Snowflakes are Unique, Like Me
My feet dragged across the cold floor towards my bathroom and my shoulders slumped, the rest of me becoming dead weight. I felt for the switched and flicked on the lights; they flickered before dimly lighting the room. I leaned to rest my elbows on the counter and looked at my foggy reflection. An outline stood behind me, darkness slightly engulfing the person. I let myself turn to face them, only to see it was-
I shot up from the sweat-soaked sheets and sucked in as much air as possible. Throwing the sheets off, I got up and hurried down the stair to the knocking on my front door. Undoing the several new locks, I swung the door open to emptiness. Furrowing my eyebrows, I leaned my neck out of the front door and looked both ways before shaking my head and shutting the door. I turned to go upstairs but was stopped by the barren Christmas tree. Smiling, I thought about everything we had all planned to do for Christmas. Not to mention December 24, I would be turning 18 in the human world and 1,800 in reality, so it would be an understatement to say I was excited.
Grinning widely, I rubbed my face and squealed before checking the time. 5:38 a.m. Not tired in the least, I got dressed in my running clothes and pulled on my track shoes. Taking my house key and slipping it in my shoe, I flipped over the bannister of my porch and took off running through the woods. My feet carried me to the small cliffs that overlooked a lake and I lay on my back looking at the stars. My smile widened and I sighed, everything is perfect. Or at least as perfect as it will get. Shutting my eyes, I thought back to the last time I had celebrated Christmas in Beacon Hills, almost everyone in town gathered at my house and we made gingerbread cookies and listened to Christmas music all night. Something cold landed on my face and my eyes fluttered open to small white crystals floating down to the ground. I sat up abruptly and put out my hands, catching the petite snowflakes. I made it snow. The thought echoed through my head and I stood, laughing to myself as they fell in my hair, catching on my eyelashes.
My phone buzzed in my sweatshirt pocket and I pulled it out to see Stiles had texted me.
'Did u do this?'
Smiling brightly, I typed back, 'Merry Christmas ;)'
I found it slightly amusing that he knew it was me and that I was awake. Taking off, I ran to the Stilinski household and hopped onto the window ledge, gently tapping the glass like a bird. Stiles jogged over, sliding open the window for me to lean in.
"Hey, couldn't sleep?" I whispered, blinking away the snowflakes.
"That obvious?" he chuckled.
"No, I just know you that well," I smiled, then held my hand out.
"What?" he asked reluctantly.
"Come on, haven't you ever wanted to see snow?" I asked.
He nodded and took my hand as I put him on my back and jumped from the ledge. The ground crunched under me and I ran back to the cliffs. Grinning, I glanced over my shoulder and shook my head.
"You can open your eyes now," I said, trying not to laugh.
As he put his feet on the ground, he looked around and gasped. The snow was beginning to stick and creating a white blanket on the soft bed of grass. Tugging his hand, I laid down, gesturing for him to do so. Once he did, another gasp escaped his lips and I looked over at him to see the small smile on his lips. My hair was sprawled out beneath me, collecting white like a gold digger does to money. The backs of our hands brushed and I moved to hold his cold hand in my unnaturally warm one.
"Happy Birthday, Lu," he whispered faintly.
"My birthday is two days away Stiles, but thank you," I sighed.
"I know, but I didn't think you'd want to celebrate on the day…" he trailed off.
"The day my family ditched," I finished, "It's not a swear word, I'm fine with it, just think of it this way. If I stayed with my family, by the time I came back, you'd either be 90-something and senile or dead."
He chuckled breathily and his breath was visible. Sitting up abruptly, I looked at him concerned.
"Are you cold?" I asked quickly.
"A little, it's no big deal," he brushed it off, sitting up himself.
Giving him a stern look, I pulled him closer to me and wrapped my arms around his torso, radiating my heat to him. He snuggled into me more and I rested my chin on his shoulder.
"What do you think it would have been like if I'd stayed?" I asked.
"Honestly, when I was younger and my mom was in the hospital, I dreamt that you would sneak into my room and sing to me, as creepy as it sounds. If you'd stayed, I think that you wouldn't be as strong as you are now, Scott wouldn't be a werewolf, neither would Isaac and Derek would have never found Cora. I'm not saying that I'm glad you left, but you definitely found a way to help us even when you were gone," he babbled.
I watched his breath shake and he looked straight forward at the falling snow and tall rising trees. Kissing his cheek quickly, I looked forward and we sat that way for what seemed like only moments. Checking my phone, I saw the new time of 7:04 a.m. Suddenly, I got a brilliant idea.
"Stiles?" I whispered checking if he was awake.
"Hmm?" he responded.
"When was the last time you decorated a Christmas tree?" I asked curiously.
He shrugged and looked at me questioningly.
"You're dad still wakes up at 6 o'clock right?" I wondered.
He nodded and I continued, "The McCall's too?"
He nodded and I began to stand, picking him up and slinging him onto my back. Blurring to my house, I set Stiles down and opened the door, telling him to sit on the couch. I sent out a mass text to the McCall family, Isaac included and Mr. Stilinski along with Danny, Lydia and her mom and the Argents.
Soon, the doorbell rang and I opened the door to see smiling faces which was a rarity in Beacon Hills. Gesturing for them to come in, they filed into the living room and sat on the long couches. I shut the door and followed them into the open space and opened the crate of ornaments. Every year that my family spent in Beacon Hills, we gathered our friends and painted ornaments for the year to decorate the tree.
"Here I was thinking that you were going to skip on this tradition," Mr. Stilinski chuckled.
I glared playfully and smirked, "You know I don't play around when it comes to Christmas."
"Why are we here exactly," Chris Argent asked.
"Well, you aren't officially part of the Beacon Hills family until you have an ornament on the Tanner's 10 ft. tall Christmas tree," I explained.
"It's true," Mama McCall nodded her head.
"Let's hang the old ones than paint the new ones," I instructed.
Everyone nodded in agreement and gathered around the crate, taking the ornaments and handing them as high as possible until I got the ladder. As I passed the stereo, I hit the play button for a Christmas song and walked over to put up the ladder. Smiles and laughs filled the room and I smiled wider than humanly possible.
Once every ornament was hung, I made coffee and hot cocoa as we painted our 2013 ornaments and let them dry. Small talk began in small groups and I sat watching satisfied, not seeing Isaac lean against the counter next to me.
"You really missed this didn't you?" he asked, his tone flat, trying not to show emotion.
"More than anything in the world," I smiled, looking down at the mini marshmallows in my warm chocolate.
"I was thinking about what you said a while ago," he paused and inhaled, then looked at me.
I looked at him and nodded for him to continue what he was saying.
"About Alison and me not letting you in," he clarified then looked away briefly, "If you give me a second chance, I-I promise, I will never make you feel like your less important than anyone."
Turning my body, I leaned an elbow on the counter and set my mug down.
"How about this, I'll give you until New Years to prove it. You do that and I'm all yours, no more secrets, no more lies, and no more anger," I offered. You're forgetting one minor detail…you might not live to New Year's idiot.
He grinned and put his mug down, pulling me into a tight hug. We began to walk out of the kitchen when we were stopped by Mama McCall.
"Wait! Look up," she grinned.
I looked up at the ball of mistletoe, and shook my head before giving Isaac a brief but sweet kiss.
As we walked to the others, he joked, "I don't get it, why keep a ball of poison in your house?"
Shaking my head, I laughed lightly and nudged him lightly in a joking manner.
"This is going to be the best Christmas ever," I smiled.
