Chapter 7
Part I:
Evergreens and Scented Candles
"It smells like pine in here."
That was the first thing Macey said as she walked in the Senior common room. Her tiny, porcelain-like nose scrunched up in disgust. She hated the smell of pine. It messed with the scent of her new perfume. A girl doesn't get the newest Juicy perfume on an everyday basis, now does she?
Well, I suppose a girl like Macey McHenry did.
Macey McHenry, at first glance, would be the poster child for "Hot, Rich & Spoiled". But there was more to Macey than what you assumed. She definitely was what boys called "hot", what girls envied and called "rich", and what adults would call "spoiled" without a doubt. But she was so much more to that. She was helpful and kind, and somewhere, deep down, she had a little bit of holiday spirit. Somewhere.
Somewhere deep.
"Well, that's what Christmas trees smell like…" Cammie replied. "You'll get used to it."
Macey rolled her eyes and pretended not to care, but Cammie knew her better than that. Macey reminded Cammie of fire, hot and burning, stinging at the first touch, and once you touched it, you had learned your lesson. But fire was gorgeous at the same time, so beautiful and glowing and reminding of life.
But somehow, even with her fiery attitude, Macey seemed as cold and icy as her eyes. Something wasn't right at all.
"Everything all right, Mace?" Bex asked as she and Macey walked down the hall to their dormitory, leaving Cammie and Liz to decorate alone.
Macey hesitated, then shrugged, blaming it on Mother Nature and moving on. She then proceeded to sit on her bed, put on her headphones, and ignore everything but her newest copy of Vogue. Molecular Chemistry wasn't going to study itself.
But Bex, standing at the doorway with her arms crossed, knew that this attitude problem was, for once, not caused by PMS at all.
She just didn't know what it was caused by.
Two days later, it was Christmas Eve, and Macey's attitude hadn't drifted. Snarky remarks hadn't failed to leave her mouth at all hours of the day.
Not before first period.
"Liz, would it be too much to ask that you don't leave your shoes by my bed? Thanks, it would be highly appreciated. Try to pick up your fairy wands, too. Don't want anyone to trip."
Or during lunch.
"This salad gets more disgusting each day I'm trapped in this lifeless excuse of a schooling establishment."
Or at P&E.
"I dare you to kick me once more, Tina. I guarantee you by the time I'm through with you; your hair will resemble Bozo the Clown's."
Or after dinner in the dormitory.
"I need to go shower away the filth of this awful day."
Before she could even walk into the bathroom, Bex exploded like a delayed bomb.
"What the bloody hell is your problem?" she asked Mace y in her no-nonsense tone.
"Excuse me? Who the hell are you to be questioning me like this, my mother?"
"And who the hell are you to be treating everyone like a bloody piece of sh–"
"BEX!" Liz shouted before she could finish. "Please watch your language. Please."
"I wouldn't have to if some people would just…" Bex kept on talking, but Cammie had ignored her. She was sitting on her mattress, expressionless.
She needed to figure out what was wrong with Macey. Something wasn't right here. Something was very, very wrong.
Christmas morning approached more suddenly then anyone had expected. Soon enough, the four girls were gathered around their tree in the common room, opening gifts one by one. Macey's attitude had slightly improved, but for some reason, she wasn't herself.
"I honestly hate this smell," she finally exhaled, opening a drawer and pulling out a red candle and lighter. She lit the candle instantly, and it suddenly smelled of gingerbread, cinnamon, and Christmas spirit at the same time. It was heavenly. "Much better," she sighed.
Cammie, ripping the wrapping paper off of her new curling iron (not without the special spy aspects, of course, including a vile of explosion power hidden inside the metal barrel), turned to Macey, eyebrows raised. "Do you have something against Christmas trees?"
"Honestly?" she started, "Yes."
"Well," Bex prompted. "Out with it."
Macey bit her lip and sat down by the fireplace, as if preparing for a long tale. "When I was about seven years old, I had gone with my uncle to pick out a Christmas tree to cut down on the morning of Christmas Eve. My uncle's name was…," she trailed off, as if it pained her to mention him or the story at all. "Julian. Uncle Julian. I loved him to death. He was always there for me… the father I never had." She said, referring to her very alive father who was very dead to her.
"Anyway, we went looking for a tree. We found one. It was perfect and smelled of the purest pine. It even had fresh snow on it, and it was glittering from the coat of pure white that had covered it from the night before. It was the perfect tree." She said vividly, as if remembering it perfectly. The three girls waited patiently for her continuation.
"He was cutting it," she tried to say strongly. She was already choking up. "He had taken out his red ax and was cutting the tree down for our family. He warned me to move, but I had been mesmerized by it. It was falling. It was falling on me.
"He called my name, screamed it out. It was his last word before he pushed me out of the way and the tree fell," she started sobbing. "It fell right on him."
The only words Liz could utter were, "Oh, Macey."
hi guys. Long time no see. Special thanks to my new bestie, short and simple for inspiring me with her wonderful spam of reviews. i adore when you all spam me with reviews. So, you may be wondering about the "part 1". there will be four parts to this, all revolving around Macey, Bex, Liz, and Cammie, from Christmas to New Years and everything in between. I know i ended this shot suddenly and sadly, but i promise things will get better for Macey. Also i wanted to get part 1 out before christmas was over.
Merry Christmas and Happy holidays guys! I hope your day was wonderful regardless what/or how you celebrate! :)
I hope this was a nice gift to all of you, much and patiently awaited. :)
Okay, I'm gonna write Part 2 now, sip hot chocolate, eat popcorn and go on pintrest because i don't have a life. :) Bye guys!
-Sol :)
