But It's Christmas!
By Cia
Snow had fallen thickly through the night. As dawn broke, the citizens of the little town woke up and saw that they, indeed, were going to have a white Christmas, though none of them seemed to rejoice at the thought.
The snow had fallen in soft whooshes, landing on the branches of trees whose leaves has withered; sometimes you would hear the snapping of wood and a violent tumble as a branch broke and fell. The evergreens, on the other hand, were layered white with snowballs, standing guard on the silent streets, almost blending in with the rest of the white, snow-covered town.
In the centre of the town, however, one house stood apart from the rest, because it was not white. In fact, it was a red brick house - well, it was more of a manor than a house - and the servants had gotten up and finished cleaning it before daylight so that the house could shine in its full glory. The polished red cement blocks reflected the warm glow of sunlight, the long winding Christmas lights flickering and changing colours as quickly as darting sparrows.
Its owners had left a few days ago to attend the Christmas balls held in the larger cities, but one person still lived there.
Little Celaena Gordain had woken up 'specially early for this special day. It was Christmas! Christmas was the best day of the year, except for her birthday. Her birthday was also a very nice day.
Her room was comfortably warm and snoozy in the morning. She tossed and turned in bed, debating whether to get out or not. But it was sooooo nice here!
No, she wouldn't go back to sleep again. She'd 'specially gotten up early; she wasn't going to waste her time like this! Giggling, she flipped over the covers, letting a little 'ooh!' as she left the warmth of her bed. It was cold, but she didn't care. It was Christmas!
She climbed onto the windowsill and pressed both her face and her hands onto the cold glass. Her breath came in little poofs of mist that fogged the window. Mumbling, she used her small hand to wipe away the wetness so she could see out to the scenery of the city.
The sun hadn't fully risen yet, but she could see people with their heads down, backs bent, either walking slowly by themselves, tugging along carts, carrying sacks... They must be bringing presents to visit their families and friends! Celaena wondered why they weren't dressed more festively, though, since they were all wearing black and brown, loose and thin clothing. And they didn't look very happy either, but maybe they were just tired after walking a long way? Celaena wondered why they didn't just take the cabs.
"Where's daddy and mummy?" she asked when the maid came in to help her dress.
"They're playing hide and seek with you," her maid said as she helped Celaena slip on her dress, not quite looking at her but seeming a little more busy than usual. "Why don't you try finding them?"
"Really?" squealed the little girl. Daddy and mummy never played games. Maybe it was because it was Christmas!
But try as she might, Celaena couldn't find her parents. Why didn't they want to be found? Didn't they want to spend Christmas with her?
She asked her maid.
"You just need more time," her maid answered quietly.
"Oh." She didn't understand. She didn't want her maid to know that she didn't understand. "Where's your daddy and mummy?"
"Not here."
"Are they playing hide and seek too?"
Her maid looked at her like she was seeing her for the first time. "No."
"Are they at your home?"
Her maid frowned. "Yes."
"Why aren't you with them?"
"I'm here with you, aren't I?" her maid said, not really answering her question. Celaena repeated it again, thinking that she must have heard wrongly.
"...It's warmer here."
"You should open the heaters," Celaena nodded knowingly. "They're very warm."
Her maid left.
That night, Celaena lay in her bed, not daring to fall asleep. Her parents must have been trying to surprise her. They would come for her; it was Christmas, after all!
But even as the clocked chimed twelve, her parents hadn't come for her yet. Celaena covered her ears. She must have counted wrongly.
She continued waiting.