A Christmas To Remember

Chapter 1

"I'll be ready in about an hour Dusty!" I hear Sicily's retreating voice hurrying up the same stairs that became more of an enemy to me than my alarm clock.

I head over to the kitchen and put a pot of water onto the stove to let it boil. While I wait I start to stretch to relieve my sore muscles and wake up for the day. As I feel the stretch I contemplate life like any normal human being.

I am starting my senior year of high school. I am turning 18 in a few months. I am the captain of the color guard team. We get to perform my favorite Shakespeare play in theatre for our fall production. My name is Dusty Barnes. That's right. Dusty. Barnes. I am going to start school again and all the new kids are going to have the same reaction, "Is that your real name?" As they snicker and make friends elsewhere. I wish I had a middle name that I could be called by instead; but, I have no such luck. I have a little sister who is named Sicily Jane Barnes. Me? I'm just good ol' Dusty Barnes. If only David were still here. I like to think that he'd be there to tell me that it isn't as bad as it seems. He would be right. I have a pretty good life. It's relatively drama free and comfortable. However, comfortable comes with being in the same small town for all 17 years and 8 months of you life. I've been to neighboring towns and went out of state once to a family reunion. I love my family don't get me wrong, however, they can be a little much to handle when all together at the same time.

As I finish my stretches, my water is proficiently boiled and I pour it into a bowl over some Quick Oats. I enjoy the warmth of the oatmeal as it settles in my stomach. I am actually happy that Sicily woke me up early because now I have time to actually brush my teeth and brush my hair. I head back upstairs with less pain in my tush them I did just a little while ago. When I enter the bathroom that is conjoined with my bedroom, I flick the lights on and my dog is sitting on my toilet lid staring at me.

"Poe! You little mutt! You gave momma a heart attack" I pat his head and get my morning routine kit out. Yes, my dog is named after Edgar Allan Poe. I named him this for quite a few reasons actually. First, I love all things classic. Anything after 2012 I do not give two thoughts of giving a crap about. I love Shakespeare, Poe, Montgomery, Van Halen, etc. and am a huge theatre buff. Second, Poe is a little guy with a coat as dark as a raven. Third, he's a little creepy. He has a knack for just showing up and staring into space. Fourth, he seems a little depressed and evil. He doesn't get excited about anything except unless someone gets hurt or... Nope. That is really all he gets excited about. Other than that he is pretty chill and I love him with all my heart. We are a cliche. He is the grumpy character to my sunshiny character. I mean as sunshiny as I can get.

After I clean up, I gather my belongings and head over to Sicily's room. I knock a rythm on her door and shout that I'm leaving with or without her. I turn to the stairs and glare. Do I attempt it again? Do I dare? It is my only escape to the outside world and my responsibilities.

My responsibilities are the only things that are making sure I stay awake at this moment. You see, my school does this little camp for the extracurriculars surrounding football. This includes the varsity football players, cheerleaders, and marching band/color guard. We all get together to tell stories, to pump up the new recruits, and to set goals and expectations for the season. Since I am the captain of the color guard and Sicily is one of the cheerleader captains, we have to be at the school early to help set up.

I grab my keys off the hook and exit through a heavy oak door. I am greeted by a soft breeze that carries the fresh scent of the morning. A soft smile appears on my lips. I honestly loved living out in the country. There are no neighbors in the cookie cutter house or awkward conversations/ neighborly disputes. There are just fields and a house a couple minutes down the road from where I live. It takes about 20 minutes to get to the high school from where I live. We have to be there at 9 which means that I leave at 8:30 and when I get there around 8:50, I will be 10 minutes early give or take 5 minutes depending on morning traffic. Even though there rarely is any traffic, I still take it into my careful calculations.