From Within Trilogy: Book of Perdition

Chapter Fifteen: Heading Home

The floating gray clouds dimmed the afternoon sunlight. Light snow fell elegantly to the ground masking the sidewalk's flaws with a dusty white cover. The coldness of New York in winter felt cold and lonely even though the streets were bustling with people. Many moving through the holiday season stressed out about preparing for a celebration. Several others spread the holiday cheer as they would be happy spending their time with loved ones. I should have been one of these people heading home to share Christmas with my Dad, not preparing for his funeral.

We were able to pack up my belongings in a few hours. I was not sure how long I would be spending in Groton, whether permanently or temporarily. I had to put in for an extended Leave of Absence from school with possible withdrawal. The school was no longer safe for the people close to me or me if I stayed... Nowhere was. Even the place I called home. I had no choice but to return there because I had to bury my Dad.

While packing, I stumbled upon my Dad's Christmas gifts. I had tucked them away in my desk drawer. "Christmas..." I whispered to myself out loud. The ache inside of me was almost unbearable. How I only wanted to wake up on Christmas morning to the smell of my Dad's delicious chocolate chip pancakes. To hear his deep voice cracking as he sang along to the classic carols. I wanted to cuddle next to him on the couch in our pajamas as we watched the Christmas movies on TV while sipping our special Stephens's hot chocolate. Ron's special concoction of bitter dark chocolate, a touch of mint, sweetened with tons of mini marshmallows.

I wanted to laugh hysterically together as we gave each other our gag gifts. It was a tradition we did every year. We would get one another a regular gift and then a gag gift. The only rule was we had to use the gag gift on Christmas no matter what it may be. This year I got him fuzzy pink-toe socks because he always complained about having cold feet. Oh, what I would give to hear his laughter, to see him in those socks. I fought back some tears. I wanted more time with him. If only I had known....

Gabriel's hand pressed against my shoulder. "Are you alright?" he inquired, gently squeezing my shoulder, instinctively sensing I had gotten lost in my thoughts.

"I will be.... hopefully," I answered softly. I reached for Gabriel's hand on my shoulder, patting it lightly.

James finished stacking my stuff onto a cart. "That's the last of it," he announced, shooting me a supportive smile.

"Ok. I guess it's time to head home," I said, looking around the room for one last check.

James and I grabbed the small rolling suitcases while Gabriel took the cart. My heart sank to the sound of the door clicking shut behind us. Another new journey that I never anticipated was about to begin.

Knowing what I was and losing so much already made it difficult to want to proceed any further. I have seen the things no one else would believe. It would take a miracle to do what is needed of me. Knowing the truth of God and His existence, faith in Him was easier. The challenge was going to be finding faith in me.

The cold wind whipped, blowing the snow around into little white twisters. Our boots crunched into the thin layer of snow and ice as we made our way to my car. Fresh round snowflakes dusted our newly created footprints. An icy breeze spun around us, exposing any uncovered parts with a chill. The luggage wheels left a whimsical design as we dragged them through the snow. My eyes blurred with soft tears that froze in my lower lash. My thoughts were more on the loss of my dad than any of the danger we were facing.

Gabriel was a few steps behind James and me to keep watch for any malicious entities. Luckily, we did not run into any because I was unsure if I would hold back the darkness this time. We figured the enemy must be regrouping, counting their losses like we were. I popped my trunk, and James began to fill it with our suitcases along with the rest of my belongings. I hurried to the driver's seat to warm the car up.