Darken: Christmas Thoughts by BML Hillen-Keene (best english novels for beginners .TXT) 📕

It was nearing Christmas, a time of year Mars never really bothered with. Christmas was another thing he had lost with the death of his mother. Before her death Christmas had started in November, just as the lights went on in the shops and the music played constantly. He had stopped caring by the time he turned ten, November no longer held the sparkle it had, and December had lost it’s magic completely for him. Now winter, and Christmas, was just another time of the year in the base waiting for the Darken to attack. While not as intense as the rest of the year, winter was always dotted with attacks by smaller groups of Darken. Enough to keep he, Monster and Clarice busy while Tara spent Christmas week with her sister and her family. Mars tried to give her more time unless he really needed her.

He didn’t see how Christmas would be any different this year than all the others he had spent here, even with Astral on the team. That, he supposed, was where he should rethink his mind frame. Since taking Astral onto the team all manner of things had happened that normally wouldn’t. why should he expect the two month lead u and aftermath of Christmas to be any different.
He glanced over surreptitiously at the object of his thoughts. Astral was, or at least appeared to be, asleep, his head cushioned and hidden from view by his folded arms on the tabletop. It wasn’t normal behaviour, normally he would be messing around with one of his puzzles or reading, or something, Mars never paid too close attention. But as there had been no obvious changes in his training pace, Mars wasn’t all that worried. He would have asked, but got the feeling it would probably end up sounding like an order. While things had definitely settled between them, he still found it easier not to get too close.

“Hey, Kid.” Clarice broken his thoughts, sitting down next to Astral and nudging him in the side. Mars frowned when Astral slowly raised his head before dropping it again once he had confirmed who was speaking to him.

“Yeah?” it was muffled, but easily distinguishable.

“What’s wrong with you?” Clarice asked, a touch of concern in her voice.

“Didn’t sleep well.” Astral mumbled in reply.

“Again? Geeze kid, that’s nearly three nights in a row.”

“I know, I know… I’m fine.” Astral insisted, sitting up fully to look at her.

Tara moved up behind him, laying the back of her hand on his forhead. “Well your not too warm or anything.” she told him, moving away with a smile.

“Should I be?” he asked her with a frown.

Clarice rolled her eyes. “Not unless your sick you shouldn’t.” she shook her head in some bemusement.

Tara smiled as she sat down beside Mars. “Hey.” she greeted.

“Tara.” Mars replied, gracing her with a slight smile.
They sat in silence for a long moment, not uncomfortable, but Mars knew Tara wanted to say something, or to tell him something, something that would most likely change his December.

“What where you Christmas’s like as a kid Mars?” she asked finally.

Mars sighed. “They were exactly the same as anyone elses.” he told her firmly.

“Yeah,” she nodded towards Astral. “He ever have any?”

Mars restrained a scowl. “Not as such. Why?” he knew he wasn’t going to like this.

Tara smiled. “Nothing, just got to thinking is all, when I was trying to think up a present for Stephen, my nephew.” shr reminded, as if none of them remembered she had one. Mars knew it was just because she was proud of him.

Mars had to smile slightly at that. “That your idea of subtly telling me we should celebrate Christmas this year?” he asked.

She shook her head. “No, I was just genuinely curious, you never talk about this time of year. If you stopped celebrating it after your mom died I just wondered if Astral ever had a Christmas.”

“What are you planning?” he asked suspiciously.

“I’m not planning anything, Monster might be though.” she grinned.

Even worse, Mars inwardly groaned. If Monster felt the occasion warranted it he would pull out all the stops. “Why’s that?”

“Well, he’s been out longer than he usually is when he goes to do the shopping. I think we might get a few boxes of lights and tinsel.”

Mars did groan this time. The last time Monster had been shopping near Christmas, which had been three years ago now, he had come back with boxes of lights and heaps upon heaps of tinsel. The man had an unhealthy obsession with tinsel. “Tell me you didn’t put him up to it?” he asked, knowing it was something she might well do.

Tara shook her head. “Nope, didn’t do a thing. But you know he’s doing it for Astral, well, that and I think he’s been itching to get his hands on some more tinsel since you threw the last of it out.”

“Hey!” Clarice called over, “ don’t give the captain all the credit. I helped get rid of it too.”

“Get rid of what?” Astral asked, leaning forward, a lot more awake now, and interested.

“Tinsel.” Tara supplied.

Astral’s eyes went wide with excitement. “Tinsel? Cool! My second grade teacher put that all over the classroom. She even let me take a whole load back with me at Christmas.”

“Oh no! Not another one. Go discuss the greatness of idiotic, sparkly tinsel with Monster. You could start the very first ’tinsel fan club’.” Clarice told him, her tone sarcastic.

Astral blinked at her. “What’s wrong with tinsel?”

Tara laughed. “Nothing, nothing at all.” she told him, but her smile was directed at Mars.

Mars had felt a pang when he had seen Astral’s eyes light up. It was just another thing he could had to his ever growing list of things he had done wrong. Biting back a sigh he refocused his attention on his team, letting his eyes drift to the clock behind Astral and Clarice, deciding he would let the decorations stay this year. “When is Monster due back?” he asked.

Tara looked at the clock. “It normally only takes him an hour or so. I’d say another half hour at most.”

Mars nodded. “I have a report to write. Let me know when he get’s in.” he sighed. Whereas before he had hated writing reports that would be discarded without so much as a look through, now he hated that his every word would be studied by anyone the commander believed could help him decipher all there was to know about the half Darken in the Shadow Company.

The door to his office snapped shut.

Publication Date: 12-22-2009

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