Chris and I read To Kill a Mockingbird the rest of the day. He asked questions and I answered them. I had him read some of the book and he struggled at first then he was able to read with almost no mistakes.

We finished the book just in time too because Mrs. Kettle walked in and announced dinner.

"That story was amazing," said Chris.

"Yeah, it's one of my favorites," I said.

We ate our dinner with Clogs and Chandler and then went back to the library. Chris picked out a book this time and tried to read it to me. He did well. I had to help him a few times but he got the hang of it.

By the time we finished the book, it was really late at night.

I went to bed and slept again. It was still strange to me how easily I could sleep.


It had been almost a full year now. Winter came and went as did the Spring, Summer, and Fall. Chris and I had grown really close. I had found out that he was in an accident and that was why he looked the way he looked. He was eighteen years old and moved into the mountains when he was a senior in high school. He didn't finish high school because of the accident. We were best friends now. His looked seemed normal to me and I was no longer afraid of him.

He still got cranky and yelled at me or roared like an animal. But it didn't scare me anymore. I have learned to deal with it.

I woke up one morning and heard yelling coming from downstairs. It sounded like Chris and Chandler.

"It's a week before Christmas. Belle told me once that Christmas was her favorite holiday. The least you could do for her is to get over your hatred for it and give her a brilliant Christmas," said Chandler.

It was already a week before Christmas. I began to get excited. But my dreams were suddenly crushed due to Chris's response.

"Absolutely not! I can't stand Christmas and I won't have it in my house," Chris said.

I sighed. I changed into my blue dress and pulled my hair back into a low ponytail. Of course, I tied it back with my mother's ribbon. Maybe if I talked to Chris, then he would allow Christmas.

"Who doesn't like Christmas?" I wondered aloud.

I walked downstairs and Chandler was sitting on a couch with his arms crossed and a pout on his face. Chris was nowhere to be seen. But I would bet anything that he was in his room.

I sat next to Chandler. He and Clogs went to community college. It wasn't far from here. But they were only able to come here on the weekends. Since it was Christmas break though, they were here every day.

"How do you stand living with him?" asked Chandler.

"You said so yourself, he isn't so bad once you get to know him," I said.

Chandler rolled his eyes.

"Do you want to break the rules?" I asked.

He looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Let's have Christmas," I said.

"He said no," said Chandler.

"Let's have Christmas anyway," I said.

"Oh, no. Don't do it. If he finds out we are all in deep trouble," said Clogs. "Let's be smart. Come on."

"I think it's a great idea," said Mrs. Kettle. "Maybe if he sees all of the decorations and the joy, he will change his mind."

"See?" I said.

"Let's do it," said Chandler with a grin.

"No! I'll…I'll tell him," threatened Clogs.

"Oh come on Clogs," I said. "Please? For me?"

Clogs got all red in the face then he sighed. "Okay…fine. But we have to be super-secret about it."

"Come with me. The attic will have some decorations," said Mrs. Kettle.

We journeyed up to the attic and got out a big box labeled X-Mas. I opened it. There were a bunch of ornaments and an angel to put on the tree. But nothing else.

"So, a tree," I said.

"It's better than nothing," said Chandler.

"True," I said. "We need to get one."

"We have an entire forest over there," said Chandler.

"I'm not allowed to leave the grounds remember?" I asked him.

"What happened to breaking the rules?" asked Chandler.

"This isn't breaking a rule. It's breaking a promise. I promised I wouldn't leave and my record is pretty clean…aside from the wolf incident last year. Besides, even if we did get a tree from over there, how would we get it back here?"

"How do you think Clogs and I get here? We snowmobile," said Chandler.

I raised an eyebrow. "Why can't you two just get it?"

"Because it's your Christmas," said Chandler.

I looked out the window at the forest. The trees in there would be perfect. Maybe, it would be okay if I only left for a couple hours. I would just get the tree then come back.

"Okay fine. But not today. We'll go after we are done decorating the house and getting everything prepared."

"Yes!" said Chandler and he raised his hand for a high five. I slapped his hand.


It was Christmas Eve by the time we needed to get the tree. We decked the halls and put up wreaths and holly. Chandler and Clogs were able to go to the store and buy a bunch of decorations.

Mrs. Kettle was also given a bunch of food to make Christmas dinner with.

I was also able to get a present for Chris. I wrote him a story. It wasn't long but I was sure he would like it.

I wrapped it and it has been in my room.

"You ready?" asked Chandler. "I have an ax and some rope."

"Just a sec. I need to do something first," I said. I rushed upstairs to my room and grabbed the present to Chris.

I walked up to his room. I hadn't been up there since he scared me into running away. I slowly opened the door and looked around. He was on the balcony.

I slowly crept to the table where the rose was. The rose looked different. Some of the petals had fallen off. It was a wonder how it still managed to still be alive. I put the present next to the rose and slowly crept out of his room. I shut the door sighed in relief and rushed back downstairs.

I put on my coat and gloves. I also slipped on my boots and looked up at Chris's room.

Chris hadn't been downstairs too much. I figured it was because of his whole Christmas thing. It's been pretty easy to hide all of this stuff from him.

"Okay we go then we come right back," I said to Chandler. The guilt was already eating away my insides. But I had to get a tree. What was Christmas without a tree?

I opened the door and noticed that it was getting dark.

I bit my lip and Chandler took my hand and led me out of the house and towards the back where the snowmobiles were.

We got on one and I held the ax and the rope.

"Ready?" asked Chandler.

"Okay," I said.

We took off towards the forest. We drove through the forest looking for the perfect tree. Suddenly we started sliding all over the place. The ax flew out of my grip and landed with the blade in what looked like ice.

Chandler stopped and looked around.

"It's a lake," he said. "Go on and get the ax. I think that tree over there will do well." He pointed ahead of us. The perfect tree was ahead. I smiled and got up and walked over to where the ax was. I pulled it out and some water spilled onto the ice.

I walked over to the tree and handed the ax to Chandler. He chopped and chopped until the trunk started to give way.

"Timber!" yelled Chandler. I backed up and the tree fell onto the ice. "I'm going to bring the snowmobile around. You tie the tree."

I nodded. It was starting to get cold and the sun was gone now. It was a dark night. I did the devil's knot on the tree and yanked it a couple of times. It would hold.

Chandler brought the snowmobile around and we tied the other end of the rope around the back of it.

"Go ahead Chandler," I said.

Chandler pulled the tree along and got down to the lake with it. I walked over and jumped onto the back of the snowmobile.

"Let's get going. It's freezing," said Chandler.

"I agree," I said.

Chandler revved the engine then started to go when suddenly the ice split before us.

I gasped and Chandler cut the engine.

The lake was splitting in different parts. We were on one block of ice and the tree was on the other.

"Shit! What are we going to do?" I exclaimed.

"I don't know, we're stuck," Chandler said.

The ice we were on started to sink.

"We're too heavy!" yelled Chandler.

"It's the tree!" I yelled. I got the ax and cut the rope. The tree started to sink down. Suddenly a strange wind blew and my blue ribbon flew off of my ponytail.

I gasped and reached for it. But I reached too far and with a scream I fell into the ice cold water.

The air was sucked right out of my body and I struggled to move but I kicked as hard as I could and finally I made my way to the surface.

"Belle!" yelled Chandler.

"I-I'm okay. J-just get me out of h-here," I shivered.

Chandler held out his hand. I swam towards him and grabbed his hand. Then I felt something around my ankle.

"The tree!" I yelled.

"What about the tree?"

Suddenly I was yanked back under the water.

I reached down to my ankle and tried to get my foot out of the rope. The tree was dragging me down deeper and deeper and I was running out of air.

I saw the surface of the lake start to freeze over. Suddenly I saw a figure jump into the water. It wasn't Chandler. It was Chris.

He grabbed me then yanked me up, snapping the rope from my ankle in the process. He burst through the ice with a roar and carried me back to the mansion. Then I blacked out.


I slowly opened my eyes and saw Chris's blue ones. He was foggy. I felt cold and I realized I was sitting.

"You broke your promise," said Chris.

"I didn't mean to," I heard myself say. Everything was still foggy.

"I said I didn't want Christmas here," he said.

"I thought that if you saw everything then you would get into the Christmas spirit. I just wanted to have the best Christmas ever," I said sadly. A few tears dripped onto the stone floor.

"Now I can't trust you. You will stay here from now on," he said and stormed upstairs and slammed the door.

I remembered this place now. It was the basement.

"I'm sorry," I whispered and sobbed into my knees.