40

A new day. A new life continues.

Thanksgiving is over.  Black Friday and Xena's frenzy of mall hopping is over.  She went at midnight for the black Friday things.  She and her threesome buddies, Tyler, Jessie, and Chrissie.  The twins didn't go.  When they left the apartment I bid them bon chance but all four had this manic look and practically yelled at me, telling me it wasn't luck but execution.  The were all dressed in black, for battle I assume, and swept out to the  van at midnight on the dot, Xena mumbling on the way that they were already late.

I went back to reading Maeve and her Dublin people.  Xena calls it my comfort books, rolling her eyes all the way.

Xena came back at mid-morning, having dropped off the others wherever they ended up for the holidays. I kind of thought that they'd end up here but I never know.  Xena does.  As does Rosie, who for once, didn't complain about being left behind of the shopping adventure.

"Look at these deals!" She exclaimed when she first came back.  She was carrying multiple sacks from different stores.

I went to look but she pushed me away.

"Stop!  These are for Christmas."  She squinted here eyes at me and frowned. 

I decided I better not look at the deals.

"We need to get a tree," she gathered her packages and took them to her room. "We wish you a merry Christmas," she sang as she and Rosie disappeared into the room.  Rosie had turned a bright red.  I suppose it was a Christmas color.

My people never had celebrated Christmas back in the mountains, unless you count an extra bottle of Jack to make the day merrier and more dangerous.  I didn't know what Xena's people did, but it was probably some kind of satanic torture ritual that they saved for the season.  Xena had told me not to ask when Christmas "back home" was brought up by the twins.

The twins.  How come there are always mysterious twins in stories?  Ours are on the fringe of every group at school.  Everyone knows them, no one knows them.  They're in the classrooms, usually different classes since the republicans think to separate them for some reason, sitting quietly in the front but never drawing attention to themselves.  Almost as small as Xena, just as thin, but well dressed in nice clothes and always spotless.  Pale skin and pale hair.  Pale blue eyes.  Kellie wears a little make up so she's not quite as pale as Kevin. Always they wear very pale clothes, white or some kind of off tan. 

The twins were always sitting alone at lunch until Xena invited herself and sat with them.  They were antisocial or anything.  Just quiet and content to be in each other's company.  It seemed.  But they smiled and jumped on the chance to talk with Xena.  And after Xena, the threesome, and eventually me.  Rosie jumped on Kellie and sat there during every lunch.  Xena was pleased.