If Santa had a Son

Chapter 1 Beginnings The snow flaked lightly on my windshield as I drove down the dimly lit, icy road. Early December in Minnesota sure felt like the north pole. Maybe Santa had relocated his workshop so no one would know where he was. Yeah, I know what you thinking. "She's a sixteen-year-old girl who's thinking about Santa as if he is real...?" Well, you need to figure a few things out about me. I believed in Santa Clause, one hundred percent. And not those fake ones in all the malls that are skinny and smell like old, cheap beer. The one with a snow-white beard, a pink nose, and a really fat belly. The one who flies around one night a year giving presents to all the good little girls and boys. I smiled at the thought, wondering what I would get this year. Maybe the iPhone I wanted? I hoped so, the phone I had then sucked. "Are we almost there?" My friend, Mackenzie, yawned beside me. She had her snow boot-clad feet propped up on the dashboard and her hands folded behind her head as she leaned back in the passenger seat. Typical of her, really. She was the lazy one, although she would swear up and down she wasn't. Especially if there was a hot guy in the vicinity. "Almost. Gosh, it's only eight thirty, Kinz." I teased, rolling my eyes. She had never been one for travel, which made me wonder why she had chosen to come with me. The drive to my grandmas was about three hours, and very tedious. Especially in the snow, which was now coming down by the buckets. Typical. Mackenzie sighed and closed her eyes, deciding to remain silent rather than give me a smart remark. I kept my eyes on the road, trying not to squint from the glare of my headlights. Sparing a look at Kinz, I cracked an evil grin. I kept my movements slow until in a flash I flicked on the radio full blast. Mackenzie shot straight up, slamming her head on the roof of my car. I burst out laughing as I attempted to sing the lyrics of 'All I Want For Christmas is You' by Mariah Carey. "Bree!" She yelled, rubbing her head. "Turn off the freaking music, now!" Before I could respond she flicked off the radio, filling the car with silence. "Buzzkill," I muttered under my breath, earning a slap from Kinz. She hated Christmas music with a passion, something I had yet to understand even though our friendship was slowly accumulating years. I stuck my tongue out at her, glancing at her for a brief second. If my mom was with me, she would yell about me not keeping my eyes on the road. She was very strict about safe driving. In fact, it was a miracle she had allowed me to drive up to grandma's all alone. The rest of my family had left the day before, leaving me to make sure all of the perishables in our fridge were thrown out. Coming home to the smell of death was never pleasant. "You know I hate Christmas music." She replied, crossing her arms over her chest. I turned to her, after checking the road - there was no one, other than myself, who was dumb enough to drive in this weather in the dark. "Why?" I raised an eyebrow at her, "It's so cheery and...festive!" "Exactly." She kept looking forward, ignoring my intense glare. Christmas music was one of my favorite things about the Holiday...That, and I could eat all the cookies I wanted without anyone judging me. I'll admit it, I was one of those corny Christmas lovers. "But it's the most wonderful time of the year!" A little giggle escaped my lips as I saw her face twist in anger. She hated any and all Christmas songs, including references to them. She was staring straight ahead, attempting to ignore my smug expression. "Bree, I'm going to say this as nicely as I can. When we get to your grandma's house I will personally gouge out your - Oh my God!" My head flung forward, away from her terrified expression, to late. There was someone standing in the road, not even trying to get out of my way. I tried slamming on my breaks, but I just wasn't fast enough. The road was icy, and though there was a squeal, we just slid. My car came to a stop with a thud, jerking slightly. "You. Just. Hit. Someone." She gasped, her face turning pale. I kept staring forward, gripping the steering wheel tightly. My heart felt like it was going to fall from my chest any second, literally just melt through the bones and flesh and drop into my lap. This was why my mother was so strict about keeping your eyes on the road, this was the exact reason. I was shaking. "W..Where did he come from?" I managed to choke out, glancing around the empty field. We were in the middle of nowhere, "I can't believe we hit someone." "You hit someone." She croaked. Note the emphasis on the word you. "Shut up." I hissed, swinging my legs out of the now opened door. "You're going out there?!" She hissed, gripping the back of my jacket in her fist. Through the fabric, I could feel that she was shaking. Mackenzie was terrified. Hell, I was terrified, too, but someone had to do something. "Uh, yeah? You call 911." She nodded, slowly releasing me. As she pulled out her pink flip phone, I took a deep breath to steady myself. "Oh, please be okay," I whispered, taking shaky steps forward. My black boots crunched under the white blanket of snow as I walked in front of my car, praying for no damage to either my car or the person I hit. Laying on the ground, face down, was a boy about my age. He had dark brown hair and was wearing jeans and a green jacket. I bent down next to him, grabbing his wrist to feel for a pulse. Thank God there was one. Grunting, I flipped him onto his back. His eyes were closed, but he was breathing. Good. His lips curled into a slight smile as he shifted in his sleep, making me sigh. Little freckles dotted his bright pink cheeks, matching the color of his hair. "What happened?" At first, I didn't know where the sound came from. Then, I realized his lips had just moved. I screamed and jumped to my feet, startled by the sound of his voice. The boy started to stand up, looking half worried and half scared himself. "No!" I exclaimed, pushing him back down to the ground. In the snow. Nice job, Bree. He smirked at me but didn't protest, laying back down on the cold ivory fluff. "I..um...well, I accidentally hit you with my car..." I stuttered, unable to look away from his green eyes, "I'm really sorry." "Oh." Well that great, he was probably thinking I'm a weirdo. He just got run over by a ten-ton hunk of metal, and all he could say was oh?! "Well, that's okay, accidents happen." I frowned, "Well yeah, but I hit you with a car!" I exclaimed, cupping my frozen cheeks with my hands. Just then police sirens filled the air, causing me to jump slightly. Curse me and my shot nerves. "Don't feel bad Bree, accidents happen." He whispered, his eyes fluttering closed. The ambulance came to a stop next to us, people piling out and surrounding us. In a matter of seconds, they had him loaded into the back of the car and were checking him out. "We're going to take him to the hospital for a head examination," A man said to me, "Please follow us for police questioning." I nodded, swallowing hard. Before I knew it we were speeding off in the opposite direction I wanted to go, away from my grandma's house. I felt numb. I didn't even really process what was going on, or why I was going to the hospital instead of being questioned right then and there. "So I saw him," Mackenzie said, obviously having recovered from her previous shock. I felt like I had an electric eel stuck inside my stomach. "He was hot." "Yeah..." I trailed off, staring into the distance. I was trying to pay more attention to the road this time, but my brain was swirling like it was being flushed down a toilet. "But he's weird and he scares me." She looked at me, "Why?" I turned to glance at her before snapping my eyes back to the road. No more accidents, Bree! "He knew my name." Why had this happened to me? I just wanted to go to my grandma's house! After what felt like an eternity, we arrived at a local hospital. We were instructed to sig in the waiting room while we waited for the police. I felt like I was going to pass out or throw up. Maybe both. They were waiting to see if the boy I hit would press charges on me. I was convinced, however, that I was going to jail. Mackenzie paced back and forth in front of me as I stared blankly into the distance. "How are you not freaking out right now?!" Mackenzie practically screeched, jolting me from my pre-occupied thoughts. Her hair was frizzed out and knotted, proving she had been yanking at it like she did when she was nervous. It was a mystery to me how I wasn't pulling out my own hair, too. "I don't know, the fact it's three in the morning?" I snapped, crossing my arms over my chest. Maybe that wasn't called for, but I was really tired. It was clear we weren't going to make any headway any time soon, that was cause enough for my irritable attitude. "Someones cranky." She muttered under her breath, turning her back moodily towards me. "Sorry." I sighed, shaking my head, "You know I'm not a night owl and I feel really bad about hitting that boy. I've never even had a car wreck and then I hit someone?!" Mackenzie sat down next to me, wrapping one arm around my slumped shoulders. Her warmth felt nice, but it didn't stop my heart from palpitating in my chest. "Don't worry, I'm sure he'll be fine." I chuckled slightly despite myself, she really was the best friend ever. Her optimistic attitude was what kept me on the ground 99% of the time. "Thanks, Kinz," I whispered. "No problem!" She smiled at me, finally releasing my shoulders, "So he knew your name?!" I grimaced. Honestly, I was trying not to think about it. It creeped me out because I knew for a fact had never met that kid in my life. "Yeah, and I didn't tell him it either..." "Sounds like a creep to me, I say we hit the road and get on to your grandma's house!" She suggested, sound completely serious. I would've taken her up on the offer, except for the two lingering cops who stood in the corner, glancing at us occasionally. I laughed and slapped her shoulder playfully, rolling my eyes. "If we did I think we would be in more trouble with the cops." Pointing over there discretely, I made Mackenzie look at exactly how much trouble we were in, a fact she had been blatantly ignoring. "Pfffft, so what's a while in the slammer? At least we have each other!" Was she crazy? I burst out laughing, earning strange looks from the elderly couple shuffling around. What were they doing there at three in the morning anyway? They were the only ones in the waiting room, except for the cops, of course. "I was serious!" Mackenzie whined, slapping the back of my head. "Sure you were Kinz." I rolled my eyes again, waving a finger in her face, "What would your mother say?" She grinned and sat up straight, puckering her lips slightly. "Mackenzie Nicole Johnson! You were raised better than that!" She exclaimed, standing to her feet so she towered over me, glaring in my eyes with an intense gaze, mocking her mother. She looked exactly like her mother when she did this, which made me almost pee my pants. Her mother was a scary woman. "That was just like your mom!" She beamed at me, opening her mouth to say something. "Bree?" Someone called. I turned to see a nurse with a clipboard walking around. She looked exhausted, poor thing. "Is there a Breeanna Anderson?" I grimaced. No one ever called me by my full first name. "Right here." I stood to my feet, almost dropping my purse. The lady smiled at me and then grabbed my wrist, pulling me behind some large doors, "Hey! Where are you taking me?!" "Someone wants to see you." She sounded bored and mad, almost like she would willingly gouge out my eyeballs for the entertainment. I opened my mouth to respond, but decided against it and kept my mouth shut. Better safe than sorry, you never know when someone would drag me into a dark closet to murder me. Or maybe I've just seen way too many horror movies. "You have twenty minutes." She said, shoving me into a room and closing the door behind me. The room was dark except for a faint light coming from around the corner. It smelt like cleaning supplies and old people - which is a lovely smell! Note the sarcasm. "Hello?" I called, caustically taking a few steps. Was this some sort of trick? Was I going to jail? Were they about to pump me dry of blood and leave me here to rot? Oh god, I was too young to die! "Hey, Bree." The boy I hit sat in the bed, his hair all messy and smiling widely. He looked perfectly healthy except for a small bandage wrapped around his head. "Umm...Hi..." I trailed off, mainly because I had no clue what his name was. He laughed at my boggled expression. "Anthony." His smile made my heart race slightly, probably because of his good looks. Kinz was right, he was hot. Pull yourself together, Bree! "Oh...Hey Anthony." I stood there, shifting my weight from foot to foot, feeling quite awkward. He just stared at me, a silly little smirk plastered onto his face. "Are you going to sit down?" He asked, raising one eyebrow. "Oh!" I exclaimed, rushing to the nearest chair, my cheeks turning red. How was I supposed to know he wanted me to sit? I threw my weight into the chair, shrieking as the back gave out. My head hit the soft seat as I folded out into a small bed, gasping. A quiet growl escaped my lips in response to his furious laughing. "You. Should've. Seen. Your. Face." Anthony gasped in-between fits of laughter. "Shut up!" I yelled, throwing the little pillow at him. For some reason, I felt like he was a friend, a close one. Like I had known him a long time, not like I had just hit him with my car. It was so easy to get along with him, almost too easy. Suddenly, I didn't feel scared or intimidated. I felt like I was visiting a relative in the hospital. "Sorry, but that was priceless!" He chuckled, sending me an apologetic look. I scoffed at it, knowing it was fake. I could tell by the glint in his eyes. "You wanted to talk to me?" I asked, looking away from his gaze. For some reason, I couldn't look at him for long without my cheeks growing red. "Yeah, I was bored." He shrugged like it was totally normal. My mouth fell open, creating an 'o' where a straight should have been. "Excuse me?" I asked, snapping back to reality. It was three - no four, now - in the flipping morning and he wanted to chat?! "Ummm....Yeah?" It sounded like a question, so I responded accordingly. "I know there had better have been a reason! It's four in the morning, in case you didn't know! I could've been at my grandma's house, asleep, curled up in front of the fire! But no! You had to run in the middle of the road so I would hit you with my car!" "I'm sorry?" He croaked, looking at me with a funny expression. It was a mix between confusion and amusement, and I wanted to slap it straight off of his model-worthy face "No, I'm sorry! Sorry, you don't have the brains to look both ways before you cross a street!" Suddenly, I gasped, my hand flying to cover my mouth. What was I doing? I hit him with a car for heaven's sake! "I'm so sorry," I said, burying my head in my hands. I could feel my cheeks burning hotter than usual because of my thoughtlessness. I was thoroughly embarrassed. "It's fine." He placed a hand on my shoulder, causing me to jump. When did he get out of the bed? "I understand, and I'm really sorry about all this. I should've been more careful." He placed a warm hand on my cheek, wiping a tear away with his thumb. I had no idea why I was crying. I never cried, but for some reason, I felt really bad. "I...I should've been more careful too..." I whispered, staring into his piercing green eyes. I suddenly had the urge to hug him. He was so sweet and understanding even though I was just really rude to him. But wait, I had an excuse, and hey, what girl didn't want to be comforted by a hot boy? "I...I just feel so bad!" I let myself burst into sobs, throwing my arms around his waist and burying my head in his chest. He wrapped his strong arms around my back, cooing in my ear. Wow, I couldn't believe that worked. I smiled inwardly as I smelt him, becoming slightly dizzy with the sent. He smelt like candy canes, pine needles, and a nice warm fire. You know the burning smell of wood in the fireplace? Yeah, like that - but better. I yawned into his chest, causing him to chuckle. Just standing in his warm embrace made me drowsy, half asleep already. "Go to sleep." I was vaguely aware he laid me down on the fold out bed, but his arms stayed around me. That meant he was laying with me, but I didn't care. It was like he had set some sort of spell over met that made me trust him. I was way too tired to care he was a stranger, I already trusted him completely. My eyelids grew heavy as I drifted off to sleep, intoxicated by Anthony's smell. Correction - my new favorite scent.