Reverie

Christmas Chapter!

(Just for this one part, we're going to fast forward to Christmas since it's obviously not Christmas in the story yet. Maybe it'll be a Christmas AU with another canon Christmas coming up. Maybe I'll skip over Christmas when it comes chronologically. Who knows? I don't. This whole "planning" thing is a foreign idea when it comes to me and my fics.)

Everyone knows it's no fun spending Christmas alone. For winter break, I'm supposed to be flying back to 32 to meet up with my family. Seth has to stay here, unfortunately, because his family is here. I'm not too excited about going back, to be honest, but I get to see my family for Christmas, so...

But.

BUT.

I watch another airship glide into the dock as I wait to board mine. It'll be at least another half hour before we board.

They appear out of thin air.

I hear three very recognizable voices behind me yell "Leo!" And my whole brain just goes WHAT THE HELL??

I turn around and Willow, Teresa and Joyce are bouncing toward me. What the?

"Leo! Hi!" Joyce says.

"Do you have any... anything funny to tell us?" Teresa asks.

"Anything about that guy?" Willow immediately cuts to the point.

I laugh and tell them about the highlights of the past few months as my parents show up.

"Leo! How are you?" My mother asks me.

"I'm good, mom."

"Good. I've really missed you."

I roll my eyes. Teresa and Willow snicker.

Right, then. They haven't changed. I've really missed not knowing that the hell my sisters are doing.

"Why don't you tell us about your friends?" My father says.

"Uhm. Well, there's Cate, June, and Mira -- they're kinda my friends, mostly they're Maple's friends -- Maple and her mom were sorta looking after me until I got settled, so. They're all a bit weird, but it's fine. And there's some other guys at school I hang out with sometimes."

Teresa's brow furrows. Willow and Joyce glance at each other. I know exactly what they're expecting me to do.

"And there's this other guy. His name is Seth."

Joyce smirks.

"We hang out a lot after school."

Willow gives me an are you sure that is all look.

"You can meet him sometime, if you want."

Teresa suppresses a mischievous grin.

"That'd be nice," my mother says.

We walk back into town together, my sisters pestering me about Seth and my parents asking about everything but. We just happen to meet Cate on our way.

"Oh, hi, Cate," I say when I see her walking towards me.

"Hey," she replies. "That your family?"

"Yeah." I look back at my parents. "Guys, this is Cate. Cate, dis ma fam. Mom and Dad, obviously, and Willow, Teresa and Joyce." I gesture toward the respective person as I introduce them.

"Nice to meet you," she says, nodding towards everyone like a stereotypical good kid every parent wants. We all know that's not the case with Cate.

She stops and studies my sisters. Her pen pals, apparently. Something invisible passes between Willow and Cate, like a telepathic thing. Willow grins.