"Here you go," Matt said handing Mackenzie her gift. He thought this would be a good gift to help her for the next couple of months.
"A knife?" Mackenzie said unwrapping the box. It was a switchblade with a pink cover.
"Yes, it's silver. It's really nice." Matt said pointing at the blade.
"Thanks," Mackenzie said. She had never actually gotten a gift quite like this.
"How thoughtful." Matt's mom said, while his dad just glared at Mackenzie. All week he had been doing this. She had gotten used to it on count Matt didn't let her leave the house longer than an hour and with him glued to her hip every second except when she went to the restroom. She couldn't complain though she had nothing else in mind for Christmas and even this is better than watching tv all day in her little dorm room.
"Well, here Matt," Mackenzie said handing over her little box. He unwrapped it to find a backpacking kit. "All the essentials you need for getting lost in Uruguay and here Mrs. and Mr. Bacca."
"Oh, you got us something." Matt's mom said surprised. Mackenzie handed them over a big package. She didn't really know what they would like but Matt told her how his mom likes wine and his dad likes beer.
"Well, I just want to say thank you for letting me stay here for this holiday."
"This is great." Matt's mom said unwrapping the wine and beer tasting kit.
"They are all domestic of Montana, supposed to be the best there is. However, I don't really drink wine that much. But I know the beer is great."
"Aren't you too young for that?" The dad said staring at her.
"And you gave me my first beer at 16 so I think it is fine that she drinks," Matt said.
"It affects her differently." The dad said.
"David." Matt's mom said glaring at him. "Thank you so much Mackenzie, and I'm sorry we weren't exactly ready for a gift. But here." She stood up running to the closet. She pulls out this long black trench coat with a fur collar. "This is completely new, even has the tags on it and everything. It was a little big for me, but you are a bit taller than me so I think it should fit nicely."
"This is beautiful," Mackenzie said wrapping the coat around her. It was a nice coat, nicer than anything she owned and it was warm.
"Now that you have proper clothing you and Matt can go play outside for a bit longer." She said.
"Mom," Matt said.
"Don't worry sweety, it is Christmas." She said. "Why don't you go skating?"
"I don't know how to skate," Mackenzie said. She has only been twice in her life but it hasn't been since she was a child.
"Matt will teach you." She said. "Besides Matt, we have Victor and Michelle stopping by so I think it is best you let the grown ups talk amongst themselves."
Matt looked over at his mom with bugged eyes. "Mackenzie let's go." He said grabbing her and pulling her out the door.
"Wait let me put my coat on." Mackenzie only had one arm on before he shoved her out the door.
"No time, let's go before the sunsets. We keep the skates in the shed." He gave her a moment to put her coat on before pulling her to the back of the house.
"We have three hours before the sunsets so let's stop rushing," Mackenzie said pulling against his hand.
"Fine," Matt said looking around.
"Will you stop being weird," Mackenzie said. She shivered, the coat was warm but she didn't have any gloves on.
"Here," Matt said noticing her hands turning a bit red from the icy air.
"But won't you get cold?"
"You forget I'm used to the cold," Matt said, he hands them over and wraps his arm around her.
"Will you stop being weird."
"How am I weird?"
"You look worried and frantic. All week you have unless we are in your room you are worried and scared of something."
"I know," Matt said taking a deep breath. "It is just this place, it has been my personal hell all through my teenage years. Hiding who I am and I thought bringing you here would ease the pain. But I guess I didn't even think of what this would involve with you being here. I mean I really don't want anybody seeing you."
"Are you still worried about your church friends."
"Of course, they will try to recruit you or something."
"Well I'm not religious so I doubt I'm their type."
"Mackenzie I know you don't know this, but I want you to learn this why I am away." He grabs her hands that now have his black mittens over them. "You are special and everybody but you has realized this."
Mackenzie just stood there and blushed. This is why she loved Matt, even though he is paranoid and weird sometimes he is still the biggest sweetheart she has ever met.
"I'm going to miss you," Mackenzie said. Matt wrapped his arms around her placing a kiss on the top of her head.
"Promise me you won't get into any trouble okay."
"I can't promise anything like that."
"I'll miss you too, you have made the last semester of college my best time of schooling ever. Don't ever change."
"I won't and stop acting like we will never see each other again. Friends for life." Mackenzie said wiping the tears away
"Come on let's skate," Matt said opening up the shed. It was a good sized shed, brown on the outside with snow covering the roof.
"Where are we going skating?" She asked, she hasn't explored much of his property but all she can see is the tree's surrounding it.
"About a mile that way there is a lake we can skate on. This time of year it will be thick enough that we shouldn't have any problems."
"I'm going to walk a mile in snow?" Mackenzie said in disbelief. She could barely walk to the shed without getting out of breath. It was like quicksand with each step.
"No, we have a snowmobile." He grabs the skates. "Hopefully these fit your large feet."
"Shut up," Mackenzie said. He used the small door in the back of the shed to let them out to a little covered patio. Two snowmobiles sat there covered with tarps.
"We will only take one because I don't want you breaking anything," Matt said taking the tarp off.
Mackenzie just nodded, she is very klutzy and has accepted that she breaks things often.
She loved how fast the snowmobile could go. The wind turning her cheeks to a rosy red and making her shiver ever so slightly. The forest was beautiful. A winter wonderland, green tree branches breaking through the white snow. She was almost disappointed when Matt started slowing down.
"Now be careful," Matt said, helping her off.
"I'll be fine." She swings her leg overtakes a step and slips right onto her ass.
"Are you sure," Matt said not even hiding his laughter.
"Shut up," Mackenzie said lifting herself up. She was a little worried about the ice. She has yet to slip on ice, but she already could sense the pain.
"Here." Matt helped her to a rock near the ice-covered lake where she can slip on her shoes.
He slipped his on in a jiffy and already started skating across the lake. He was amazing like he could do this in his sleep.
"Come on slow poke," Matt shouted from across the lake.
"I'm getting there," Mackenzie said, she wobbled over standing on the ice. She moved her right foot forward and then left. Wobbling here and there but she was getting it. She just keeps staring at her feet watching them glide across the lake.
"Mackenzie," Matt shouted from her right side. She looks up to see that she has reached the middle of the lake. "Get out of there," Matt shouted, Mackenzie could barely hear him because of the wind. She turned just slightly before she heard a crack. "Mackenzie," Matt shouted again worried.
"Oh shit," Mackenzie said before she could felt the rush of air leave her lungs plunging in under the broken ice. "Help." She shouted the cold is too much, her coat dragging her down. She grabbed onto the side of ice but it broke under her fingertips.
"Mackenzie," Matt shouted. He didn't know what to do. If he rushed over there he might just fall in as well, becoming useless to help her. He could rush and find somebody but he isn't sure if she could hold her breath for so long. All over the lake was starting to crack.
"Help." He heard her shout. He started to skate forward but stopped immediately when he saw a red blur run past him.
"Help," Mackenzie shouted s again but she wished she didn't, the water gets in her mouth and she couldn't help but choke on it. She started to see dots and she wasn't sure if it is because of the cold or because she couldn't take a full breath.
"Come here." She could feel a grip on her arms pulling her up onto the ice. She is able to take a gasp of air before she felt the chill of wind flying by her. The wind stopped and she felt soft plush snow against her back. The dots surrounding her eye still not leaving her visions.
"Shit you are cold." The guy said above her. "Here." He threw over his half dry coat above her but she couldn't tell if it was bringing her any warmth. What she could tell was that he was handsome even with the black dots surrounding her vision; tan skin, black hair, and dark brown eyes, almost black. "I need you to open your mouth." She was already trying to take big breaths of air so this is an easy task for her to understand.
She felt little drops of heat drip onto her lips, the taste of iron covering her tongue. She closed her eyes feeling the liquid take effect on her body. Her breathing becoming less labored and the heat rushing back to her body.
"You will be alright now." The man said giving her forehead a kiss before running off. She opens her eyes but the mysterious stranger is gone and leaving his black leather jacket.
"Mackenzie," Matt said finally reaching her at the edge of the lake.
"What happened?" Mackenzie said. She felt warmer than she has all week, even though she was still soaking wet.
"You decided to skate to the middle of the lake. That is where ice is the weakest. I'm so sorry I thought you would know not to go there. I keep forgetting that you aren't from here."
"Who was that?" Mackenzie said referring to the guy who saved her.
"I'm not sure," Matt said and that was the honest answer. He had heard of their kind but never thought they existed and to save a human nonetheless.
"I feel amazing," Mackenzie said, she took the man's coat and wrapped it around her. Cherishing it forever. She felt amazing, warm, happy, and energetic.
"Almost dying does that," Matt said. "Come on let's go take you home get you in a hot shower."
"A shower sounds amazing," Mackenzie said giggling.
"You are going to be weird now aren't you," Matt said. He looked around trying to find the strange guy but all traces of him were gone.
"I'm always weird." Mackenzie sang out loud. "Was that loud." She said covering her lips.
"Yes and off key as well. Come on." He grabbed her elbow leading her back to the snowmobile. They were just going to awkwardly walk with their skates rather than skate back due to how weak the ice was is now.
"I want to dance," Mackenzie said running off.
"There is no music," Matt said chasing her. She was almost gliding away from him. Running into the forest.
"The forest is our music." She said reaching a tree. "I want to climb," Mackenzie said jumping on a branch. She easily pulled herself up, and then onto the next one. Her skates not even slowing her down.
"What the hell?" Matt said to himself, watching as his out of shape friend easily climb the 20 ft tree.
"Catch me," Mackenzie said jumping off.
Matt races to the side where she jumped off and she landed in his hands with an oomph.
"You aren't great at catching."
"What the hell?" Matt shouts in her face, his anger rising to the surface.
"I'm sorry," Mackenzie said her eyes big with tears welling up in them. "I just have all this energy, and I want to play, or fuck or I don't know."
"Let's just get you home before you kill yourself," Matt said grabbing a hold of her arm.
"I feel drunk."
"Maybe you are," Matt said, they finally make it back to the snowmobile. "Come on." Matt put her in front this time. Worried that she would jump off or something.
He went faster on the way home, wanting to ask his parents as much as he can about what is happening to his friend. He has never seen her like this.
He parks the snowmobile at the front steps, lifting her up and carrying her inside.
"Mom, Dad I need your help." He rushed inside, surprised to see Victor and Michelle still there.
"They are creepy," Mackenzie whispered into Matt's ear. But the whole room could hear her. She kept looking at the two.
"Who is she?" Michelle asked. She looked like she was in her 40's she had short blond puffy hair and dark forest green eyes. To anybody else in the room, she looked normal. But for Mackenzie, she felt this stir in her stomach that something was wrong with them. Maybe it was because Victor reminded her of an older version of her ex; Jet black hair and eyes to match his wife.
"Nobody," Matt said, he ran upstairs. Mackenzie feeling every bump.
"Will you excuse me just for a moment." Matt's mom said following him up the stairs.
They run into his room slamming the door closed, locking it behind them.
"Why did you bring her back so soon and why is she all wet?"
"She fell in the lake," Matt said placing her on the bed. Mackenzie was swinging her head back and forth playing with her hair.
"Is she okay?" Matt's mom asked she grabbed a blanket on the side throwing it onto her.
"No, she was about to die until a." Matt stopped mid sentence looking at Mackenzie.
"Until what Matt?" She asked tucking Mackenzie in. This was a hard process to do because Mackenzie would not lay still.
Matt just took his hands and made a shape helping his mom understand.
"He saved her?" Matt's mom said surprised.
"I've never seen him before but he did, and he helped her warm up to."
"How does she know him."
"She doesn't mom, Mackenzie is normal. She came from California trying to make friends and the only reason she is part of this life is because of me and that damn sorority she used to be in."
"Well, maybe he was just helping out because it was Christmas." Matt's mom said hoping.
"Hopefully. Now, will you get the bitches out of the house."
"Matt," Mackenzie said from the bed giving him wagging at him with her finger. She looked angrily for a moment before she got distracted with the lint ball that flew by her.
"Is she drunk?" Matt's mom said staring at her.
"No, it is something he did," Matt said. "She climbed a tree like it was no problem."
"Well, hopefully, it will wear off soon and be nice to your aunt and uncle. They are family."
"Thank god my cousins aren't here."
"You be nice to them too and yes they are staying at Sandy's boyfriend's house for the weekend."
"Sandy's a bitch," Mackenzie said laughing, covering her face like she said a no-no word.
"She knows her?" Matt's mom asked worriedly.
"They met once like a couple months ago. Don't worry I told her to stay away."
"I'm sleepy," Mackenzie said cuddling into the pillow.
"Help her shower first, no need for her to wake up cold." Matt's mom said. "I'll try to rush Victor and Michelle out as soon as I can't. But don't come downstairs until I say so. She rushes out of the room, closing the door behind her.
"Thanks, mom," Matt said. "Now come here drunk one." Mackenzie stuck her tongue out at him.
"I know how to shower by myself."
"Well excuse me, then off you go."
Mackenzie tries to get up but just turns to the side. "Nevermind I'm sleepy."
"You suck you know," Matt said.
"Well so do you," Mackenzie said. "Isn't that why Rob likes you."
"You bitch," Matt said laughing. Rob was his old fling in college that he left.
"It was just too easy," Mackenzie said standing up.
"Like you," Matt said. Mackenzie grabbed the pillow hitting him in the head.
"I may feel weird but I still have perfect aim." She walks over to the bathroom closing the door. "Now off to shower before nap time." She shouts through the door.
"Take your time," Matt said, still worried about Victor and Michelle, he walked over to the window. He can see the front porch from here. His mom and dad saying their goodbyes and rushing Victor and Michelle off the porch.
They glance up at the window causing Matt to pull the curtains.
"They will leave and that will be the end of it." He said to himself staring at the closed curtains.
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