O' Christmas Tree

Chapter 10- Presents

"So, how was your night?" Mrs. Pierce asked after we walked into the house.

"You'll never believe it," Teddy chuckled.

"Yeah?" Mrs. Pierce said.

"Good," Kate added.

"Weel, what'd you guys do all ni-"

Mrs. Pierce stopped when she saw the house. It was decorated how it had been the past two years I've been here. How Mr. Pierce decorated it. "Oh, my god. This is exactly the way Dad used to... This is the best Christmas present ever. Look, there's presents. Go open some presents."

We walked over to the tree, sitting in a circle. We were each handed a golden box, unwrapping it to see Aunt Peggy's annual ugly Christmas sweater. "Ah. It hurts my eyes."

"Aunt Peggy sure outdid herself this year," Kate commented.

"I'm surprised she made me one. I thought she hated me," I said, running my fingers over the smooth yarn.

"Of course not, (Y/n). You're a part of the family. You've always been," Mrs. Pierce assured me, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Thank you, Mrs. Pierce," I said gratefully.

Mrs. Pierce looked at the tree. "What are those three?"

We moved aside our sweaters, looking at the unfamiliar boxes in wonder.

"It's from Santa! It's for you," Kate said, holding out the square box to Teddy.

"I was kinda worried you weren't going to make the cut this year," Mrs. Pierce admitted.

"Yeah. I guess I kinda worked it out in the final hour." Teddy shrugged.

"Oh, boy!" Mrs. Pierce said when she realized what it was.

"Yes!" Kate cheered. It was the same skateboard that Teddy had. "Just what I asked for."

I tuned out as I opened the rectangular box. I paused, staring at the box in disbelief. How did he do this?

"What is it, (Y/n)?" Mrs. Pierce noticed my shocked expression.

"It's a locket," I said, holding back tears as I opened the heart-shaped photo holder. It broke into four pieces, each one a different memory. "Dad gave me one exactly like this the day before he died, but it broke. I had to throw it away. But it seems like... Santa found it, fixed it, and added a couple memories."

In the first frame, it was five-year-old me with Dad. His long black hair was tied into a ponytail. I remember that. He had gotten us matching fingerless gloves. They were too big for me then, but I wear them all the time now. We were wearing them in the photo.

The second frame was of Mom, Dad, and I. A family, now almost torn apart. Why did Mom want me to think Santa wasn't real?

The third one was of Teddy and me. It was our first date. Teddy's jaw almost dropped to the floor when he opened the door, which made Kate giggle and embarrass him. I still had that dress even though it was one use away from being too big for me.

The fourth one was of Kate and me. Teddy had taken the picture. This one was more recent, a year ago almost. It was when Kate grew fond of me and I took her to the mall with me. She had her legs wrapped around my waist, her arms around my neck as she laid her head on my shoulder.

"Man, Santa's really trying to make me emotional, huh?" I joked, wiping my eyes of tears.

"That makes two of us," Teddy said, wrapping an arm around me.

"Thank you so much, (Y/n)!" Kate said excitedly.

I smiled, snapping out of it and noticing she had opened her gift from me. "I love it!"

"I'm glad you do," I said as Kate played with the cat key chain on her purse. "Teddy, open yours."

Teddy reached over and opened the small package. He unwrapped it, staring at it for a moment. He opened the wallet, noticing something unusual sewn on the inside.

"What's this for?" Teddy asked.

I took his knife out of his pocket and slipped it into the holder. It fit the knife perfectly. Teddy's smile brightened, if that was even possible. He had such a loving gaze in his eyes as he handed me my gift.

"There's a note," Kate noticed, looking at the package the locket came in.

"Oh," I said in surprise, picking up the folded letter and unfolding it.

Dear (Y/n),

I know how much you've learned and seen in the past twenty-four hours, so I thought I would give you something you would treasure. The elves found this a long time ago, and I fixed it up personally with memories I'm sure you're fond of.

The point of this letter is to tell you something very important.

Elves do not grow old. They retire occasionally, but they do not stop working. Even if they are turned human, they are almost immortal. Now, as I understand it, your mother is 100% human. That means your father is where the elf blood comes from.
As I was putting the memories together, I recognized the man in the two out of the four photos. And I regret to tell you that your father is not dead. He is very much alive, and out in the world somewhere. He disappeared from the village and turned human a long time ago, and has remained hidden ever since.