Flashback
"Cwitma!! Weeee!!"
"Yeah, Christmas!" She wondered where Owen was, but it didn't really cross her mind.
"Cwitmati! Deporatkaba!"
"Go put this over there-"
Natalie stared up aimlessly.
"Over there, Natalie."
"Obader!!" Natalie waddled over and gently put the snowglobe where she was supposed to. "Dagooba?"
"Yeah, that's good!"
"Weeee!! :D watelsa?
"Uh- here you go...?"
"Yaya!!"
"You can- put these up around the dining room!"
"WEEEEE! DEPORATKABA!!!"
...
Present
"LOOK AT THE DATE!! IT'SSS-"
"December first."
"GET THE CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS OUT- WOOOO!"
"No."
"STOP BEING SO ANGRY! IT'S DECEMBER FIRST, FIRST OF DECEMBER. DECEMBER THE FIRST, LIKE SOPHIA THE FIRST BUT BETTER, YEAH MOM."
"Stop shouting."
"IT ALL STARTED WHEN I WAS A CHILD... THAT'S WHY I BUILT THE CHRISTMASDECORATIONINATOR! AND PERRY THE PLATYPUS WOULD BE NONE THE WISER."
Katherine had outright shoved earbuds in.
Guinevere on the other hand, well she got into it.
"AH, PERRY THE PLATYPUS, WHAT AN UNEXPECTED SURPRISE- AND BY UNEXPECTED I DO MEAN COMPLETELY EXPECTED."
"I can still fucking hear you."
"GET TRAPPED."
"I don't think mom appreciates your excitement, Heinz Natalieschmirtz."
"Mom could get in on it!"
"MOM wants to fucking sit here and relax."
"Natalie, quiet down-"
"RAGHHH!"
"Countdown to Christmas stuff-"
"COUNDATOEN TO CHRISATNAMNS-"
"This box is countdown, that's the tree over there, and then general stuff."
"COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTANSM- RAGHHH."
"Hanging out with my pet Natalie, heheh."
"WHAT-"
"Aren't you excited for countdown to Christmas tonight?"
"COUNTDOWN FOR HCRISJSHSTMASHSN-"
"Then start decorating, come on. You know where everything goes!"
"OF COURSE I DO!!! HEHEH!"
"You're not a kid anymore. You don't need to be this excited."
"Let her be hype! She has more fun than you ever will!"
"Mmph."
"CHRISTMASTIME IS HEEERE-"
"NO. I DRAW THE LINE AT SINGING-"
"Get up and go away then."
"BULLSHIT."
"Come on, Mom, don't you love Christmas?"
"Democrat bullshit, I don't want anything to do with it. It's not even religious anymore. I used to be dragged out to midnight mass, we didn't have any decorations that weren't Christian."
"You have money now, Mom... just enjoy that you aren't in that place anymore, I don't understand-"
"That wasn't a bad time. I can appreciate what I had."
"Why would you want to be poor again?? Mommm-"
"See ya, fuckers."
"COWARD-"
"Just let her go."
...
"Fuck this."
"I think it's rather nice. Chilly, but it's nice."
"You're gonna ride over there and herd them, Mom. Ivy, come here, bud."
"Aight, just get the gate open?? They can't jump the fence." She gently let the horse sniff the back of her hand; she really wouldn't have called herself a rider. Slipping one of her legs over the side, she really didn't want to injure this creature as she squeezed the middle with her feet.
"You good?"
"Of course." Lola got the horse to move a bit faster. "Why am I doing this from horseback-" She cursed under her breath, watching the cattle run off as she herself sped up. Slowly, they all padded on through into the smaller pasture of land.
"Woah... woah-" She expected it to be harder, slowing the horse down. But surprisingly to her, he came to a stop.
"Fuck yeah. We're getting you into the rodeo this summer, finally old enough to join."
"Rodeo is kind of dirty, no?"
"It'd be a new experience for our family. You'll do it."
"Huh- could Natalie do it?"
"Whatever you want."
...
"Um, Natalie... you've got these red things on your back."
"Ehhhh? Probably acne again."
"They're like, hanging there. Skin tags or something."
"Doctor can look at them. Nothing to worry about, sportiest Sport!"
"Fair enough..."
"SO, SPORT!!! DECEMBER FIRST!!! 25 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS!!!"
"You single handedly keep that event afloat."
"It's fun! ABC Family, December first!"
"Have you actually looked at the schedule?"
"CHRISTMAS VACATION?? Damn you, ABC Family. Losing MY viewership."
"Complete 180."
"Who even likes Christmas Vacation?? That's like saying that the live action Grinch is better than the original."
"Objectively-"
"I'll be watching my Charlie Brown Christmas! Hmph."
"OBJECTIVELY, Natalie, it is better-"
"LIKE, WHO DOESN'T LIKE CLASSIC MOVIES?"
"I quit..."
"Why wouldn't you like Rudolph?? Oh hey Sport :D were you trying to say something?"
"NTALAIIEEE-"
"I see. Trying to explain to me how the live action Grinch is better."
"RAGHHH-"
"What do you mean, it deeper explains the themes of the film and better shows it? Lies!"
"Meow."
"NO! Sport you're wrong!"
"Meowww :3"
"WHAT?? NO-"
"hehehehh."
"Ah crap... hey Sport- uh-"
"Natalie?"
Natalie staggered over into a chair, physically banging her leg. "Aghhh-"
"NATALIE-"
"You finish up... shit-"
"WHAT DO YOU NEED-"
"Just water..."
"Water? Anything else? NATALIE??"
"Mmph..."
YOU ARE READING
Admiring the Light
Teen FictionFriendless and timid, Guinevere is stuck in her socially anxious shadow, content to let her sister lead and live a sheltered life. Without Natalie pushing her to break out of her comfort zone, she'd be trapped in fear. The world is scary, even her o...
