Infinite (Strange and Beautiful, Book 1) (47 page)

“Go
away,” she muttered.

“I
will if you get up.”

Skylar
huffed and lay there for a moment before she finally rolled over onto her back.
I thought maybe she was just going to ignore me and go back to sleep, but after
another second, she finally pushed herself up into a sitting position.

She
looked around through bleary, sleep filled eyes. She squinted at me and yawned.
“You can tell Mom I’m up now,” she rasped. “Now go away.”

I
considered waiting another minute to make sure she didn’t lie back down and
fall asleep, but her sleepy squint started to take on the features of an
annoyed glare. Deciding I wanted to live to see another day, I tucked tail and
scurried away.

I
felt a moment’s relief before I remembered I still had to wake Luke.

My
brother was surprisingly less scary. As soon as I shook him and reminded him
that it was Christmas, he hopped out of bed and nearly beat me out the door. He
was, apparently, anxious to open presents.

We
convened downstairs in the living room. Skylar was the hold up, but Mom
instructed Luke and I to pass out presents while we waited for her to appear.
Once Skylar made it downstairs, showered and dressed but with makeup absent and
hair pulled back into a sloppy ponytail, the tradition of going around the room
and opening one present at a time began.

I
hadn’t thought much about what I wanted for Christmas, but I wound up with a
pretty good spread. Mom and Dad gave me gift cards for Barnes and Noble and
Forever 21 as well as a digital camera. I was really excited about the camera.
It was small and sleek. It looked to be state of the art, so that probably also
meant it was expensive—unless it was one of Mom’s steals from her shopping
excursion on Black Friday. Either way, I was really excited to put it to use.

  My
siblings were fans of giving the gift card, rather than shopping for an actual
present. Skylar gave me cards for Victoria’s Secret and Bath and Body Works
while Luke chose Best Buy and Hot Topic. Even if it meant laziness on the
shopping front, Mom seemed happy there wasn’t much wrapping paper to clean up.

Everyone
seemed to like the gifts I’d chosen for him or her. Mom fawned over the snow
globe, and even Dad seemed to like the tie I picked out for him even though it
was more colorful than he usually wore. Luke was even excited about the Bob
Seger album.

“Awesome!
I didn’t have this one,” he’d exclaimed. “Thanks, Sil!”

Because
I didn’t know what else to get her, I wound up buying Skylar a sketchpad and
colored drawing pencils. Even though she didn’t show Luke’s enthusiasm, it did
earn me a genuine smile and a soft, “Thank you.”

We
opted for bagels or cereal for breakfast, and once we’d all eaten our fill, we
retreated to the living room to watch
A Christmas Story
and
How the
Grinch Stole Christmas
. I preferred the animated version, but both Luke and
Skylar wanted to see the live action version. Mom and Dad weren’t much help,
and I didn’t feel like arguing, so we watched the Jim Carrey version.

After
the movies Mom asked me to help her with lunch. The ham was already cooking,
and Mom had prepared some of the side dishes the previous afternoon, so there
wasn’t a whole lot left to do, but I was happy to oblige.

I
was enjoying spending so much time with Mom. Plus, I thought maybe I could help
ensure that at least part of lunch would be edible. Mom peeled the potatoes and
I chopped them up, and while we waited for them to cook through so we could
mash them, I made macaroni and cheese from scratch—recalling Travis Tyler’s
recipe from memory—and Mom worked on the stuffing, which was, thankfully, from
a box.

It
was close to two in the afternoon by the time we finally sat down to eat, but
everyone seemed to enjoy the food. We talked a little, and Dad reminded
everyone of the plans for the next afternoon. Since Mom’s family didn’t live as
far away, we didn’t have to leave as early, but we were expected for food and
gifts in the early afternoon.

After
lunch, Dad, Luke, and Skylar cleared the table and loaded the dishwasher, and I
asked Mom to give me a ride over to Jackson’s house. She smiled knowingly and
agreed to take me.

I
considered calling Jackson beforehand to make sure he’d be home, but I was too
chicken. Besides, him knowing I was on my way over only made me feel more
nervous. Instead, I looked up his address in the phonebook and jotted it down
to give to Mom.

“If
you keep that up, you’re going to have that thing unwrapped for him by the time
we get there,” Mom commented during the ride over as I picked nervously at
Jackson’s gift.

I
blushed, taking my hands away from the present and slipping them into my
pockets so I wouldn’t be tempted to pick at it anymore.

Once
I showed Mom the address, she knew right where it was. “Oh, that’s just on the
other side of the subdivision,” she’d explained.

My
nervousness seemed to grow the longer we were in the car and the farther we got
from home. I had no idea what I was going to say once I arrived. I’d thought
maybe not thinking about it would keep the nerves at bay. In retrospect, I
wasn’t sure that was such a good idea.

I
was able to pick out his house when I spotted his Camaro in the driveway. There
was also a canary yellow vehicle in the driveway. I knew it had to be the
Chevrolet Nova that belonged to Eric. Jackson had mentioned helping Eric put
the final touches on the car while he was staying with his brother over the
summer and helping at the garage Eric managed.

Mom
wished me good luck and told me she’d wait to make sure I got inside safely.

“I
can wait for you,” Mom offered.

I
bit my lip. I hadn’t considered this part. “I’m not sure how long I’ll be,” I
admitted.

Mom
nodded, seeming to understand.

“Jackson
can probably give me a ride home.” Assuming things went well, but I didn’t add
that part.

“Well,
if not, give me a call and someone at home will come and get you,” she smiled.

“Thanks,”
I mumbled before climbing carefully out of the car.

I
trekked up the sidewalk, holding onto Jackson’s gift, as millions of tiny
little snowflakes fell to the ground around me. At the front door, I took a
deep breath before I pressed the doorbell.

Immediately,
movement could be heard from within. Then, a moment later, the door swung open
to reveal a tall woman with hair the color of an old penny that curled down to
her shoulders. She had heavy lidded eyes that were tawny brown around the pupil
and a yellowish green around the rim. The small lines at the corners of her
eyes and mouth hinted that she was older than she appeared. Something in the
shape of her eyes and the sharpness of her cheekbones reminded me of Jackson.
Then the corners of her mouth lifted into a familiar dazzling smile, and I had
no doubt she was Jackson’s mom.    

“Can
I help you?” she asked in a smooth soft voice that immediately set me at ease.

“I
hope so,” I answered. “I’m Silly, Jackson’s friend.”

Her
eyes lit in recognition as soon as I said my name. “Oh, yes,” she nodded,
opening the door wider. “I’m his mother, Siobhan,” she said, motioning me
inside. “Come.”

Relieved,
I stepped through the doorway as I explained, “I’m sorry for dropping by
unannounced, but I wanted to bring Jackson his Christmas present.”

“There’s
no need to apologize,” she said, closing the door behind me. “Have you eaten?”
she asked. “We just finished lunch.”

“We
just had lunch too,” I answered as she ushered me down a hallway.

She
smiled, patting me kindly on the shoulder, as she guided me into a large open
kitchen, where we found what appeared to be the rest of the Hart family. I held
Jackson’s present to my chest as if it were a lifeline as my anxiety flared up
again.

I
found Jackson immediately, standing at the sink rinsing a plate. He glanced up,
and when his eyes fell on me, they lit up as his mouth formed into the smile I
now knew he’d inherited from his mother.

“Hi.”
He sounded both surprised and pleased as he spoke.

“Hey,”
I answered, feeling a little breathless and a whole lot embarrassed because I
could feel the weight of everyone’s curious stare as Jackson dropped the plate
and grabbed a towel, drying his hands as he walked over to me.

Someone
cleared his or her throat, and Jackson and I both turned to look. It was a guy
standing at the bar between the kitchen and the seating area. He was seated,
but I could tell he was tall. I knew he had to be one of Jackson’s brothers,
but I wasn’t sure which one.

His
hair was a dark shade of brown but bore copper highlights the shade of his
mother’s. It was short around the sides and back but longer on top and combed
back off of his forehead in a stylish coif. He had a wiry build and a soft
golden tan that seemed to contrast greatly with Jackson’s pallor.

“What?”
Jackson snapped, obviously annoyed with the throat clearer.

“Aren’t
you going to introduce us to your friend?” he grinned. His pale green eyes were
mischievous with amusement. I noted that his smile wasn’t quite as large or
luminous as his brother or mother’s. It was charming and disarming to be sure,
but there was something also a little bit dangerous about it.

Jackson
rolled his eyes before making a face at me that seemed to say, “Family? What
can you do?” He sighed heavily and began to make introductions. “You already
met my mom.”

“Call
me Siobhan, dear,” she reminded me.

I
smiled and nodded, and Jackson continued around the room with the
introductions. The guy at the bar was Jordan. From the annoyance Jackson seemed
to have toward his brother, I was surprised he considered him his best friend,
but I remembered Jackson saying that Jordan could be a jerk a lot of the time,
so I guessed they must have had an antagonistic friendship.

Jackson’s
dad was also a tall man. It was no wonder between both of his parents’ height
that Jackson was so tall. Though his dad’s hair was graying at the temples, it
was clear where the blue-black hair came from as well.

Eric
was stockier and a bit shorter, but he and Jackson shared the same pale skin
and dark hair, though the sun seemed to pick up a red pigment rather than blue.
His hair was cut short and looked like it was still growing out from a buzz
cut. His eyes were a soft golden color and more serious than either of his
brothers’.

His
sisters, Clare and Chloe, were in the middle of playing a game that Chloe
received for Christmas, but they were both friendly. I’d half expected Clare to
have purple hair after the way Jackson talked about her dying it. I was
disappointed to find that it was a pretty, but ordinary, shade of auburn. She
seemed to have a color similar to Jordan’s with golden skin and pale eyes.

Chloe
was adorable. There really was no other way to describe her. She also seemed to
be a mishmash version of her family. Her hair, the curly copper of her mother,
fell down nearly to her waist. Her eyes, bright and joyous, were a swirl of
color like Jackson’s. Her skin was the same golden tone as Clare and Jordan,
and her tiny face was soft, like her father’s. Her mouth, like Clare’s, was a
small pink bow shape and her small nose turned up slightly like her eldest
brother’s.

“Do
you want to play with us?” Chloe offered.

Jordan
smirked. “I think Jackson wants to play with her right now.”

“Jordan
Nicholas!” Siobhan scolded, her features taking on that familiar, universal “Mom”
look.

Jordan
smiled innocently, but Siobhan wasn’t swayed by his attempts to charm her. “Go
into the living room,” she directed, pointing back down the hallway.

Jordan
pouted but didn’t argue.

“Why
don’t we go pick out a movie, Jimmy?” Siobhan suggested to her husband.
Jackson’s dad, who had been skimming through a magazine about radios, sat the
magazine down and nodded.

He
smiled at as he passed by Jackson and I to follow his wife down the hall to the
living room. 

Eric
stood from the table and walked over to us. “So,
you’re
the girl Jackson
is always talking about, huh?” Some of the seriousness disappeared from his
face as he spoke.

I
could tell his teasing wasn’t malicious, but I still blushed. I glanced up at
Jackson, raising an eyebrow as his eyes met mine. Then I turned back to Eric.
“I don’t know, am I?”

Eric
chuckled, and Jackson instructed me to ignore his brother as he put his hands
on my shoulders, sending a jolt through me. He turned me toward the hallway and
gave me a light push forward. Uncertain where I was going, I glanced over my
shoulder, and I caught Jackson, very maturely, stick his tongue out at Eric
before mouthing something I’m sure his mother wouldn’t approve of.

He
blushed when he realized I’d saw him, but he didn’t say anything as he guided
me midway down the hallway to a closed door. He reached around me, pulling the
door open to reveal a set of stairs.

I
looked up at him, curious, and he explained, “My room’s down there.”

He
flipped a switch, bathing the stairs in light, and gestured for me to go ahead.
I held onto the banister as I made my way down the stairs. “Isn’t it weird?” I
asked over my shoulder. “Living in the basement, I mean?”

“Maybe
a little,” Jackson chuckled, “but it’s quieter down here.”

When
I reached the bottom of the staircase, Jackson flipped another light switch,
revealing a large, open room. He stepped around me further into the room as I
took it in, much the same way Jackson had when he entered my room for the first
time.

It
seemed to be divided into two distinct spaces. One area had an entertainment
center, fitted out with a television and stereo and a couple of secondhand
recliners and a couch that had seen better days.