Chapter 21:

Christmas Morning

The light came in through the windows around 8:30 AM that morning.

Spectra awoke in her bed with her ferret still curled beside her, and she felt a brief flash of panic when she realized that her alarm hadn't gone off. However, the events of the previous evening came flooding back, and she remembered what day it was.

"Rhuen!" she stroked the bridge of the ferret's nose. "Wake up! It's Christmas,"

She was surprised that none of the children had run in to wake her up, for she couldn't recall a Christmas from her childhood when she didn't try to wake up her mother earlier in the morning. Even when they were rogue souls, residing in the floorboards of their old house, Spectra would still remind her mother what day it was. Those were strange days, far behind her, now.

Spectra opened up the door to the attic, feeling a bit giddy when she noticed that the children were indeed asleep. She had to check Caleb's bed, though, since it was difficult to tell if he was really in bed or not. Sure enough, every child was still in bed, and she decided to wake up Caleb first.

"Caleb," Spectra shook his bony shoulder. "Do you know what day it is?"

He sat up, his dark hair a mess, and he looked into Spectra's face with those empty eye sockets of his. They'd looked so strange when she first saw him, but she'd grown used to them. "What?" asked Caleb, a little sleepy still. When Spectra just stared at him knowingly, the realization struck him. "It's Christmas!" he leaped out of bed, scuttling like a crab to the futon where Benny slept, and he jumped right on his brother's back. "Benny! Get up! It's Christmas! Come on, everyone!"

Benny awoke with a start and nearly flung Caleb across the room, which woke up the others. "Caleb, stop yelling!" Tim snapped, jumping to the floor. "We're up, we're up,"

They all headed downstairs, where Bloodgood sat on the couch with a cup of coffee clutched in her hands. When she saw them, she smiled and set the cup down on the coffee table.

"Merry Christmas, everyone!" she got up, though she looked a bit unsteady on her feet. "I hope you all slept well,"

Lillian crawled under the tree almost right away, exclaiming, "Where are my presents? Ooh, I found one!" she pulled out a medium-sized box with her name on it. "Wow! This one's mine!"

Spectra had to laugh, gently prying the box from Lillian's fingers. "Not just yet, Lillian! Start with something small, like your stockings. Come see what's in your stockings, everyone!"

She and Bloodgood both cut down each stocking individually and handed them to the children. In each stocking were similar gifts: a popcorn ball, a box of assorted chocolates, and a small toy. Because no one knew what toy Benny would like, Bloodgood had gotten a small music box that played a song called, 'Think of Me' in hopes he would enjoy it.

Benny did like the music box, and he set it open on the coffee table and listened to it quietly. "Pretty," he remarked in amazement after a few seconds, closing the lid.

As Bloodgood watched the children unwrap the gifts, she felt a strange feeling well up inside her. Maybe this was what it was like to be a parent, for watching a child open a present wasn't at all exciting to her until this moment. She recalled her past Christmases with her now estranged siblings and father, and how Declan's stern facade would crumble as he watched his children open their gifts. He was always the most fun to be around on Holidays, yet Nora could never say the same for her mother, who abandoned the family when the children were teenagers. Years later, when Nora briefly dated a colleague, that Christmas became the day Declan constantly dropped hints that he wanted grandchildren. Presently, before the children had arrived downstairs, Bloodgood's phone conversation with her father soon spiraled into him saying rather snidely, "I'm still waiting on that gift of biological descendants, my dear,"

However, she couldn't reveal to him the gut feeling she'd been repressing for months; she hadn't told anyone or tried to confirm her suspicions. She did know one thing: if she waited too long, her father would have that gift by next Christmas.

"Wow!" exclaimed Lillian as she unwrapped the gift she'd been admiring earlier. "What is it?"

"They're doll clothes," Spectra explained happily. "You know, for Honey Bunny,"

Lillian pulled Honey Bunny out of her pocket excitedly, and she began to unpackage the box. She stopped when she noticed something odd. "But...there's girl clothes in here. Honey Bunny's a boy,"

"They're boy and girl clothes, Lillian. The girl clothes are part of your next gift," Spectra reached back under the tree and retrieved another gift, a smaller one this time. "Here,"

As Lillian unwrapped this gift and opened the box, she gasped in surprise. "Look, Honey Bunny!" she held up the stuffed rabbit so he could look in the box. "You have a new friend!" Sure enough, inside was a shiny and white plush rabbit, brand new with a pink bow around its neck.

"Do you like it, Lillian?" asked Spectra, pleased. "I picked her out just for you,"

"I love her!" Lillian hugged both toys lovingly, and in that moment, she seemed like she'd never hurt anyone in her life. "Her name is 'Sugar Bunny'!" As she sat both bunnies down on the box of clothes, she crawled onto Spectra's lap. "Thanks, Mama!"

It was an odd, new title, but one Spectra wore proudly, now. As she hugged Lillian back, she realized this was a feeling she could get used to.

There was one last present left, and it was for Tom. Tim tried to help him rip the paper off, but Tom simply waved him off with an annoyed grunt. When the paper was discarded, Tom looked quizzically at the gift: it was a set of markers, colored pencils, and regular pencils- all with special grippers to aid handwriting abilities.

"I got it because you've been writing so much in that journal lately," Bloodgood explained, a little nervous. Since she couldn't see his facial expression, it was difficult to figure out what he was thinking. "I hope you like it,"

Tom stared at the package for a few more seconds, and he slowly unwrapped it. He picked up his journal and flipped to an empty page, choosing a red marker and beginning to write something.

Just as Bloodgood was about to get up and head to the kitchen, she stopped when Tom held up the page with writing on it.

In handwriting that was far better than his usual writing, Tom had written, "Thank you, Miss Bloodgood. I like them a lot,"

Bloodgood gave him a smile. "You're very welcome, dear," she tried to hug him, but he didn't want a hug and pulled away politely.

The children left the wrapping paper on the floor (no one felt like cleaning it up) as Bloodgood began to make breakfast for them. Spectra thought about telling Caleb that his new action figures didn't belong on the table right next to his waffles, but she decided not to. She also held her tongue when the wood shavings from Tim's new carving knife were nearly touching his food, and she wondered to herself, What's happened to me?

After breakfast, it was time to get ready for Christmas at Milo's. Lillian had disappeared somewhere, and Spectra was currently trying to locate her.

"Lillian?" Spectra wandered around the attic, a bit concerned. "Lillian, do you want me to brush your hair?"

"I'm right here, Mama," a voice behind her said. Spectra turned around, and she gasped.

"Oh, Lillian!"

Lillian had retrieved the yellow dress from the closet, and she'd finally taken off those pajamas. She stood there, in the yellow dress, with her hair draped over her shoulders. Though her arms were bruised and slightly swollen in places from her death years earlier, she'd never looked so beautiful.

"Lillian," Spectra knelt down, close to tears. "Lillian, you look so pretty!"

Lillian smiled sweetly, as little girls should. "Thanks, Mama,"

There was a pause, and Spectra pulled out her phone. "There's something you need to see," she opened up a photo from her gallery, and she showed it to Lillian. "Do you know who this is?"

It was a black and white photo of a little girl, with her hair curled in ringlets and ribbons. She wore a smart little dress with black shoes, and she had a sad, faraway look in her eyes.

When Lillian didn't know, Spectra whispered, "That's me, Lillian," she wrapped her arms around the girl, and she repeated, "That's me,"

Just as everyone was about to head out, Bloodgood made sure to grab the letter she was planning to show to Stoker.

She was going to need it.