Linda rolled over in her bed, feeling the edge of conscious slip to the forefront. In a few minutes her alarm would go off, she could feel it--and the spell would be broken.
Just a few more minutes, she pleaded to herself. Her eyelids were still heavy and not quite ready to open and face the day. Last night did not give her the sleep she was promised and still bitter from the betrayal.
Part of her wanted to think it was the time change, but there was a whisper in the wind that made her spine tense. It felt crazy or maybe it was stress just creeping in, but something had her 'spidey-senses' tingling.
Her thoughts jolted as the alarm began to sound off. The vibration of the clock rattling the nightstand. Reaching out she expertly tapped the snooze button, silencing the blaring immediately. With eyes still closed, she slipped back under the warm comforter and tried to let sleep take her again. Hell, 10 minutes was ten minutes. No sooner than she snuggled up in her covers, Linda felt the cold, wet nose of Comrade against her cheek. Trying to play possum, she laid still, thinking he would move on, but she knew better. She rolled over, turning her face from him, her lips curling into a soft smile as she heard him gently whine and move to the other side of the bed. Comrade put his two front paws on the bed and stretch to lick her face. Her plan of possum was failing miserably and Linda crinkled her face as Comrade assaulted her sleepy face with dog kisses. His hot canine breath fanning her face.
Chortling, she pushed his face away. "Morning. Morning Comrade. Thanks, I get it. I'm up." She sighed and finally opened her eyes to see him wagging his tail, his front paws still on the bed as he watched her. Linda leaned over and rubbed between his ears. "Where's the Terror? Did you even bother to go harass her, or did you come straight to me, hmm?" Comrade only savored the rub and panted as she asked him about Sandra. Linda sat up, realizing sleep time was officially over. "You're not gonna make us breakfast? It's kinda your turn. It's kinda been your turn for several years now." Comrade tilted his head in confusion as she spoke to him. Linda shook her head. Typical male reaction, she thought. What she wouldn't give to sleep in and have breakfast made already. It was a decadent fantasy that rode high on her pleasure list. Right up there with a self-cleaning home and a sexy bath time with Ryan Gosling."Nevermind." She clicked her teeth. "Go wake up the Terror."
Understanding the command, Comrade got down and trotted out of the room. Peeling the covers off of her, she shivered as the cool air rushed on her body. Looking to the window, she saw the faint clusters of snow on the window seal. She smiled. This was her favorite time of the year. Adding to the joy in the thought, Linda turned to the doorway as she heard the giggling of Sandra in her room. Comrade must've successfully got the little terror up. She seemed to respond better to him waking her up anyway. Most of the time, Sandra looked so cute and peaceful, Linda would feel guilty disturbing her. Oh, how many times Sandra was late to school because her mother was too guilty to wake her up? Too many to count. Thinking about the past of waking Sandra up, trailed to a closed memory of Greg. He used to scorn Linda for being too soft with her.
Some mornings he would beat on her door like a cop, warning her to be on her feet in five minutes. She remembered the time she first addressed him about it and had to console a weeping Sandra, who was frightened by Greg's aggression.
"She's a six year old girl, Greg. You don't need to treat her like a convict."
Greg had cast her a menacing frown. Humans treated their children like toys and he never understood why. Probably a good reason their species was so submissive. "You're too weak with that girl, Lin. There's no excuse to coddle her like a little doll. She needs to learn to do as she's told and obey her elders."
Wringing her hands, she stared up at him. The sound of Sandra's sniffling through the door making her skin crawl. "She's a good kid."
Greg had scoffed at her shaky defense."No. She's spoiled. All she does is cry and whine." He cut his eyes back to Linda with scrutiny. "Just like her mother when things get too tough."
Linda shivered again as her memory took her to a place far more chilly than the snowy morning she was experiencing now.
God, he was an asshole. She ran her fingers through her hair as she finally stood up. And so was I to let him into our lives, she thought to herself. Ever thankful to Maddie and Aidan for helping her kick Greg out, in reality, she didn't feel she deserved their help. She was the one who let a once romantic tryst turn into a life of fear and anger for her and Sandra. She was the one who allowed Greg to come into her home and dominate their lives--even abuse Comrade. The conviction in her heart suddenly stung and made her eyes water abruptly. Guilt roaming through her body, hungry for an outlet. Linda paused and covered her mouth, stifling a soft sob. It was only a few weeks since he disappeared. It still felt so raw. Taking several deep breaths, she chose not to focus on her guilt, but Sandra's laughing in the next room. The anchor that kept Linda steady in a tilt-a-whirl world. Still in the sanctity of her room, she recited the vow in her head that she told herself when things got too much. I will pay for my sins by learning from them and giving Sandra the best life I can offer her. The past is the past. She glanced at a torn picture of her and Greg in the wastebasket next to her nightstand and frowned. Then, she gave the picture the middle finger. "Coddle this, asshole."
Shrugging on her robe, she ventured to the kitchen to 'coddle' her giggling daughter with chocolate chip pancakes as she got ready for school.
###
Sandra buttoned up her coat after she shrugged on her little blue backpack in the foyer. Her eyes were wide in amazement as she stared out the window. "Mommy?"
"Yes, sweet pea." Linda replied as she knelt down and slipped a wool cap on Sandra's head. While she was at it, she decided to redo the haphazard button job her daughter attempted with her coat.
"You think it's gonna snow for Christmas?" Sandra's eyes stayed trained on the window, admiring the bright white wonderment awaiting her outside. Last time it snowed, it barely lasted until she went out to play for recess. Looks like this time maybe she and Comrade would finally get to play in some real snow. Making snow angels was the first on her to-do list.
Linda smiled, finally getting to the last few buttons. "I don't know, sweet pea. I hope so. We live so close to the water it's anyone's guess. It would be nice to have a white Christmas, though, huh?"
Sandra nodded and faced Linda. She grinned. "Yeah. We can go play and make a snowman and stuff!"
"Uh hmm. Yes, building a snowman, snowball fights and hot cocoa." Linda laughed at her daughter's grin, which was void of her two front teeth."Let's keep hoping that Santa will bring us some snow along with those presents. Okay?"
"Yes ma'am!" Sandra said with gusto. The escalation of her voice inadvertently prompted Comrade to come trotting over to them. He nudged Sandra with his nose and licked her face. She sputtered and wiped her face. "Comrade!," she called with a chiding childlike tone.
Linda snapped her fingers. "Sit, Comrade. She's okay." Comrade promptly sat and wagged his tail, anxiously awaiting attention. She turned her focus back to Sandra and tapped her daughter's nose. "We have to get the tree this week and I'll pull the second box of Christmas decorations out and we can deck the halls. But first, you gotta go to school, so come on." She tapped Sandra's butt before standing up to grab her purse and keys.
Just as she tried to shuffle Sandra out, she turned and looked at Comrade. "Mommy? What about Comrade? Can he ride with us to school?"
Linda sighed. "I guess so. I have to take him in for his checkup anyway, so that's fine. Now c'mon, I don't want you to be late."
They tread carefully to the truck, including Comrade who walked close to them. Linda unlocked the truck and whistled for Comrade to hop in. She lifted Sandra into the back cab seat and buckled her in. Before closing the door, Linda used her sleeve to wipe a smudge of chocolate off Sandra's rosy face. "Glad you've managed to get more of those pancakes in your mouth than on your clothes or your face."
Closing the door, she moved around to the driver's side. When she opened the door, something on the ground caught her eye in the soft patch of snow.
"Mommy? Can we get a new book to read this week? Something Christmas?"
Linda didn't respond. Instead, her eyes continued to trail at the dips in the snow. Not dips. Footprints. Her eyes followed the large footprints in the snow till they trailed off past the house and into the thicket next to their house. Her body tensed as her eyes settled on the prints in the snow that definitely wasn't hers or Sandra's. Someone was in her yard recently.
Maybe a trapper cut through my yard into the woods instead of taking the trail?
But who would do that? Anxiety began to flood her psyche and she could feel her heartbeat escalate. Who would do that? She stared at the footprint. Who?
"Mommy? Are you listening? Mommy!"
Sandra's voice finally punctured through the haze of Linda's thinking, making her flinch where she stood. "Yes, sweet pea. I'm sorry. What did you say?"
Sandra did a dramatic sigh. "Can we get a new Christmas book to read this week? Please?"
Linda slowly climbed into the truck. "Yeah, sure baby. We can go to the bookstore tomorrow, okay?" She tried to shake the strange edge in her muscles as she started the truck. Looking at the trail again, Linda finally shook her head and turned towards Sandra, smiling. "We'll go book shopping so you and me have tons to read for the holidays. I've been meaning to pick up that cookbook with that praline recipe anyway."
"Yay!," Sandra cheered, throwing her hands up.
"Huzzah!" Linda cheered as well, as she pulled out of the driveway to drop Sandra to school.
Devin woke to the sounds of a ratchet echoing from outside. Then the sounds of welding and grinding against metal followed. She groaned in annoyance as there was only one guess to who was making all that racket. She grabbed a pillow and put it over her face. Arista's hands, he needs to do that somewhere else and not outside my bedroom window! She finally threw the pillow, chucking it against the window. It bounced and landed on the floor with a soft thud. Once she was up, there was no such thing as going back to sleep. Devin ripped the sheet from her nude body, and sat on the side of the bed. "Ugh. So much for sleeping in today." Tugging on her jeans she had on the floor, she finally stood up. Devin pulled on a tank just as she went to the window to confirm that indeed it was Winter down there causing the commotion.
She shouldn't be surprised in all fairness as it's been him working on bikes down there all week. Winter had a real knack for fixing things, even when he was younger. From light fixtures to cars and trucks, her quiet Artisan beta knew his way around a wrench. After the battle in Tarrytown, there were a few Aristans who damaged their bikes, her included; so many turned to Winter for help when they couldn't do any more for themselves.
In all honesty, she expected him to reject doing such work as Winter wasn't much of a social creature. That is, until she realized that working on such things didn't require him to interact much with others.
Devin grabbed a small wrapped box and went down the stairs, scanning the area like instinct. But everything was the same. The stacked boxes of items and bar memorabilia that will either be sold or kept for the next haviscasi, or Aristan haven, she creates in her new territory. It was a bit sad, seeing the covered bar furniture and chairs that used to hold her friends and strangers alike in her bar. She made a lot of memories here, but as Aidan Bloodlocke's clan needed to move in, she was happy to move Greenwood's to a bigger area. Aidan's clan got to find a new place to stay, Aidan got to be with his mate, and Devin's pack get to move into a larger area around Lincoln. Devin was getting a bit bored staying in the same territory for so long, so it all worked out. Going through the back exit, she folded her arms as she watched him cranking away at the bike's engine. She shook her head. It didn't take a genius to tell that her beta was restless as well.
Winter's raven hair was pulled back into a small ponytail and wore goggles as he welded an area on the bike, fusing a piece together. His face hard with concentration. As if he saw her, he turned off the welder. "Good Morning."
"Is that your last bike you're working on before we leave town?"
With a grunt, Winter pulled his goggles off and set them on his head. His light green eyes blazing. "You know, most people say 'Good Morning' back when someone says "Good Morning."
Devin walked off the platform and onto the snow. "Oh, I don't know. Chances are those people didn't get rudely woken up because their best friend was playing grease monkey at 5am." She shrugged on her jacket and looked around at the blanket of snow. Mornings like this she and Winter would go for a run, maybe even hunt like they did when they were younger. She sighed. Sometimes, all she could see was the younger Winter when she looked at his chiseled face. The one who was so full of laughter and compassion. Most never seen that such a side of him even existed, as there was nothing warm and compassionate to Winter's demeanor. But Devin knew him as a pup; perhaps the only one still breathing that knew there was another side of him. Somewhere."Seriously, are you planning on restarting your mechanic business when we get to Lincoln?"
Winter finally stood to his full height. His gray t-shirt formed to his muscled torso and his jeans were smudged with oil. "Well, that's the plan." He pulled his gloves off and stuffed them in his back pocket. "Are we still on schedule to pack and sell this place?"
Devin looked around and nodded. "Yep. Gonna have an auction for some of the items and the movers will come after Christmas to grab all our shit. Aidan will keep an eye on the place and any buyers can contact him. Now, all we need to do is figure out what to do for your birthday."
If it was even possible for Winter's expression to be more stern, it happened when she mentioned birthday. "I truly hope you're joking, because these days it's hard to tell." His arms folded as he walked closer to her. No amusement was on his face whatsoever.
Most people never get used to his large frame and intimidating presence, but for Devin, she was used to it. They fought together too long and know too much about each other to ever feel threatened. It was why she could mouth off to him and tell him to 'shut up.' No one else could try that without Winter kicking their ass into the next century. "Oh, c'mon. You know I wouldn't do that do you. But it wouldn't kill you to at least do something to celebrate.
He walked past her to grab his thermos. "Not interested. Besides, aren't there enough people celebrating something on my birthday? I'll pass." He loathed birthdays. It was definitely a human thing, he was convinced. Arista certainly never meant her children to celebrate another year of mortality. Not in human years. That would be torture.
Winter glared at Devin as he sipped the warm coffee and whiskey in his thermos. A recipe that Aidan's beta, Cameron went on about one day, Winter decided to 'Irish' up his morning java. The strange Celt was right--it kept his body warm and energized to crank away on the bikes. He closed the thermos and set it back on the platform. Devin would laugh at him if she knew, as if he couldn't possibly be cold. "Aren't you named after this season?' he could already hear her sarcastic voice in his head. "You have time to ride with me into town? I need to stop at Maddie's clinic and give her something."
Winter folded his arms as he saw Devin hide a small box wrapped in festive green and red paper. His jaw clenched. "Are you giving her...a gift?"
"Shut up." Devin frowned, jamming the box in her bag. After a moment, she shrugged. "So, what if I am?"
"Then you're a tool."
Devin scoffed. "Why? Because I'm not trying to rip her arms off or scold her? It's Christmas for Arista's sake."
"You don't have to be buddies with her, Dev. I thought we were supposed to keep our distance from humans, remember? We aren't Thesians that toy with them." He saw her mouth start to open and he held out his hand in defense.
"And before you try to rip my head off, or call me an asshole, I was there to see what Maddie did and I do respect her for what she's done. She's earned her place. But just because Aidan accepts this blending of species doesn't mean we all have to be okay with it. Humans are still dangerous."
Devin clipped her hair back and sighed. She understood what he was coming from. Perhaps they were fortunate to have Maddie in their lives. Not many humans would understand, let alone participate so wholeheartedly in their world. Devin wasn't even all that fond of the Sheriff, but so far, he had proven himself trustworthy. Of course, Devin and Winter watched him like a hawk to make sure he doesn't turn on them, but so far, neither found a reason to turn him into dog food. A gift in itself, in Devin's eyes. "You worry too much, Winter. And I like Maddie, thank you very much. She's human, sure. But she genuinely cares for our people and donates her time to patch us up, so don't ever call me a tool again. You're such a Grinch, dude. Who gets so morose when their birthday is coming up?"
"A realist." Winter said as he straddled his bike. Starting the engine, he slipped his goggles on and rode out after Devin.
###
I've never wrote a holiday season novella, so please bare with me. Let me know what you think. How do you feel about Linda? Can you relate/connect with her?