At that moment Bianca was driving to Myrtle's singing along with a Christmas carol on the radio. Tomorrow she had school and then two weeks of vacation, it was going to be so much fun. She turned off the ignition and got out of the car carrying a large box that was almost to heavy too carry. She barely avoided slipping on some ice and then she finally got to Frankie's room. The door was closed so precariously balancing the box on her hip she knocked. Frankie opened the door and when she saw Bianca she smiled. "Hey, what's in the box?" Frankie asked helping Bianca sit the box on the bed.
"Christmas decorations."
"Christmas will be over in six days."
"Then all the more reason to decorate now," she said giving Frankie a light kiss.
Frankie pulled her close and kissed her back. "I have a better idea," she said suggestively.
Bianca rested her head on Frankie's forehead and smiled. "It won't take long," Bianca said reluctantly pulling away.
She dug in the box and pulled out a small fake Christmas tree and sat it on Frankie's dresser. Then she pulled out a CD and popped it in the CD player.
"I never really liked Christmas, too many bad memories," said Frankie as she sat down on the bed.
"Then we better make some new ones." Bianca pulled out a box of Christmas ornaments and pulled one out with Frankie's name on it.
"This is for you," said Bianca handing it to her.
Frankie gingerly took it, it was light blue with silver glitter arranged in shapes similar to snowflakes. "Bianca, it's beautiful."
"I wanted something that would always remind you of our first Christmas."
Frankie sat the ornament back in it's box and tried not to think that there wouldn't be anymore Christmases after this one, at least none that she'd share with Bianca.
Frankie busied herself with looking through the box and pulling out a string of lights. "Look, I can start a new fashion trend," she said dramatically wrapping them around her neck.
"I can see it now, 'the scarf that will light up every woman's wardrobe'" Bianca said laughing as Frankie strutted around the room like a runway model.
"As good as they look on you I think they'd look better on the tree."
"Aw , I could have been my Aunt Vanessa, you should see some of the things she's come up with."
"Your Aunt Vanessa?"
Frankie decided that it didn't matter if Bianca knew the truth, it was hard keeping anything from this girl she had come to love.
"Vanessa Cortlandt, do you know her?" Frankie asked casually.
"Of course I know her, she's you aunt?" asked Bianca shocked.
"Yeah, pretty weird isn't it?"
"Weird? It's great, my friend Leo is her son."
"Leo...Leo, oh that really tall guy that was out your house, married to that psycho blonde girl."
"Yeah, but I talked to him last week and he wants an annulment."
Laura sat in her bed smiling looking at the pictures in front of her. It was amazing what money could do if you waved it in the right place. She smiled and looked down at Frankie and Bianca kissing. She would get something better soon and then everyone at the Crystal Ball would see Bianca 'exposed' and she would know how it felt to lose everything. Laura had hired a private investigator who had installed a hidden camera in Frankie's room. Laura looked down puzzled at the picture of a man in Frankie's room taking pictures of her and Bianca while they slept. Maybe someone else had it in for Bianca, it didn't really matter, as long as Bianca came out ruined that was all that was important. Websites with webcams were famous these day, soon Laura would be the webmaster of one.
Frankie sat by herself in the dark as she watched the colored light from the Christmas tree dance on the walls. Wiping the tears from her eyes she looked at the tree. It looked cluttered, with garland, ornaments and lights sticking out every which way, but it was the most beautiful tree she had ever seen. She looked at her bandaged finger and smiled remembering how she had pricked herself with a needle while stringing popcorn and cranberries. Bianca had kissed it and pulled out a band-aid. "I figured one of us was probably going to need this," she had said gently bandaging Frankie's finger. Frankie put her finger up to her lips as if Bianca's kiss still lingered there.
She had never much liked Christmas and neither had her twin sister but today had been fun, she had even sang a Christmas carol. She remembered Bianca's clear beautiful voice and her ears strained as if to hear an echo of the song but they were met only by silence. She watched the colored lights twinkle, it was so beautiful, tears welled up in her eyes blurring the colors into a kaleidoscope of light and color. She collapsed on her bed praying to God that she wouldn't have to do this, that some how she would find away out of it before it was to late.