The Christmas Wish

By Natasha Mortland-Conley

The next day, Darien made sure he was prepared for the weather. He actually wore a warm sweater, but made a point of making sure it was the same ugly pea green color that Serena always commented on. Well, the comments weren't exactly positive, but the point was she did say something about it. That was all that mattered after all.

Along with his sweater, Darien also wore a large puffy jacket with gloves and a scarf to keep warm. He didn't want to feel the snowflakes melting on his neck today. He also didn't want his socks to be soaked, so he wore snow boots for the first time in a year. That was at least one positive thing about snow in Japan. Usually, it didn't stay long. It just melted. But apparently not this year!

He made sure to pick up a notebook and pen off his desk so he could observe the people around him and take notes. Who would be in need? Who was the secret person that his guardian angel wouldn't give him the name of? Was it a man or a woman? Maybe a child? Was he supposed to look at paper angel trees at the mall?

Darien sat in the arcade, his favorite place to study, drink coffee, hang out with Andrew, or do anything really. There was something about that arcade that drew him there. Maybe it was the kids hitting the game machines when they lost a game, or the smell of grease wafting from the kitchens. Maybe it was the fact that his best friend's family owned the place and always gave him the best coffee, sometimes even for free. Maybe it was the couples sitting together and drinking milkshakes with one another that he'd sometimes see and feel like there was a hole in his life that brought him there. There was just something about the ambience of the place that made him come back for more, but he just couldn't place exactly what that something was.

Sitting in the back corner of the arcade in a booth, Darien glanced around the room, trying to place anyone who may be in need of his assistance. He didn't know where to start. He has met so many people in his life that it would be impossible for him to just go, "So, I know exactly fifteen people, and of those fifteen people, I know these six people well, and of those six people, these two people have big issues in their lives, and of those two people, this person has a wish."

Because life wasn't that simple. If you went up to literally anybody, they would have a list of wishes in their mind. More money, someone to love, to bring back a dead family member, a pony. Everyone wants someone or something! So, how was he supposed to narrow the long list of people he knew down to the most important?

He couldn't. That's how. It was an impossible task.

But maybe he could track down his guardian angel. Apparently his guardian angel was someone he was supposed to recognize. Maybe if he just asked around…

At that moment Andrew placed a mug of coffee on his table in front of him. "Here ya go, buddy. I know you love it steaming hot!"

Andrew was cheerful, so perky… and he has brown hair.

"Wait, Andy." Darien said as Andrew started to walk away. Darien's notebook was already open, ready to jot down information. Andrew looked a lot like his guardian angel, just much older.

"What's up, Dar? Something bugging you?" Andrew asked, sitting across from Darien.

Darien raised an eyebrow. "How can you tell?"

Andrew chuckled. "You have ticks, Darien. Whenever you are upset or annoyed by something you start asking me questions, asking me for advice. So, I've learned to notice the signs."

"It's almost like you've known me my entire life, huh?" Darien asked, leaning in to the table. "You know me almost, too well, don't you?"

Andrew reached his arm over his shoulder and behind his head. "Aww, I don't know about that, buddy. I do think I know you well enough after all this time though. What with high school, and now college and all that. You're my best friend, practically a brother from another mother."

Darien groaned internally to himself. He was no closer to answers and Andrew was being incredibly corny. "Thanks, Andrew."

"Your welcome, pal. Just remember, if you ever want to talk, I'm right at the front over there." Andrew pointed to the bar in front of the kitchens, where Darien usually sat.

"Oh trust me, I know that. Could never forget it."

"Good."

Darien crossed Andrew off his list of Potential Guardian Angels. The next person who sort of matched the description was Melvin. But Darien would have to take off the guy's crazy coke glasses to know for sure.

He also crossed Andrew off of his list of people who may need a wish. Andrew was happy. Like, probably wouldn't use a wish on himself happy. And everyone knows that people who are as happy, if not happier than Andrew probably wouldn't wish for anything in the world.

Off that reasoning alone, he could cross Serena off his list too.

So, he did.

The doorbells jingled and in walked Amy Mizuno. Her blue hair flowed just to above her shoulders, and she swept the snow off her jacket at the door. She held a couple text books in one arm. He recognized them immediately. He jotted her name down as a potential wish needer. She was studying really hard lately. Or at least, that's how it seemed whenever Serena talked to Andrew about how Amy needed to lighten up and enjoy life more.

He bolted to the front door, and took the books from her arm. "Let me help you, Amy." Darien said to her warmly.

Amy smiled, shyly. "Thanks, Darien." She said, but he could hardly hear her. Her face was turning red for some reason.

He placed them in the booth closest to his, so that he was in range if any of her friends came in and wanted to talk. He was going to leave her to sit alone, but then decided against it. He found himself wanting to know what was going on in Amy's life.

He sat across from her.

"What's up, Darien?" Amy asked. She opened one of her books, taking the bookmark out of it. She stopped on a page about open heart surgery. Pretty gruesome stuff.

"I was just wondering what's going on with you lately? How are you? How have you been doing?" Darien almost wondered if he was being too pushy, but he couldn't help it. Everything that mattered to him was at stake. He had to know if she was the one.

Amy looked slightly taken aback, and her cheeks got even redder, but she answered nonetheless. "Well, I'm studying for some extra credit exams, as you can see here. I'm super behind though, at this rate I don't think I'll ever be ahead of the game in my studies!"

Darien looked down at her textbooks and back up at her. "I'm in college and you are studying the same books I am, only you are fourteen…"

"It's never too early! I have to get a head start to get in the best medical school. Don't you agree?"

The way she was so serious and determined about it had Darien nodding just to calm her down. "Yeah. Obviously. Focus and study hard, for sure. Just...don't forget to have fun sometimes too…"

Amy laughed, "Serena has enough fun for the both of us."

"Meatball Head has enough fun for everyone, well...when she's not running into street poles or people that is." Darien laughed. Thinking about Serena and her crazy ways, it made him smile just now for some reason.

"She is a character isn't she?" Amy wiped a tear from her eye from laughing so hard. "But that's why everyone loves her."

Darien was going to say, 'Everyone except me.' but then he stopped himself. Something didn't feel right about saying that sentence. It felt wrong for some reason. Maybe on some level, he did care about Meatball Head.

And he thought back about yesterday. How Serena said those things about him not knowing what was stressing her out in life or what she was going through. Was it possible that there actually was something going on with her that he didn't know about? It seemed unlikely, but he wanted to know. Maybe Amy knew something about it.

"Hey, speaking of Meatball Head, she seemed really stressed the other day, I was wondering if you knew what was bothering her?"

Ami closed the book and looked at him intensely. "What did she say to you?"

Darien opened his mouth, and then closed it. Then he spoke again, "She just said that I needed to think about the things I say to her because I don't know what's going on in her life."

"Well, you don't know what's going on in her life. But that's not why you should think about the things you say to her. You should do that because any good person would."

"You know I'm just joking with her, right?" Darien didn't seem to think Amy did.

"Darien, your jokes hurt. And while I may know you are a nice person because you are kind to me, Serena doesn't know that. You're just mean to her, and I hate seeing her sad or angry because of something you said."

"But I don't mean any of it. I don't know. It's just something she brings out of me whenever she's around. I can't help it."

Amy sighed. She placed a hand over his and said one simple word, "Try."

In his heart, Darien knew Amy was right. That feeling didn't fade when she walked up front to order something to eat. He returned to his booth and crossed her name off his list as well. Amy was too well rounded and put together to need anything from him. She was focused and centered.

He took a drink from his coffee and looked out the window. Darien watched as the snow fell onto the sidewalk. A little kid walked with his mom. Darien saw how the little boy's hand clutched his mother's hand tightly, and Darien felt his heartache. What he would give to remember his mom.

He changed his focus. He couldn't go down that road of wishing and praying and hoping. An angel heard his cry, now he just needed to follow the path that would get him where he wanted to be.

Darien watched as strangers walked past his window, and he wondered who of them, if any, he had met in a past life, and if they needed him now. He wondered if he would find this mysterious person that he knew who was in need of a fulfilled Christmas wish. What could they possibly want that he could give?

Darien spaced out, twirling a spoon in his coffee as he found himself lost in thought. Until a familiar face seemed to jump out from the rest of the crowd.

"No...it can't be!" Darien whispered excitedly under his breath. The brown hair, the green eyes...the age, the height...it all looked the same. Could it be?

Darien jumped out of his seat. It had to be him!

Darien ran out the door, sifting himself through the crowd to reach the boy who he believed had visited him just the night before.

When Darien finally reached the kid, he stopped him by the shoulder with his hand.

"Hey, next time clean the soda you spill!" Darien said.

The boy turned around and smirked. "Oh, so you can see me now, huh? Finally recognizing the people in your life?"

"Yeah. I've been paying attention more since last night."

The kid just grinned. "So, you know who I am?"

"Don't be dumb. You told me last night you were my guardian angel." Darien was still angry over the soda incident, and wanted to know why the kid just disappeared without giving any more information.

The crowd was starting to blur together. Darien looked through the arcade window, and Andrew was still up front. So, he knew that this Angel of his was certainly not his best friend now.

"You still don't know? Well, you are about to find out, aren't you?"

And with that, Serena came around the corner, running through the crowd at full speed. She was gasping for air, and almost didn't see Darien. She saw him just in time, and just missed a major collision where she and Darien would have ended up on the dirty sidewalk.

Instead she had managed to barely stop right in front of him. "S-sorry, Darien! I almost got you there!"

She was about to burst into another speed run towards school, this time watching the ice a little better, but then she noticed the boy next to Darien, and the fact that Darien had his hands on the kid.

"Hey!" Serena yelled suddenly. She ripped Darien's hand off the kid's shoulder. "Just what do you think you are doing, manhandling my little brother like that? What, you think you can pick on my kid brother now too, instead of just me?"

Darien looked at Serena bewildered. When he looked back at his guardian angel, the kid just smirked at him with the annoying smile he was beginning to really hate.

"Oh, come on Meatball Brains, you know this guy has got nothing on a cool kid like me, and you know I don't need you to protect me!" The kid laughed. "I mean come on, you can barely walk down the stairs by yourself, let alone eat toast and breathe at the same time. Get real!"

Darien was stunned. At least the kid wasn't a jerk to just Darien, but his own sister though?

"Sammy! Why don't you just let me take care of you sometimes? You know I love you, even though you are an insufferable brat!" Serena nearly wailed, and everyone was looking at the three of them as they were walking past now.

Darien wanted to say something, anything. He just had more and more questions, and didn't know what to say or do.

So, Darien did the only reasonable thing he could and left. He walked back into the arcade and watched the sibling duo from the door.

Just one thought plagued his mind, though:

Did this mean that Serena was a guardian angel too?