Aymee Parker B2 - The Cursed Mark

Chapter 22 : Christmas' gift

Christmas Day came sooner than Aymee expected. In the end, she had focused on Chiron's bracelet and those of Alabaster and Tannaha since it was them who'd receive their gift immediately, unlike Kingsley and the others whom she would not see until later. As for Kosta's, Aymee could blame the delays at the post office if she didn't manage to finish it until the day of her departure. Thus, once the morning of the 25th arrived, Aymee went to knock on the centaur's office to give him his bracelet as well as the package Professor McMahon had entrusted to her.

Chiron was pleasantly surprised to hear from a former camper. His eyes sparkled when he saw the small pile of old CDs McMahon found him. After that, he received his bracelet with a big smile.

"Oh! What a beautiful bracelet. It touches me immensely. You did it very well. I wonder what wish I'm going to make..."

"Ah!" Aymee exclaimed." Don't tell me! Otherwise, it won't work!"

Chiron stepped back slightly and raised the bracelet to eye level to get a better look. He smiled at her.

"Oh I see. In that case, I'll just say a warm thank you."

Aymee smiled with all her teeth. They went to join the other campers in the refectory pavilion for the holiday brunch. They did not celebrate Christmas especially since it was originally a Celtic holiday then adopted and adapted for the Catholic calendar and mores. However, as Chiron had said, any occasion to celebrate was welcome to find some light in these dark times. So they found themselves celebrating Yule, the Feast of Mithras, Christmas, the Roman Saturnalia, Hanukkah, Extreme Winter, and just about every name given to the Winter Solstice Feast throughout the world and ages. Of course, they had first celebrated the 21st with a show of Dream Powder, but what harm was there in prolonging the party?

The winter solstice brunch was also the only day the tables were set in circles and no longer had a god indicated. Everyone was free to sit wherever they wanted and with whom they preferred. They would have done the same thing on June 21, but mixing tables was much more difficult to manage since there were almost ten times as many campers. It was much simpler with the restricted committee that were the permanent boarders. So Aymee found herself sitting with Will, Beckendorf and Nyssa, who was gobbling up her plate at breakneck speed. They discussed everything and nothing, exchanging several laughs.

About an hour after dinner, Aymee went to find Alabaster and Tannaha. Aymee stayed silent for a moment, too embarrassed to talk to them. She still thought she was stupid for doubting Alabaster. In the end, she handed them each a bracelet before realizing that she had switch them.

"Ah! No! Sorry, this one's yours..."

Alabaster and Tannaha each received their bracelet with a surprised look. Aymee scratched the ground with her foot and played with her charm bracelet.

"It's wish bracelets. You make a wish when you strap it on and it's supposed to come true. It's your Christmas present."

Aymee felt her tongue go mushy, but she pulled herself together and forced herself to look Alabaster in the eye.

"Also, I... I wanted to apologize for the other day. I shouldn't have doubted you. I'm sorry."

Given the rounded features of their faces, he and Tannaha weren't expecting it. They both took their bracelets slowly as if they needed time to process the information. Aymee feared for a moment that they had caught her cold.

"Did you make them?" Tannaha finally asked, her voice very soft.

Aymee nodded. Tannaha's green eyes shone. She slowly approached Aymee before hugging her. Aymee raised her eyebrows and froze in place. It wasn't the kind of hug that said "thank you." It was long, caring, and she could feel her big sister resting her chin on top of her head. Aymee vaguely wondered if that was the effect of a mother's hug. In a word, she would have called it precious.