SHADES of GREEN ↬ m. wheeler

XXV. CODA

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
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❝CODA❞

THE OAKS FAMILY had always celebrated Christmas differently than most. As far as Jade knew, the norm was to awake in the morning to find an elaborately dressed and glowing tree shadowing a pile of wrapped gifts, to spend the morning tearing at the papers and strings while the smiling parents watched.

　For the Oaks family, gifts were involved, but never anything major: Material things were not at all prioritized. Christmas was reserved for the celebration of Jesus' birth and family. Dark hours were spent Downtown, where small glass houses were erected, displaying famous scenes and characters: Santa and his Reindeer; Frosty the Snowman; Charlie Brown; Jack Frost; and even A Christmas Story, featuring a leg lamp and children wrapped in thick winter clothes. Great plastic snowflakes and bells were attached to every lamppost, and multicolored lights lit the city up, dying the snow and ice in shades of silver and blue, green and red. The air was always filled with Christmas music and chatter, the smell of sweet roasted chestnuts and caramel popcorn and cherrywood.

　Of course, it would be too cold for the Oaks to simply roam about in the streets. Though there were a few exceptions, most had the sense to travel in their cars. They would stop for the parade, where elves and angels slung candy into the crowds—Jade had a specific memory of making eye contact with an Ice Princess; the woman had smiled and winked, and unlike the others, she had thrown a plastic crystal tiara to Jade, which Jade was sure she still had—then continue toward Monument Circle, to watch the lighting of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument.

　The traffic was always slow, but Jade had never minded; she'd been grateful for all of the extra time that she could gaze in wonder, soak in the sights and commit them to her memory. This had proved a success, because here in bed, without the burden of full consciousness, she could see and smell the past. It cloaked her in warm pleasure and nostalgia; in soft waves, her happiest moments returned, caressing her mind and momentarily fooling her into a sense of safety and completion.

　Needless to say, when Jade had found that she and her mother would be spending their Christmas in Indianapolis, her home, she had been more than ecstatic. With everything going on in her life, the new knowledge and the pain, the terrors and the process of adaptation, Jade couldn't help hoping that this trip might restore a piece of her lost soul.

　It was refreshing (and fitting for a hopefully positive day to come) to finally wake without the tight hand of fear closed around Jade's lungs. No nightmares had come this time. She had always been a vivid dreamer; in the past few days—it had been only four days since the battle—this had become a curse. Each night, she witnessed hundreds of scenes. There were monsters, and angelic creatures with the power to manipulate air and water, trees and gravity. Always there was fire, whether it swallowed entire worlds or lit up the universe in a candle flame. And there was Mike. Always Mike.

　Also since the last four days, a man began to visit Jade's dreams, rather frequently. Jade could not quite make out the features of this man, but she knew that he had a kind face and that his presence was heavenly and serene. He made Jade feel safe, from all of the dangers of the world and from her own pain.

　Jade awoke, and for a moment she lay still, basking in the warm sensation of safety. She feared that the feeling would crumble once she swept her exhaustion away with a hot shower. She hadn't gotten much sleep, in her joy for visiting her home city and all the things she was still trying to understand.