Art

Angel

December 22nd 2014, Monday

Devon

        "It's nearly Christmas!" I hear Ellie say across the room where she and Elaine were currently sitting working on some English comprehensions.

        "And yet, we haven't fully decorated." Elaine replied, as she pointed out something to Ellie to erase.

        "The decorations usually go to me and Devy because I have the most Christmas spirit and he has the whole artist eye thing. But you can definitely join us in decorating this year!" Ellie, who probably liked Elaine as much as me, said every so brightly.

        "I'd be honoured, but when do you guys actually decorate?" Elaine asked, looking at me then. I didn't even try to hide the fact that I had been staring at them, specifically Elaine for so long. I simply smiled and made my way to them.

        "December 22 actually." I answered to her question, sitting down with them.

        "That's today." She replied, glancing between me and Ellie, whose eyes were getting wide.

        "No!" Ellie cried.

        "Yeah, see?" Elaine confirmed, bringing out her phone and showing us the date.

        "Oh God!" Ellie cried, getting up and running to the supply closet and coming back some time later armed with supplies.

        "Devon please tell me you have the angel made!" Ellie cried, bringing out her pencil and paper.

        "Yeah, hold on one second, it's in my room." I informed Ellie, leaving a confused Elaine sitting on the floor.

        I came back moments later to find that the tree Annie had brought some time ago had been successfully dragged out of the supply closet by Elaine and the kids and Ellie was currently putting the lights on it with Elaine's help.

        "An angel for my angel." I said to Ellie, handing her the angel I had made. As usual, it ressembled Ellie in every way possible, dark hair, dark eyes.

        "Great, can you and Elaine please decorate the Home and me and everyone else will do the inside of here. We'll leave your corner alone, I promise." Ellie informed me and I smiled, leaving the room with Elaine in tow.

        I knew just how important the playroom was for the children, it was the one place they could just be kids and act like other children, without thinking about their past and what would happen to them in the future.

        Besides, even if I didn't want to admit it, even to myself, I wanted to spend some time alone with Elaine.

        "Where should we start?" She asked me, as if reading my thoughts.

        "The outside maybe? I feel like we're the only ones in Devon that don't have Christmas decorations outside our house." I said, going to grab my coat. After grabbing a box of supplies, we both made our way outside, me taking my key.

        "So, decorating could be quite a challenge. You're short, I'm short." I said as I stared at the door, for once noticing just how tall it is.

        "You're forgetting I am a cheerleader. You just have to carry me, I'm good at balancing." She replied, sorting through the box.

        That was one of the things I liked about Elaine, she wasn't someone who boasted, and when she did talk about what she was good at, she said it because she knew, not because she was trying to make herself look good.