Author's Note: Welcome everyone, to another fic I specifically wrote for Christmas. (Wait, it's still not Christmas yet. Well, I'm just writing the 1st chapter of this themed story).
And this obviously will be another Milanda fic, I can tell you that. (But for this Christmas, I actually have written two fics. The second one is pretty short, so it'll belong to the "Milo and His Friends" series.)
This story could be set anywhere though, whether in canon or fanon, it's up to you guys!
Anywho, that's a little thing for you to notice. Hope the story will be as beautiful as it can be.
A very Murphy tradition.
This is a story about a tradition that a male Murphy does each Christmas, and they rather do it for themselves.
A Murphy family reunion? That is fun, and disastrous, and adventurous, but we're not talking about the usual tradition.
This tradition was rather formed by a religious belief. It was orignally called "Luck for Love," but eventually, the captain of the S.S. Murphy changed the name to the one we use until now, "A Lucky Kiss."
So what's about the whole kissing thing? It is not what you think, children and immature adults! We're not standing under a mistletoe and a couple just kissing each other like there's no one spotting them. Well, maybe that mostly happens, but the Murphys are much more oblivious than that.
The belief which Sheriff Murphy found proves something like this: if a female [Murphy] kisses a male Murphy on his cheek or maybe on his lips if the girl is his husband, it indicates that female wishes you to have good luck and better chance in the future. And that is true since you know, the female Murphy aren't affected by Murphy's Law and they've always done their work better than the Murphys themselves.
So why it doesn't have to be the Murphy. Because recently, there was the youngest member in the Murphy family had made an exception, that a girl he crushed on could also get a chance to kiss him and wish him good luck, despite she hadn't been in the family tree yet.
Find out more as the story keeps progressing!
Monday, 24th December, 9:25 p.m., The Murphy Residence.
The Murphys were decorating the house to prepare for tomorrow. Martin was really delightful about the whole tradition while he was putting the neon light bulbs on the wall and humming to a song.
Brigette and Sara had finished the final touch – a long Christmas blanket covering the sofa – right before they sat down for a while and relaxed. Seeing the Murphy adult happy, the gals couldn't calm themselves with a giggle.
"So, am I old enough to be in the Murphy tradition?" Sara excitedly asked.
"Yes, yes you are," Brigette confirmed, "It's a belief the Murphy family having for years."
"Oh yes," Martin added from the ladder, "We believe that when a female in the Murphy family kisses a Murphy man, that Murphy will have a peaceful Christmas and we will be granted best wishes in the future."
"That sounds so awesome! You're the greatest dad in the world and I want you to be with us forever!" Sara stated happily upon hearing her father's words, "But why do we have to wait until 10 p.m. Is that traditional as well."
Brigette laughed, "Oh no... It's your father. Blame him."
"I just want to get a perfect time!" He replied, as he opened the curtains of a window and looked through the weather, "Besides, Milo is at school right now. It's kinda weird to see the heavy flurries in this time of the month."
"Well, Murphy's Law is unpredictable," Brigette quoted, "as Milo would say."
9:30 p.m., Jefferson County Middle School
"The snow flurries are getting heavier and worse. We warn you to stay inside any house you can possibly find and remember, DON'T GET OUT WITHOUT AN RV!"
Principal Milder turned off the weather forecast, announced, "So, I guess we'll stay here by tomorrow because of someone..."
The principal stopped mid-sentence, obviously referred to a student as the other students looked at him.
"Oh... she's referring to me, right?"
"What are we gonna do now?" Melissa felt kinda anxious, "My dad isn't gonna be happy when I'm outside my home," but that changed quickly, "Well, he used to be, back to when I was seven."
Zack followed, grabbed Melissa's hand to his emotion "And my parents are really worried too. Or I guess they're not, since they prefer to be alone without their precious son."
She spotted his action, let her hand off of him quickly, asked, "What are you doing?"
"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to," he said, "I just flow with my emotions."
Milo grew more worried than usual, "I didn't scare of the snow. It's just that there's a tradition in my family and I can't miss it."
"What is it?" Melissa asked, "Getting the whole family together?"
"As much as I'd like to tell you, Melissa, I can't. It's a family secret," He stated, which the girl silently moaned.
All he could do was looking around the classmates before having anoter conversation with his two best friends again. Until he spotted someone's missing.
"Where's Amanda?!"
His worriness had almost reached his limit. Where could the poor girl go in this kind of weather like this? But then he thought, she had to be someone in school where he hadn't found out yet.
"A reading contest?" Melissa read a poster on a wall.
That suddenly reminded him of Amanda's habit – reading.
And right after that, he got an idea of where Amanda was. Milo quickly ran upstairs without anybody noticing. After that, he naturally came towards to the room he had just thought of.
The library.
He entered the room and let the door open without knowing the fact that Amanda was the last one in the library to keep the key for the librarian.
Anyway, Milo carefully stepped his step in order not to trigger Murphy's Law. There were some books falling but with his quick reflex, he turned them in to the shelf where they were.
Finally, he came to the main reading space. And a very view in front of him then almost made him off-guard.
Relieved that the girl was still safe, he took the chance to 'at least' say hi, "Hi Amanda!"
The girl gasped after Milo had broken the silence. Amanda felt weird and worried, wonder why a Murphy was there, "Hi Milo!" She smiled back to reassure him, asked, "What are you doing here?"
"Well, I didn't see you anywhere downstairs and since you love to read, I figured out I should come to the library and I was right, you're here."
"Oh..." the girl breathed. It was turned out that Milo was just worried for her, "Thank you, Milo."
Having spotted her expression, Milo said, "I've found you and... I guess I'll just let you have your own space."
Milo just waved goodbye at her calmly before going out. Even though he would love to stay around, he shouldn't stay too long to anybody, especially Amanda. He kinda gets used to it, but it's really bummed since he really wants to hang out more with the sweet girl.
Amanda meanwhile, felt worried but herself also remained something pity. Being Milo must have been kind of let down when you never have a good chance to hang out with friends. But her other side told her shouldn't let the emotion rule over.
"Ugh! I'm really selfish when I'm thinking for myself!"
That was the last thought of Amanda. And it led to 'Amanda wouldn't let Milo go just like that."
She grabbed Milo's hand and made him stop getting out of the library. Milo was curious, questioned, "What is it, Amanda? Do you need me in anything?"
The girl sighed again before requesting, "Milo... Do you like reading?"
"Yes! I love stories! It has been such a long time since I finished a story," He revealed his feelings, "But what was that for?"
"You know..." Her face revealed blush while she was offering, "Since you're here, how about we're going to read something together?"
Milo grew his eyes in surprise, his cheeks were kinda blushed as well, "But Amanda, you're having your own time and space. I don't want to ruin that."
"Oh that..." She giggled before reassruing the boy by rubbing her hands on his shoulder, "Don't worry. I'm not reading anything important. Besides, I'm not gonna let a reader to have his chance of reading taken away just because he's a Murphy."
She came in and directed Milo to come inside, "Come on, Milo! Go ahead!"
Milo was taking slow steps. He was too surprised to express anything, just said, "Thanks, Amanda!"
"You're welcome!" She replied back before reaching a table as they were sitting together. "Hope the perfection side of me won't grow. It would be really bad."
"Hey Amanda, I want to ask you something."
"Of course! What is it, Milo?"
"If I came here and caused Murphy's Law, would you be charged for that?"
"Ah... I see," Milo got her again, his worriness he gave, "I'm not techincally in charge of anything in the library. I just have the chance to keep the keys of the library for today. If I'm not in charge of it, I won't be really worried."
"Oh..." Milo nodded.
"Now let's shrug off everything you're holding and starting the real thing!"
"Wait, what real thing?"
The girl giggled again, pushed Milo aside and almost made him fall on the floor, "Like you said, today is the day you're going to finish a story after such a long time."
It's more of a conclusion to what Milo said than what he said, "I don't know I've said that but, that is very nice of you!" He said.
"Well then, let's get started," She started with a question, "What kind of story do you like? Is it about romance, frienship, or family..."
Speaking of family, Milo's mind flew to somewhere else, as a very important thing was going to happen that day, "Oh no!" He stood up, trying to go elsewhere, "It's my family tradition today and I have to make it," But then he remembered being said about the weather condition, "Oh right... Murphy's Law has trapped me inside the school," and he sat down again, faced down in sadness of never gonna make it.
"What is that tradition, Milo?" Amanda curiously asked. She was about to hold his head up, but it took her two attempts to do that since you know, Murphy's Law and the perfectionist.
She pushed from below his chin and made him face her, "From the way I know, it's really important," she said before faced elsewhere and looked at the snow from the library's window, "I kinda miss my family too."
"You do?" Milo was surprised until he realized what he just said, reworded sheepishly "Oh, I mean, you're reading books... at a library... and... oh, now I get it."
"The waiting is killing me, so, reading is the best choice while we're all waiting for this to over."
"I see what you're doing!" Milo said, "Let us go!"
But Murphy's Law interrupted them again, with Amanda's realization, "Milo? Have you let the door open while we're in here."
"Yeah?" He questioned, but quickly reached her thoughts, "Oh no!"
It was too late for them to do anything. The freeze wind blew, slammed the door back and broke the security system in the room, ended up the whole room suffering the blackout.
Amanda clenched her teeth in fear, but Milo got her cover. They both used flashlights taking out from Milo's backpack, ran towards to the door and tried to open it.
"It's jammed!" Milo stated, "We're really trapped in this room."
That was really terrifying. Spotted the girl's worriness, it was his chance to calm her, by wrapping his arm around her shoulder, "Don't worry, Amanda. We're still trapped in here anyway, right? It's just a little dark, that's all."
Now that she thought of it, he was right, "I guess you're right. But we can't read anything in this blackout right now."
(Back to the main room of the school)
The lights were still on from the outside.
The principal heard some noise from outside, "What was that noise? Can anyone hear it?"
A student approached to her and replied while she was still listening, "I think it's the building settling."
"Really?" Principal Milder received the answer sarcastically, "So to you, the building wants to say something about being jammed in a room?"
From a corner of the room, Melissa and Zack walked from side to side, being worried about missing Milo.
"Where could he be? We're just talking to him for a minute and then... boom!" Melissa exclaimed.
"Don't worry!" Zack reassured, "I'm sure he'll be fine. And by the way, have you seen Amanda anywhere?"
"I have no clue, either," She stated, "Do you think...?"
"I see what you're thinking," Zack said his guess, "That Amanda forgot caculating our last bet yesterday."
And that guess immidiately threw in the garbage dump, as Melissa punched his arm, "No! Let that for later. What I'm thinking is, maybe Milo and Amanda are trapped inside a room."
"Oh that..." He replied, "Well, we just assume that they're dating. What could go wrong?"