The Mistletoe

Chapter VI

A year had passed, and there were no more incidents. The police found the girl's body and gave her a dignified funeral. With no more cases, I confirmed that the Peuchen was responsible for all those troubles.

I finally turned 18 and graduated in December 2018. We gathered with family at my graduation, and several cousins, along with my father and grandparents, attended the ceremony.

"Goodbye, idiots! See you never," I murmured in my mind, feeling liberated from that toxic environment that had worn me out, after receiving my diploma. Some asked if I was going to the graduation dance. Girls sent other guys or girls to ask me if I would attend, but I flatly refused. I just wanted to get out of that class as quickly as possible.

Let's be honest here. Since last year, the jokes had softened, and bullying became rarer. But I found it quite strange that my classmates, who used to bully me, suddenly treated me like a buddy the next year, as if they had never done anything to me. I simply played it cool, but I kept my distance from them. I didn't know if lowering my guard would lead to them humiliating me again, but it never happened.

The important thing was that I was free, and the past was in the past. "I'm free!" I screamed in my mind.

Now I had to think about what to study and where, besides preparing for the university entrance exam. I could have taken it in November, but my dad suggested I take a break. There were things we needed to talk about.

We had a big family barbecue at home, and my grandparents invited me to drink wine now that I was of legal age. I accepted a glass out of courtesy and only took a sip.

"Ugh," I exclaimed.

"Hahaha," chuckled my grandfather. "If you don't want it, son, it's okay. Have a glass of grape juice," he said sarcastically.

I wasn't going to tell them I couldn't get drunk or tipsy. They wouldn't believe me. The good thing was that they cooked a roast pig, my favorite type of food, with some bread or potatoes.

"Go ahead, Dad," I began to feel curious.

"The reason I asked you to wait for the university entrance exam is that I feel we should take a break, you know, from everything that has been happening lately. Let's say, like a sort of spiritual retreat, and I was thinking of a place that could connect us more with your mother," he said, looking me in the eyes.

I laughed and said, "Are you planning to go mountain climbing in the Alps, redundant as it may be?"

"Hahaha, only you could do that!" he exclaimed with laughter. "No, no, I meant taking a vacation to some remote place, where we can enjoy the forest, the wildlife, something very natural, just like your mother loved." He finished, looking at the lake.

"It wasn't such a bad idea." Since the Peuchen, the recent exams, and what could be university preparation, which had been non-stop action, maybe it would be good for us to do something that clears our minds. Besides, if another creature appears around here, I don't want to imagine what it would be like.

I had already moved on from my mother. Facing the Peuchen made me appreciate the little things in life a bit more.

"Oh, wait, Dad, let me reply to this message." I started writing a comment on a new video.

"See, that's what I mean," he remarked. "You're constantly going from one thing to another; you never take a break. Your brain needs rest, you need to relax."

"Dad, I'm fine. I was thinking of maybe becoming an influencer or a gamer. I can't do sports, nor study to become a sports teacher. The only things that motivate me besides that are social media and video games," I confessed.