Touch of Winter

Chapter 8: A Frozen Tree, and Stale Cookies

 I didn't  bother with an escape plan anymore, my face was now known among the populace. If I snuck passed the defenses, I wouldn't have any were to go. And with my eyes, I would've been caught on the streets before I even had the chance to go underground. My only escape now would be my 18th birthday, when I didn't need a guardian anymore. So, I was left to suffer into this hell, for the next four years. A basic sick routine, had been formed during my stay here. Training in the morning, avoid everyone in the afternoons, deal with them at meals, and try not kill myself until I was 18.

But even this hated routine, didn't last very long.

With the end of November rolling around, soon came the Holidays. All of New York was decorated with lights, and Christmas advertisements.  Cookies were baked, trees were put up and carols seemed to be ringing in my ear everywhere (Curse my heightened senses). But I couldn't enjoy it.

Many might call me a Scrooge, but Christmas just didn't have that much meaning to me anymore. Not after Mom died. Mom had loved Christmas, she had traveled a lot for her work, usually at random, but every Christmas she'd be home. We'd make almond chocolate toffee, chocolate chip cookies, and roasted rosemary chicken with a side of potatoes and beans. But the best part was that, every year mom would let me pick a design, and we'd hand stitch felt Christmas ordainments and hand them out as gifts. She'd always say it was something that Grandma did with her when she was little. After she died, Grandpa had tried to make Christmas just as great, but it was never the same (Besides he couldn't really sew). The holiday became just a heavy reminder of what I had lost. 

And this year was even worse. Because, even if he couldn't make it exactly how it was, Grandpa wasn't here at all. My family wasn't here. I was stuck in this glorious prison with people, who kept trying to get me to play the role of happy child. 

Even as the halls grew more festive, I didn't change. I would decline any game requests, or to go shopping (I did not need to be in public right now). Morgan's Grand parents (mom's side), and James's and his sister Sarah's Aunt Yelena came for a visit. But I couldn't have any of my Aunts or Uncles come as they couldn't risk being seen. And my father had given me space after the T.V interview, not that I wasn't grateful for it. I still wanted nothing to do with him. 

 I was sitting in my cell, getting lost in a book...a heavy thumping came from my door...well trying to at least. I sighed.

"Come in," I muttered.

The open slid open letting in Morgan. A cheap Santa hat on her head.

"Hey, girl," She looked around my room, seeming confused.

"Something wrong?" I asked.

"It's just your room is so clean."

I raised a brow, "You think of me as a slob, just cause I'm not from the richest family on the planet?"

"What? Where you'd get that idea no, my rooms messier then yours. It's just that it doesn't look like a person lives in here. It's empty. Where's all the personal items, posters, or pictures?"

"Back home."

"But you are home."

I didn't answer her, if she didn't understand now there was no point in explaining.  

"You don't even have any Christmas decorations," Morgan said, jumping onto a seat next to me, "Come on, how hard is it to put up just a string of lights?"

I rolled my eyes. And stalked out the room.

"Hey! Just because you don't like it doesn't mean you can't be festive!" Morgan called after me.

"Ba humbug!"

...

After saying goodbye to Morgan, I wandered the mansion, trying to get away from everything. Which was harder than it looked. Some folks were in the kitchen (Falcon and his family, his wife Darcy seemed alright, and so did his son, Riley but I didn't really talk to them), others were in the lounge (the Pym's and Roger's  family movie marathon), the lab (Starks, I wondered if Morgan had learned to teleport), their seemed to be someone everywhere I looked. And I forgot about going back to my cell, Morgan walking in proved that it wasn't as private as I would want (if I hadn't let her in she would've gotten in anyway thanks to the AI on her side).