As I walked inside, I slid my beanie off to hopefully give the wrong impression to whoever may be waiting inside. As soon as I was inside, I knew the mother would ask why I was out there on my lonesome, so I went ahead and began to form an excuse early, but quickly. It didn't work and I was forced to decide to wing it when it came up. I entered a very fancy marble dining room and saw a woman sitting at the opposite end of a dining table.

"Hello," she said with a smile. Sure enough, guess what she said next? "What are you doing out there in the cold?" I paused, then opened my mouth. "My parents are on a business trip, and I was on my way to get groceries, but got caught up in the snow," I spoke. I was surprised at how easily the response came, and I realized just how good I got a lying over the past months. At least, I thought I was good. There was a pause, then the woman spoke. "Oh." She raised her hand to one of the chairs. "Are you hungry?" she asked. I turned to the girl, then to the door. It was pretty warm in here, and unnerving, but I wanted to take advantage. So, I turned to the woman and slowly nodded my head. The woman got up and pulled out a chair, then passed down a plate of beef stew. It was so nice to have a home cooked meal for a change. I hadn't had one since I ran away from my uncle, and especially not beef stew. "Thank you," I said in kind of an awkward tone. When I sat down, I realized my pellet gun was visible at my side and quickly hid it behind my jacket hoping she hadn't noticed. "I'm Carol," the woman said. She turned to her daughter, who was maybe seventeen or eighteen. "This is my daughter Crystal." She introduced her daughter proudly. "Uh... Joel," I stammered.

I noticed there was no father, which had me naturally curious, but I said nothing. I remembered what Joe had told me once at the base camp before he passed away. A home is not a home without family. That's why we aren't homeless. We may not possess a home, but we are family. Joe wasn't particularly fond of the coined term homeless. "How old are you, Joel?" Carol asked. "I just turned sixteen a few months ago," I answered, trying to sound as comfortable as possible. I took a bite out of the beef stew in my bowl. Looking back on it, I probably ate that beef stew like a slob. But who could blame me after everything I had been through?

I quickly scarfed down the entire bowl of food and sat back, stuffed and relaxed. As Carol finished her food, she returned to the subject that was me. "So, where do you live?" she asked me. I paused, then Crystal and I exchanged quick glances. Thankfully, Crystal saved me. "I think he just moved here. Down on the street next over. I've seen him at school every now and then," she said. Carol turned towards me. "Is that true? Are you new here?" she asked. She wasn't saying it in an interrogative voice. More like an excited voice, which was strange. "Yes ma'am," I finally said with a quick gulp. "Well, that's good," she said. "We never get anyone new around here. All we have is the old lady down the street," Carol added.

"Well, if you ever want to come over again, you are more than welcome," Carol said with a smile. "Thank you," I said. I was actually comfortable this time. And after an early dinner, Crystal showed me the door, and I was back on the street. Nice to know there are still nice people in this world. I took one last look at the house before walking down the street and disappearing into the snow, searching for my next move.

Eventually I found another dry alleyway, and it was getting dark, so I pulled out my lighter desperate to light a few sticks I had gathered, but nothing was working there. I had no warmth as the snow was beginning to roll in, and I realized a store down the street was open twenty-four hours a day. I realized I could exploit this and decided to get my sorry self up on my feet and down the street, which as cold as it was, was more of a chore than I had thought it would be.

Eventually I made it to the door and walked inside. It was warm and bright, and I wondered how long I could get away with staying inside of here. On the other side of the store, I could hear someone chewing out someone, and I figured it was some mother or something getting fed up with their little child causing mischief in a store. As I strolled down an aisle, something caught my interest.

I saw this small, resealable glass bottle. Kind of like those glass coke bottles you can get. This bottle had a screwable bottlecap that didn't just pop off, as well. I grabbed it and looked at the sticker. It was only a dollar, so I kept it in my hand while I searched for anything to pass the time. While I scanned the shelves, I hoped no one would find my bike that I had hidden outside. Eventually I decided it was probably getting suspicious of me just walking around, and figured it was time to go. I went to the self-checkout lane and purchased my bottle, then left. I also bought a small lemonade as well. After going outside, I put the things in my bag, passed the parking lot and pushed my bike into the woods at the edge of town. I had to find me a warm spot and searched for several minutes before finding a spot that was so covered with overhead branches that there was barely any snow underneath. A spot maybe big enough for a small car.

I plopped myself down and tried to rest for a few minutes, using every technique I knew to keep my body warm. While I waited for the moon to light up the sky, I decided to pass the time and stuck my gloves into the snow. I made a few balls and stacked them on top of each other. I took a few small sticks for its arms, and soon I had a faceless snowman. Part of it, for whatever reason, reminded me of my parents. I could remember having a snowball fight with my mom one Christmas. I started to get a little emotional, and I refused to let my emotions get the best of me again. I failed of course and punched the snowman in the side of the head, sending snow flying everywhere. I leaned back and sat there, hoping it would be a short night, then I realized I would freeze to death sitting there, and I had to find a better spot to stay. I pulled my bike out of the woods and back to the town, searching the entire small town from head to toe. Finally, I found a small area underneath a motel's open-ended hallway that led to a small room corridor with only one end, which I had come from. It was warm, so I lied down and hoped to myself I wouldn't freeze to death that night.

In the morning I awoke to find someone had placed a blanket over me. I couldn't find who it was, but whoever did it, thank you. I found a small note that said Keep it and smiled. I folded the blanket and stuffed it into my bag, which was getting kind of full. I left the motel and held my head high, feeling the warmth of the sun as it shined down on my face. I also realized at some point at this time that this town was just next door to my uncle's place pretty much, and that they were probably in the same school district. Part of me wanted to go see Gus, but I decided against it. Too dangerous.

Instead, I continued to walk down the sidewalk until I heard someone call my name. I spun around to see Crystal jogging toward me. "Where are you going?" she asked, pulling bright pink earmuffs off her head. I paused. "I don't know," I told her. "Come on," she spoke. "I want to show you something." I shrugged and followed her as she began to jog enthusiastically down the sidewalk. We soon arrived at the motel again, and she showed me a ladder around the back that led to the roof. She quickly began to climb up, and I questioned if this was allowed but followed anyway. We soon arrived on a lightly covered snowy roof, and as Crystal was looking at something, I turned and looked at the town. The view wasn't as exhilarating as my old school roof view, but it brought back a lot of memories.

"Like the view?" Crystal asked me. I turned around to see her looking down at something. "It reminds me of my old school. What are we doing up here?" I asked. She waved me over and I followed her to the edge of the roof to see a box. To my surprise, there was movement inside. "What is that?" I asked, not knowing what to expect. "I come up here every now and then to see him," she said. "Him?" I exclaimed, confused. She lifted the box to reveal a small blanket and a small battery-powered heater. Crystal then lifted the blanket, and there in the middle of the blanket was a small, huddled up baby kitten.

I bent down, surprised and looked at the little guy. "He was abandoned for some reason. Left out here by whoever his mother was. I like to check on him every now and then. Now with the snow, I have to take care of him even more," Crystal explained. "What's his name?" I asked. "Whiskers," she answered. How original. I was astounded she had managed to take care of him this long. "What do you feed him?" I asked. "He likes milk that I buy from the store," she said, rubbing his tiny head before placing the box back down.

"Why are you showing me this?" I asked. Crystal paused, then turned towards me. "I don't know. You kind of remind me of my brother," she replied. "You have a brother?" I asked. She nodded. "Moved away with my dad," she explained. She didn't seem too sad or anything, which made it a lot less awkward. "Can I ask you something?" Crystal asked. I paused. "Depends on what," I said, sitting down. "Why did you run away?" she asked, sitting down as well.

I paused again, and I admit I was a little stumped at what to say. "I got sick of my uncle. He was a bad man, and I was his slave. I moved in with him after my... well, my parents died," I said slowly. Crystal paused now. I admit, it felt good to open up again with someone my age. While we sat there, I slid out my lighter and struggled to get a flame as I tried to warm my hands, but once again all attempts failed. "Your lighter is almost out of juice," Crystal said, as if I hadn't noticed. Then she asked me from seemingly out of nowhere, "You like to read?" I paused, then looked up at her. "Some," I said. "I love to read. It's fun," she said with a smile. "I never considered it fun," I said, placing the lighter back in my pocket. "Ooh! You should write a book," Crystal said energetically. "A book?" I asked, confused. "About what?" "About all this! About you being homeless. How long have you been homeless?" Crystal asked. "I don't know. I ran away..." I paused in thought. "Last summer."

"Really?" she asked, surprised. "How did you do it this entire time?" I paused. "Think about it. A book would be perfect." I sighed. "Maybe I will," I said at last. At the time, I wasn't entirely planning on actually writing a book, but I had a feeling she wouldn't drop the subject any time soon. "Wouldn't Miss Carol want you home by now?" I asked. "As long as I'm back by curfew, she doesn't care," Crystal said, standing up. Must be nice. "Hey, I know this small place to eat down the street. You hungry?" Crystal asked, brushing snow from her pants. I shrugged. "Sure, why not?" I sighed. I stood up and brushed myself off before we approached the ladder.

Once we arrived and got settled inside, I bought a cheeseburger and coffee with a side of fries. Whatever Crystal ordered; I have no idea what it was because it was weird. After we ate, I sat back and sipped my coffee as I reached into my bag for the money. "It's fine," she said, pulling out some money. "I've got it. I get a big allowance." "Thank you." I said as she placed the money on the table. It felt weird her paying, but I wasn't complaining. We walked down the sidewalk a good way before approaching her house, and as I pushed my bike along the sidewalk, I noticed Carol helping some people with some boxes. Crystal and I sped up the pace and got there quicker than expected, and I dropped my bike to the ground and quickly grabbed a box just before a man dropped it. "Thanks," he said from the other side of the box. Crystal helped her mom as she struggled to lift one out of the back of a large truck.

"Are you moving?" I asked, a little confused. Carol chuckled. "No. My cousin is moving in next door," she explained. "I'm Bob," Carol's cousin said, shaking my hand after we set the box onto the ground. "I'm Joel," I introduced myself. "This is my wife, Mia," he added, holding his hand around the woman. Crystal disappeared into her house, and once all the boxes were unloaded, Carol and Bob pulled the things inside while Mia said goodbye to the driver. "Good evening," Mia said, turning to me as the driver disappeared down the street. "What brings you around here?" I asked, unsure what to do now. "The old place just wasn't doing it for us. Carol told us about here, and we figured it would be fun to try out the neighborhood," Mia explained. "Well, let me know if there's anything I can do to help," I said. "Well, why don't you come inside, and get out of the cold?" Mia suggested. I shrugged and followed her as she led me inside.

The place was pretty nice, with a second story, a back patio, and a shed around the back of the house. The inside was of course empty for now, but it didn't bother me none. I ate and pretty soon it was getting dark, so after I helped with the last chair I could manage, I said thanks, goodbye, and left. I returned to the motel alleyway and used the blanket to sleep, then returned to Mia's and Bob's place to help with the unpacking. I did this quite a few times over several days, and their place was looking nicer and nicer. Bob gave me thirty dollars for all the work I was saving them, which was nice. Turns out Bob and Mia are pretty interesting people. Mia is a writer, and Bob is a car mechanic. And a good one, at that. They are both really nice people, too.

Before long, there came a day when I had helped all I could and was deciding that soon it would be time to leave this place. I sat down in the alleyway of the motel, waiting for something to happen, and soon something did. As I was staring at a wall, admiring the texture and bricks, Crystal startled me with a tap on the shoulder. "What are you doing?" she asked me with a weird look. "Thinking," I said, a little startled. "About what? Family?" she asked. "Not really. Well, kind of. Everything, I guess," I said. "Wait, how did you find me?" "I was on my way back from feeding the cat," she said in a duh voice. "I convinced my mom to let it inside... Well, come on. You should be having fun, it's Christmas Eve," she said. I paused. "It is?" I asked, surprised. "Yep!" she said with a smile, pulling me up with my arm.

"Shouldn't you be with Miss Carol, then?" I asked, confused. "It's Christmas Eve, not Christmas," she said, as if that made a difference. "Come on," she urged, pulling me along. She pulled me and my bike all the way across the street and toward the woods. We soon came up on a half-frozen pond that was bound by snow, and the trees were getting thicker than the rest. "What are we doing?" I asked. "We are almost there. I'll race you," she said, as if I knew where we were going. Before I could decline, she sped off into the woods. "Hey! Wait up!" I called out, struggling to keep up with my bag and bike.

I soon came to a clearing, and Crystal had disappeared. I tried calling out her name, but there was no answer. I took off my bag and dropped it against a tree as I looked around, lying my bike beside it as well. I noticed a small pink envelope pinned to a tree. Confused, I grabbed it and opened it, looking inside. Turn around. Dumb mistake. As soon as I turned around, I was pelted in the face with a snowball. Caught off guard, I flew backwards and into the snow. As I recovered, I pushed myself out of the snow and listened as Crystal laughed as she appeared from behind a tree. I wiped the snow from my face, disappointed that I had fallen for it. "Got you," Crystal laughed, walking up to me. She reached down and scooped up some more snow, throwing it into the air and at a tree. I watched it as it exploded it hundreds of pieces.

"Come on. Do you not know how to enjoy something?" she asked, probably because of the way I just stood there. She sighed and gave up, then as soon as she turned around, I chunked a snowball at the back of her head. Then the war started. Before I knew it, an hour had passed, and we were both covered in snow from head to toe, panting for air. I surrendered and dropped to the wet ground in exhaustion. She raised her fist victoriously before dropping down next to me. "That was fun," she laughed. I paused. "Yeah... it was," I said slowly. The past few seasons I had been doing nothing but surviving, so it was nice to do something fun for a change.

"I could tell you were leaving and wanted to have some fun before you went," she explained. "How could you tell?" I asked. "You stopped showing up. I saw you less and less, then not at all. Figured that meant you were preparing to leave and go on some big adventure," she explained. "Well, it doesn't work like that, but yes. I was getting ready to leave," I admitted. "Where will you go?" Crystal asked. I shrugged. "No clue," I said. "Well, when you do go... stay safe," she said. "And Merry Christmas." She wrapped her arms around me in a big hug, which took me by surprise.

Then, without another word, she stood up and walked off, leaving me confused in the snow. Just like that. Sometimes I don't get girls, but whatever. I stood up and grabbed my things, preparing myself to leave when I saw something on the ground with a small note.

"Got this for you. Don't ask how, just use it well."

I picked up the small item from the ground, a wrapped box the size of a saltshaker. I pulled off the small yellow ribbon and slid open the box. Inside was a bright yellow lighter. I smiled and put the valuable piece of equipment in my pocket.