Lyla
“Hey, Christmas is almost here”,” Ethan whispered, pulling me closer to him, resting his head on my back. His hand that was lying on my belly was so warm it seemed to brand my skin through my silken nightgown. I closed my eyes and tipped my head back on the pillow. The feelings for Ethan were ever rising. Sometimes, I didn’t know what to do with myself.
I sank deeper into his embrace, wondering what the strange word “Christmas” was. When I thought about it, I imagined that I saw something on TV about it—a commercial maybe—or at the store? Who knows? I never really paid attention anyway. I was usually always busy staring at Ethan. With his blue eyes and slightly curly brown hair, it was hard not to look. He was handsome.
“What is that?” I asked.
He jerked back. “Seriously? Please tell me you are joking, Lyla. God, what did they do to you over in the Summer Solstice?”
I was from a place called the Summer Solstice, a place where people with fire powers—like me—live… or should I say, I lived. I made a run for the real world a few months ago, leaving behind my abusive stepdad, and also, my best friends, Lacey and James. I was called a Fire Bringer, and Ethan was an Ice Bringer—a person with ice magic. He and I couldn’t be more different, but I loved him anyway. He was my rock and protector. For that, I would always be grateful for him. I was living with him because Rylan—the guy who found me in the park the day I escaped the Summer Solstice—said something on the phone that I didn’t like, so I took off from his house. It was so cold outside that I nearly died. If it wasn’t for Ethan, I would have. Everything was fine now with Rylan, it was just a bad misunderstanding.
“No, we didn’t have anything like that. Do you care to elaborate?”
He sat up, and sighed. “Well, Christmas is the time of year for lights and presents and all that good stuff. You know, like the decorated pine trees, the snowmen, reindeer, tinsel, desserts… Christmas is the time when Christ was born.”
So that was why I’d been seeing lights and snowmen decorations all over in people’s yards and on their houses. I just thought they wanted to decorate, because sometimes we did that in the Summer Solstice.
“Christ?” I asked, rolling over to look at him.
His blue eyes stared at me. My cheeks heated up.
“Christ came to earth two-thousand years ago. Christmas Day is when he was born. He was born to save everyone from their sins. His mother was Mary. She was a virgin when she gave birth to Him. An angel came to her and told her about the Good News, he told her that she would give birth to the Savior of the world. The same angel visited Joseph to tell him that he must wed Mary. Not long before her baby was born, the emperor in Rome ordered everyone to return to the town of their birth for a census. They traveled to Bethlehem in Israel. She gave birth in a barn, sort of. He is the Savior of the world.”
That was a lot to take in. “How could she have a baby when she was a virgin? It isn’t possible, Ethan,” I said sourly. I crossed my arms over my chest, and when I realized I probably looked stupid since I was lying down, I got up and resumed my position with narrowed eyes. I bit back a laugh because I knew I was making a fool out of myself.
Ethan chuckled quietly.
“It was a miracle. You do believe in miracles, right?
Anything is possible,” he said, climbing off the bed. I followed him.
“Why haven’t you ever spoken about this Christ until now? Do you worship him?” I asked.
Ethan nodded. “In my own way, I do. I pray, Lyla. I used to go to church, but I stopped. I just felt like I was an abomination because of my ice powers. In the Bible, it tells us that magic is wrong.”
I let out a “spare me” sounding breath, and walked to the door that led to the upstairs. Ethan and I were on a holiday vacation from school, so we had three weeks to do whatever the heck we wanted, which was pretty amazing.
The “whatever” we wanted mostly consisted of lying in bed, making out.
“What is the true meaning of Christmas? I mean, what am I supposed to feel like?” I asked.
“You will have to learn that by yourself… I can’t make you feel anything.”
I blushed. “Sure about that?” I asked in a rough, suggestive voice.
Ethan let out a choked sound.
I looked back. Ethan had a mischievous grin on his face. I knew he was up to something. Usually I felt as if I knew him from inside and out. The bond we shared was like something I’ve never experienced in my life. If he ever left, my heart would dry up and crack into a gazillion tiny pieces that would never be put back together again. I took my hand off the doorknob, and turned to face him.
“What?”
He stalked toward me and lifted me up off my feet. He twirled me around. My heart sang in delight. I laughed and laughed, and then he kissed me. My insides melted, because it was such a sweet, pure kiss. I couldn’t ask for better.
He wrapped his arms around me and held me to him. “Did I ever tell you how much you mean to me?” he whispered in my ear.
I shivered slightly.
“I think I know.” I giggled.
“Anyway, I wanted to know if you would help me put up the Christmas tree.” I started to say something, and he held up his hand to stop me. “And yes, I will show you what to do. Don’t be afraid.”
Me? Afraid of a tree? Never. If I was, that would make me a very, very weird and sad person, don’t cha think? “Okay, but where are we going to get a tree? We have to put it in the house, right?”
Ethan nodded eagerly. “Essentially.”