A Boy Among Wolves

Chapter 13

Theo

The slamming of the front door wakes me up. I don't even have to guess what's happening. Uncle Mason is probably heading back out after just a couple hours of sleep.

I push myself up and throw my glasses on before I head downstairs.

I can hear Aunt Tasha crying from the kitchen, and I breathe in preparing for the worst.

Two days ago, while we were making Christmas cookies with Mama, a deputy and his family were attacked by a wild animal. The same one we all saw at homecoming. One of the little kids was uncounted for, and that's where Uncle Mason has been. He's heading up the search party for her.

I make extra noise coming down the stairs and hope it's enough time for Aunt Tasha to do what she needs to do.

When I walk into the room, I see she's wiping her cheeks. "Morning, sweetheart. Happy Birthday," she says, putting on a fake smile.

"Can it not be my birthday today?" I ask in a pathetic voice. She cocks her head, so I add, "I really don't want you and Uncle Mason to pretend to be happy when you're sad about stuff. Can today just be Christmas?"

She looks hurt but nods. "I'm sorry, honey. Yes, it can just be Christmas... for now." 

I pull her into a hug, "I'm sorry about your friends. Did Uncle Mason have any luck?"

I know he'd be here if it was good news, but I have to ask. "No...sadly. I was praying, but sometimes it's out of our hands," says Aunt Tasha with a sigh. "Why don't you eat something. We usually let everyone sleep in and then head to Mama's house around 12."

I nod and pour myself some lucky charms, and stare out the window. I don't hear Riker, which is strange cause he's almost always barking these days. On the other hand, the woods look less inviting, so I don't blame him for being nervous about them.

******

"So Dad's gonna meet us at Mama's house?" Asks Mandy from the seat next to me. Bryce is in the front seat, and the three of us are squeezed in the back.

Aunt Tasha nods quietly. "Be extra nice to him today and to Mr. Madison. They've all had a rough time."

We all share a look and nod in agreement.

When we pull up to our grandma's house, we're already tired of each other, and it's barely 12 o clock. 

Bryce and Jackson hop out and run inside with Mandy and a box of gifts for Uncle Mason they need to wrap.  I take up the rear, my usual spot. Aunt Tasha pulls out the rest of the presents and slaps on a smile. 

As I watch her unload the gifts, I ask the question I've been saving for the right moment, "why don't you do presents in the morning? Or last night. Mom always let me open one present on Christmas Eve."

Mama walks in and hands me a cup of eggnog, "Your Papa used to love playing Santa. So they would sleep here every Christmas Eve, and we would do presents altogether. I guess the tradition continues." I nod. "Happy Birthday, honey," she adds and hands me a little box. "Open it."

"You didn't need to do this," I say quietly, but she just waves her hands for me to open the present. I Unwrap it and find a little stuffed toy. It's a little giraffe, and I feel a memory coming to me. I stand up and give her a hug and kiss. "Thank you, Mama."

She wipes my cheek, which has a tear running down it. "I hoped you'd remember that baby," she whispers and looks to a confused Aunt Tasha. "He came here when he was little, maybe 4. Anyways. He was napping in our room, and I went to check on him. He was snuggled up with this little giraffe."