Fortuity

Chapter 17

Dylan

I look down at my car clock, the red lines reading 4:45 p.m. on December 24. Today's Christmas Eve, our favorite holiday. I couldn't help but let an old, untouched memory flood my mind, making my heart grow arm.

Emma and I sat on the couch, in our matching Christmas pajamas. Not too far from us, a fire roared and filled the room with heat, the two of us cozy as we watched white, fluffy snow flutter down outside. "Do you think Santa's real?" Emma whispered to me, my response being a look of pure shock which quickly morphed to offense.

"Of course!" I exclaimed, shocked that she would even question it. "How do you think I got that cool bike? My parents said no, so obviously it wasn't from them" I explained, trying to get her to think of it from the logical side because that was, after all, how her brain usually worked. 

"I always believed in him, it's just a girl in school today was saying he wasn't real" Emma responded with a sad sigh. I smiled at her, determined not to let her Christmas spirit disappear. Christmas would be no fun without her. 

"Don't believe that liar. Santa is real. And Christmas is awesome" I smirked, putting my arm over her shoulders. Emma laughed, her dimples appearing. "So what do you think Santa's bringing you?" I asked, watching her cheeks grow pink in the warm room. 

"Well I made my list with you dummy" Emma reminded me, an embarrassed smile on my face as I had almost forgotten. We had spent hours making our lists together, decorating our rooms for Christmas. Emma and I turned as our parents walked into the room, smiling and having a few glasses of wine. They laughed, telling stories to us while Emma and I sat back and watched. We took in each others company and appreciated having each other. 

"Alright you two" my mother smiled at us, warmth and kindness in her eyes. "you can each open one present" she said before Emma and I jumped off the couch, running for the tree. "Actually we picked the ones you could open" she smiled, my father and Emma's mother each handing us a box. Emma and I made eye contact, trying to decide whether this was good or not. We shrugged, deciding that all presents were good. We tore into the wrapping paper, throwing it on the floor until it was just a box. We pulled it open, revealing sweat shirts. One that said Dylan, for me. The other saying Emma, for her. We thought they were the coolest things on the planet. 

We squealed, immediately putting them on over our pajamas. Our parents cleaned up the wrapping paper and headed into the kitchen. Emma and I curled up on the couch next to each other settling in as 'Christmas Vacation' began playing on the T.V. with the fire flickering in the background. I soon fell asleep, head resting on Emma, bathing in the warmth of the fire, soothed by the light of the Christmas tree and I was happy, and I knew I was safe because we were together.

And just like that my heart aches. It aches so much, I nearly keel over in pain. The pain keeps me awake at night, and takes my focus away when I'm in school. All I can think about all is going to the hospital to see her, to sit with her and have her know I'm there. Every minute I'm not with her, I'm thinking about her. I think about everything that's happened; how just four months ago, I was still in Rockwood, having my memories electrocuted out of me, having my life be meaningless. 

And then Emma came. She brightened my world, turning my grey days into bright colorful ones. She saved me. She saved me from that place of nightmares and horrors. She took me in and took care of me. She comforted me and helped the nightmares go away.....just in time for her nightmares to come to life. That first day when I found her in the woods, my heart was shattered. She was so small and broken, her feet bloodied. The part that scared me the most was the silence, just like it scares me now.