Smoke And Mirrors

•Fourteen•

I roll through the town, just as Jake said, the Christmas lights glistening against the pale white snow. The driveways and sidewalks shoveled and salted. Snowmen build with sticks and carrots in peoples front yards.
The sun was setting by the time we got in the town. Shop lights twinkling from outside of the windows.
Soon the town disappears and it turns into farm fields that were barren and piled in with snow, old corn stocks knobbed off— peeking through the top of the snow banks.

Josh slowly rolls into a drive way, pulling up to a small two story house, Christmas lights rimming the sides of the roof and placed in the trees in the front yard.

I smile as Josh turns off the engine, "We are here! Everybody is inside, waiting to meet you." Josh smiles and gets out.

It was so...quiet as I got out. I could only hear our shoes crunch into the little bits of snow left on the driveway after it's been shoveled. A pathway was made that led to the front door. Josh helped with bags and almost took a spill from slipping on ice but he grabbed my arm.

"Jesus, sorry about that." He taps my back.

"You were going to take my girlfriend down with you?" Jake turns around as he stepped onto the porch, his jacket zipped up to his chin.

"She was the closest thing, if you were there I would've grabbed onto you."  Josh looks at me, "Does it get Icy in Boston?"

"Sometimes, it was sixty-one when we left."

"Sixty...That's shorts weather, my god." He giggles, "It's 13 degrees out right now. Let's get inside," he gently pushes my back, leading me to the door.

Jake opens it up, "We're back!" He calls, tapped his shoes on the door frame before walking in. I slide in after him, Josh close behind—shutting the door to keep the cold air out.
The aroma of cinnamon, pine, gingerbread and coffee flood my senses, the warmth of the home engulfing me whole. The tones of the house were cream and brown, the hardwood floor creaky and worn. The walls filled with family photos taken from newborns to last year.

Out came a stampede of people, and one dog that all ran out from the kitchen.
The first person I noticed was his mom, running at him with her arms wide open, smiling widely, "Welcome home, baby." She squeezes him, he hugs back—squeezing her as well.
Then after she let go a woman with long fawn colored hair scooped under his arms— clinging to him, their side profiles almost identical to his.

Veronica, the sister

I think to myself, hoping to know some, or all of their names before they even get to greeting me.
Then one after another the father and then the youngest brother...

Sam?

They all hugged and, the dog wags it's tail so much so that it's butt started to wiggle out of pure joy.
Jake bent over and scratched behind its ears and patted its sides, mutter praises and giving him forehead kisses.

A sudden silence fell over the room, they all looked to me and the mother smiles, her aura as beautiful as they come, "My name is Karen," she raises her arms, "Can I hug you? I like hugs."

"Of course," I giggle, nervous out of my fucking mind. She wraps her arms around me, Jake hugs exactly like her.

She lets go, "It's lovely to finally meet you dear, this is Kelly-" she gestures to the man who pasted down the shape of his eyes to Jake and Josh.
"That is Sam, our youngest." She points to a tall, skinny man with a clean face and long hair—around the same color as Jake's.

"The favorite, obviously." Sam cuts in.

The girl hits his arm, "I'm Ronnie, the only sister," she waves, more beautiful in person.