Destruction: The December People, Book One (33 page)

When Dad talked to him about his newfound good fortunes, he didn’t accuse him of using love potions or mind control spells. He only said she couldn’t be in his room with the door closed. He said, “The Carthages dropped off one girl with us, and I plan to return one
girl
.”

Other than that, he got the sense Dad wanted to high-five him.

Patrick and Emmy might end up ripping off Samantha’s arms in a tug-of-war match. But aside from that, Emmy tolerated them. When he asked her if she minded, she said, “It’s gross, but whatever, I’m just glad she didn’t get with Jude.”

When he asked why, she just shrugged.

So, three days before Christmas, Samantha leaned into him on the couch like he was her own personal armchair, and he ran his fingers along her smooth thighs while he watched her paint her toenails lavender. It might be all in his head because he knew she was a spring witch, but she smelled of cut grass and honeysuckle. Which made him wonder if he smelled of dead leaves and rotting pumpkins.

“Do you feel different being around dark wizards all the time?” he asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Evangeline said it could be dangerous for you. Sap your energy or something like that.”

She huffed. “No. I’m not worried about being around them. They should be worried about me.”

“Why is that?”

“What’s the only thing that can break the winter?”

“What?”

“The spring, of course.”

Patrick laughed. “That’s awesome.”

“We’re the toughest wizards. No matter how cold or long the winter, we break through the ice. Every single year, since the dawn of time.”

“And you look pretty when you do it too. All covered in flowers.”

“That’s sweet.” She wiggled closer to him. He put his arms around her and pulled her even closer, his hands grazing the bottom of her breasts.

“Now I can’t reach my toes,” she said with another playful wiggle.

“So?”

“I can reach your fingernails,” she said, reaching toward him with her brush.

“All right fine. I’ll let you go.”

“I only need my arms.”

“So, what is it like having spring wizards for parents?”

“Mostly… embarrassing. The truth is, I wished they would disappear all the time. But I do miss them now. Despite being annoying, they have a good attitude about life. They don’t get stressed out much and just go with the flow. I’ve never been quite like that, but I’m more easygoing than a winter witch. Talk about taking yourself too seriously. Your family needs to lighten up sometimes. Have a party. Dance or sing or something. They must get tired of being themselves all the time.”

“Yeah. I think they do.”

“What about you? What’s it like being an autumn wizard?”

“I don’t know. I’m the only one I know.”

“I think autumn wizards are supposed to be practical and smart. They’re the most levelheaded. Like the ducks that fly south and the squirrels that store their nuts before the cold. They’re prepared for what’s coming and know how to survive it.”

“I don’t feel prepared.”

“Maybe that’s why you know when something bad is about to happen.”

“One second isn’t a lot of time to store nuts.”

“It may get longer once you get better at it.”

He didn’t like that idea. Patrick had the sense his life would be full of things he’d rather not know about any sooner than he had to. Humans could call it paranoia or anxiety, but Patrick couldn’t count on that. His fear could be prophecy.

Patrick woke up at 12:57 a.m. He saw the big red numbers hovering in the dark room. He waited for the sound he predicted. The one that woke him up before it happened. But nothing came. It reminded him of the feeling he had when he woke up the night Emmy jumped down the stairs. Something was about to happen. He lay awake waiting, but after a few minutes passed with nothing but silence, he fell back asleep.

When Patrick got out of bed the next morning, he found Emmy standing outside Jude’s room. She stared at his closed door. She wrapped her arms around herself as if she was cold, but the house felt plenty warm. The look on her face made her look more like Dad than Mom. The slanted eyebrows screamed Dad.

“What are you doing?” Patrick asked. He didn’t even know why he asked anymore.

“He’s in there,” Emmy said.

Patrick looked at the door. “Who? Jude? Yeah, I’m sure he is. I saw him swipe some vodka from the liquor cabinet last night. He’ll probably be out for a while. Is Samantha still asleep?” he asked.

“Shower,” Emmy said.

Patrick continued past her toward the stairs. “You do know that standing outside your brother’s door waiting for him to wake up is really weird?”

“Mmm, hmm,” Emmy said absently.

n the morning of December 24th, David wrapped the earrings he had bought Amanda. He’d hoped he would come up with something better, but he hadn’t. If he bought something too expensive, she would be mad at him for spending the last of their money on a gift. But, this year, she deserved a truckload of diamonds. He couldn’t win. A month had passed since she had given in to him in the dining room, and he hoped another holiday would weaken her resolve. But love or lust would have to do it, because the eighty-dollar earrings he had bought her wouldn’t have her ripping off her clothes.

He placed the small box under their colossal tree. On his way to the kitchen, he said good morning to Evangeline, who used the bear-shaped honey bottle to design an elaborate pattern on her plate, which looked like a flower or a spider web. While David rummaged through the pantry, Jude came in and poured himself a generous helping of Cheerios. He took the honey from Evangeline and squirted it on his cereal, an act that caused Xavier to appear from nowhere and stand between Jude and his sister.

“What?” Jude asked. “I can’t use the fucking honey?”

“Jude, calm down,” David said.

Jude slammed the little bear back on the table and took his cereal into the living room. David followed him, although he knew any attempt at a father-son chat would be met with shouting and being doused with Cheerios and milk. But David wouldn’t get the chance to try.

Patrick came from the bottom of the stairs looking like a different person. His hazel eyes had an extra gleam of gold and were locked on Jude. The ferocity in his movements made him look a foot taller. As mad as Patrick looked, David couldn’t have anticipated what happened next. Jude turned around in enough time to see Patrick shove him so hard he went careening backward through the glass coffee table.

Without hesitation, Patrick approached his fallen brother and stepped on his neck. After a moment of stunned shock, David moved in to tackle Patrick before he killed his brother, but he didn’t need to. Jude grabbed Patrick’s leg and used a spell to make Patrick fall back. Patrick tumbled to the ground and tried to get back up but stumbled again as if he had suddenly become dizzy or drunk.

Jude coughed and wheezed, clutching his neck. He had spots of blood on his shirt and arms where the glass had cut him, but none of them looked large. David kneeled down beside him, glass digging into his knee, but Jude knocked his hand away. He wheezed something that sounded like, “okay”, scrambled to his feet, then went out the front door.

“What the fuck?” David shouted at Patrick.

Patrick clung to the couch, trying to pull himself back up and didn’t respond. David followed Jude but didn’t make it in time. Jude had taken the keys off the ring by the door and had driven away in his truck.

David and Amanda sat across from Emmy at the kitchen table. Emmy looked as if she had dimmed the lights under her skin, in an attempt to become invisible. It wouldn’t surprise David if she popped out of existence right there in the kitchen. David put his hand right above his stomach where acid climbed toward his throat. He had already thrown up twice. He wanted to crawl into bed and not come out, but he had to be a father. He needed to be here, experiencing the worst conversation of his entire life.

“Am I in trouble?” Emmy asked.

“Uh…” Amanda said. Her incoherent spluttering was still better than he could do. “I just don’t understand why you didn’t tell us sooner,” she whispered.

Emmy stared at the table.

“Emmy, answer me.” Amanda said. “Why didn’t you say anything?”