With Christmas approaching, many of the students at Devon ventured back to their homes. It's halfway into December and only about a hundred people inhibited Devon. I was one of them and so was Phineas, Brinker, and Leper. Funny how it worked out so perfectly. When my parents told me I had to spend winter at Devon, I though I was going to be alone.
Phineas and I, instead of staying warm in the dorm, we're roaming around the almost deserted schoolgrounds. It was his idea since he had been getting restless in our room. I tried suggesting reading a book but that was a lost cause since it made him feel like he was doing homework and homework was tedious to him.
You never really know how huge your school it is until you walk through it all in one day. There were so many hidden places in the school that Finny and I found that I never would've guessed were here.
Hanging in an underground coven below the first academy building, Finny and I were talking about Christmas. It could've been the snow and the fact it was December that we were discussing it but it was our main topic nonetheless.
"So what are you going to get me?" Finny asked.
"I don't know, I think this year I won't be getting anything for anyone. Christmas is beginning to get so commercialized that I can't afford these high prices." I replied.
"I understand. I've got everything for everyone already."
"What'd you get me?" I asked curiously.
"I'm not telling," He said with a grin, "all you need to know is that you'll love it." That statement made my curiosity heighten. There were so many possibilities of what he got me.
Some flakes of dirt fell from the opening of our cave and suddenly, Leper stumbled through, landing on his butt with a loud thud. He looked up at us with dirt caked glasses and smirked. "Told you they were down here Brinker!" Leper exclaimed loudly.
"Alright, whatever. Get back up here." Brinker said from above. Leper took off his glasses and began cleaning them.
"Why don't you come down here, we are all already down here, you're the odd one out." Finny called back. There was a loud, audible groan from above.
"I'll get dirty."
"So?"
"I hate you all." After that, Brinker jumped down. He missed Leper by only a few inches when he crashed into the ground. A few seconds after he landed, a clomp of snow fell on his head. Everyone began laughing as he shook his head fervently. Leper stopped laughing because the snow that fell from Brinker went onto him.
Finny walked over to the two, scooped up snow in his glove covered hands, and compressed it into a ball. Seeing the blonde with the snowball, Leper and Brinker flinched, prepared to get hit by the spherical projectile. I chuckled and that was my downfall.
Finny spun around and threw the snow at me. I didn't see it coming so I had no time to dodge it. Leper and Phineas laughed hysterically as I wiped the frozen ice from my face.
"Are we finished with this nonsense?" Brinker asked, tapping his shoe impatiently on the ground.
"Why'd you even come?" I asked.
"I made him give Brownie a break. Poor guy was hyperventilating in the corner when I got to his room." Leper explained. Brinker rolled his eyes.
"All I did was ask him for a pencil. He freaks out about every little thing."
"Maybe you're just scary as hell." I suggested sarcastically but not meaning for it to be sarcastic.
"I am not."
"Lets go have a snow ball fight." Finny said, veering us from our arguing. I looked to my side and saw he was already half way out. I followed after him and with a sigh, Brinker went as well as Leper.
"What was the point of even going down there. Now I'm cold and dirty." Brinker complained. A ball of snow was shot at his head.
"And now you're covered in snow." Finny said, grinning. Brinker glared at him then bent down to get some snow. When he stood up straight, another snow ball was launched at his face, this time it was Leper.
"Ugh!" Brinker yelled, wiping the white frost from his face once again. "Gene's just standing there, attack him, not me!" Another snowball was flung at him, this time hitting his crotch. He fell into the snow. "Cold." He said in a shrill voice.
"Sorry." Leper apologized sincerely.
"I'm going . . . to kill you." He said, sinking into the snow. Phineas went over to him and pulled him to his feet. Brinker bit down on his lip and glared at the naturalist.
"The only fighting allowed is with snow. We'll be on teams." Finny announced, making it an official game.
"I'll get Gene and you can have Leper." Brinker said, grabbing me by the arm and pulling me away from the other two.
"Okay!" Phineas said, skipping away from us with Leper.
Brinker released me when we had about a ten yard gap between us and the other two. "Build." He ordered. I, not wanting to argue with the vengeful Hadley, did as he said. I got on my knees and started pushing the snow together into a pile. I made it about five feet tall and one foot wide. It was great to me. Brinker thought nothing of it though. "Ready Lepellier?" He asked, yelling so the others could hear.
"I was an hour ago!" Leper yelled back. I didn't yell anything, I just starting patting a clump of snow into a ball in my glove covered hands. Just when I got it so perfect, Brinker snatched it from my hands. I watched as he threw it as if it were a football at Leper. It whizzed past Leper and Finny then shot against the trunk of an old tree. All that hard work for nothing. "What was that? You throw like a girl!" Leper teased. Brinker's cheeks turned red as he clenched his teeth, his anger level raising.
"Make some more." He commanded, glowering at me. Some how I feel as though I will be the one to blame if we loose this 'battle.'
Obeying, I made some more snow balls. Brinker threw them faster than I was making them and he was shouting at me to go faster! Suddenly, I stopped. "Why did you stop?" Brinker asked, enraged.
It had occurred to me in that instant that not one snowball had been thrown by the opposing team. Slowly, I raised my head over the top of our 'fort' and exchanged glances with Leper who was smirking from ear to ear uncharacteristically. If he were a cat, his ears would be pricked up in pride and his tail would be making slow, fluid movements from side to side mockingly. His face was saying 'come on, just try and attack. You won't win.'
Brinker pulled me back. "What are you doing?! Snowballs, now!!" he demanded. I shook my head and then peered over out tower of snow once more. Where was Finny?
"Gene, what the hell--"
"Where's Finny?" I spat at him, turning around. My body froze and I locked eyes with a person that I didn't want to see.
"What?" Brinker asked. I pointed to the person I was staring at and mouthed the name 'Finny.' Brinker snapped his head back then got shot in the face with a ball of snow. Phineas began bombarding us with snowballs. When he ran out, I wiped the icy snow from my face and a false sense of relief rushed over me.
Phineas had a prideful grin on his face and helped Brinker up. He brushed him off, being nicer than I though and put his hands on his shoulders. He spun Brinker around and his eyes widened. "Smile for the camera." Phineas whispered into Brinker's ear.
Suddenly, his face was covered with snow. So many balls were flung and I stayed down so I wouldn't be hit. Leper obviously was the one that was pelting him with the frozen water. I wouldn't be surprised if the heat from Brinker's furious face melted the snow around it.
When the firing stopped, Brinker angrily wiped the snow from his face and brushed it off his burgundy jacket. "Lepellier." He hissed. Phineas slapped his hand against his back, making an audible sound.
"It's just a game." Finny pointed out. Brinker glared at him.
"Just a game," He bocked, "this is harassment. I'll have you locked up for this, you just wait Lepellier. Let's see how many years you'll get!" Leper looked at him unimpressed although I knew he was scared on the inside.
"I have the right to an attorney." Leper pointed out.
"No you won't. Such a foul crime does not deserve representation! Straight to jail you'll go!"
"Yeah yeah, sure sure; I'd love to hear my sentence."
"I'll strangle you." Brinker threatened.
"Okay can we stop joking around? It's frickin' cold out here and I want to go inside." I said, rubbing my arms. Phineas nodded, agreeing with the suggestion.
"yeah, c'mon and cool down Brinker." Phineas said, taking snow from the ground then sprinkling it on top of Brinker's head. Brinker shook his head and the snow flew onto Phineas, Leper, and I.
"You're all despicable." Brinker sneered, walking away from us. I don't know if he was actually angry of if he was joking around as usual, with him you never could tell.
"Time to go get some hot chocolate from the cafeteria." Finny declared, slinging his arm around my neck. Leper walked next to us as we did as he suggested.