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Hung some stuff, pushed some furniture... and meanwhile, Amanda was all blood, sweat, and tears here. The planner, the decorator, the mastermind pulling the strings behind the scenes, and even more recently... also the five-star head chef apparently.

She’s got cakes and muffins piping hot and ready to serve with still more on the way, and she did it as casually and nonchalantly as frying an egg.

Inhuman doesn’t even begin to describe it, the insane number of skills she’s honed to complete mastery. Like, so what if I can do magic? This girl’s a bloody swiss army knife of talents. There’s no contest. I could only just watch, stand there trying not to salivate over the enticing smell – go and place the presents under the tree or something.

It wasn’t long until the first batch of invites began to turn up, a sudden knock on a door snapping both our heads towards the entrance.

“Get the door, will you?” Amanda asked, whisking a mixed batter so fast she was practically leaving afterimages. “I’ll be there to greet them in a sec.”

Relegated to doorman duty. Oh well, it was probably the most useful thing I could do now, anyway.

.....

The knocking got firmer as I got closer accompanied by a hard kick by the time I closed the distance, rattling the door with some serious impatient, bratty energy there. I got a good feeling who this might be.

“You’re... twenty minutes early from your two-hour timer,” I said, spreading the door as wide as my smile. “Must have been really missing me, huh?”

Sammy stood outside in the numbing cold fitted in an attire that was more style over function and was clearly regretting her choice. In her hands, practically frozen stiff were two gift-wrapped boxes-one quite large and flat, the other considerably smaller, much, much smaller.

“I missed when you weren’t such a smartass,” She said, hissing and huffing all the way. “Now get out of the way before I freeze to death.”

“Thanks for letting Amanda know about this whole thing by the way,” I said, stepping away to the side and watching her skitter inside with an even wider smile. “Was just thinking I could really use the company tonight.”

In a way, though smothered by sarcasm, I really was speaking the truth here.

“Ah, well, that’s kinda my job, isn’t it?” Sammy said, shaking away her shivers and smirking from the corner of her lip. “To make up for your incompetence-you’re welcome by the way. You’re lucky I got a big heart, you know?”

“Yes, and just what would I do without you?” I muttered, swinging the door shut behind us both. “How’s everything since I left home? Good?”

She gave a noncommittal grunt and a shrug. “Quiet, I guess. Lyn’s been a good girl so far. Overall though, yeah, quiet. But compared to soul-sucking parasites and invisible magic barriers, what isn’t quiet nowadays?”

I grunted back in agreement. “And you and mom? You guys playing nice with each other? I think I might have heard promising stuff back at that phone call.”

“I’m not over her being a genocidal murderous freak if that’s what you’re asking,” She said bluntly. “But you’ll be happy to know that I’ve learned to live with it-can even eat my breakfast right alongside it too.”

“I see.”

“Relax, big bro,” She said, smiling a smile with looks resembling too close to a certain loving mother. “You won’t hear me agonizing or arguing over any family moral dilemma today. I’m just here to have fun, eat food, drink beer-”

“Repeat that.”

“Drink soda,” She reclarified. “And most importantly, plant the biggest, brightest star on a Christmas tree. Just like I’ve always dreamed.”

Weird thing to be dreaming about, but you do you, I guess.

Then, much like Amanda herself, from the very first step inward Sammy strutted about the place like she was the CEO of households or something. But more important than a CEO, she was also here as a messenger. My eyes quickly fell back to the pair of boxes she had stacked in her grip all this while, and once again, I could feel my curiosity burning.

“Mom and Dad, right?” I said, mentally tearing off the red, glossy wrappings they had covered the boxes with in my head, only to sadly blank out before I could see just what it could possibly be in there. “Just put it under the tree with the rest.”

“Ooo-hoo, big, big tree...” She remarked with a ravenous look in her eye before scampering off to add them to the continuously growing pile of boxes. Then the smell of freshly baked goods finally reached her nose, and just like that, she made a beeline for the kitchen, where the squealing, cheery sounds of reunion and greetings echoed a lot more affectionately compared to what I received on the other hand.

Despite my attempts to restrain myself, my legs simply refused to be bound, and I found myself creeping closer and closer to the tree like a hounding vulture waiting for a ripe carcass. In this case, two bright red carcasses.

I focused on the size more than anything, drawing out any implications I could come up with. The smaller one had a more distinct outline, taking on a more defined shape, it looked vaguely like those small boxes you put engagement rings in, but even if it were, what reason could they have for sending me such a thing?

Never saw them as the type to rush grandkids, honestly... still on the fence about even bringing them any either.

Meanwhile, the bigger of the two looked soft, malleable, and as I stated before- flat. Anything from new clothes to soft pillows would fit the criteria here. But I’ll never know for sure until the time comes when I choose to start ripping and tearing.

And believe me, I was seriously considering that time was nigh, before I was suddenly stopped in my tracks.

“Big... tree...” I heard repeated again, except this time slower, sleepier, and as well as coming from a vampire. I glanced back just in time to see a recently-arisen Adalia drifting her sluggish stare towards the stack of presents. “Big... pile...”

“Yep, pretty big,” I quickly said, turning around towards her. “And one of them is yours too-surprised? Amanda’s got a pretty big heart.”

She yawned, rubbing groggy eyes against my jacket sleeve. “Thank... you...”

“Thank her,” I corrected, placing myself down on what little space was left over by her feet. “And welcome to the club, enjoy your stay-because thanking her feels like the only thing I’ve been doing as of late.”

Adalia took a few moments to fully awaken, smelling the delectable air, surveying the newly-renovated living room, before whirling her head to the lively chatter resonating from the kitchen.

“She’s... here...”

“Yes, she’s here,” I said.

“She’s... nice...”

“Very nice.”

“Big... heart...”

“The biggest,” I agreed again.

“You are... lucky... that she really... loves you...”

That one I needed a second to comprehend Sorry, out-of-the-blue statements were just not my forte just yet.

“Yeah...” I muttered weakly, throwing quite the wistful stare toward the merry echoes. “And sometimes I really do wonder why she even does, y’know?”

Was just merely thinking out loud. Didn’t mean to actually say them out loud, but I’ve vented so many times to Adalia, had her be the sole listening ear heeding to all my woes that I think it’s becoming a bad habit of mine now.

“You saved... her life...” Adalia whispered. “That’s why... she loves you...”

“Saved her life,” I repeated, still musing and carelessly turning thoughts into words. “Is that really enough of a reason, though?”

For a moment, there was the faint noise of rustling and shuffling sounding, and when I turned back, I found Adalia had turned my arm into her personal leaning pillow... her comforting cold pressing gently against my shoulder.

“Why... do you say... that...?” She said, her misty eyes peering in inquiry. “She owes... her life to you... a neighbor... a stranger... when you could have... easily chosen... not to...”

I felt something shiver inside me hearing her say that. The thought of choosing things differently during those dark times. It never struck me just how close she really was to losing her life that night.

“She knows... the dangers you... went through that night... saving her...” Adalia continued. “... for a neighbor... a stranger...”

“Alright, I get your point,” I said.

“Do... you...?” She crooked her stare. “Then why is it... not reason enough... for you...?”

I fell short of an answer, and in the silence, I could hear Amanda giggling happily in the distance. A laugh that could so easily not be present.

“Don’t forget...” I felt a sudden cold on my face, and I could feel the prick of her nails grazing against my cheek. “You... saved... my life too... didn’t you...?”

“Let me guess,” I said. “Are they your reasons too, then?”

Adalia silently nodded.

“Yeah, but...” I said again. “You didn’t fall in love with me immediately, did you? Took you quite a while there, a long while unlike Amanda.”

“Or perhaps... I just didn’t know... that I was... back then...” She suggested, tiling her eyes the other way. “Not until... you showed me...”

“Good point.”

“Amanda... doesn’t need... to be shown she loves you... she is different...” Adalia said. “From the very beginning... she just knows...”

Yeah, she seems to have such a knack for that, doesn’t she? A quirk, a talent, a skill. Even when it comes to falling in love, she’s just a master at it, isn’t she?

Just what exactly can this girl not do?

“And... for her sake...” Adalia slowly lowered her hand back down. “Make sure... she isn’t wrong for it... okay...?”

What’s this? Is this Adalia looking out for her? Guess Amanda isn’t the only one with a big heart around here.

“I won’t,” I said.

“Me too... okay...?”

I smiled at that. “You bet.”

Then without skipping a beat, Adalia raised her head and started looking around again.

“Has the party... started yet...?” She asked.

“Not, not yet, but...”

But before I could finish the rest of my sentence, suddenly there was a barrage of knocks reverberating by the entrance. Frenetic, energetic, and just permeating with barely restrained excitement.

“YO! BIG MAN!” came a yell that not even the sturdiest bank vault could possibly hope to muffle. “I BOUGHT SOME PEEPS, SOME DRINKS! LET’S GET THIS SHIT STARTED, YEAH?! LET’S GO, OPEN UP WILL YA?!”

Gee, I wonder who this could be? Just can’t put my finger on it.

I got up from the couch, sighing, resigning, and mentally began bracing myself.

“Scratch that...” I said, briefly glancing back at Adalia. “The party’s starting now.”