As per the two-year tradition we put forth, we, as the "adults" don't sleep much. Cody tells us stories, Toby tells us jokes, Jess plays video games, Eddie arranges the gifts, and I just sit back, watching the quiet chaos with a warm smile. I love these guys.
Understand, it isn't the same love I felt- heck, I still feel it- for Donnie, but it's like I'm undeniably part of the family. And I love it.
I nap some between 2-6 in the morning, but that's only because of the lull. Eddie sat down at midnight, Cody was thinking of some new stories, Toby was nodding off, and Jess was out like a light.
Soon enough seven rolls around and an excited Mae trundles in, sleepy but ecstatic. She rips the paper off her presents and squeals in delight when she sees the practice scythe. Careful to put it down first, she runs around thanking, hugging, and kissing us all. I laugh at "my" adorable child.
After that, we all tear into our gifts. Jess got a sweet new controller, a new video game, and a pack of batteries in each size her electronics use. Toby got a frilly, pink tutu and matching tiara as a joke; he spends the next minute struggling to get the ensemble on. Cody got a new baseball bat, baseball, and football. Eddie got a huge Lego set that he'd spend all day building. I carefully opened mine; I was surprised to see a pan-like thing, cat litter, cat food, and cat toys. I hadn't noticed Toby leaving until he gently pressed a pet carrier into my hands.
I slowly open it and step back some, motioning everyone else to do the same and reaching out mentally. Jess beat me there and had already erased its fear of us, replacing it with love and fear of people other than us. I withdrew.
An inky black cat with emerald green eyes and a gray nose strutted out of the carrier and leaped into my arms. I gently kissed the top of its head while it purred.
"Louis..." I dubbed the cat, making it purr louder as I snuggled it. "Louis..."
YOU ARE READING
The Girl that Never Wins
FanfictionMaggie is many things. A mother, a friend, a... monster? She struggles between how she IS and how she WAS while slowly falling for the most impossible of boys. How can she survive when her blood-covered hands are still ready to kill? How can she fi...
