Moving Forward

Decking the Halls

Dedicated to sdhix1216

Luke's POV

The kids at the Home decided they wanted a real tree for Christmas, but they didn't want to kill it. So the three of us went into the woods with Sven and Colt to find a nice sized Blue Spruce for them, one we could dig up and place in a pot. Once the holidays were over, it would be transplanted in the yard somewhere. We found bulbs in every color imaginable and used gold paint markers to put each kid's name on them. We let them choose which one they wanted, most going with their favorite color or the brightest one they could find. The two sororities held a tree trimming party for the kids, helping them to decorate the tree while everyone one drank hot chocolate and nibbled on cookies. Christmas carols playing in the background, providing a cheery atmosphere. The kids, they loved every minute of it and passed out cards they had made for their new friends. I wasn't the only one choked up. These kids, they had a way of burrowing into your heart and making a home there. They had so little, but were content with it. I have never met anyone who was as accepting as they were before; it made me appreciate Uncle and North even more.

There were many snickers when someone put on a new album; it was one Cupcake had recorded last year. She had recorded it for her great-grandfather, singing as she played the piano. They were a collection of his favorite Christmas carols and all of us sang along with the CD. I know I am only sixteen, but I could honestly say that this is the best day of my life so far. So many people, so many caring hearts and so much love all in one place today, how could you not consider the world a wonderful place?

On a sad note, I knew I had to do something about Gabe. Was I surprised that he was diagnosed as Bi-polar, no, I wasn't . I had shored him up enough times to know that his downs were not normal. It was his maniac bouts to beware of the most. During those episodes, he saw himself as indestructible and often put himself in danger. Gabe had many talents; the problem was that he wasn't an expert in any of them. I'm not saying he wasn't good with them, he was damn good. He needed to choose just one and hone his ability, keep the others as hobbies. He was stretching himself to thin and adding additional pressure he didn't need. I was hoping he would choose his art, I loved studying his murals and listening to people exclaim over their beauty. Did I feel I had abandoned him, no; I fled for my own sanity. I was sinking into depression. North was constantly on my case about my pranks and amount of sugar I ate. More to the point, the amount he accused me of eating. I was sick of being told that 'He yells because he cares', so, I ate more sugar than I actually wanted. Stupid on my part, I know, Uncle nearly blew my ears off in his haranguing. Add to it Gabe's constant sneers and criticisms, I was starting to think the world wasn't such a great place. I used to look at Nathan and worry that he may not be around by the time we reached eighteen. He grew more intense and bitter with each year that passed. He wanted something he never had; he wanted a family. One who loved him and cared if he came home or not, he seemed to have found it with his aunt. Their bickering was comical; you would swear you were watching a comedy. The thing that touched me the most was the way his aunt doted on him. He soaked it in and returned her feelings, still surprised that his wish came true.

Victor had noticed the changes in me and we started spending more time together. He had been braver than I was. While it sounded cruel, we were both wishing we could just disappear. The older we got, the less we wanted to remain with the team. I hadn't expected to spend most of my time taking care of Gabe and Victor hadn't thought he would be required to support us all. He told me about applying to M.I.T. for a special program; one he was sure that wouldn't accept him. We half-heartedly joked that if he earned a place, I would go with him. Good things like that didn't happen to guys like us, though, not anymore. It meant leaving our brothers, but was they still our brothers? It hadn't felt like it. Then Victor's parents informed him that they were moving to Japan and as a minor, he was required to go with them. What saved him was that he won a spot in the program at M.I.T. and received a scholarship to boot. His parents had approved and decided all vacations were to be with them in Japan. Victor had agreed, knowing that was the best he was going to get. We started looking up Culinary Schools in the same area and I started applying for them and a scholarship. The day Owen kicked Victor from the team is the day I received my acceptance into Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Boston, I also received notice that I had won a scholarship. I had rushed to Victor's to tell him the news and ended up getting kicked off the team with him when I told Owen that it wasn't his place to tell us what we could and couldn't do. That we had parents who's duty it was. Uncle James, Victor's grandfather, who had been making one of his unannounced visits, had heard the yelling and came to investigate. We told him everything, even though Owen was right there. Then James had retrieved the documents from Jasmine's files, Owen had paled quick enough when he learned how much he owed. He couldn't leave fast enough, James had made sure someone else got to the house Victor bought first. We had been stunned at the total ourselves and that was the final straw for Victor. Mine had come later when North screamed at me, ordering me to apologize to Mr. Blackbourne so he would let me back on the team. He didn't get it, I didn't want back on.

Uncle James called Uncle to come over and told us that he had a friend that had a daughter who would be attending the same college as Victor, that she lived in Boston with her dad. He had told us that we could stay with them instead of a dorm, allowing us to remain together out of class. He informed us that is where he lived most of the time when he wasn't traveling. That he stayed with the daughter when her father had an out-of-town meeting, that he enjoyed living in a less fussy house. I think Victor was jealous when he heard about her as if she had stolen his grandfather from him. Then we met her. It wasn't her beauty that caught our eye, it was the nightmares in her's and the way she had clung to her father as we were introduced. We had understood instantly, here, too, was someone who had faced life's darkness and survived. We never once suspected Sven of abusing her; there was too much love in their eyes when they looked at each other. Acting as the perfect host, even though we could see the wariness in her eyes, she never once made us feel unwelcomed. We quickly learned that she was as imperfect as we are. While she could cook simple dishes, her idea of cooking was gathering ingredients and measuring them out for their chef. Maybe peeling fruit and vegetables when needed, as for sewing, she was a complete disaster. I don't think Victor and I would ever forget the frustration on her face the time she tried to sew a button on my shirt for me. We weren't sure how she managed it, but she sewed the button and my shirt to the t-shirt she had been wearing. She had pouted while the four of us laughed at her; Sven had filmed it and claimed it was bargaining material. It was as if he knew what would happen. They both had perfect manners, but they didn't let it stop them from laughing or playing. We had been envious because that is the way it had used to be with our brothers and wasn't anymore. Sven had reached out to us first than Raschel followed suit and we realized that he was showing her that we would not hurt her. We decided immediately that we would never give her a reason to doubt our friendship that we were in for the long haul. We hadn't minded when we learned that Sven had us investigated, we understood that he was protecting Raschel. It even made sense, dads were supposed to protect their little girls.