The Fox, Red

056 - Thanksgiving with the Family

I jar myself awake to the sound of birds chirping outside the half window in the room. The sun isn't directly shining in but there is enough light. I roll over to my phone to find I have a missed message from Madam Odette... sent four hours ago... It's 11!

I stayed up too late playing around and slept in. What does it say? "I fell asleep... I'll make it up to you another night."

Well, she's polite about it. I'm not worried. I can't be worried about it. She is a very busy woman. The only order I got from her was from when I left. That was to enjoy my time with my family. I will have to make sure I follow that one to the T. My parents' lives are changing once again with the announcement of a new baby.

The days went by, one by one. I kept up with my reading since practicing was much harder to do. Living in a normal neighborhood, I can't perform magic as I could at Madam Odette's manor. I was surprised that my Dad had so many books in his collection. When he found out that he was magically inclined, Madam Odette's family gave him a few books for his keeping. Duplicates they had collected or just beginner's basics. Since the two families were so close they knew the secret could be trusted. And with the eventual appearance of the new incarnation of the nine-tailed fox, it was beneficial to share this knowledge ahead of time before it just showed up as a shock.

Mom didn't have any magical ability. She married into it and was shocked to find out about it. She adapted well according to Dad. The small bits of magic he could perform were enough to help around the house. It came up on occasion of what I could do. I showed them a few small tricks from some of the lessons that Madam Delula had me do to the telescope spell I had designed to pass the final test. I kept my sonar ability to ping to myself as that might be an invasion of privacy. Madam Odette has the power to block it, they do not.

My dad even joined in on a few of the spells I was able to do. He read some of the same books so we would do them together. He had to remember some of the basics but he didn't use them daily as I did. I made the mistake of showing him the squirt gun one. Once that was in his repertoire he began to abuse it. He got Mom with it a few times before she put a kibosh on that. He still got me with it now and again but I could always get him back with a more accurate shot.

Thanksgiving rolled around with force. I had stopped looking at the days so it snuck up on me. We all piled into the car and headed out to Aunt DeeDee this year. She had a larger dining room which made it perfect for food. Christmas was planned to be at Uncle Samwise's place on his farm.

It was at Thanksgiving that I began to realize what in my life was going to change. The car ride was easy. Dad drove, mom rode beside him and I sat in the back and took a nap like I always seem to do. Aunt DeeDee's place wasn't that far. She lived on the edge of town in a house that they had built a decade ago. We pulled into the driveway with another car following behind us. It was family that I only saw once or twice a year. I recognize the faces but that's it. Dad did the schmoozing. Mom and I went inside to get away from the cold. I sent a quick text to Madam Odette to wish me luck. She gave me a thumbs up and good luck in response.

I think she knew what was about to happen.

Thanksgiving was a more formal affair for my family. They did it to show their best and progress through the year. Christmas was always more casual and a time for relaxation. My coat was taken and hung up. My nice clothes were kept pristine while they hung in the closet. I still took them out and pressed them as Armani taught me how. I slicked my hair with some product that Avicci sold me to give me that professional look. I looked pretty good when I cleaned up. Dad wore his suit he wears every year. Mom had to find a new dress as her old one didn't quite fit around her belly. It wasn't enough to be noticeable just yet but she was getting there.