Kidnapped, Unfortunately

Chapter Twenty Eight

Suddenly, Teddy showed up and began speaking in some foreign langue.

"What the heck?!" Camille exclaimed.

"It's ok, I speak German," Aileen said. She narrowed her eyes in concentration. "I think they're saying, 'the murderer is armed, and cheese is not dairy'."

Camille frowned. "I don't think that's what they are saying."

"Are you sure you know German?" I asked, raising my eyebrows at her.

She huffed and crossed her arms, pouting. "Well, excuse me for only learning the important stuff."

"Can't you change it?" Jacob demanded.

Carson fumbled around with the disk's box, and then read the back. "I can't read anything, it has all these weird letters on it!"

I sighed loudly. "That's German."

He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, and Camille said, "Well since that was such a treat, why don't we open the Secret Santa gifts now?"

All at once, the color washed out of Jacob's face. "I'm not ready!"

"Well I am," Aileen smiled. "Let's do it."

"I'll go get my my stuff," I said, turning around and heading for the stairs.

"Me too," Carson said, quickly turning off the tv and following me.

"Who did you have?" I asked as we ascended the stairs together.

"I can't say," He grinned. "But I think they will really like it. Probably. I'm 79% sure."

I nodded. "That's pretty sure."

We swung into my room, and I quickly swiped a red wrapped box off my bed, and returned to the hall.

We then stopped by Carson's room and he took a small box wrapped in green off of his desk.

I was excited.

Who had me?

~~~

We were all spread back out in the living room, our presents all on the coffee table.

"So," Jacob said, looking around at us all. "Who wants to go first?"

"I'll go," Camille said, scooting forward and fishing around the gift pile for the present with her name on it.

She finally selected a box wrapped in light pink paper, and smiled.

Her hands deftly undid the ribbon and opened the box.

I stiffened beside Aileen, and hold in my breath.

The packaging fell away, and inside the box were some clothes I had taken from the small stash in my room.

"That's so thoughtful," Camille smiled. "Who's it from?"

"Me," I said, allowing myself to breathe. "Because yours all got burned."

"Thank you!" Camille smiled at me warmly.

"You're next then," Jacob said.

I selected the gift bag in the corner with my name on it, and drew it into my lap.

Then I reached my hand inside and drew out a big black lump.

Did someone actually give me coal?

"Gee..." I spoke, eyeing it. "Thanks."

Aileen squinted her eyes. "What is it?"

"It's a muffin!" Jacob said indignantly. "I made it myself."

I frowned at him, unsure if that's really better than coal. At coal is worth money nowadays. "Are you trying to poison me?"

"No!" Jacob exclaimed, his face growing red.

"Maybe we should move on," Carson said smoothly, picking up Jacob's present.

Jacob scowled, and snatched the gift from his hand.

He tore through the paper messily, and ended up holding a small toy car.

"What?" Jacob gasped, looking at it as if it had grown arms and legs. "Where did you get this? I thought I had lost it years ago!"

"You didn't," Carson spoke matter of factly. "I got annoyed with you and hid it. I found it last week in my underwear drawer."

"Then I take back my thanks," Jacob said, not seeming that upset though. He hugged the toy car to his chest and then began racing it around the floor making sound effects.

"Looks like it's my turn," Carson grinned, grabbing a blue covered box.

His hands deftly undid the wrapping, and he pulled out a card.

The card was plain white, and probably just made from printer paper.

He flipped it open and read aloud, "You are loved. Wow, thanks."

"No problem," Camille beamed.

He flipped the card over to see if there was anything on the back. "Is this it?"

"Hey! I didn't exactly have a lot to work with this year," Camille scowled at him.

Carson out his hands up.

I quickly held up a finger. "Wait a second. If I had Camille, Camille had Carson, Carson had Jacob, and Jacob had me, then who did Aileen have?"

Everyone turned to her as She grinned deviously. "I had myself. And my gift to myself was the gift of doing nothing. Bet you wished you let me pick again now, hmm?"

Everyone groaned.