The next few days passed in a happy blur. For the first time in her life, Alexa felt… well... normal. Jazz led her through town, showing her shops, taking her sledding and introducing her to her cousins. The evenings were spent helping Jazz and Melody decorate for Christmas, hanging ornaments on the tree and helping Melody in the kitchen.
Or at least she attempted to help Melody in the kitchen. The two had found that, despite being living fire retardant, Alexa had no skill at cooking. She had somehow, on their first attempt at dinner together, managed to burn canned string beans and over salt corn on the cob to such a degree that Jazz had needed to chug a glass of water when she had taken a hesitant bite.
That was fine, though. She spent most of the 'cooking' time listening to Melody's stories and offering some of her own in return. Melody entertained her with some stories from her own life, and some of Jazz's earliest misadventures and fights she had gotten into. Alexa's favorite of these was the story of how a 5 year old Jazz had managed to make a 20 dog sled team using a trash can lid, kite string, and a ham bone.
In turn, Alexa shared stories of her earliest memories, her times with Morgan, and everything she had been doing since arriving at camp. Sometimes Jazz would sit in the corner and listen, smiling at the pleasant memories, or groaning and griping at the embarrassing stories. Other times she'd claim she had other things to do and disappear until dinner was served.
All in all, the four days between their arrival and the promised Christmas Eve party was a type of pleasant that Alexa had never gotten, except for exactly one exception. The fly in her ointment was Lisa. Mrs. Sherman hadn't been particularly mean to her, but if looks could kill Alexa would've had a pair of holes burned into her skull days ago.
On the twenty-fourth, the house was abuzz with activity; Jazz was hanging holly and colorful tinsel, Melody was busy cooking a ham and about ten side dishes at once, and Alexa was sat on the couch, occasionally tuning in to whatever Rudolph was up to on the TV while threading popcorn onto a string. Having never celebrated properly with her own mother, Alexa found the idea of wasting perfectly good popcorn on a decoration a bit odd. She dutifully sent the needle through the kernels again and again, regardless.
She didn't know what to expect but she had high hopes for the evening. She was actually going to celebrate Christmas! Like an actual family!
"I never got why that elf wants to be a dentist so bad" Jazz commented, dusting off her hands as she made her way into the room. "I think he's secretly a sadist."
"Or it's because a dental practice pays much more than a toy maker's salary" Melody chuckled, poking her head out of the kitchen. "If you're done with the tinsel why don't you two tie off the end of the line and hang it up on the tree. I want you both washed up and ready when everyone gets here!"
"Do we have to wear the sweaters?" Jazz groaned.
"It's tradition!" Alexa piped up. "Like trying to have fruit cake without making a face!"
"Killjoy." Jazz grumbled with a smile twitching at the corners of her mouth. The two did as they were told, quickly hanging the rope of corn kernels on the branches of the tree. With that they retreated upstairs to Jazz's bedroom. The room was pretty much how Alexa had imagined it; rock posters on the wall, a set of weights in one corner, a punching bag in the other, a shelf full of extremely violent comic books and civil war books set against a wall, and all of it enclosed by four walls of such a deep shade of blood red that no one would've been shocked to hear that Jazz had killed someone to decorate it.
The two girls were quick to change into the sweaters, though Alexa was a shade quicker than Jasmine. In part this was due to her excitement, but there was some part of her that was still uncomfortable with showing her bare back to someone else, even Jazz. When the daughter of Ares had first seen the motley collection of scars that covered Alexa's back, she had been beside herself. She was so angry that, for a moment, she had seriously frightened Alexa. But she had told Alexa, in a surprisingly gentle tone, that if she ever came face to face with the woman who had put those scars there she'd personally rip off the woman's arm and beat her to death with it.
Alexa pulled on her sweater, dark green with reindeer, and smoothed it out. Melody had surprised them both with the gift the day before. Apparently she had hand knitted both during her down time. Alexa's was a bit bigger than what was normal for her, but she didn't mind that one bit!
She turned to face Jazz already scratching at the neck of the red Christmas tree sweater she was sporting.
"She always says she'll find a different kind of wool but it always ends up itchy" Jasmine grumbled. Alexa just beamed.
The two, now that they were properly dressed, headed downstairs. Melody was still in the kitchen decked out in her Christmas best, her own mother sitting at the table.
They appeared to be in the middle of a conversation that was making Lisa progressively more agitated, but they stopped abruptly when the children appeared.
Melody smiled at the pair while Lisa scowled.
"Don't you two look adorable!" Melody cooed, putting down the tray of cookies she had been pulling out of the oven and crossing the kitchen. She scooped Alexa up in a one armed hug and squeezed Jazz around the middle.
"I'm just glad they're not out back sacrificing a goat" Lisa muttered, so quietly that it wasn't entirely clear whether Jazz or Melody had heard...but Alexa had. She peeked at Lisa around Melody's frame, causing the woman's glare to harden, if that were possible.
Before she could even consider that anger, the door bell announced the arrival of the guests.
Melody had two sisters each of whom had kids. One had a son, Joshua, roughly 14 years old, dressed in punk attire, his black hair frosted with purple, and spiked. The other three, the kids of the other sister, were younger; two girls, Maggie and Crystal, 8 and 9 respectively, and a boy, Robert, who was 6, like her.
The latter trio were quick to abduct Alexa, dragging her outside with them while their parents dove into conversation with Lisa.
"What're we doing?" Alexa asked as Maggie dragged her along, the older girl's blonde curls bouncing.
"We wanna make a snowman!" Robert said eagerly "Mom said we could and I'm sure Aunt Mel won't mind!"
Given the densely packed neighborhood Alexa had grown up in, she had never actually made a snowman before. She had tried her hand at ice sculpture before at camp but she didn't think these kids would like it if she busted out a chainsaw. She watched carefully as Crystal got them started, packing together the first ball and starting to roll it through the snow. She quickly got on board with the concept, though. She grabbed fistfuls of snow and quickly packed it all together.
"Which part do you want me to do?" She asks eagerly, already rolling her snowball around, careful to avoid Crystal's tracks.
"You can make the middle!" Crystal chirps.
"Oh oh! I got the bottom!" Robert said.
"Robbie, ours are already too big for the top, why don't you make that one?" Maggie said gently. This sparked an argument between the siblings.
Back and forth the two went, Alexa watching with mild curiosity. She had witnessed no shortage of arguments between her own brothers and sisters in cabin 9 but those tended to end either with a thrown tool and some pouting or the phrase "I didn't touch your crescent wrench! Get off my back!" She would be lying if she said she wasn't curious as to how this was going to end.
She watched as the two siblings continued to tell at one another, faces growing redder and tears starting to sparkle in Robert's eyes. She was starting to grow worried that this would end with punches or someone running off before she finally decided to step in and throw her own hat in the ring.
"Why do you even want to make the body anyway?" She asks, raising her voice slightly to be heard over the argument. "The head's the most important part. The head has the face and the face gets the most decoration. "
Both of the other children stopped and turned towards Alexa. Robbie's mouth opened and closed like a fish. Crystal picked up on what Alexa was trying to do after a second.
"Well if you really want to do the bottom I can do the head. I'm sure there's somethings around here to make our snowlady look super pr-"
"Nope! I get the head!" Robert said, interrupting his oldest sister.
Maggie smiled and came over to help Alexa with the middle section, both girls heaving it up onto the base of the snowman.
"Boys." Maggie said with a small chuckle. Alexa bobbed her head in agreement, but said nothing. The pair were quick to find a couple of sticks for the snowman's arms, and Crystal had hurried inside for a scarf and some buttons to decorate it.
The remaining trio had just gotten the head of their creation on top of it's round body when Crystal returned. Alexa looked up, smiling, from her work, but Crystal didn't look at her. She just went straight over to the snowman. She handed the buttons over to Robbie.
"Why don't you start decorating, I gotta talk to Mags." She led the younger sister away, frowning over her shoulder at Alexa as she began whispering to her sister. Alexa frowned as well, confused and a little hurt. As the sisters drew closer to the house, she couldn't help but notice the familiar face of Lisa peeking through one of the windows.
The two sisters returned to the snowman project but neither seemed as chipper as before. They quickly helped their little brother put the remaining buttons and scarf onto their creation, made their excuses and hurried back inside leaving Alexa alone.
She stayed outside with their snowman, unsure what she had done to make them so cold. Maybe if she apologized they'd forgive her. Just as she started to head in, she saw some movement along the side of the house. She froze, her mind flashing to the bracelets, currently tucked away in one of the suitcases upstairs. Why had she forgotten to put them on! This was exactly what they had covered in class! She was seconds from calling for help when the shadows seemed to solidify into a black and purple haired boy in ripped jeans.
"What's up?" Josh asked, taking note of her body language. She forced herself to relax. It was just Jazz's cousin, nothing to worry about.
"We just finished the snowman and everyone just left…" Alexa explained, looking back at the snowman.
Josh was looking at her strangely. He had a frown on his face and it looked as if he were trying to figure something out. After examining her for what felt like an hour, he shrugged.
"They'll come around. Just excited for the holiday. You better come inside, we're getting ready to start on dinner." He sounded... strange. Had she not known any better she would've thought she heard pity in his voice.
Inside, the family was just getting set up for dinner, the food was on the table, all the adults had their wine, the sun was taking its last red bows for the night, everything just seemed perfect...so why did Alexa feel off? Where was the foreboding coming from?
As she made her way towards the table, someone's boney hand snaked out and grabbed her upper arm. Alexa turned to find Lisa grasping her forearm, her face pulled into a triumph smirk.
"I have a table set up for you over here." She says in a falsely sweet tone and a point of her boney finger. Following her pointing digit, Alexa found a small, rickety old card table and a folding chair set up just outside the dining room. On the table was a plate, some silverware, and a red plastic cup with Alexa's name written on it with sharpie. She looked around for someone else, maybe Jazz or Melody but the family was all distracted and occupied with their guests. Frowning, Alexa allowed herself to be led to the little area.
Once she had plunked down in the little folding chair Lisa turned and left her there, alone. She watched as the older woman made her way to the head of the table, bypassing Melody as she did and taking up her wine glass. She paused only to take a quick dip before tapping the side of the glass. Everyone fell silent.
"Everyone, it's time to say grace." Dutifully, everyone folded their hands in their lap and a few bowed their heads and closed their eyes. Alexa quickly followed suit, folding her hands and dipping her head down slightly as Lisa started to speak again.
"O Heavenly Father we thank you for your son and the meal set before us on this beautiful Christmas Eve. We thank you for the friends and loved ones with us here today, but most of all we thank you for the family we hold close during this sacred time of year"
Alexa's eyes flicked upwards, widening as the woman continued to speak.
"During this time we need to turn our thoughts and hearts to those who don't have the same love and support we take for granted" Lisa said in a loud clear voice "I look around at all of you, at my family, and I see God's love etched in every face, and I know you all feel the same when you look at me." Lisa paused to smile at the gathered crowd, however her smile turned into a slight smirk when her eyes fell on Alexa. A smirk that disappeared with her next line.
"When I look out at all of you, I can't help but wonder what my life would be like without you all in it. And I thank the Good Lord above that you're all here, happy and healthy."
Alexa's mind was sent hurtling backwards, to another Christmas. A Christmas where her mother had come home stumbling and slurring and had knocked out one of her baby teeth with a slush covered boot. She remembered sobbing, and being thrown from the room like a sack of potatoes...and she remembered Morgan.
She remembered the worry on her big sister's face, the tenderness that she had used with her when she dabbed the blood, snot, tears and half melted snow off the younger girl's lip. Most of all, she remembered the way she had held her and gently sang to her until she had fallen asleep.
Fresh tears began to well up in Alexa's eyes as she realized with a jolt that this was her first Christmas without Morgan.
Alexa knew she wasn't included in this blessing...not really, she was on her own, just as she had been when Morgan had died...just like she'd always be. How could it be otherwise? Lisa obviously knew it too, that's why she put her here.
Had Alexa not been in the state she was, she would've noticed the look on Jazz's face as she caught sight of the younger girl sitting alone, and the look mirrored on Melody's face when her daughter grabbed and shook her arm. However her attention was solidly set on Lisa's voice, her memories and her miseries.
"To God, loved ones, and the beautiful Christmas season, amen!" Lisa finished. Alexa couldn't take it anymore. She got up and ran from the room, tears cascading down her cheeks as she hurried upstairs, a sea of curious stares following her.
Jazz called after her but the younger girl was already gone, disappearing into Jazz's room. The door was slammed and locked, the heavy bookshelf pushed in front of it by the disproportionately strong grade schooler. She could hear raised voices downstairs, and hammering on the door, but she paid them no mind. She simply collapsed onto her cot and had herself a good cry.
She didn't know how long she stayed there like that before she felt the presence, all she really knew was that her sadness, the now familiar emptiness inside her, had lessened slightly, just enough to take in a few things. The room was a good deal warmer than it usually was, not exactly the burning heat of the forges but warmer nonetheless. The next thing she noticed was the pressure on the bed next to her, as if someone were sitting beside her sprawled form. She sniffled and caught the faint scent of burnt hair and motor oil, a smell she found oddly reassuring and comforting after her time at camp.
She sniffed again and slowly raised her head. Sitting next to her on her bed was a man she had never seen before. He was a big man, his face reminded her of a moldy sweet potato, all red and shiny looking thanks to the grease, his black hair, eyebrows and beard thick and bristly. He had a thick steel brace over his leg one that, at a glance, Alexa knew he needed. He wore coveralls, stained in 3 dozen different places with everything from gold dust to ketchup, but despite the stains she could still read the name on the coveralls' name tag; Hephaestus.
The man, the god, silently reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a stained and dirty looking hanky. For a moment he looked like he was going to scrub her face with it, polish her like a piece of metal, but he pulled back at the last second and just held the rag out to her. She took it, wiped the tears away and blew into it.
"...Do you know who I am?" He asked her. His voice surprised her with it's gentleness. She had been expecting something rougher given his appearance. She let out a small hiccuping laugh.
"You're wearing a name tag and you got into a room without opening a door or window. How could I not know?"
"Well you're young so it's possible the name is too long for you to read, or the crying could've made it difficult to read it or…" The god frowned, suddenly growing quiet. In the silence Alexa could make out a bit more shouting from downstairs.
"That was sarcasm, wasn't it?" He asks with a soft sigh. "I've never been good and telling the difference…"
He hesitated then slowly reached down and patted Alexa's shoulder.
"I wanted to...to tell you I'm sorry." He said, softly. "I'm the reason you lost your sister…" Another small, Shakey laugh escaped his daughter accompanied by more tears.
"Daddy…" she paused, frowning slightly. That word...it felt so alien on her tongue. "I'm not mad at you...mom did what she did. You didn't have anything to do with it. I'm just…." She frowns, trying to find the right words.
"I miss her…" she said simply, quietly. He nodded his head.
"Ah...and you feel guilty too. I saw that scar the moment I saw you." He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Do you know why I prefer machines to people, Alexa?"
She shook her head and turned to face her dad.
"Because... people are complicated. A machine is easy, there's only two things it can really do, it can function or it can malfunction. People... people confuse me. People can be as fragile as glass or as tough as steel and there's no way to tell, for me at least, how well they'll function. Once a person breaks...I don't know how to fix them." She looked down at her hands...he was calling her broken and maybe she was, but all the same...he was here. He was here and trying to fix her, in his own way.
"I...think this helps." She said, despite not looking at him, she could feel the god perk up. "Family, real family, like Jazz, and Otto, and Melody, they help each other…"
It was odd, given that she had only officially met the god a few minutes ago but she already considered Hephaestus in that list. She wanted to think he could, and would, support her in these moments. She wanted to think that he had been watching out for her, giving her strength in some way when her mother did what she did. Alexa realized with a pang that he had been through much the same...though she thought Hera, at least was easier to forgive. At least she had only thrown him once.
The hammering on the door had turned into a more gentle knocking. Alexa looked up at her father, his pink face, his wild hair, the spark of flames in his eyes. Not exactly a friendly flame, but not the maddening, dancing, feverish one she saw in Mr. D's eyes either. There were two things in her father's eyes; hard work and power. She felt love in that gaze, though, and maybe even some pride.
"Thanks daddy…" she says softly.
He smiled and ran a hand through her hair.
"I think you'd better go before your family breaks out the battering ram." He said with a chuckle. She couldn't help but giggle. With Jazz that might be a legitimate worry. She got to her feet and quietly made her way to the door.
She dragged the bookshelf out of the way of the door and let it open. By the time Jazz and Melody enfolded her in a tight embrace, her father was gone.