it.

  Their fake cheeriness was easy to see through, and Brianna could tell almost immediately that they were having financial problems. She practically knew everything that was going on with them, but all she could do was watch it happen. There was not much that she could do to help them, but there was something she could do to bring a little happiness to them. It would be a nice change to see a genuine smile around the house.

  With a break from school, she had plenty of time to plan and prepare. For the weeks leading up to Christmas, she was in her bedroom nearly all day. Even when Mica came over, she did not stay long, for Brianna had no time to take a break. 

  And at last, it was Christmas eve, and the three sat in the living room without speaking. The old television set was showing a Christmas special at a low volume, and the three watched without really watching at all. They sipped their warm beverages, and watched as a man dressed as Santa Claus danced like a mindless idiot on the screen.

  Jacob yawned, and set his mug on the table next to the couch. "We should be off to bed, or Santa won't come."

  Brianna rolled her eyes, but internally appreciated Jacob's sense of humor at such a distant time. 

  "I want me some presents," he said, as he collected the girls' mugs and headed toward the kitchen to put them in the sink. 

  "Me too," said Brooke, with an almost mischievous smile. She stood up from where she was sitting, and folded the thin red blanket she had been wrapped in. 

  "I do like presents," Brianna agreed, standing up and walking out of the living room like a zombie. "Good night," she said as she was opening her bedroom door. "Ho, ho, ho."

  The door closed behind her, and she tiptoed across the cold floor. Trying to stay awake for just a bit longer, she got in bed and wriggled under the covers. As she closed her eyes,  she fell asleep in an instant.

  The frigid air made it difficult to stay asleep. It was still dark as Brianna grudgingly opened her eyes, and hid her face under the covers. She cursed the landlord for having horrible heating in the winter, and shivered herself back to sleep.

  What felt like a second, but was more likely an hour later, a small portion of sunlight crept in through her window. There was no more trying to fall back asleep, and after all, it was Christmas. Still shivering, Brianna rolled out of bed, and wrapped a blanket around her shoulders. Not entirely awake, she opened her bedroom door and walked down the hallway, into the living room.