Santa's Daughter

3. What's going on?

I gasp awake like usual. I look at the time and see it's 6 o'clock. Not bad. I then feel my clothes. I'm not drenched in sweat and I'm wearing a silky red dress. Oh my gods! Was that real? Does Bernard exist? Did I say gods?

Someone barges into my room and jumps on me, "Wake up, Nat! It's Christmas!" Oh right, it's this day. I've never been the most fond of Christmas. My mother died around this time so it's been sort of sad.

I put on a semi-smile and tickle Charlie, "Merry Christmas, Charlie!"

He laughs, "Merry Christmas!" He hugs me. "Santa came!"

"Let's open presents then!" I tell him and we both run out of the room and down stairs where we meet Dad in his silky red pj's with an SC on them. I get up and put on a pot of coffee for Dad so he can wake up. I walk back into the living room with Dad gone. "Where'd he go?" I ask Charlie who's opening presents.

"He's outside looking for the Santa that fell off our roof," he says casually. I hum. "Oh, hey this one's yours!" He hands me a wrapped present.

I unwrap it and it's the black snowflake from my dream. I took the card 'Hey, you almost left this last night. I hope you have a Merry Christmas -B'. I covered my mouth in shock, I wasn't expecting this.

"Are you okay, Dad?" I ask him when he enters the room and lies on one of the chairs.

"Yeah. Just fine, just fine," he answers.

"Are you having a heart attack?" Charlie asks. "I know CPR." How does he know that? Probably Neal.

"No, I was just..." he trails off looking at his clothes. "S.C."

"Yeah, Santa Claus," Charlie tells him. "Hey. Same initials as your name, Dad. Scott Calvin."

"What?" Dad asks. The doorbell rings and Charlie and I answer it.

"Oh, Charlie, Natalia! Merry Christmas, sweeties!" Mom hugs us. "Did you have a good time?" She asks Charlie.

"Great time! The best!" He answers, running back to the living room to grab his stuff.

"Great. Scott, nice P.J.s. Very festive," she tells Dad as she passes. "Where'd you get them?" She asks him.

"I don't know," Dad answers.

"Judy gave them to you," Charlie answered.

"Jude. Really," Mom nods.

"Who?" Dad asks.

"Up at the North Pole," he says while running around gathering his stuff. I go over and help him. "Last night, Dad, Nat, and me went with the flying reindeer. It was really neat, Mom. Dad was Santa, and Larry showed me the workshop. You know, where they make all the toys?"

"Gee, thanks for keeping his feet on the ground," Mom tells Dad.

"Hey, it's Christmas, don't fight. It might not mean a lot to me, but it does to Charlie, so please, just for today, get along. You only see each other for five minutes," I tell them. Mom tells Charlie to go wait in the car for her so Dad and I both kiss him on the head goodbye. I don't feel like listening to them so I go to my room and wait for them to leave. I watch Mom enter her car and see them drive away.

~

Over the next couple weeks things started to get weird. Dad was gaining a suspicious amount of wait and his hair was graying. He was beginning to look more and more like Santa everyday. Plus, Charlie was getting bullied for believing in Santa. It also might be because he was telling kids that Dad was Santa.

I don't even know what's going on anymore. It's like my life keeps getting weirder and weirder by the day. How do I explain the necklace I wear everyday to my non-existent friends? Oh an elf at the North Pole gave it to me.