Immaculate

Decorating and Devastating

Part Ninety-Three

Sang's POV

December crawled along so quietly that I almost forgot why they were at the school in the first place. Mr Hendricks didn't call for me once and nothing seemed to be happening that they could follow through on.

So far I had been out on a date with Silas and Gabriel. My date with Gabriel's had ended badly when Alice had been there. She had thought that I was dating both North and Gabriel, because North had followed us to the skating rink. We couldn't tell her the real reason why he had been so protective without bringing the attention of Volto to the Academy. Something Mr Blackbourne had agreed with Mr Toma they wouldn't do. It often made me think of the Walter Scott saying "Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practise to deceive!"

I knew that the others were still wanting to take me on dates and I was excited to spend time when it would just be me and them, nothing had been arranged though and I imagined it was getting too close to Christmas to sort something out now. I was ok with that, because to be honest I was spending a lot of time with them anyway. The second week in December and Gabriel had informed us it was time to start putting decorations up. We only had a week left at school and it would be the holidays, two and bit weeks away from school. I couldn't wait.

Gabriel had decided to start in Nathan's and then go to Mr Blackbourne's. I think he would have done everyone's homes for them, but Erica and Jessica did theirs. Silas's dad had a very low key christmas; a wreath on the door and a small tree was all they had. Gabriel didn't even bother asking to do the Morgan residence. North and Luke's Uncle didn't go in for it much either and they just had a few decorations that they put up. They had put more up in the Dinner and Uncle had started to run a Christmas menu which was delicious. I had first hand knowledge of that after working a shift there and he had insisted on feeding me when my shift finished.

I had tried asking Marie what she wanted to do for Christmas and she had looked at me as if I had three heads and disappeared into her room. I was really beginning to think that she would never talk to me again. Things had been bad, but once she found out father had sold the house, she had retreated into her room and I hardly ever saw her. I was intercepting the mail now and any money father sent for groceries I would spend on groceries. Either Kota or Nathan would take me shopping and then I would stock the cupboards. I always made sure to leave some of the money back in case she needed anything and I would leave it on the table in the kitchen with a note telling her it was hers and if she wanted to talk she knew where I was. The money would be always be gone, but the notes always remained. Nathan had told me not to bother, but I wouldn't give up on her until she moved out. I knew that Mr Blackbourne and Dr Green had said that once she was in Tanner's Court with my step mother that they or someone else would be keeping an eye on them. But I knew that I would never be welcomed in that house and so I had to try and reach her before she left.

I hadn't heard from my father and although I would send the occasional text telling him we were ok, he never replied.

Gabriel had wanted to start on my mother's room straight away but Mr Blackbourne had told him to hold off until January when everything would have been removed from the house. He had told me again to make sure there was nothing left I wanted to keep. I had gone into my step-mother's room to take one more look through her cupboard, only to find it was completely empty. I had texted him asking if he had taken the stuff away and he had said no, and that my father must have done it. I never found out what he had been looking for and I doubt I ever would.

I had given the few photo's that I had taken from the album to Victor and he was working on finding out what he could. I had mixed feelings about what to do with any information that he would find. He had told me that they would tell me if something significant was found, but it would be my decision if I choose to find out what it was or not.