Starlight Christmas

by Yumoyori Wilson

  "Um, hello future Daniel. Did you come to warn us about some epidemic that will lead to the end of the world?" I questioned him. He laughed; the rich, calming sound caught the others’ attention as they turned to face us.

  "That would be pretty cool if that was my purpose. I'd at least tell my younger self that brown contacts don't suit him at all." The look-alike proposed. Daniel groaned, rolling his eyes.

  "Hello to you, too, brother. And, stop hating on my damn contacts. You should be wearing yours." Daniel greeted, pointing out his brother's flaw. He shrugged before giving us a devilish smile – the ones that sent shivers down to your soul, and not the pleasurable type.

  "I'm on guard duty until Scarlet's speech time. No point wearing those atrocious things if I'm gonna have to scare troublemaking shifters and humans alike. I'll just say they're contacts."

  Daniel sighed shaking his head. Marcus made his way to Daniel's brother's side.

  "Michael. Hurry and properly introduce yourself, or I'll ruffle your hair." Marcus encouraged, slapping his back. He coughed, Marcus' gesture clearly had some effect on him as he gave him a side glare.

  "Marcus, go pat Jaxson or better yet, Vinzent. Their broad muscles can handle your strength. Mine, on the other hand, are fragile as hell. You’re gonna give me back issues." He grumbled. Marcus laughed.

  "From the guy who’s a black belt. Just introduce yourself." Marcus reminded him.

  He gave him another glare before returning his attention to me, giving me a half bow.

  "Michael Moore. Older brother of my cute little brother over here. It's a pleasure to finally meet you Makoto. I only got a chance to meet your sleepwalking self and Midnight." He introduced, winking at my gawked expression.

  "Midnight? How...uh...I shouldn't even ask." I mumbled; my cheeks flushed as I glanced nervously around. Ryder shook his head while Marcus returned to us with the others.

  "I'll give you the ‘Cliff Note’ version of what happened last time. Think of it as a story. Earthala, chapter one in the epic series of how Makoto and Scarlet caused a whole lot of trouble." Marcus announced, spreading his hands up in a rainbow arc as if the title was in flashing lights.

  "We did not get in a lot of trouble," I argued. Nine pairs of eyes landed on me – my face grew hot with embarrassment as I looked at the floor.

  "Okay...maybe stealing the motorcycle wasn't a good idea. But it was fun! That counts, right? Right?" I defended, looking for someone to defend me. I heard Elias chuckle before his mint scent engulfed my senses – his arms circled around me as he rested his chin on my shoulder.

  "Yup, totally fun. I heard Marcus almost had a heart attack and Junho practically was on the verge of a panic attack. Next time we come down, drive Marcus around town. He'll wet his pants." Elias suggested, laughing.

  "Nope! I'm not letting her drive me. I'll die. Did you see how fast she’d been riding? You’re lucky Scarlet just fainted. I was scared she'd fall off."

  "Admit it. I was epic and you're just jelly. Jelly, right? Ugh, Cece! Is it called jelly?"

  I called out to the tall blonde – her gorgeous locks in multiple curls. She turned to my call, smiling before approaching us.

  "Yes, Mako. You can use jelly instead of jealous. You look absolutely stunning." She reached me in no time with those long legs that were cloaked in a beautiful black gown that sparkled with each movement. She gave my knights a look; their bodies grew rigid for a moment before they unhooked themselves from me. I giggled before Cece pulled me into a hug. I smiled, giving her a tight embrace.

  "You seriously need to come down here more often. I missed your blue-eyed face. Did you finish that book we've been asking you to read?"

  "Almost! It was Ryder's fault." I replied. Ryder waves his hands in front of him.

  "She was sick! Don't go blaming me. I don't need Cece glaring at me all night. No thanks." Ryder groaned, letting out a huff. Cece laughed; the soothing sound flowed across the entrance – rewarding us with multiple glances. Not like our large group of men in top-notch suits and two females in the middle didn't catch enough attention.

  "Admit it. You may be a demon, but you have a slight fear of the queen." She joked, flicking a curl.

  Ryder frowned but didn't argue, which was something you didn't see often. Made me wonder if he was afraid of Cece. I looked back at her face – her blue-green eyes looked extra vibrant with her flawless complexion, long lashes, and red lips. She didn't need to put on a lot of makeup. Any more would make her too stunning to look at. She noticed my gaze, giving me a wide smile. Ryder scared of Cece...nah. She's too kind to be scary.

  "Don't judge a book by its cover." Hope sang.

  "Wouldn't it be cool though, if she was a demon queen or something." Rose proposed.

  "With a large following who did her bidding," Lexi suggested.

  "You guys and your imaginations," Lily commented.

  "She's totally royalty or something." Midnight mumbled.

  I ignored their discussion; returning my attention to reality. I'll focus on the minor details later.

  "Now, is everyone here?" Cece questioned.

  The other boys came to re-introduce themselves. Jaxson White, Michael Moore, Junho Suk, Christian Ross, and Ethan Roseblade of Team Seven. They worked for something called Paranormal INC, a criminal investigation organization. Cece Alexandra Rose and her boyfriend, Vinzent Ivanov were here to lend their support. Basically, they were a badass crime-stopping group who got to do car chases and shoot bad guys like in the movies. Totally exciting.

  "Yup. Scarlet and Kai should be heading onto the stage soon. Let's go grab some champagne and get settled before the place gets packed." Junho suggested. I beamed at the suggestion of the bubbly drink.

  "I get champagne too?"

  "NO." All the men said at once. I frowned; my shoulders dropped.

  "But..." I blinked my eyes; already noticing Marcus and my knights getting panicky. Cece leaned in to whisper in my ear.

  "I'll let you drink some of mine. Shh, don't tell them." She gave me a wink. I practically jumped in my spot, wrapping my arms around her arm.

  Christian, who was in a dark purple suit, black tie and purple with silver highlights sighed.

  "I heard that." He revealed. Cece narrowed her eyes at him. He groaned, turning around.

  "Let's go. I don't want a nagging Cece in my ear or head." Christian began walking, the rest of his team chuckled while they followed his lead.

  "Time to have fun," I announced to my group and Cece. She nodded.

  "Let's enjoy tonight."

  "Give another applause to our third rank artist of this year’s Christmas Galleria."

  I stood impatiently next to Cece as we both waited for Scarlet and Kai to walk on the stage. We had gotten glasses of champagne and made a pit stop at the appetizer table before making our way to the stage. Our group took up a large portion on the left side of the designated area – our spots close to the stage.

  We already stood out from the crowd – my knights on my side, while Scarlet's partners were on Cece's side. Her extremely tall lover was behind her and Marcus stood behind me; his arms around my waist. Daniel held my hand; my other held the almost empty glass of champagne.

  Cece reassured the boys it wouldn't get me drunk like the last time I’d come down to Earthala; giving me the opportunity to get my own full glass. Cece said she'd get me another when the boys weren't looking.

  "Now. Our top two artists for this year’s Christmas Galleria that you've all been waiting for. Please give a round of applause to Kai Akiyama and Scarlet Sinclair!"

  We began to clap – the rest of the crowd joined in as Kai and Scarlet made their way on stage, Kai's arm hooked around Scarlet. They reached the center of the stage, bowing before the male and female host before turning and facing the audience – bowing once again.

  "SCARLET! KAI!" Cece and I waved wildly. I knew the boys had said we couldn't cheer or clap but fuck that. My artistic lover and best friend were now on stage and t
hey deserved every second of admiration from us.

  Marcus placed his hands on my shoulders whispering in my ear.

  "Firefly, you’re not supposed to call out." He reminded. I turned my head to meet his gaze, blinking my eyes in dismay. He always got flustered when I began to sulk. He continued.

  "Okay, you can cheer. But don't do it until they've done their speech." I beamed, smiling at him before returning my attention to the stage. Kai and Scarlet both waved at us; the gesture caused a few heads to turn and look at our group. I didn't mind. I was proud to be standing here with my knights and friends, supporting Scar and Kai.

  "Good evening and welcome to this year’s Christmas Galleria. It's an honour and privilege for myself and Ms. Sinclair to be standing before you." Kai began, looking at Scarlet to continue.

  "Art is a beautiful aspect to share. Whether it's with a piece of chalk or a stack of toothpicks, art can be created by anyone and anywhere." Scarlet explained. Kai nodded, continuing.

  "As one who's traveled the world, art can come in many shapes and forms. An image of a child hugging her mother, or the joy on a man's face when he gets a sip of fresh water. Art is portrayed by every individual, and I'm happy that we are privileged with such talent to share with you those aspects of life." Kai explained. Scarlet continued.

  "I hope tonight we can once again inspire all of you and show you that there's more to this world than what we see in one place or time. Let our works of art open your life to aspects that the human mind closes off. Open your imagination, and I hope in doing so it will help you strive for peace, tranquility, and salvation in your own lives. Thank you very much." She concluded, smiling.

  The crowd went wild, our cheers the loudest as we watched them bow one last time before walking off stage.

  Now, I attempted to stay still as I waited impatiently for my date; my handsome phoenix shifter strolled towards me. He wore a bright, orange suit; the dark orange pants went well with the caramel, polished dress shoes. He wore a brown belt that looked similar to Daniel's – LV in gold instead of silver.

  He wore a brown shirt and his matching orange suit jacket clung to his figure – the single, black button held it in the middle. His black bow tie had little orange snowflakes.

  His ginger hair was styled back, the strands gelled to stay in place, revealing his tapered sides. Those beautiful amber eyes were on full display, twinkling with joy as he looked down on me – taking a slow overview of my appearance. His hands slid around my waist as he pulled me into a hug, placing a quick kiss on my neck as he inhaled.

  "Good evening, my Princess. You look absolutely beautiful and smell heavenly." He greeted, pulling away but keeping his hands secured on my hips.

  "Hello, my handsome, award-winning lover. You look extremely attractive, and I bet many people are watching in envy." I proposed, giving him a wide smile.

  "Oh, trust me. They only look at me in envy because I get to walk around the rest of the night with you."

  "Me?"

  "Yup. My ears can't help but pick up the numerous whispers of the blue-eyed brunette in the stunning rose gold ombre dress, walking around with some of the top businessmen in the world." Kai pointed out; his arm hooked around my waist as we began to walk forward.

  "Ah. It's not my fault all of you are all there. But I have to admit, this dress is superb. It can hold my boobs, Kai." I glanced up at him as he blushed; his eyes inevitably landed on my breasts before a wicked smile formed on his lips.

  "It does hold them well. I'll make sure we go shopping at that specific boutique before we leave." He winked. I blushed at my disclosure, letting out a small nervous giggle as we continued to head towards Kai's section of the art gala.

  Marcus had said Kai wanted to show me something, but we had to wait for him to finish up his VIP picture sessions which took thirty minutes. I didn't mind the wait, getting time to congratulate Scarlet with the others and take tons of pics as we got an exclusive tour of all her artwork.

  Kai directed me to a quiet section of the Gala; a security guard nodded his head at us as we strolled into a large, dark room. The door closed behind us; the only light a dimmed entrance light.

  "Kai? Why are the lights off in her -" I began before the lights began to turn on – section after section lit up until the room was fully lit – revealing the contents that were once hidden in the darkness.

  I froze mid-step; my eyes widened in awe. My hand left Kai's as I walked towards the first portrait that had caught my attention - a striking image of me.

  It was the day I had met Kai the first time. A fork in my mouth; my expression filled with happiness as I ate those blueberry pancakes I enjoyed.

  I continued to make my way down the room filled with massive canvases; all of them revolving around me.

  An image of when I had been recovering from the first exam incident; my knights and Eli surrounded my bed as I slept. Even Nightmare was in the picture, a little, white ball at the edge of the bed – the grey ends of her tails a light yellow. The entire image was in watercolor paint, only remembering the difference thanks to Scarlet's explanation from my previous visit.

  The following canvases were situations with the others:

  My body pressed against Daniel; my hands on his bare chest as we kissed. Marcus' hands around my waist as we stood on the balcony – my hands held a mug of steamy hot chocolate as we both laughed while the sun began to rise. Ryder and I sharing a bed; my head relaxed on his shoulder while I slept – his hands held my e-reader, a slight smile on his lips. Elias and I in the kitchen – my hands wrapped around a frying pan as I was midway of flipping a pancake; my head back in laughter as Elias' hands were around my waist; an amused smile on his face as he glanced up at the pancake. EliaseAnne and I on top of her bed, Eli's body pinned above me – her lips just centimeters from mine, my eyes closed as we both had flushed cheeks.

  I continued to walk around the room to view the remaining artwork. There was even an image of me and Nightmare; my hands lifted her up as her three tails spread out; the ends glowed a bright pink as her outstretched paw landed on my nose and I laughed – my bright turquoise eyes glimmered so brightly against my rosy pink cheeks and pale complexion, my red lips spread to show my white teeth. My brown, curly locks danced wildly from the wind that blew; different colored petals flowed around us.

  I reached the final image - the acrylic paint image being the largest canvas in the room – taking up the majority of the wall from the top to the bottom.

  I knelt down before a large present – the wrapping shifted to multiple colors, reminding me of a rainbow. A gold ribbon wrapped around it, meeting at the center to form a large bow. My face glowed with happiness as I peered down at the gift; my hands held the ends of the bow, ready to tug it open.

  EliaseAnne was next to me, her head peered over my shoulder as she smiled; her curly, blond hair flowed to one side. I sighed in admiration at Elias who was on the opposite of me – his features matching those of Eli as he rested his chin on my shoulder, also peering at the box before me. His hair was styled to one side as he smirked. Both of their emerald eyes seem to light up – the flames from the fireplace flickered in their eyes.

  A large Christmas tree with various colored ornaments was in the background, cream-like lights lit up the tree.

  Kai was relaxed against the fireplace to our right, next to the display of colored stockings that hung above the fireplace – each one displayed our names, the stocking in our designated color.

  Ryder was next to Kai; his mouth opened as if he was mid-conversation as they both glanced my way, soft expressions on their faces as they held mugs which I assumed held coffee and chocolate milk.

  Daniel and Marcus were on my left; Marcus’ hand ruffled Daniel's ash blonde hair as he laughed, while Daniel narrowed his eyes at him but still had a smile on his face.

  Nightmare was mid-jump as she aimed to land on the present; Moonlight, Scarlet’s familiar, was right behind her.

  I took a moment to
review the image over and over again – unable to stop the tears that fell down my cheeks as I smiled at the piece of art. I felt hands encircle me; that pumpkin spice aroma that I enjoyed surrounded me as Kai's head landed on my shoulder; his lips brushed against my ear.

  "I didn't know what to get you, Princess. I tried and tried to think of something that could touch your heart and show how much you've changed us. How your very existence and appearance into our lives has made us grow and attempt to attain happiness. It's thanks to you we've made it this far in this cycle and have become closer to one another than ever before. It's thanks to you we met and now serve you as your star knights. I know Christmas has never been a good memory for you, so I decided to show you multiple memories from my eyes and, hopefully, this image will be the next to come to pass." Kai revealed; his voice held so much emotion as he explained the meaning of the multiple pieces of artwork that hung on the walls around us.

  I turned in his embrace, pulling him into a hug as I cried into his shoulder.

  "I'm so happy, Kai. This...this is beautiful. How? When? How much time did this project even take?" I questioned, sobbing in his arms. He soothingly rubbed my back as his other hand rubbed my head lightly.

  "I started when I first met you, Makoto. I didn't need you to initiate the knight bond for me to be attracted to you. The moment you bumped into me and my eyes landed on yours, I knew I loved you. I then decided I’d track our interactions, which lead to seeing you interact with the others. I guess, it came to a point that I kept collecting scenes I happened to witness and decided it would be nice to have one area dedicated to you. When the Gala was announced, I decided it would be the perfect, early Christmas present, something better than the sketchbook I gave you a few rotations ago. I didn't want to make you cry, though." He confessed. I shook my head before looking up at him with a wide smile; tears still flowed down my cheeks.