Cursed [Jai Brooks]

The Ghosts Of Christmas Past- Chapter 29

*a few weeks later*

Christmas day, a day usually spent with family and loved ones unwrapping beautifully wrapped presents, singing cheery Christmas songs with a tune which placed with usual lyrics would make everyone want to vomit but given that it’s Christmas horrendously cheesy songs are acceptable.  Gushing over the flashing lights covering the Christmas tree, stuffing your faces with food that on a normal day would be considered greedy but given that it’s Christmas is acceptable, sharing old stories and memories of your past as if the ghosts of Christmas were present. Christmas is a time for “giving”, which to most means being given, being given expensive gifts to support the era of consumerism rather than giving thanks for all that we’ve received and for the events of the past year.

But it’ll come as no surprise that mine and Jai’s Christmas is very different in comparison to the average Christmas. The only gift that we both give and receive is multiple orgasms; the only food we consume is whatever’s in the fridge, mostly meats, salads and dried fruits. The only lights in our house are the single bulbs that hang in each room and the light of the fire flickering in the background. Nothing about our “Christmas” screams festive or fun but it’s how we choose to spend it.

“Babe” Jai muttered in my ear as we led in bed, our naked bodies intertwined, such a familiar feeling, the low sound of Nirvana playing in the living room, the sound travelling up the stairs.

He reached over to the bed side table where a bottle of chilled beer stood; he whacked the top of the bottle against the table and peeled off the metal cap. He ran one hand through his hair while the other hand guided the bottle of beer to his lips; he took a large gulp followed by a loud obnoxious burp.

“I never thought I’d say this, but for once I’ve actually enjoyed Christmas” he sort of laughed sort of smiled, something he’s been doing a lot lately which in all honesty is beginning to creep me out. We haven’t spoke about the incident a few weeks ago where he muttered words that sounded so unnaturally falling from his lips, when he told me that he loved me. I wanted to ask him, desperately I did but I knew that if I asked I’d have to face an answer and I was so afraid that it was an answer that I didn’t want to hear.

That night Jai killed Donald Trunken just as we’d planned, only slightly more brutal and violent but I didn’t stick around to watch, I was too shaken up from the night’s events and I just wanted to go home back to some sense of normality, just for awhile. That night I was surprised by many unwelcome feelings that scared me half to death. It was like tiny ounces of my humanity were creeping their way through the darkness and it terrified me. We made an agreement to hold off killing until the New Year, we made a pact and one human thing we always stick to is promises, even in darkness promises can’t be broken.

“Me too” I whispered as I reminisced over my past Christmas’s.

 Last year’s Christmas was one that entirely revolved around Ruby and her over bearing, egotistic, diva persona; she had to have everything perfect. All of the presents were lined up hers being the first and last presents to be opened so that everyone could dote on her when she opened an amazing gift. I on the other hand believe more in the sentimentality of Christmas, well I did, I enjoyed being around my family, it was the one day that we agreed to tolerate Ruby’s selfishness, but we I mostly mean me, mom and dad never really saw it as a problem, they always favoured her for being the youngest anyway, I was always more of the problem. Anyway, so Ruby had the presents neatly lined up the perfection, the prettiest wrapping paper always covering her presents as she chose the paper herself, bright purple with gold glittery snowflakes plastered all over it, where as I had the plain blue metallic paper same as I did every year. She woke all of us up at 7am as per usual and dragged us down stair; obviously I looked like complete shit given that I’d been dragged out of bed so early and of course Ruby took her annual ugly ass photo of me on her cell phone and posted it straight to Facebook and no doubt any other social media account she had. I grew very used to having this happen to me, yes I hated it, yes I wanted to kill her for it but I kept my promise, I would tolerate her for that one day and boy did she use it to her advantage. We’d all sit together in the lounge, both of my parents on the sofa, me on the arm chair adjacent and Ruby sat in front of all of the presents on the floor and then she’d begin handing out the presents one by one, we’d have to sit and watch each person open their presents. The process was quite gruelling yet it wasn’t like I had anything better to do. Then after presents we’d take it in turns to have showers and use the bathroom for makeup and preening like most women do and then we’d all get dressed in our fanciest attire and had down to my grandparents in Boston. A reasonably long way to travel on Christmas day but the drive was always pleasant, crisp winter in New York was always beautiful, the roads and sidewalks are frosted but not frozen, the air is cold but not freezing, and the essence of Christmas surrounds you. During our drive I listened to my music while Ruby dominated the car stereo system, the great sounds of One Direction flowed through the car, not my kind of music. I was dressed more girly than I’d ever been before, I wore a pink floaty dress with a pair of white flat shoes *cue vomiting*.