Talia's Tradition

5. Mistletoe

 

❆ Mistletoe ❆

"You can't catch me!" Holly squealed as she ran through the house, surprising my mum as she raced passed her. I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face as I chased after her.

Still dressed in her snowman costume, Holly hobbled out of the backdoor and jumped down onto the snow covered grass. Sparing a second to glance back over her shoulder she squealed when she saw me hot on her trails.

As soon as I was outside I gathered a ball of snow in my hands and threw it in her direction. It missed as Holly ducked behind a tree, laughing merrily.

During the middle of the snowball fight I had just initiated, I realised how much I had missed spending time with my family. I missed playing silly games with Holly and pestering Oscar about which book he was reading. Me and Nick making fun of mum's cooking until we took it a little bit too far and we would both end up doing the dishes to make it up to her. Over the past three months I hadn't just distanced myself from Jacob, but my family too.

"What's going on here?" I looked up from gathering my next snowball to see Nick and Jacob standing by the backdoor.

"Snowball fight!" Holly shouted as she threw two snowballs towards them. One hit Nick on the shoulder and the other completely missed Jacob. I laughed at his smug expression and quickly finished making my snowball. While he was looking smug at Holly I tossed a snowball in his direction, hitting him straight on the jaw. Holly giggled in delight and rushed over to high-five me. When I looked up I saw Jacob and Nick whispering together, Jacob looked over at me and winked. The next thing I knew, he was pulling on a bobble hat and stalking towards me. I had become his pray.

Nick had dashed forwards and had begun chasing Holly around the large garden. Jacob and I on the other hand were locked on each other's movements, waiting to see who would make the first move.

Holly screamed in the distance and I went to turn my head in her direction, but Jacob pounced. He sprinted forwards and I had just enough time to stumble backwards and run. Luckily my Dad's land had plenty of trees and shrubbery to run and hide through. I ran, looking to the left as I heard Holly's laughter echo around the garden. I turned right and curved away from them, hoping to shake Jacob off my tracks. I spared a quick glance behind me and nearly stumbled when I saw that Jacob had disappeared. Slowing down my pace so that I was jogging, I looked around me confused.

Where had everyone gone?

I couldn't hear Holly's laughter anymore, or the heavy footsteps of Nick and Jacob had disappeared into thin air.

There was a snapping noise behind me and I spun around on the heel of my foot. No-one was there.

"Boo." A voice whispered from behind me. I knew it was Jacob when his arms wrapped themselves around me from behind and he buried his face in my neck. His warm breath against my cold skin electrified shivers down my spine.

"I caught you." I gasped when I felt his lips press against the sensitive skin on my neck. Lost in his arms, I closed my eyes and enjoyed the feeling of his body pressed against mine.

"Three, two, one," He pressed a delicate kiss on my skin with each number and before I could comprehend why he was counting down I was caught in the crossfire. Snowballs zoomed passed me, some hitting me in the chest and stomach. Shielding my face, I turned to face Jacob but was met with another pile of snow falling down over my head.

I glared at Jacob as he ran to join forces with Holly and Nick, who were already busy collecting their next round of ammunition.

"Oh I see how it is, bring it!" I shouted, declaring war on the three of them.