Dark Is Her Nature

by Judith Berens

  “So, what does he do now?”

  “I don’t know, probably has some gang or something. Works in the dark part of some Kemana. I really don’t know.”

  “What was his name?”

  “Andrew Parker. I’ll remember that for the rest of my life. He used to scream at students who bullied him, ‘I’m Andrew Parker and you’re gonna pay.’ It was my first year here at the school. To think I actually felt bad for the kid too.”

  “Man, that sucks, and to live with the fact that he killed his best friend. That had to have pushed him even further over the edge.”

  “Probably why he never tried to pick himself up again. Death does something to people.”

  Alison looked up at the horse, her mother flashing through her head. She knew that sentiment all too well. Death definitely did something to people, it made them fear, it made them mourn, and it made them stop living their lives to a certain degree, just because it felt like they couldn’t take another step without breaking. Alison had been through all of that, and sometimes still felt it. She didn’t want to talk about it though, she wasn’t ready to open up like that, even to Horace.

  The stables were quiet for a few moments, Alison was lost in her thoughts, and Horace gave her the space to do so. He finished up cleaning the horse’s hooves then put up his stuff. He picked up his thick green coat and pulled it on, pulling a pair of fingerless gloves out of the pockets.

  “Hey, you want to see something cool?”

  “Sure.” Alison was glad for the change of subject, she didn’t want to ruin her night by dwelling so heavily on the past.

  “Awesome, follow me. I would put those gloves on if I were you. One I can spot you in the dark, and two, it’s a bit of a walk.”

  “Ha-ha…” Alison smirked and kicked Horace as he hurried past her with a smile.

  She pulled on her warm gloves and wrapped her scarf tightly around her neck and over her mouth. The cold wind whipped through the barn as he pushed open the doors. Alison shoved her hands into her pockets and walked out, following him toward the tree line. They walked quickly next to the entrance of the forest as the dogs ran back and forth to stay warm. Their breath rose like clouds into the air and Alison half expected it to start snowing, though it was a little early for that.

  They walked down the hill and crossed the valley then climbed another larger hill, and Horace helped her up the steep incline at the top. Once they were there, Horace stuck his arms out in front of him. It was pitch black, but Horace pulled out a lantern and lit it, casting light out ahead to guide his way. A smile moved across Alison’s lips as she stared down at the energy coming up from a Christmas tree farm. Hundreds of perfectly cropped trees grew below them, some small but most mature.

  “How long have you been growing these?”

  “Well, I do them in two batches. The smaller ones are a year old and the bigger ones are two years old.”

  “I didn’t know they grew that fast.”

  “They don’t, but that’s the glory of having a school full of magical folks.” Horace gave her a huge grin.

  “What are you going to do with them?”

  “They are for the Christmas decorations. This is a big place, so I’ll be cutting them down and placing them all over.”

  “I see fairy souls down there.”

  “Yep, they take care of the trees for me until the season comes. It’s a little cold for them but they love the holiday, so they do it for me.”

  “You have a serious way with magical creatures.” Alison chuckled. “That’s so cool. I can’t wait to see them all up and decorated.”

  Horace pulled his coat together and shivered, looking up at the sky. “From the way the weather has been blowin’ in, I’m thinking we just might have a white one this year, or at least a white one for the party. Everybody will be gone on Christmas.”

  “What about you? Are you going back to Austin?”

  “Aunt Estelle wanted me to but I’m gonna stay here this year and take care of everything. I won’t be alone, though. Some of the teachers stay here and have a good ole Christmas Eve Feast that I don’t have to work for.”

  “That sounds fun.”

  “How about you?”

  “Uh, I’m actually not sure. I know Brownstone and Shay are gonna come get me, so I guess we’ll do whatever their normal is in California. Probably won’t be a white Christmas there.”

  “Well, whatever you do, try to relax and have fun. You deserve it.”

  “Thanks, Horace. And thanks for growing all these trees! This is going to be amazing.”

  A light snow began to fall and Alison put out her hand feeling the cold, wet snowflakes hit her skin. The dogs sniffed where they fell, snorting into the cold grasses at her feet. Alison was happy that she would get to see how the energy of the mansion looked at Christmas. It made her warm inside, even standing there in the frost of the night.

  28

  Between the midterms, the night walks, and the celebrations, the weeks flew by for Izzie. She had learned to take better care of herself, making sure to get her rest in at least once a day. Taking a test exhausted was not how she wanted to end the first half of her high school career. When the last final was complete she walked out of the classroom, laughing at the students running up and down the halls. Everyone wore some sort of ugly Christmas sweater. She glanced at Scarlett, who was standing to the side with her crew. She gave Alison a daunting stare and whipped around, her red-and-green-dyed ponytail swirling behind her.

  “Hey.” Peter came running up beside her. Today’s burn mark was on his pocket.

  “Hey! I see you are getting better with your spells. Only a pocket this time.”

  “Yeah.” He laughed, running a hand through his messy hair. “You’re coming to the Christmas Extravaganza Dinner thing tonight, right?”

  “Isn’t it mandatory?”

  “No.” Peter laughed. “Not by Berens, but in our crew of friends I’d say it’s mandatory.”

  “Yes, then.” She smiled. “I will be there with no bells on. Maybe a Christmas sweater, but no bells.”

  “That’ll do.” He looked over the heads of the other kids and saw Ethan waiting by the stairs. “Okay, I’ll see you tonight!”

  “Bye.” she chuckled watching him trip over his feet and almost plow down a group of kids.

  Alison made her way to the library. When she opened the doors, Leo was standing at the desk, dusting off a book. He didn’t even look up, just yelled.

  “No need to be in the library. Go home and eat a turkey, or whatever humans do.”

  “That’s Thanksgiving.” Alison smiled as Leo turned around. “I brought you a little gift to thank you for letting me use your books in Braille.”

  Alison handed him a wrapped rectangular gift, complete with a green bow. His expression softened for the first time since she had met him, and he looked up at her and back at the package. He unwrapped the gift carefully, acting as if it were the first present he had ever received. Who knew, maybe it was. When he pulled the paper off he smiled slightly.

  Alison smiled back. “It was my favorite book as a kid. Thought you might want to read something a magical being wrote here on Earth.”

  “The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway,” he read aloud. “I liked that Hemingway character. I was sad when he went back to Oriceran to live out his days. Thank you, Alison. It’s very generous.”

  He bowed his head, holding onto his hat, and the flower bowed slightly as well. Alison bowed back and walked toward the door.

  “And Alison?”

  “Yes?” She looked over her shoulder. “Have a Merry Christmas.”

  “You too, sir.”

  Alison went back to the stairs, feeling good about the gifts she’d found for her friends, including the librarian. She had been able to go to the human town to pick up some things, and the rest were the trinkets she had purchased in the city underground. She headed next to the dorm room, where she found the girls chatting excitedly. Aya and E
mma were finishing up their packing since they were leaving the next day. Kathleen had already finished.

  “I can’t wait to go to the islands for Christmas. I can work on my tan, drink coconut water on the beach, and just relax.”

  “My mom always bakes a ham, but she still hasn’t gotten it quite right.” Emma wrinkled her nose. “Last year she tried magic, and every time we cut into it, the thing snorted like a pig. We ended up giving it a proper burial and had frozen pizza and fruit snacks—but she put them on nice dishes.”

  Everyone laughed—even Emma, who knew she just might be having the same feast that year as well. Aya moved her dolls across the room and carefully arranged them in her suitcase.

  “My family does a turkey and a ham and all the normal human sides. They are waiting to decorate the tree until I get there, and they even invited Henry this year.”

  Alison smiled sweetly. “That sounds really nice.”

  Kathleen looked at Izzie, who was sitting on the edge of the bed. “How about you, Izzie?”

  Izzie glanced at Alison, who gave her an encouraging look. She took a deep breath and let it out. “I grew up in an orphanage, so we really didn’t do anything like that.” Everyone stopped and looked at her, listening intently. “This year I am spending the holiday with Ms. Berens and her family since she is now my guardian. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you guys before.”

  Kathleen put down the sweater she was holding and went to Izzie, leaning down and hugging her tightly. Izzie’s eyes went wide and she slowly hugged her back, not having expected that at all. The girls started laughing at Izzie’s reaction but Kathleen ignored them.

  “Maybe next year you can come with me and my family.”

  “Thanks.” Izzie smiled and glanced at Alison again, who shrugged.

  Kathleen went back over to her bed and smiled. “Don’t you love the holidays? They make everyone so kind and giving.”

  Emma smiled. “I think Kathleen drank the punch.”

  Kathleen grinned and waved her hands at Emma, pulling a white cashmere sweater over her satin tank top. She looked in the mirror, fluffing her hair and making sure her jeans were tucked perfectly into her white-furred boots, then fixed her eyeliner.

  “What are you wearing to the dinner, Alison?”

  Alison held up her white hoodie, jeans, and tennis shoes. “This, I suppose. I don’t really have a lot to choose from, and everything else is packed.”

  Kathleen sighed, swiping her finger across the edge of her lip. “I was going to wait until we were all exchanging gifts, but here.” She laid a red bag in Alison’s lap. “I think you need this now.”

  Alison grinned in delight and pulled out the sparkling tissue. In the bag was a soft light blue cashmere sweater. She held it out in front of her where Kathleen could see the thin strands of silver reflected against her white hair.

  Alison hugged Kathleen. “Thank you! It’s so soft, and it’s one of the nicest thing I’ve ever owned.”

  “You are more than welcome,” she replied. “Okay, who is ready to go?”

  Emma shut her suitcase and nodded, glancing at her green sweater and winter white dress pants in the mirror. Aya stuck her hand in the air. Her cardigan was buttoned down the front, meeting her little flowing black and pink skirt perfectly. Alison quickly changed into her sweater and grabbed her bags of gifts from beside the bed. Kathleen led the troops out of the dorm, but Alison paused and grabbed Izzie’s hand, dragging her groaning after them. She might not be able to fix whatever was wrong with Izzie, but she was going to make sure she had a good time at dinner.

  As they entered the hall Alison’s eyes lit up. There was so much energy in the room! Izzie peeked around Alison and tried to fight back a smile, but she just couldn’t. The tables had been moved, leaving an open space in the front in case anyone wanted to dance. Over a dance floor that resembled an ice-skating rink, magical snow fell from the ceiling, disappearing just at head-height. Lining the room were beautiful fresh Christmas trees that had been decorated with handmade magical ornaments that danced to the music. Their lights sparkled and shimmered, and each had a single candle on the very top that flickered in the dim light of the dining hall.

  The tables had beautiful holiday centerpieces and bore traditional Earth Christmas foods. There was a ham, cranberry salad, green bean casserole, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and croissants stacked higher than the ham. Peter and Ethan were already at the table, but to the girls’ surprise, they hadn’t touched the food yet. Peter was wearing a pair of jeans with red suspenders and a green button-up shirt. Ethan was wearing his norm, only in his pocket was a red and green flower. The girls approached the table and took a seat, looking around as everyone talked excitedly and exchanged gifts.

  “We should exchange gifts first,” Kathleen pronounced.

  “Can I go first?” Ethan pulled out six wrapped gifts that were all about the same size. He passed them around the table and watched as everyone opened theirs. Emma smiled at the carved piece of wood with her name perfectly etched into it, as well as a pair of otters underneath.

  Each person got one, personalized as Ethan saw them. When Alison ran her fingers over hers there was no magic, and she realized that Ethan had carved them with his own two hands. These were what he had been working on the entire first half of the year. She could feel her name in the wood and two beautiful roses carved at the edges.

  “Thank you, Ethan! This is an amazingly thoughtful gift.”

  Izzie held hers close to her chest. “It really is. I’ve never gotten anything like it.”

  Luke walked up to the table and smiled. Ethan pulled out another gift and handed it to him.

  “Have a seat with us, buddy.”

  A chair appeared next to Alison, and he sat down and gave her a crooked smile. He opened his gift from Ethan, a hand-carved wolf, and nodded. “This is amazing! Thank you, man.”

  Kathleen pulled her bag into her lap. “Okay, okay, my turn. And Alison is wearing hers.”

  Alison smiled as Kathleen handed out gifts, even one to Luke. They were all specific to the person and all, not surprisingly, were clothes. Everyone was gracious, no one wanting to take away the excitement on Kathleen’s face. Even Ethan hugged her, looking sideways at the bow tie with skulls on it she had gotten him.

  Emma pulled out a stack of photo albums and handed them around the table.

  “I took some after-school lessons with Mrs. Fowler, and she showed me how to create photo albums with the pictures I had stored in my memories. I hope you like them.”

  Izzie opened hers and looked down at the pictures, smiling widely. Emma had captured every happy moment she’d had since she had gotten to the school. She hadn’t even realized how many happy moments there had been, and all because of the people at that table. It was such a thoughtful and meaningful gift. When she flipped to the back page she looked around, finding everyone with the same picture. It was the seven of them, standing in front of the school, their arms around each other. They were smiling and laughing together.

  “How did you get a memory with you in it?”

  “I didn’t. I got it from one of the upperclassmen I remembered seeing there.”

  Izzie pulled out a satchel and dumped the contents on the table. They were all necklaces made from coins from Ruby Falls. She had used her magic to bend them into different shapes. She passed each one to its recipient and smiled happily as they all put them around their necks, even Kathleen. Alison held her hand over hers and felt the energy in it soothe her nerves. She leaned forward and kissed Izzie on the cheek.

  “Thank you. It’s wonderful.”

  Aya went next, handing out stories she had written throughout the year. Each one of them was a reflection of how she felt about her friends, and each had a stone from the underground city pressed into its leather-bound cover.

  “It’s the same story but told through my eyes and how I saw each of you.”

  Kathleen teared up, pressing her hand to her mouth and taki
ng a deep breath. “That is so cool, Aya. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. You’re all welcome.”

  Peter cleared his throat and lifted a half-burnt bag to his lap.

  “So, I tried to make each of you a trinket with that book of old spells that I bought, but something went wrong. They all turned out fantastic, but halfway here the bag caught on fire. So, um…sorry.”

  The whole table burst into laughter. Peter chuckled, shrugged, and stuck the bag back under his chair. Ethan slapped him on the back.

  “It’s the thought that counts, brother.”

  Peter smiled and looked at Luke, who pulled out a small pouch from his pocket and set down seven round stone pieces. He cleared his throat and looked at the group.

  “I told my father what you did during the fight in the city, and he sent these to me for you. They are our family shifter crest, dating back to Oriceran. There is one for each of you, and it signifies that you are part of our clan—for life. If there is ever anything you need, like help or anything, you can show any shifter this and they will stand for our family.”

  Alison smiled as he handed one to her. She ran her finger over the crest burned into the stone and put it into her pocket, then lifted a brown gift bag onto the table and looked at the others.

  “I guess it’s my turn then.”

  She pulled a long velvet box from the bag and handed it to Aya.

  “I paid one of the upperclassmen to get this for you. I know you wanted it for your mom.”

  Aya opened the box and started to cry, then got up and hugged Alison tightly.

  “That is the best gift you could have given me. She will love it. Thank you.”