Murderer

It's begining to feel alot like christmas...

My frost nipped fingers slide into my new fuzzy red gloves that matched my ruby nails and began my way home. Winter is my favorite time of year;  my cheeks are flushed, the tip of my nose is icy cold and blushy, snow begins to fall nearly each day, and the best fashion trends start to set in. Mom said I always had an eye for fashion.
Though one issue I have with winter is the two and a half mile walk on icy sidewalks to and from my house.

I walk by many houses who's chimneys cough charcoal smoke into the frigid air. One house is practically blasting Christmas music, but I can't help but smile about it. There becomes less houses torwards the end of the road due to construction. I heard these houses are gonna be practically mansions! The last house on this street has a plastic button nosed Santa waving out in their front lawn, and you can see a mother and two little boys decorating their tree through the window. I walk past all the construction workers with their thick coats and heavy, loud tools.

Two blocks away from the workers is a little bridge that carries you across a creek and to my front door. As I open it the aroma of cookies and pine needles hit me. There by our large stair case, standing proud and shining brighter than any star, stood our Christmas tree. Beneath it were presents wrapped in gold with silver ribbon.
"Hey Layla, how was school?" Mom touches my shoulder from behind and brings me into a hug.

"It was fine. Where is everyone?"

"Drew is in his room and your dad is at work."

Drew, is my older brother. We didn't at all look alike. My hair is thick and curly and a light brown color, my eyes are a dark green, my face round and chubby, and my body straight and thin alike my mom's. Drew has wavy dark brown hair and ocean blue eyes like mom, but a chiseled jaw and a broad, fit body like dad. the only aesthetic similarity that we share are our almost duck shaped birth marks behind our knees. Becuase of them, dad calls us his "duckies."

I run up the stairs and down the hall to Drew's room and knock on the door.
"Come in." He hollers and I walk in and lay my book bag on his bed and open it.

"What?" He looks at me from his computer chair and sighs.

"Close your eyes." I say, and he does so. "Hold out your hands." He again obeys. I take out a small shoe box from my bag and place it in his hands. I'd wrapped it in lavender wrapping paper and tied light blue and pink ribbon around it. "Open your eyes." I command and he does.

"So early?" He questions.

"Yeah, we're busy this weekend and the next one I'm going to catty's moms house with her, so I thought I might as well do it now instead of wait for another, oh-so-rare moment we're both not busy."

Which is true. I don't see Drew often anymore. We're only two years apart but we're always too busy to see each other. He's apart of the school asb ,the soccer team, apart of choir, has piano lessons and has tutoring. Me? I'm busy hanging out with friends or tutoring. I used to be busy with volley ball but the season is over. Drew opens the gift and takes out a nutcracker.

"I don't have this one yet, thanks." He smiles and opens his closet.

He walks to the back and places the nutcracker dressed in velvet red and gold decorations with few magenta accents and a white beard onto a shelf with exactly twenty-two others, similar but none the same. Since he was four drew has been collecting nutcrackers every Christmas and I buy him one, usually, after my birthday and my dad gets him one on Christmas. Drew walks back out of his closet and embraces me.

"Thanks Lay, now get out of my room, loser." He tussles my hair and lightly pushes me out of his room as I grab my bag.
"Love you too, nerd !" I yell as he shoves me out the room and slams the door shut.