December

Raven

No matter how hard I run, he's always a few steps behind me. His laughter is like thunder.

"You can run, but you cannot escape your destiny." His words might be true, but I keep running. Even if I can't escape, I also can't give up. Up ahead a figure appears, shrouded in shadow. As I get closer, I see it's her... Mother.

"Run!" I scream, but it's too late. His giant hand reaches over me and picks her up. She screams, but soon stops. I turn around to face him. He smiles.

"You're weak." he says. His fist clenches and her head explode. Drops of blood rain down, splashing on my head, cheeks and shoulders.

A hand squeezes my arm and I sit up quickly, heart racing, but it's just Mrs. Huntington. I look around, we're in the basement. There's a small space heater humming on the floor and blowing out warm air. She lets go of my arm and puts her hand on my head.

"Have you decided to wake up now?" she asks in a tone that's still harsh, but a bit softer than usual. I'm in a cot and there are heavy blankets over me, tucked up to my armpits. "Had me worried for a bit. I thought you might not make it." Why would that worry her? It would mean she was done with her job.

"..." I don't even know what to say or if I can say anything, so I don't. The room is mostly dim, but there's one floor lamp in the corner that generates just enough light for my eyes to adjust.

"What happened?" she moves her hand off my head and folds them both in her lap.

"..."

"You must tell me what happened. You're lucky we didn't have a scandal. If someone else had found you, you'd be in a hospital right now. Do you know what could have happened?" The softness in her voice is gone. "You don't exist. I have nothing to prove you belong here and they could find you if you get taken from me. You're not supposed to be off the property."

"...I didn't sleep." I mumble. She surprises me by not saying anything and waiting patiently for me to speak again. "The nightmares... If I can't stop them, I thought I could just not sleep... but I got so tired and I had to stay awake, so I went outside. I thought if it was cold it would keep me awake, but it didn't." She's quiet after that for a while. My eyes start to feel heavy, but I don't want to go back to sleep. He's waiting for me; I can feel it.

"You have to sleep. Everyone sleeps." Her voice is softer again, almost defeated. "I'm not Azar, but I do know a few spells. Let me see if we can ward off your nightmares." She gets up and I watch her disappear into the darker part of the basement. Her footsteps echo as she goes up the stairs. I wish she wouldn't leave. I don't want to be alone, but the words won't come out of my mouth.

It's warm here and cozy. I force myself to sit up, even though my arms hurt. She comes back after a few minutes, but they're very long minutes. When she reappears in the light, she has a necklace dangling from a silver chain in her hand. It's a small glass jar with white glitter inside. It's very pretty.

"What's that?" I ask.

"A charm. Maybe together with your magic we can work a spell that will ward off the nightmares." A spell? I've never done a spell before. Azar sometimes did spells.

"How?" She holds the necklace closer to me.

"Touch the necklace and repeat after me. We'll say this three times: Et tegendis corporibus huius leporem, quae somniant nisi dulce." I do as she says and touch the necklace. "Et tegendis corporibus huius leporem, quae somniant nisi dulce." She says it and I repeat it after her. We do it three times and then she takes it and blows on it for a moment. Her fingers struggle with the clasp, but she opens it and then puts it around my neck.

"That's it?" Is that really all you have to do to cast a spell?

"Of course not." She purses her lips and shakes her head. "The really important part has yet to begun. You must believe in the power we placed in the charm. If you believe that the necklace can ward off nightmares it will. If you don't believe, well, it won't work. It's up to you now. I've done all I can to help you." Just believe? I want to believe, but I'm not sure... "Repeat the spell to yourself as you fall asleep. Give it a chance. If it doesn't work, I don't know what else we can do. You have to sleep."

"Okay..." She's right there's nothing else we can do. I have to just hope it will work.

"Stay here tonight. I'll bring you some fresh clothes in the morning. James looked after your cuts." She turns around and leaves again. My eyes are getting heavy.

"Et tegendis corporibus huius leporem, quae somniant nisi dulce," I whisper as my head hits the pillow.

Garfield

It's a stupid idea. He knows it is. He quivers in his sneakers and he's half worried he might even accidentally transform. Still, he has to do this. If only because he'd bragged to Richard that he would.

After collecting his breakfast, he walks past his normal table and goes to the one Raven sits at. She's already sitting down and has just taken a bite of her toast when he puts his tray down. She must be surprised, because she starts choking on it and coughing.

"Are you okay?" He moves to pat her back, but retreats his hand because she stops coughing and just stares at him, toast dangling in one hand. "Hi, you know me already from class, but we never really introduced ourselves. I'm Garfield. You barfed on me a while ago and saved me from getting humiliated when my clothes went AWOL." He's hoping she might laugh or at least smile, he'd been debating what to say all night before he fell asleep. Neither happens. She stares at him for another minute and then goes back to focusing on her plate, and eating breakfast like he isn't even there. Well, not the most promising start, but he can work with it. If she'd run away, that would have been more difficult. Richard ignores him all the time and they're almost friends, even if he won't admit it. He turns to look at his normal table and catches Richard glancing their way, but upon meeting Garfield's eyes, the boy turns away. Garfield gives a triumphant smirk. Richard probably never guessed that Garfield would really go through with his plan.

"So... Any plans for today?" It's as if he's a ghost. She doesn't respond at all. "I was thinking checkers might be fun or mancala, that's a really great two player game." Still nothing. He takes a bite of his own toast and decides that maybe while he has such a tough audience, he can practice some of his material. If he can make her laugh, he'll be able to make anyone laugh.

"Knock, knock." Garfield says. "Who's there?" he mimics a girl's voice. "Nutmeg. Nutmeg who? Ground Nutmeg. Get it because it's all ground up and a spice?" He doesn't expect a reaction and so he's not disappointed when there isn't one. "Richard says I need to work on that one." He eats and tells more jokes, it would be cool if she'd do the guess who part, but it's nice to have someone just listen and not tell him his jokes suck. When she's done eating, she gets up. He's not finished yet, because he spent too much time talking, but it's okay. He knows where she's going, so he can try again later.

When he's done, he goes to the living room and digs around in the cupboard for a board game and grabs chess and mancala. Then he takes them upstairs to the library. She's there and so is Richard, which is weird because Richard usually goes outside, but may he's sore from shoveling yesterday. Garfield is. His arms hurt from all the heaving and then toilet cleaning in the evening. There will be more toilet cleaning tonight, but he doesn't want to think about that right now.

"Do you want to play?" He puts the board games down on her table, but she ignores him and stares at her book. "Okay. Maybe I'll find a book." Garfield hates reading, but he catches Richard looking at him again and he hopes that maybe if he works hard enough, he can get both of them to change their minds. They clearly need his help and he'd be lying if he said he didn't need theirs.

Garfield spends the rest of Sunday in the library and sits at Raven's table for lunch and dinner. He gets bored of reading quickly and goes to his room to get his handheld game. At first, he thinks maybe he is being stupid and wasting his time like Richard thinks, but he catches her look at him a few times and that has to be a good sign. Attention is the first step. Then talking and then friendship. He just needs to be patient.

During the week he still sits at her table during meals and he invites her outside to play at lunch, but she doesn't come. Richard makes an appoint to avoid him too, but he doesn't let it bother him. After dinner he always goes to the library. She always sits at the same table. If she minded him sitting there, he guesses she would move or maybe even stop coming. After the first week, he doesn't feel like he's made much progress, but he's determined not to give up. He does notice that someone touched the board games. Someone opened the mancala board and the pretty, jewel-like pieces were spread across the table. She doesn't look at the game or him when he asks if she wants to play, but he can't help, but suspect her.

Today begins the last week of class before winter break. They have an exam that he's not ready for in the morning. Studying in a boring classroom has never been his thing. Before here... Before all the bad things happened, his parents had made learning fun. He had been home schooled, but the world had been his classroom and his parents the best teachers. It couldn't compare to the hard plastic chairs and old books that were practically falling apart and covered in scribbles (some of the scribbles were partially his fault...).

At lunch he still sits at her table, but he doesn't make any jokes today. He's sure he bombed that test. Even though he gets his favorite swing at recess he still can't shake the blues away. To top things off Ms. Flores is smiling when they come back from lunch. Nothing makes teachers smile like extra homework... grr... Today just keeps getting suckier and suckier.

"Class, since we're done with our exams, but have to stay in class this week, I thought it would be fun if we did a group project." There are multiple groans throughout the room and Garfield joins them. "A fun one. If you do well and work hard, I'll give you some extra credit." That doesn't stop the groans. She passes out pieces of red and green paper stapled together. The red front one has a list on it and the green one instruction for what needs to be in the project. Garfield reads the list and smiles. It's holiday themed. All they have to do is present the history of a beloved holiday item. The list has gingerbread houses, tree decorating, holiday lights, dreidels, music, kinara and his personal favorite candy canes.

"I'll let you choose your own groups, but at least two people, four max." Ms. Flores says.

"I pick Raven and Richard!" Garfield's hand shoots up. The other kids laugh, but Ms. Flores just smiles.

"It's nice to see your enthusiasm Garfield," she says. "Make sure to get their permission." Garfield looks at Raven who sits a row in front of him to his left. She's already looking at him and he's not sure, because no one is ever sure, what she's thinking. After a minute she nods and he shoots his fist in the air. He looks at Richard next who has a seat in the back corner. Richard looks away, but nods. Yes! It's happening!