Age 15-

Temperance's room felt cold that night, colder than it had any other night in the past ten days. She shivered as she sat in her bedroom window, staring down into the front yard. Her eyes focused on the snow glittering on the driveway, and the gentle snowflakes falling from the sky. She shivered again.

Christmas Eve.

Christmas Eve in a nearly empty house.

She tried to focus on the Christmas lights on the house across the street. She watched them twinkling in the bushes and across the trim of their roof. Temperance tried so hard to keep from thinking about reality.

The reality of her parents not coming home that day.

The reality of their car being found miles and miles away from their home.

The reality that she and Russ were alone, alone with no answers or even a hope that things would be changing any time soon.

Temperance's head twisted when she saw the lights of a car moving slowly down the street. She could feel her heartbeat pounding as they approached, and sinking as the car drove slowly past.

She knew what the family in the passing car was doing. She knew that they were watching the lights. She was envious of their plight, of their happiness, their joy. She was envious of their togetherness. She felt a shiver slide across her body. It wasn't a warm and happy shiver like when her mother tickled her, or when her father told her a story that made her warm inside. It was a cold and lonely shiver.

She focused on the lights in the bushes across the street, the blues and whites matched her mood, and she felt a hot tear roll down her cheek. Russ was all she had when he was around. Russ was who she needed to count on, who she needed to rely on.

Temperance could feel a tight anger rising in her belly, the angry tears rolling down her cheeks slowly. "I wish you would come back, Mom." She whispered into the air. She felt silly for doing such a thing, knowing that she couldn't hear. "Dad… please come home soon." She whimpered.

Temperance curled into a ball on the window seat, focusing on the lights across the street, until her tears dried, and her eyes closed, and she drifted to sleep.

It could have been hours for all she knew, when Temperance heard a thump downstairs. She gasped and looked up at the sound, and looked out the window. The lights on the house next door were now off, and she could feel the pall darkness of night covering her. She heard the sound again, and leapt to her feet.

Quickly, she walked to the doorway and opened the door. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and from upstairs she could see that someone had put up the Christmas tree. The lights glittered on the stairs as Temperance rushed down the steps, expecting to see her parents sitting on the couch at the bottom, waiting for she and Russ to enter the room. The excitement was overwhelming, and when she reached the landing on the stairs, she automatically sensed something was wrong.

The room was dark but for the Christmas tree, and someone had arranged gifts beneath it. The couches were empty of her parents, and there was no smell of coffee wafting through the air.

"What do you think?" Russ said from the other side of the room, seeing the wide eyed expression of his sister.

"What do I think?" She asked, swallowing hard.

"Yeah… I found the Christmas presents in Mom and Dad's room." Russ said, a kind smile on his lips. "I thought that we could…"

"You thought what? That we could open them without them?" She snapped. "Russ… Mom and Dad are gone. We don't even know where they are."

"So? It doesn't mean we can't have Christmas."

"You're so selfish!" She exclaimed. "Mom and Dad are missing! And all you can think about is Christmas gifts?"

"Tempe, this is for you… I thought that we could just have a normal Christmas. Keep our minds off…"

"You're so stupid, Russ! We can't have Christmas without Mom and Dad! Christmas is about having your family around!"

"Come on, Tempe. Just open one gift… just one, and…"

"No." She said, feeling her heart breaking in her chest, she wanted to scream, to cry. She wanted… her family. "What a stupid idea Russ." She said, turning around. "Just leave me alone!" She exclaimed, stomping quickly up the stairs.

"Tempe! Come on!" Russ called after her, and all he heard in response was the slamming of her bedroom door.